Spruce Grove Saints (3-2) vs. Coquitlam Express (2-3)
Just like Thursday it`s win or go home on Saturday afternoon for the Spruce Grove Saints as they took on the BCHL champion Coquitlam Express in the three vs. four semi final.
Once again the Saints would shot some resiliency and pick up a 5-3 win to advance to the second chance game on Sunday afternoon.
Coquitlam would get off to a quick start as just 1:05 into the hockey game. The Saints would turn the puck over and Zach Hodder (unassisted) would wire a shot from the slot that beat Saints` goaltender Kenny Cameron on the power play.
The Express would add to their lead shortly after that as Cody Boyd (assist to Jace Hennig) backhanded a shot past Cameron at 4:10.
The Saints would dominate the rest of the period, but were unable to cut into the lead.
Shots favored the Saints in the first period 17-9.
Spruce Grove opened the scoring in the second period as Tristan Sieben (assists to Austin Hunter and Geoffrey Crisfield) broke behind the Coquitlam defence and snapped a shot over the blocker of Express` goaltender Gordie Defiel at 5:24.
Cameron Hughes (assists to Parker Mackay and Corey Chorneyko) tied the game for the Saints on the power play beating Defiel over the glove at 12:20.
The Saints kept coming as Dylan Hollman (assists to Connor James and Jarid Hauptman) pounced on a rebound and gave them their first lead of the afternoon at 14:36 of the second period.
Late in the second period Saints` goaltender Kenny Cameron would get run into and end up leaving the game with a leg injury. Tanner McCorriston would come on in relief, it was the first time since game five of the second round of playoffs against Sherwood Park that McCorriston would be in goal.
Shots would once again favor the Saints 10-7 in the period and 27-16 in the hockey game.
In the third the Saints added to their lead as Jake Mykituk (assist to Cameron Hughes) fired a shot from a bad angle over Defiel to make it 4-2 at 6:14.
Spruce Grove kept coming as Carson Samoridny (assists to Isaac Farrah and Tyler Busch) puts a shot over Defiel off the crossbar and in at 8:37 to make it 5-2.
Coquitlam cut into the lead late in the second period as Canon Pieper (assists to Zach Hodder and Marc Biega) put a shot towards the net that was tipped past McCorriston on the power play at 17:47.
That would be as close as the Express would get as they fall 5-3 to the Spruce Grove Saints.
Shots would favor the the Saints 10-9 in the third period and 38-25 in the hockey game.
Spruce Grove will take on the loser of tonight's Dauphin and Yorkton game.
Story by Chris Colwell