The Rivermen went into a pivotal weekend seeking two wins against a Coquitlam team of whom they are chasing for third place in the Mainland division and delivered with two victories over the Express. They will now be hosting the West Kelowna Warriors on Tuesday night and the opportunity to close within four points of Coquitlam with a win.
In the first game of the home and home in Coquitlam, the Express went ahead early and took a 2-0 lead into the locker room after the 1st period. After the break, it was all Langley as they went on to score three unanswered goals including a power play goal from Tanner Versluis with 1:23 left in the game to secure the 3-2 win. Ryley Lanthier and Daneel Lategan also found the score sheet for the Riv. Braedon Fleming stood on his head to make 25 saves for the win.
The second game against the same Express team proved to be another barn burner. Joshua Wildauer got Coquitlam on the board just over two minutes into the game. Langley waited to respond until the 3rd period on a Jake Livingstone point shot to bring the game into overtime. After a fast-paced extra period the game was taken to a shootout, where goals from Mark Gallant and Chase Pletzke sealed the sweep for the Rivermen. Shayne Battler turned in another strong outing for the Langley goaltenders, stopping 23 of 24 shots along with 6 more in the shootout.
Riding a four game win streak, the Riv will play host to West Kelowna on a rare Tuesday night home game. The Warriors (25-20-0-1) currently stand in fourth place in the Interior Division. The Rivermen (22-21-1-0) remain in fourth in the Mainland Division.
Game time is 7:15pm on Tuesday night at the Lodge.
Tickets for home games can be purchased at the George Preston Recreation Centre “The Lodge” box office 45 minutes before puck drop and by calling 604-229-2352 or emailing tickets@langleyrivermen.com.
