"On Saturday, though, we played as individuals and didn't rely on our systems and that allowed tour opponent to dictate the pace," Kumpel continued. "We can’t let that happen. I was pleased that the boys fought back to earn the point but we shouldn’t have been in that situation to begin with.”

Weekend Wrap-Up
On Friday, the Express made some great moves early on, taking a 3-0 lead through the first 25 minutes on goals by Matt Harrington (one goal, four assists), Ben Oskroba and Cody Armstrong. The Express continued to swarm the Washington net in the second, scoring two more times on goals from Steve Charest and Austin Grosvenor. Lou Malvasi and Matt Hogan each had two assists and Derek Kump stopped all 10 shots he faced for the shutout in net.

On Saturday, the Express faced a skilled New Jersey Rockets team that had come into the showcase confident with two league wins. The Express jumped out first on a goal by Armstrong and took a 2-1 lead into the intermission when defenseman Joey Bonacci hammered home his own rebound for his first AJHL goal. In the second half, the Rockets capitalized on some Express penalties and moved into a 3-2 lead. But, the Express were not beaten. With under a minute to play and no goalie in the Express net, Grosvenor slipped one past the Rockets' goaltender to tie the score and send the game into OT. With less than a minute left in OT, though, the Rockets capitalized on a 2-on-1 down low and jammed home a rebound to gain the extra point.

Overnight, the Express regrouped and came out flying on Sunday, putting up five goals in the first half. Wes Heinle, Ryan Eaker and Frank Posillico each scored their first AJHL goals while Armstong, Charest, Bonacci, Oskroba and Brian Greene each tallied for the Express. Zach Andrews made 17 saves in the 9-1 win, earning his first AJHL victory between the pipes.

Upcoming Games
The Express A will take Monday off before getting back to practice on Tuesday in preparation for a Wednesday nights tilt with North Division rival Hartford Jr. Wolf Pack in Cromwell, Conn. at 8 pm. “The Wolf Pack play hard and they will be ready," said Asst. Coach Tony Dalessio. "They stumbled out of the gate in their first few games but won two this past weekend and Chris (Cerrella) will have his players ready for us. Cromwell is a tough place to play and we need to be at our best.”

The Express Jr. B team also had a successful weekend, taking three of four points from rival Northern Cyclones at Iorio Arena. On Saturday, the Express earned a 5-3 win on the strength of two Will Harrop goals and a solid performance in net from TJ Thornton. On Sunday, the Express dropped a tough 4-3 OT shootout loss and gave a point back the Cyclones. Harrop and Carmen Mastrangelo each had a goal and assist. The B team will be at home again this weekend when they host the much-improved NJ Renegades at Iorio Arena.