(Walpole, MA) -- The Walpole Express returned to league action this weekend with the A team losing a tough game 3-2 on Sunday to the Portland Jr. Pirates. Despite goals from Ryan Kelley and Charles LaChance, Portland walked away with two valuable points.

"We beat ourselves,” said Head Coach Mark Kumpel. “I thought we played well but we didn't do the little things necessary to finish off the game. We’ve had some changes in our line-up and we haven't played many games recently so we need to turn things up in practice heading down the stretch."

The A team will face the Boston Bulldogs on Saturday Feb 7 at the Salem Ice Center.

While the A team suffered a tough weekend defeat, the story for the Express Jr. B team was dramatically different. The team traveled to the Troy Eagles. Needing just one point to capture the MJHL Francis/Jennings regular season championship, the boys rose to the challenge with a two-game sweep, giving the B team a league-leading 64 points through 35 games.

Shaun Gould and Victor Kamensky each had two goals in the 7-3 win Saturday. On Sunday, it was the line of Will Harrop, Jordan Fragoza and Matt Bletzer that provided the spark up front, scoring four goals.

"We had a strong weekend offensively, which was a good sign after being shutout by the NJ Avalanche two weeks ago," said Head Coach Tony Dalessio. "Going forward we expect that Bletzer, who has been out with a knee injury for two lengthy periods this season but now looks sharp, will provide a boost for the team heading down the stretch."

The B team will travel to Saco, Maine to face the Portland Jr. Pirates on Saturday, Feb. 7 and Sunday, Feb. 8 in what should be a first-round play-off preview. The Pirates have won their last five games and have all but assured themselves of the fourth and final division play-off spot.