(Walpole, MA) -- After Wednesday and Saturday play, the Walpole Express Jr. A team captured the four points needed to secure the third-place spot in the AJHL North Division. The team now has a first-round playoff showdown against the Hartford Jr. Wolfpack to prepare for.

“Over the past month, the Express, Wolfpack and Boston Bulldogs have been jockeying for the second through fourth playoff positions,” said Coach Mark Kumpel. “The Express put itself in a great position on Wednesday by stretching its lead to five points over the Bulldogs with a 3-1 win.” Mico Solorzano, Georgiy Gurianov and Charles LaChance each hit the back of the net.

“I thought it was a terrific game,” said Express GM /Coach Tony Dalessio. “Both teams played hard and the game went back and forth. I thought we had better opportunities but their goalie played exceptionally well. We had just enough offense for the win.”

Kumpel added, “The best part of the game was the Express’ team defense. We played great in the defensive zone; we shut down any threats; and out defensemen moved the puck well.” Travis Owens got the win in net.

In Saturday’s game, the Express extinguished any hopes the Bulldogs had of catching the Walpole boys for a third-place berth as the Express posted a convincing 6-2 win against the Portland Jr. Pirates. Adam Korol, Cody Armstrong, Gurianov and LaChance put up the numbers. Owens was again strong in net with 22 saves for the win.

The Express Jr. A team will finish the regular season with two games against the Bulldogs. On Wednesday night, Feb. 25, the team travels to the Salem Ice Center and then hosts the Bulldogs at home on Friday night, Feb. 27.

The Express Jr. B team played a single game over the weekend, a non-league match-up against the Empire Jr. Hockey League’s New England Falcons, winning a 3-2 shootout. Jordan John and JP Kascsak scored the regulation goals. After five minutes of 4-on-4 and five shooters, Jordan Fragoza put the game away with a low blocker snap shot. Joe Gladnick played well in net stopping 20 of 22 shots in regulation and all six Falcon shots in the shootout.

The B team will close its regular season on Saturday, Feb. 28 and Sunday, Feb. 29 when the team hosts the Northern Cyclones at Iorio Arena in Walpole.