Tonight, the Langley Rivermen will look to shake off a tough loss to the Surrey Eagles last night. After scoring the opening goal of the game, the Eagles registered three straight en route to a 3-1 win. The good news for the ‘Riv, is that the team won’t have much time to sit on that loss with another Mainland battle scheduled for tonight in Coquitlam.
“Last night we lacked execution with our special teams, in particular our power play. We have identified areas of concern and will look to see change in tonight’s game,” said Rivermen Associate Head Coach and Assistant General Manager Kurt Astle.
With last night’s loss, the Rivermen remain second place in the Mainland Division with an 8-5-0-0 record for 16 points. There is not much breathing room for the team, with Coquitlam and Chilliwack hot on their heels only a single point back, which makes tonight’s game a big one. Coquitlam is hovering just over the .500 mark at 6-5-1-2. They will be looking for more consistency in their game after having just one victory in their last four games, which came in their last one against Surrey on October 16. So far this season, they have won back to back games just once.
Tonight’s contest is the first of seven meetings on the campaign. Last year, Coquitlam got the better of the Rivermen in the season series with a 5-3-0-0 record. The ‘Men will have to keep a close eye on a couple of forwards in particular on the Express roster. Jackson Cressey is enjoying a breakout year with 22 points in 14 games and sits tied for fifth in league goal scoring with 10. Last season, he had 11 in 52 games. Colton Kerfoot rounds out the one-two punch, as he has registered 19 points in 14 games.
“Our group is facing some challenges right now. However, it’s good to go through it early, and tonight we’ll see which players can rise to the occasion when things get tough,” Astle finished.
Face-off is at 7:00pm from the Poirier Sports & Leisure Centre in Coquitlam, BC. The game can be seen live at www.fasthockey.com.
