Warriors host Coquitlam tonight

The West Kelowna Warriors (19-14-0-1) will get their first look at the Coquitlam Express (18-13-1-0) tonight.

Hosting the first of two regular-season meetings, West Kelowna welcomes Coquitlam to Royal LePage Place for a 7 p.m. puck-drop. The return game in Coquitlam is set for Jan. 7.

The Warriors are coming off a hard-fought 2-1 victory in Vernon on Saturday night. Goaltending had to be sharp for the Warriors and it was the future Yale Bulldog Connor Hopkins stopping 33 of 34 shots, including numerous big saves late in the final frame. Lucas Cullen was able to score both goals for West Kelowna and was named the game’s first star.

The Express are experiencing a bit of a renaissance year. The past two seasons, they could only muster 11 wins in 2016-17 and 15 wins in 2017-18, but the Express have already surpassed those totals with 18 wins prior to the holiday break in 2018-19.

The Express are sitting in third place in the Coastal Division with 37 points, while the Warriors are in fourth place in the Interior Division with 39 points.

Most of the credit for Coquitlam’s turnaround goes to the new and improved coaching staff led by Jason Fortier, who joined the Express in early 2018 as head coach and general manager and has quickly turned the Express back into a winning team.

“The biggest change I see with them this year compared to the last couple years, they seem to play faster and use their speed to beat you, plus they’re one of the hardest-working teams in the league,” said Warriors assistant coach Matt Miller.