The Coquitlam Express players held their collective breath.
With four-tenths of a second showing on the clock Tuesday night in Coquitlam the Vernon Vipers were celebrating what they thought was the tying goal that would keep their B. C. Hockey League Fred Page Cup championship hopes alive.
But the on-ice officials ruled the puck was tossed with the gloved hand of a Viper player before Colton Sparrow dumped it into the net. The goal was disallowed and the real celebration was on for the Express after a 4-3 victory that completed a four-game sweep of the Vipers.
"We were behind in all of those games and the guys found a way to chip away and get back into it and find the winner," said Express head coach Barry Wolff.
"They came close and actually put it in the net. The puck kind of deflected from behind the net and the Vernon guy threw it at the net and then he popped it in. Thank goodness the referee saw it."
Express forward Adam Rockwood scored the championship-wining goal on a shorthanded breakaway with 4:54 left in the third period. That came after Bo Pieper had tied the game early in the period. In each game of the final series, the Express erased early deficits with winning comebacks.
Gordie Defiel made 35 saves in the Express nets, continuing the type of netminding he showed in series wins over the Prince George Spruce Kings and Langley Rivermen. The Vipers and Express then topped Victoria in a round-robin playoff to get to the final.
Jace Hennig and Conor Piper also scored for the Express, which was outshot 38-30. Brendan Persley paced the Vipers with two goals and Sparrow also found the net.
Express president Darcy Rota, a former Prince George resident who now makes his home in Coquitlam, said the city never lost faith in the franchise he started in 2000, even when he was told as owner of the team he had to leave until the city built a new rink, a project that took five years. The Express moved to Burnaby for 2005-06, won the Royal Bank Cup that season, and in 2010 moved back to Coquitlam.
"I'm really happy for the players, the coaching staff and the fans, but being here since Day 1, the special thing above all this goes back to when we began this franchise, and the city of Coquitlam was so supportive and still are," Rota said.
"The mayor and the recreation people were absolutely sick when they told me they were starting a five-year renovation plan and we had to leave. We put some great building blocks in place with the team the first four years and this is nice for city of Coquitlam to get what was due for them.
"To win two Fred Page Cups in 13 years is pretty special."
With no serious injuries to deal with, the Express advance to the four-team Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup, April 25-May 4 in Dauphin, Man., against the Spruce Grove Saints (AJHL), Yorkton Terriers (SJHL) and Winnipeg Blues (MJHL).
The Vipers will have more than three weeks off before they return to action as the host team in the RBC Cup in Vernon, May 10-18.
