Kings had everything going for them on Friday night except for a willing dance partner.
A large crowd brought in by Coast Realty and a mostly healthy team were good signs of things to come for the Kings who had beaten Coquitlam 8-3 in their last game.
The first period was a pretty good one with the Kings playing in the Express end and getting the only goal.
At 4:37 Jordan Burns took the puck around the Express net and fed it back to Jeremy Leclerc who let a screamer go that hit the top corner for a 1-0 lead.
Kings turned in a strong effort for the remainder of the period but failed to add to the goal.
They'll wish they had because the Express regrouped during the break and came back in the second to score three times and quiet the large crowd to lead 3-1 after two periods.
Kings struggled to mount a comeback in the third however Luke McCaw, on a terrific solo effort, did get the score to 3-2.
He crossed the blueline with the puck and let a hard shot go that went off the goalie's blocker and high into the air. When it came down McCaw swatted the puck in at 11:35.
A bit of a weird goal later when Luke Ripley hammered an Express forward at mid ice and the referee's arm went straight up. In the ensuing scuffle around that group of players play carried on and Bo Pieper scored the insurance goal for the Express.
Kings pulled goalie Jeff Smith to try and overcome the two goal deficit but Coquitlam was able to score their fifth into the empty net.
A tough way to start the three game weekend for the Kings but also a chance to battle adversity and rebound in a couple of island games on Saturday and Sunday.
Armitage Mens Wear Three Stars:
1. Zach Hodder
2. Jeremy Leclerc
3. Canon Pieper
