For the second time in a week the Chilliwack Chiefs destroyed the Coquitlam Express.
Cole Poliziani led the way for the Chiefs Wednesday night, dropping three goals on an overmatched opponent that lost 6-3 on the scoreboard and 58-20 on the shot-clock. Poliziani’s crew improved to 29-9-5-0 and stayed within striking distance of the Wenatchee Wild in the Mainland division.
Coquitlam fell to 9-35-1-0 and stayed within striking distance of being one of the worst BCHL teams ever.
It was a minor miracle that Coquitlam survived a scoreless first period despite being out-shot 18-2, but the roof caved in on them in the middle frame.
Wyatt Elmer sniped his first BCHL goal at 3:07, taking a pass from Colin Bernard and firing a dart over the glove of Coquitlam keeper Lawson Fenton.
Poliziani’s first of the game doubled the Chilliwack lead at 9:05. With his team flinging the puck around the Express zone on a string, No. 19 cut into the slot and hammered a Tommy Lee feed past Fenton for his eighth of the year.
Poliziani collected his second of the game at the 13 minute mark. On a power play, Jordan Kawaguchi pounced on a Coquitlam turnover and threw a quick centering pass into the slot. Poliziani put the puck behind Fenton in the blink of an eye, scoring on the 40th (not a mis-print) Chilliwack shot of the game.
The Ontario kid completed the hat-trick at 16:42.
Defenceman Carver Watson jumped up with a rush down the right wing. As he reached the end line he put the puck into the blue paint where Poliziani was waiting to bang it home.
The Express got one back before the period was up.
The Chiefs got sloppy with their coverage and let Haydn Delorme get loose on a breakaway. Watson flew back to catch him, but Delorme was able to wheel and pass the puck to Jake Toor. The 17 year old Mission native ripped the puck past Chilliwack netminder Mark Sinclair on just the seventh Coquitlam shot of the game.
Rookie D-man Davis Bunz stretched his point streak to six games with a power play goal early in period three.
The 18 year old took a pass from Watson and put a wrister on net from the right faceoff circle. Fenton didn’t see it through a forest of players in the goal mouth as Bunz collected his eighth of the season.
Kohen Olischefski didn’t collect a point in this one, ending his point streak at 13 games.
But he got on the scoresheet when he dropped the mitts with Coquitlam’s Hayden Knight. Knight ran over Jake Smith at the Chilliwack blueline and Olischefski jumped to his teammate’s defence. The Abbotsford native doesn’t scrap much, and it showed.
The pugilists both ended up with their jerseys over their head, wrestling each other to the ice as the linesmen leaped in. For some reason the refs gave Olischefski seven minutes (five for fighting and two for instigating) while Knight, who did drop his gloves and fight, escaped with a double minor for roughing.
Back to the action, Ben Fanjoy banged a Kawaguchi pass past Fenton at 12:48 for a 6-1 Chilliwack lead.
Sam Kozlowski and Toor scored late goals for Coquitlam to make the final score less embarrassing.
The three stars were Poliziani (first), Fanjoy (second) and Elmer (third).
The Fortis BC Energy Player of the Game was Linden Hora.
Announced attendance was 1254.