The Coquitlam Express is back on track in the BC. Hockey League playoffs.
After hitting a three-game roadblock put up by the Prince George Spruce Kings that pushed Coquitlam to the cliff of no return, the Express fought off elimination with a 3-0 victory on home ice Tuesday night.
Chase Danol scored all three goals to give the Express its first win in the best-of-seven Mainland Division semifinal series, ending a 13-game playoff losing streak in the playoffs which dated back to 2015.
The Kings will get another chance to finish off the series in Game 5 Thursday night at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena. If Game 6 is needed, that would be played Saturday in Coquitlam, with Game 7 set for Prince George on Monday.
Clay Stevenson made 31 saves to earn his first career BCHL shutout. The Kings outshot the Express 31-25.
After an evenly-played scoreless first period, Danol got the Express offence stoked. The 20-year-old Bowling Green University recruit accepted a pass in the Kings' zone, after Coquitlam defenceman Troy Robillard held the puck in at the blueline with an extraordinary effort, and Danol finished with a toe-drag move in the slot that gave him an open shooting lane and he tucked a backhander in behind goalie Logan Neaton. The goal came 10:27 into the second period.
Both goalies had to make key saves to keep it a one-goal game. Stevenson faced 17 shots in the second period and a majority of those came in the latter half of the period when the Kings were pressing for the equalizer.
Just before the buzzer, after some aggressive forechecking by the Nick Poisson-Ben Poisson-Chong Min Lee line, the rebound of a shot from Kings defenceman Liam Watson-Brawn kicked high into the air and was about to drop into the crease with Lee in close proximity staring at an empty net. But before the Prince George winger could get his stick on the puck, Express defenceman Pito Walton batted it away.
The Express doubled the lead 4:37 into the third period with Lee in the penalty box serving a high-sticking call. Danol was standing behind the goal line when he chipped a shot that went in off the Neaton for his second goal of the game.
The Kings generated sustained pressure on their third power-play chance and Stevenson came up with his best save of the night, getting his blocker in the way of a Ben Brar shot after Brar was left alone in the deep slot with about eight minutes left.
Danol completed his hat trick with 44 seconds left and the Prince George net empty when he chased down Nick Bochen and forced him to overskate the puck deep in the Kings' end.
Chilliwack, the regular-season champions, staved off elimination Tuesday in Langley with a 2-1 victory over the Rivermen. Langley leads that series 3-1 and will try to end the Chiefs' season Thursday in Chilliwack.
The winner of that series will face the Prince George-Coquitlam winner.
