Chad Wren knew of the link but didn’t let it distract him from achieving his goal. There’s no denying, however, that it provided some of the fuel.
The rookie Coquitlam Express defenceman, who anchored a solid 5-3 win Saturday in the team’s B.C. Hockey League season opener over Langley, became the second Wren to play junior ‘A’ hockey here.
Nearly 30 years separates the jr. ‘A’ days of his dad Scott, who manned the blueline for the PAC ‘A’ League’s Coquitlam Comets, and this season, when 18-year-old Chad was signed to a card by his hometown squad.
The teenager’s dream took flight three years ago when Coquitlam was admitted into the BCHL.
“I’ve been here trying out from the very start. I was cut the first two years, came back this year and I’m thrilled that they signed me,” he noted.
His family is just as ecstatic. Scott, a firefighter by trade and still manning the blueline in his oldtimers league, said seeing his son take a regular shift in the premier junior ‘A’ loop in Canada inspired a few flashbacks.
“It’s pretty cool to see… It brought back a lot of old memories, that’s for sure.”
On the Comets in 1974-75, Scott anchored a defence that topped the PAC ‘A’ loop, then went on to play Bellingham of the BCJHL for the provincial championship. Bellingham, led by the likes of future NHLers Barry Beck and Stan Smyl, won the series 2-0.
“It was the same place then as it is now… I returned for my second year as a 20-year-old veteran and we didn’t do as well,” Scott recalled.
Soon after, jr. ‘A’ hockey faded from Poirier Street, until the Express were formed.
Now, the third-year franchise is expected to challenge for top spot, aiming to ride the combination of some key returning leaders plus a handful of ready-for-prime time rookies.
Wren, who played the past two seasons with the Ridge Meadow jr. ‘B’ Flames after climbing the ranks of Coquitlam minor hockey, said the two games he played with the Express last year as an affiliate call-up helped prepare him for making the lineup this year.
“I was anxious to get out there, a good game… Definitely, when you come up as an affiliate player you kind of have something to prove, there’s more pressure and nerves,” he said. “I was a little less nervous, but you still have to prove yourself every game.”
In a game where timely goals proved crucial, Coquitlam erased a brief deficit in the first period and powered ahead with a strong surge of offence, scoring three goals in a span of 3:17, starting in the last minute of the second period.
The 6’3″, 175-pound blueliner didn’t look out of place, handling his chores in a confident manner. In the third period, with Coquitlam ahead 5-1, Wren moved up from the right point and wired a shot off the post.
“I was hoping that would go in, my first real game, but it’ll come,” he said with a grin.
His dad gave both him and the team a solid rating. “He played in all the key situations and you can see his confidence level has jumped. There’s no panic there that you find with some rookies,” Scott said.
In tribute to his father, Wren adopted the same jersey number that his father wore, number five, after his usual number four – which was a tip to another family favourite, Bobby Orr – was unavailable. Getting to this level, he noted, was due to a lot of help from his dad.
“He’s really taught me everything I know since the beginning, so its great to have a father like that, who’s been there, done that. He’s helped me alot,” the Dr. Charles Best Secondary grad said.
EXPRESS NOTES: Netminder Kyle Jones proved to be the key catalyst in the victory, holding the line while Langley pressed early. In the third period with the Hornets battling to get back into the game, Jones faced 17 shots. Overall, he made 37 saves. The line of Darcy Corcoran, David Jones and Brock Bradford set the tone offensively, with Corcoran tallying twice and Jones netting a shorthanded marker. Chad Betts and Lee Boyden rounded out the scoring.
The team’s home opener goes Saturday, 7:30 p.m. at the Sports Centre when Langley looks to even the score.
