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| This was a common sight/theme throughout the night |
Since I'm quickly realizing that doing an in-depth preview/review every game will take more time than I have with back to back games and working the weekend morning show on Q101, I will try to keep things short(er) and in point form as much as possible:
-frankly put, this was the most entertaining game of the entire season, from the opening face-off till the 11th goal. And not just because of the score. I don't think either team realized they were off for 2 weeks, as both squads came to play, desperate and hungry from the get-go. Entertainment value was top notch and then some
-1st period was merely a case of bad luck for the Cents... they outshot the Warriors 16-13 and weren't in any way "outplayed", but a slow start gave the Warriors a quick 2-0 lead, with goals just over half a minute apart. Merritt's penalty kill was outstanding, killing off a 2 man advantage and then getting on the scoreboard to cut the lead to 2-1. With a chance to tie the game on the power play with exactly 2 mins left in the 1st, the plan backfired... Reece Wilcox had a bit of a "welcome back from the break" moment when he overskated the puck at his own blueline, and Max French cut in on a breakaway for his 2nd goal of the game (8th in 10 since coming back from injury) to give the Warriors a 3-1 lead through 20 mins.
-Michael King would add to the Warriors lead in the 1st minute of the 2nd with an impressive end to end rush, but it ended with another questionable goal on Tyler Steel, a wrist shot from just inside the blueline... 4 goals on 15 shots and a couple of softies marked the end of Steel's night, and put the Cents in a real hole, as the energetic crowd got awfully quiet.
-this was no doubt a tough night for Tyler Steel... it was a very "un-Steel-like" night, as he has been so consistent for a long time now... I think we could chalk this up as a bit of rust from the long layoff, and I wouldn't expect it to phase him moving forward, as he and Lino have always been great at bouncing back since their first days in a Merritt uniform.
-in the 2nd period, the Cents red hot power play would lead the comeback charge... a beautiful play from Soquila to Brears cut the deficit to 4-2 and gave Merritt all sorts of life, which they used to overpower the Warriors on the following shift, and Soquila got a bit of a fluke from behind the goal to cut the deficit to 4-3. That set the scene for the tying goal, another Soquila set-up that was tangled up in the body of Brandon Pfeil, before he snuck in a shot that trickled through Rodrigue... the goal was given to Evan Stack, and he might have tapped it in in front, but Pfeil should have gotten the first assist, and was given none, which, again, as a broadcaster, drives me crazy. Pfeil has another flawless night in my eyes at both end of the ice, and should have finished with 2 assists.
-Merritt's 1st line was again very effective on the night, finishing with a combined 9 points, and standing out as easily the top line for either team
-In the 3rd period, the Cents took their first lead on another great power play effort by Chad Brears for his team-leading 15th goal of the season, and the momentum seemed to be entirely in the Cents favour... but momentum is a fickle thing, and the Warriors got it back on a 2 man advantage, where Connor Dempsey was able to shovel in a loose puck at the side of the goal to tie the game
-both teams put in one heck of an effort in this one, and overtime was a very fitting way for this game to end
-for the 2nd straight time, these two teams displayed a hate-on for each other, with lots of big hits, 2 fights, lots of near-fights/scrums, and plenty of trash talking... the intensity on the night was felt through the entire rink and every fan at the game.
-the overtime session was a bit of a shame, as the Cents looked dominant with a few hard-fought shifts and pressure in the offensive zone, but unfortunately this pressure only led to 2 shots and no real scoring chances... then against the flow of play, Shawn Hochhausen broke down the left wing, poked the puck past Marshall who was going for a hit at center, created some room down the left wing, and snapped a perfect shot under the crossbar, glove side on Lino (who was very good in relief of Tyler Steel) to give the Warriors the 6-5 win
-all in all, both teams deserved a point, and both teams deserved to win, but Westside needed the win more, as they came into the night 11 points behind Prince George for the final playoff spot, and now sit 9 points back.
-the Cents had another phenomenal night on the special teams, going 3 for 6 on the PP and 5 for 6 on the PK. In their last 7 games now, their power play is an astonishing 10 for 21, while the penalty kill has killed off 31 of 35 over the last 10 games. Yet Merritt is 4-4-1-1 in these 10 games, so what gives? No, REALLY... what gives?! I'm lost!
Here are the audio highlights from the most entertaining and exciting game of the season:
Merritt-Westside Dec 29 Highlights by agreb21
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