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Gabe Salgado reporting from the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates:

Also, as the 3rd hockey team in the Chicago area, the Express remain largely unknown. They are currently 9th in the ECHL’s Eastern Conference standings, they are just one point behind the Cincinnati Cyclones for the 8th and final playoff spot in the ECHL East. They also sit third in the ECHL’s North Division behind Cincinnati and the Kalamazoo Wings. Should the Express win tonight, a Cincinnati loss ties them for 8th. The Express are coached by Steve Martinson.

And they are led on the ice by Forward Pierre-Luc Faubert who hopes to play in either the AHL or NHL someday.  He leads all Express goal scorers with 63. The Chicago Express are the ECHL affiliate for the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets. Currently the Express alternate at the goalie position between Rob Madore and Brooks Ostergard as the goalies that started at the beginning of the season are making their way through the AHL and NHL respectively.

Madore will start in goal tonight for the Express. He is 3-1 with a 2.00 GAA and a save percentage of %0.938. It amazes me that a young upbeat team like this hasn’t gotten enough media attention. They struggled at the beginning of the season but they started to pick things up in January. The Express have gone 5-2 in their last 7 games and this recent surge is the reason why they are back in the playoff hunt. Of course I will be here at the Sears Centre throughout the night.

I will post on Q101.com as much as possible during the game, and will post videos during the intermissions.  I will also have my final reports after the game. As always you can follow me on Twitter: @GabeSalgado82 Hashtag: #Q101Sports