A quiet day Monday at the 2014 WCC with just one game on tap…
The Coquitlam Express picked up another victory in their second game of the 2014 Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup, 2-1 over the MJHL's Winnipeg Blues but it might have come with a cost Monday night.
Midway through the second Captain Ryan Rosenthal was rubbed off the puck into the boards, then skated off the ice in clear frustration and did not return until the third period but only lasted for one shift before calling it a night. Rosenthal (3) actually opened the scoring for Coquitlam in the contest in the first period, that was followed by a tally from Brendan Lamont (1) which turned out to be the game winner. Winnipeg's lone scorer was Warren Callis (1) on the Power Play.
The game was a goalie battle for the most part. Byron Spriggs of the Blues and Gordie Defiel of the Express stood tall, each facing 33 shots.
Power Plays saw Winnipeg end the night 1 for 4 while Coquitlam was 0 for 3.
The loss for the Blues moves them in to a three way tie for second in the round robin standings with Yorkton and Dauphin, they're 1-1 at the tournament. Coquitlam meanwhile jumps to 2-0 and pretty much clinches a playoff spot for the weekend.
The big story of this game however was indeed the loss of Ryan Rosenthal for the Express. Rosenthal has been arguably one of the best players at the Western Canada Cup so far, but who knows how long he'll be out if at all.
The good news for Coquitlam is they have Tuesday off, Winnipeg will be back in action. There's two contests Tuesday, first in the afternoon the Yorkton Terriers battle the Spruce Grove Saints, then the Dauphin Kings and Winnipeg Blues meet in a rematch of the MJHL Final (7:00pm).
Story by Christian Laughland