Just when the heat was on, the Coquitlam Express demonstrated how they could turn up the temperature themselves.

The B.C. Hockey League team won two of three games on the weekend to stay within striking distance of second place in the Coastal Conference. More importantly, the Express cooled the red-hot jets of the Nanaimo Clippers, who had pulled within three points of the fourth and final playoff spot with Sunday's 3-2 decision on the Island.

Alexander Kerfoot's deflection off a Josh Finkelstein shot from the point with 5: 19 left in the third period broke a 2-2 tie and put the visitors in front for the first time.

They fended off Nanaimo's comeback attempt, with Khaleed Devji turning aside all 13 shots in the final frame.

The Clippers had won their previous four games and gained nine of a possible 10 points in the past two weeks to close the gap to just three points behind Coquitlam. They also were facing a squad that had played less than 18 hours earlier, falling 3-2 to Cowichan Valley.

But neither tired legs nor fading determination was to be a factor for the Express.

"We knew we had to come out with a strong start, that there was no room for error," third-year forward Malcolm McKinney said. "We've followed (Nanaimo's) progress just as I'm sure they've followed ours, so I think everyone looked at that as a four point game."

While Nanaimo led 2-1 early in the second, the visitors stayed the course and didn't let any bumps deter them from their goal.

Brady Shaw cashed in a nice set-up from Jason Bird to tie the game midway through the middle frame.

"We carried the play the majority of the game and created a lot of pressure in their end," Coquitlam coach Jon Calvano noted.

"We came into that game with our normal routine, had breakfast and a pre-game skate. We felt we let the previous game slip away, but we weren't going to look back."

The 17-year-old Kerfoot finished with two goals on the day, giving him 16 in 36 games.

In Saturday's loss in Duncan, the Express surrendered a shorthanded tally seven minutes into the game but sniped back with a pair of powerplay markers, by Justin Georgeson and Kerfoot.

The Capitals, who outshot Coquitlam 45-25 on the night, tied it up midway through the second and regained the lead with 11 minutes left. Cole Huggins took the loss.

The weekend began Friday in Coquitlam when 1,321 fans witnessed the home team tame a shorthanded Victoria lineup 9-2. The game was billed as Emergency Services Night, when the hockey club honoured members of RCMP, police, fire, ambulance and search and rescue groups.

Those in attendance were treated to an offensive showcase, where captain Alex Petan and McKinney both posted five-point nights, while linemate Taylor Bourne chipped in three assists.

"I've been in sort of a slump the last couple of weeks and (Petan) and I were trying to get back in the swing of things," said McKinney. "We had a lot of chances and it felt good to get things going again."

Victoria dressed only 14 skaters and started a junior B callup in goal, due to injuries and being shorthanded due to a swath of deadline deals.

Sitting four points back of Surrey and Cowichan for second spot, and five points ahead of Nanaimo, the Express will try to scramble up the standings with another three-gamesin-three-days weekend.

Coquitlam visits conference-leading Powell River on Thursday, then heads to Victoria on Friday. They end the weekend Saturday in Duncan to face Cowichan Valley.

It's a tough assignment, but with the club on a 14-5-1 run since the start of December, the Express have momentum on their side.

"You come in with a little more confidence but at the same time it's so close in the conference that you are watching behind you," noted McKinney.

"The coaching staff is always reminding us that we've got to stay focused. As long as we keep winning that's all we can do."

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