PREVIEW: Merritt @ Chilliwack

Merritt 18-10-2-5 (43 pts) - 2nd in Interior

Chilliwack 19-11-0-2 (40pts) - 3rd in Interior... have lost 2 in a row after an 8 game stretch of 15 of a possible 16 points

Season Series: Merritt 2-1-0-0 (one win in overtime... after a 3-0 lead, Chilliwack tied it, Merritt won 4-3 in overtime). Last game was a 2-1 Chilliwack victory on Dec 7

-the Centennials got some help on the scoreboard the last couple of nights, with Prince George doubling up Chilliwack 4-2 Wednesday, and yesterday Salmon Arm upsetting Vernon 7-4. With these results, the Cents solo point from last night has allowed them to hold a 3 point cushion on Chilliwack for 2nd (though the Chiefs have 3 games in hand) and an 8 point cushion on the 5th place Vipers (who have 3 games in hand as well) heading into this game

-ANOTHER edition of "most important game of the season"... with the Cents .500 hockey over the last 10 games and Chilliwack's recent hot run (until their last 2 losses), the gap between these 2 teams is only 3 points. And with the Chiefs' 3 games in hand, even if they lose tonight, they could still overtake Merritt by winning their 3 games in hand. A Chilliwack win tonight would move them to within 1 point of Merritt with 3 games in hand, and only require them to have 1 point out of their 3 games in hand to overtake Merritt, who have been holding down the 2nd spot for over a month now

-the Cents might be hottest team on the power play right now, and their 10 for 21 streak over the last 7 games has moved them from 15th in the league on the power play to 7th, at a very respectable 20%... their penalty kill has also been outstanding, killing off 5 of 6 Westside power plays last night (the only goal against was on a 2 man advantage) and 31 of the last 35 penalties against them, allowing their PK to go from 15th to 11th at 77.6%... but I'm sure as any coach would tell you, the goal is to get to at least 80%, and that's what the team needs to shoot for now. Shockingly, like I mentioned in last night's game review, these amazing special teams stats have led to a very average 4-4-1-1 record over their last 10 games. You have to think this anomaly will not last long if these type of numbers continue for the Cents.

-this should be another evenly matched game between 2 teams that have very consistent 1st lines, and rely a lot on balanced scoring from the 2nd to the 4th line. The Stack/Soquila/Brears vs Bondra/Gould/Huisman matchup will be an interesting one to follow, and this type of game can be won either by the 1st line, or by a big performance from one of the bottom lines... various factors can play an influence

-I imagine that after a tough night for Tyler Steel, and according to plan all season, Lino Chimienti will get the nod between the pipes for the Centennials, and hopefully he can start a consistent roll. Him and Tyler Steel can both stand on their heads, steal a game and be the best goalie in the league at any given time, but they also are both prone to one too many off nights here and there, and that's why their stats are not as good as they could/should be, and not reflective of their talents. Consistency in goal will be a big key for the remaining 25 games and especially into the playoffs, and tonight Lino will go up against maybe the most consistent goalie in the league in Mitch Gillam. So it will be a tough challenge for him to match Gillam and possibly outplay him for the Centennials to pick up 2 pts... especially on the road at Prospera Centre.

*LINEUP CHANGES:

-Tyler Martin draws back in the lineup tonight, Ross Mancuso will be a healthy scratch
-A bit of line juggling tonight as Brayden Low moves up to center the 2nd line beside Harper and Reichert, and Brent Fletcher moves down to the 4th line to center Schaeffer and Lamont. Low has been extremely good of late and showing a lot of skill, meanwhile despite consistent effort, Schaeffer and Lamont have struggled to put up points (Lamont pointless in 18, Schaeffer pointless in 9), so moving Fletcher down there might be an attempt to jumpstart them
-not much of a surprise here, but Lino Chimienti will get the nod between the pipes after a solid effort in relief of Tyler Steel yesterday, making 24 saves on 26 shots

Face-off: 7:00pm / Pre-game show: 6:30 on Q101 FM and Q101.ca