The hometown Coquitlam Express used a four-goal third period against the Victoria Grizzlies and a 6-3 victory to get themselves back into contention in the B.C. Hockey League round robin semifinal.
The Grizzlies, now 0-2 in the three-team round robin, must beat the Express (1-1) at The Q Centre tomorrow night to avoid elimination. Vernon sits at 2-0 atop the race, with only the top two finishers advancing to the league finals.
Victoria and Coquitlam were tied 1-1 after one period and 2-2 after two, with the Grizzlies outshooting the Express 23-12 in the first 40 minutes.
Then the locals went to work, rattling off three goals in the first 9:22 of the third period to take a stranglehold on the game.
Ryan Rosenthal was particularly a thorn in the Grizzlies' side, scoring twice and setting up two other goals for the Express.
Cole Pickup, Leo Fitzgerald and Gerry Fitzgerald tallied for the Grizzlies, while Jessie Schwartz and Garrett Forster had two assists each.
Should Victoria beat Coquitlam in tomorrow's game, the Grizzlies will travel to Vernon to wrap up the semifinals. If Victoria wins both of its those games, a Monday night game in Coquitlam between the Express and Vipers will determine the finalists.
Thursday's game (April 3) in Colwood gets underway at 7:15 p.m.
editor@goldstreamgazette.com