Coquitlam Express captain Mitch Nardi, shown during a home game last month, said the team is looking to improve their home record with a win this Saturday over the visiting Prince George Spruce Kings.
Photograph by: Gord Goble , NOW
It was the kind of first that he had hoped for - and it came in just his second start.
With one start and another early substitution already in the books, Daniel Urbani was eager for his next assignment between the pipes for the Coquitlam Express.
The Coquitlam native got his opportunity on Friday in Trail, and put on a grand display in a 4-0 win.
The six-foot-one freshman kicked out 39 shots as the Express launched a road trip with the first of two wins.
"It felt pretty good," recalled Urbani of the start. "I was fairly comfortable and really relaxed because the team has been playing well lately. I've also played in that arena before (in major midget) and I think I got a shutout there, too."
Alexander Kerfoot's tally 1: 15 into the contest, set up off a nifty deke by Zach Pryzbek, proved to be the game winner. John Siemer and Justin Georgeson netted markers in the second period, and Urbani's major midget teammate Adam Rockwood scored the final goal of the game in his first game of the season.
A day later, the Express topped the Salmon Arm Silverbacks 4-3 on Brady Shaw's third period powerplay goal.
The visitors had to erase a 2-0 deficit midway through the second, with Shaw kickstarting the comeback. Georgeson and captain Mitch Nardi, with his first of the season, also tallied in the win.
With the two triumphs Coquitlam reclaimed first place in the Mainland Division with an 8-3-1 record, one-point better than both Chilliwack and Prince George.
It also improved the squad's road record to 5-0-1.
That perfect mark contrasts to the .500 home record - and is something the club is eager to build upon.
"I think a lot of it is because of how we prepare and are focused when away from home," Nardi noted. "When we're on the road we have a very good routine, the coaches have us well prepared, we're less distracted maybe.
"We want to get that success going at home."
Nardi, who has posted an assist in seven straight games, was also relieved to finally put a puck past an opposing goaltender.
"It's bit of a monkey off my back, for sure," he said. "I got a partial breakaway and through it on net. It kind of went to the corner and I fired it back on net and it kind of squeezed in between the goalie's legs. It was a pretty greasy goal but I'm glad to take it."
Head coach Jon Calvano was also pleased to see Rockwood back on the ice after missing the start of the season due to a broken jaw. The rookie, a Coquitlam native, produced a goal and an assist on the two-game swing.
"He looked good and it was nice to see him put the puck in the net in his first game," said Calvano.
Coquitlam prepares to face the Prince George Spruce Kings on Saturday, 7 p.m. at the Poirier Sports Centre.
Prince George, who are part of the revised Mainland Division, will present a good challenge for the Express.
"It seems like they are off to a good start," noted Nardi. "We've only been so-so on home ice so it's important for us to come in prepared and work hard from the start."
Calvano believes the club is continuing to display good habits both home and away, and will look at establishing a tone early in the game on home ice.
"We haven't been terrible at home, we've only lost three games and two of those were by one goal," the coach noted. "For us it's just important to play better in that first 10 minutes, that's where we kind of lost it in those games."
The team also announced that No. 1 netminder Cole Huggins accepted a scholarship to Minnesota State University, and forward Malcolm McKinney signed with the University of Vermont, both for the 2013-14 season.
