It's been a hectic week for my girlfriend and I, to say the least. Early last week, I was offered what I can honestly say is a "dream job" as the Director of Media Relations & Broadcasting for the Vancouver Giants, a team I grew up with and followed from their inaugural season. Going from the smallest market in the BCHL to the largest market in the WHL will be a massive adjustment, but it's something I couldn't possibly pass on.
So ever since I was given the news, I've been scrambling to get my life and priorities in order, before I officially start in my new role on July 16th. The apartment search is complete, the boxes are half packed and the loose ends are half-tied. Now I have just one week left to re-arrange everything I'll need to change before the move, finish packing and say my final good-byes.
I just want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to everyone that made these past 4 and a half years in Merritt the best of my life. As a big-city kid growing up, it was definitely a culture shock and a big adjustment coming to Merritt, but the city and the people grew on me quickly. Some of my best friendships were forged here, and I met a great girl I've been with for 2 and a half years in this town.
And of course, this is where it all started for me. Everybody needs that first big break to help them get started and ultimately realize their dreams. I got that in 2008 when I was finishing up my internship with BCIT, and former Cents broadcast Keegan Goodrich made a jump to Swift Current in my final days as an intern. So I have to thank Q101 station manager Elizabeth Laird and former Program Director Brian Wiebe (now with BCIT) for taking a chance on me and giving me that first opportunity that everybody craves. Without their faith in me, who knows where I'd be right now, or if I'd still even be in this industry.
My 4 and a half years in Merritt have been a great learning experience for me. I've made my mistakes and taken my punches, but going through it has been invaluable, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I want to sincerely thank everybody that has helped me through it all and supported me along the way. You know who you are. But whether you like me or my broadcast, if you listened, if you read my blog, I thank you. This industry is a lot of work (much of it behind the scenes) and we do it all with the hopes of an audience. So again, thank you.
As far as the Centennials themselves, this team will have a permanent place in my heart, and I will forever be a fan who keeps tabs from the sidelines. The Nicola Valley Memorial Arena is one of the coolest rinks I've seen in my life. It's got an aura about it that can't be matched, and the atmosphere that you fans created there during these past playoffs is something I'll always remember. I wish this franchise, its management, fans and volunteers nothing but the best for decades to come. GO CENTS GO!
You might have noticed that I haven't been active on the blog over the last month and a bit. With the season having wrapped up, my life has been occupied with other responsibilities, and so, even though I am keeping up with all the BCHL-related news, I don't have time to make extensive posts and analysis.
With that said, I am planning to do an off-season summary/wrap-up in late August, so that you are up-to-date with everything you need to know or might have missed before the 2012-2013 Centennials season begins.
In the meantime, you can keep up with all the Centennials news on the official website: www.merrittcentennials.com and/or on the Centennials facebook/twitter page.
Thanks very much to all the readers and supporters of the blog throughout the past season, and I'll talk to you again in August!
After about 40 total hours of downloading pictures (courtesy of Ian Webster of the Merritt Herald), recording and editing audio, and then putting together the slide show to match the audio, this is the end result:
An audio-visual look-back at one of the greatest seasons in Merritt Centennial's franchise history. Enjoy!
The British Columbia Hockey League is pleased to announce the Chilliwack Chiefs as the host franchise of the first-ever BCHL Showcase event, happening Sept. 7, 8 and 9 at Prospera Centre in Chilliwack.
The Showcase will bring all 16 BCHL teams to the Chiefs home rink for two games apiece that will count in the regular season standings. Similar events are held in other Junior A leagues and have proven effective at attracting interest from professional and college scouts which creates maximum exposure for players.
“Showcase events such as this are staged by other Leagues in North America and have proven to be hugely successful,” said BCHL commissioner John Grisdale, “We are extremely pleased that Chilliwack and the Chiefs will host our first one.”
The Chiefs rejoined the BCHL for the 2011-12 season after the Quesnel Millionaires franchise was purchased and relocated to the Fraser Valley. The Chiefs were welcomed back to the community and the club had some of the best attendance figures in the league.
“The support we saw in Chilliwack this past season was phenomenal,” said Grisdale. “Fan interest is a major reason we’re excited about the Chiefs hosting the Showcase and we know they’ll do a first-rate job in promoting and executing a successful event.”
The schedule of game matchups as well as ticket pricing and availability will be announced before the end of April. Chiefs president Glen Ringdal has also announced that Chiefs season ticket holders will be given first opportunity to select seats at reduced prices.
The British Columbia Hockey League and the Nanaimo Clippers are pleased to announce the schedule for the Western Canada Cup (WCC) being held at Frank Crane Arena in Nanaimo from April 26 to May 5, 2013.
With two teams from the WCC qualifying for the 2013 RBC Cup, an anticlimactic final – which would result from a traditional round-robin and playoff-style tournament – was avoided due to the unique format created by Clippers gameday operations manager Kyle Anderson through working with Clippers head coach Mike Vandekamp.
After researching dozens of past Junior A tournament formats, Anderson made a schedule that is fair for all five teams and ensures there is something on the line in each of the final three games of the event.
“I looked back on some past RBC Cups and there was always one team that had to play three days in a row and it was always the team that had the first day off,” noted Anderson. “We found a way to eliminate the chance of any team playing three days in a row by selectively scheduling those two dates where only one game is played.”
Also helping with the competitive balance of the WCC is that the first- and second-place teams after the round robin will then have to be defeated twice in the playoff round to be eliminated.
“In past RBC tournaments with #1 versus #4 and #2 versus #3, only 60 per cent of the time did the top-two teams out of the round robin actually face each other in the final,” said Anderson. “We felt it wasn’t fair, since we’re sending two teams, that a team could win less games and still go to the RBC Cup.”
The champion of the inaugural WCC will be determined in the #1 versus #2 game on Saturday, May 4th. The other game on Saturday will see the #3 and #4 placed teams in the tournament face-off. This game will have two highly motivated teams as the winner will face the loser of the #1 versus #2 game on Sunday, May 5th for the second berth to the RBC.
“We’ve created 13 meaningful games and we have three Game 7-type games in two days,” said Anderson. “The other bonus is the WCC winner has an extra day of rest before the RBC Cup.
“We look for this format to be the template for the WCC moving forward.”
Thursday night at the Legion, the Centennials celebrated one of the best seasons in franchise history by handing out some hardware and recognizing those players that will not be coming back.
Here is the list of winners on the night to go along with the accompanying pictures, provided kindly by Ian Webster of the "Merritt Herald":
Most Improved Player: Tyler Martin
Academic Scholar: Reece Willcox
Most Promising Player: Brendan Lamont
Most Game Winning Goals: Evan Stack
Leading Scorer: Regan Soquila
Best Plus-Minus: Chad Brears
Most Gentlemanly Player: Carter Shinkaruk
Rookie of the Year: Dylan Chanter
Best Defenceman: Reece Willcox
Joe Tennant Award - Most Dedicated Player: Billy Marshall
Unsung Hero: Lino Chimienti & Tyler Steel
Leadership & Ability: Brent Fletcher
Playoff MVP: Brent Fletcher
Most Valuable Player: Evan Stack
In addition to the player awards, Evan Stack, Billy Marshall and Richard Sabourin were recognized for their work at the Ska-Lu-La Workshop in Merritt.
HERE ARE A FEW OTHER PICTURES FROM THE NIGHT:
THE FIVE 20-YEAR-OLDS WHO GRADUATED THIS YEAR
THE 7 TOTAL GRADUATES, INCLUDING SCHOLARS REECE WILLCOX & BRANDON PFEIL
THE CENTS CAKE THAT WE ALL ENJOYED AFTER DINNER
I'd like to once again congratulate every player and coach, and everyone involved with the organization on a tremendous season that nobody will soon forget. It was easily the most enjoyable season from a broadcaster's perspective as well, so I felt the need to personally congratulate the team and thank a few people that maybe flew under the radar with their contributions.
Sadly, this is the last installment of "Meet the Cents", and we wrap up with the Centennials graduating goaltender from Quebec. In one of the most fascinating and longest interviews, Lino is full of stories from his time in Quebec, including how he became a goaltender and his close relationship with Montreal Canadiens forward Louis Leblanc. But first, I had to ask about his unique last name and just how much announcers "love" it.
(Awards Night Pictures Coming Soon...)
*A big "thank you" goes out to Paul McLellan from SHAW TV for shooting these features all season long, and all the best to him in the future as he is leaving Merritt later this month. Also, thanks very much to all the players who were such great participants in this experiment over the past season.
I know this is a little late, but if you haven't caught it yet on SHAW TV or online, here's my chat with Tyler Steel (likely next year's starting goaltender) about his time growing up in Vernon, his versatility in a pair of sports, and his fiery personality.
*NOT my best hair day (or camera angle)
You might remember the first "On the Grid" feature that focused on Evan Stack, well this one focuses on Merritt's leading scorer this season, Regan Soquila. It was filmed before a game in Vernon a couple months ago by the talented folks from "Hockeytube.net"
Hockeytube.net talks to Merritt Centennials forward and the BCHL's Most Sportsmanlike Player award winner #12 Regan Soquila. The Maple Ridge resident talks about joining the Cents and his success this season. Also another round of 90 seconds!
It wasn't the way that Merritt wanted to go out, but it seemed like the emotional crash from a heartbreaking game 4 in Merritt was too much to overcome Monday in Penticton, as the Cents dropped game 5 by a 6-2 final in Penticton, losing the Interior Final 4 games to 1, and thus ending what's been a memorable season for everyone involved.
The Centennials had a great chance to get some life early in the game, when the Vees took a penalty in the opening minute. But unfortunately, as has been the case all series, the Centennials power play couldn't get the big goal when needed, and it would cost them. As a matter of fact, they would finish the game 0 for 8 and the series 1 for 20 (5%) on the power play; a big factor in this best-of-seven series.
Right as the power play to Gervais expired, he came out of the box and was allowed to walk into the Merritt zone and cut right into the left hashmark, where he wired a wrist shot high blocker side on Chimienti to open up a 1-0 lead (the 5th time in 5 games that Penticton scored first, and the 4th time it was within the first 3 minutes).
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
Less than 3 minutes later, Mario Lucia (BCHL player of the week) made a nifty dangle to cut right on top of the crease from the right wing, and while his initial shot was stopped, Wade Muprhy pounced on the rebound with a wide open net to give the Vees a 2-0 lead. And the rout was on.
The Vees seemed to have the killer instinct in the 1st period, realizing the vulnerability of Merritt and their emotions after game 3 and 4. They got 18 shots in the first 20 minutes and capitalized on pretty much every scoring chance.
After Merritt missed on another power play opportunity, the Vees would strike on their first. A scramble in front led to Logan Johnston finding the puck in the slot and he popped it past Chimienti high blocker before Lino could even track down the puck. 3-0 at this point.
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
As if that wasn't enough, less than a minute later, Benik and Gervais (the 2 best Vees on the night) worked a perfect give-and-go, and Benik snapped a perfect shot from the right circle through the legs of Chimienti to make it 4-0 at the 17:56 mark.
The Cents bounced back quickly from the 4th goal against. On the next shift, the 2nd line (maybe the best line of the series) would get it right back when Reichert used his body to shield the puck charging down the left wing, his backhander was stopped, but with Katunar well out of position on the rebound, Silvan Harper would slam the rebound to the back of the net to make it a 4-1 game.
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
That's how the first period would end, with a dejected Cents crew outshot 18-10.
The 2nd period picked up right where the 1st left off, with the Vees keeping their foot on the gas pedal and going for the kill. After Chimienti made a big save in tight off Fogarty and Benik, Benik would get his revenge... his shot from the top of the point was perfectly tipped upwards by Gervais on top of the crease, high glove side past Chimienti to give the Vees a 5-1 lead. This would be the end of Chimienti... at least for the 2nd period.
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
When Tyler Steel came in, he was forced into a couple of big saves off Lucia and Murphy, but he would be beat once himself on a centering pass from behind the goal by Murphy to set up Ryan Reilly. At 12:35 of the 2nd period, it was 6-1 Penticton, and there was no denying the Centennials ultimate fate.
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
After the 6th goal, the Vees took their foot off the gas pedal a bit, and to Merritt's credit, they battled hard, knowing that this would likely be the last game they got to play all season. 4 power plays helped the cause, but Merritt outshot Penticton 10-9 in the 2nd period, and Katunar looked very strong for the Vees, as he clearly gained momentum and confidence throughout the course of these playoffs. Tyler Steel was also very strong in the pipes for Merritt, proving that he is quite likely going to be the centerpiece of this team come 2012/13. But it remained 6-1 Penticton through 40 minutes.
In the 3rd period, Luke Pierce put Lino Chimienti back in net to give him a chance to finish off his junior A career on the ice. And it turned out to be a good move, as Lino was flawless in turning aside 9 Penticton shots. The Vees played their 3rd and 4th line quite a bit, knowing that they had the game pretty much locked up. To their credit, the bottom 2 lines played hard and seized the opportunity, forcing Chimienti to still be strong, which he was. A good ending to a great 2 years in Merritt.
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
For the Centennials, you could tell they were very much demoralized and didn't have much fight left in them, but they still did their best to empty the tank so they could at least feel good about themselves at the conclusion of the season. They once again outshot the Vees by a 10-9 margin and were able to kill off a double minor to Lamont in the process. There were some late-game fireworks after Zach Urban left his feet to throw a dangerous open-ice hit on Brayden Low, who naturally responded by dropping the gloves.
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
A SEPARATE "BROO-HA-HA" AFTER A HIT BY BEAULIEU ON REICHERT (Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
For the final minute of the game, Luke Pierce made a very honourable move by calling a time out, and getting all the graduating players on the ice at the same time to finish the game. Minus the injured Pfeil, that of course included Chimienti in net, Stack, Brears, Shinkaruk up front and Marshall and Wilcox on the blueline. They actually had a great final minute, and with a late face-off, were able to get one last goal. Brears won the draw back cleanly for Willcox, and from the top of the point, Reece blasted a slap shot high glove side on Katunar with just 2.5 seconds left, his final goal (and Brears' final point) in the BCHL.
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
It went in the books as a 6-2 loss that ended Merritt's season.
BILLY MARSHALL WAS A WARRIOR IN GAME 5; SALUTES THE CROWD (Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
My 3 stars from the broadcast tonight were:
1) Bryce Gervais- 2 goals, 1 assist
2) Joey Benik- 1 goal, 1 assist
3) Billy Marshall- no points, but a dominant game at both ends with close to 10 shots
Here are the highlights from Merritt's final game of the 2012/2013 season:
*It's been a magical 7 month ride for this team, setting the record for fewest goals against in a season, most wins since 89 and most points since 79. I'll definitely have a season recap of some sorts, whether it's written or audio/visual. I'll put something together in the coming days/week
UNWAVERING SUPPORT EVEN AFTER THE BUZZER (Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
*Meanwhile, the Centennials will likely have their year-end awards night later this week, and Spring Camp runs Friday to Sunday at the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena. Everyone is welcome to attend the camp, so you can still get your fix of Cents hockey a little while longer
It's Monday. It's no longer Saturday. It's not just a new day, but a full day has passed in between since all the controversy of game 4 in Merritt. I'm sure the storyline of the last game will continue to get discussed by fans even into game 5 tonight in Penticton, but it has to be "out of sight, out of mind" when it comes to the Centennials themselves. Looking back at the replays of the 2 goals in questions, it was evident that Benik's shot did in fact go in, while the high-sticking call is still undecided, despite plenty of zooming and slowing down. But it really doesn't matter anymore. Every player and both coaches need to turn the page and not look back.
Game 5 tonight for Merritt is all about the mental approach. It's a heck of a lot easier said than done, I understand, but they truly do need to reset their minds and focus on the task at hand, and not on what could have been over the past couple of games. After all, they easily could have been up 3-1, or at least tied 2-2 right now, but that can't be where their mind wanders tonight. The mind can't wander, period.
Here's the reality: the Centennials now have to beat Penticton 3 games in a row, including 2 at the SOEC (where the Vees only lost once in the regular season/twice in the playoffs, only once in regulation time). Everybody knew the importance of game 4 and how dire the situation would be if Merritt lost, but now that the situation is what it is, there's no time to feel sorry for yourselves if you're the Centennials. Instead they could use the events of game 3 and 4 as a rallying point, and focus on the fact that they've gotten better with each game in this series. They just gotta keep that going tonight and start a memorable streak that the players can reflect back on for the rest of their lives.
Now that the Cents are 1 loss away from having their season end, there's obviously no more room for error, and pretty much everything will have to go right tonight, tomorrow and Thursday for the Centennials to keep their season going and advance to the Fred Page Cup finals. At this stage, they can't rely on anything or anyone else but themselves. Don't count on the refs, don't count on the "bounces", don't count on luck, and don't count on justice if you think you got robbed in game 4. Don't leave anything to chance.
It's time to break out the cliches. Every player has to look in the mirror and find the motivation to have the game of their lives tonight. And just tonight. Yes, you can't look at the overall task at hand, but just focus on "what can I do to make sure we win game 5 tonight?" And then copy and paste that mentality if you're fortunate enough to prolong this series into tomorrow.
One thing Merritt will definitely need to figure out tonight is their power play. It doesn't matter how "dangerous" it has looked in the past or how many chances they've gotten (even though it hasn't been many), it's not the regular season. There's no time for baby steps. It has to be "produce now or season's over". The last 2 games could have easily gone Merritt's way if their power play had broken through. They went 0 for 3 in both games, and they were missed opportunities are crucial times. In game 3, after tying the game at 2, they got a power play immediately after with Logan Johnston in the box. But they fail to score, lose momentum, and Johnston comes out of the box and scores what winds up being the game winner. Game 4, even after the disallowed goal, Merritt had a long 5 on 3 during which they looked lost, but could have taken the lead. And after Benik tied it, the power play again got a chance to win the game in regulation, but let them down. Merritt hasn't had many power plays in this series (3 in each game), but they've gone a combined 1 for 12 (8.3%) and let crucial opportunities slide in the past 2 games. Tonight, the power play must break through and make a difference.
The other must for Merritt tonight will be to score 1st. With the disallowed 1st period goal in game 4, they've given up the 1st goal in each game in this series, and when you're playing Penticton, that's a much more steep hill to climb than against any other team. They're virtually unbeatable when scoring first. And tonight, Merritt needs a ray of light, a sign of hope, and that 1st goal would go a long ways. If they surrender the 1st goal again, that mental hurdle/momentum might be an impossible thing to overcome. The Centennials might get dejected, and the Vees will likely show no mercy, sense that vulnerability and go for the kill, which might make it a long night. The 1st goal has never been as important as it is tonight.
Then there's the goaltending. Who will start might be a mystery until we get to the rink, but both guys have done everything they can in this series, and can't be blamed one bit. My gut says Lino Chimienti will start. He was a very deserving 1st start in game 4, and his Junior A career is on the line. I'm sure he wants the opportunity to impact his own fate, and I believe Luke Pierce will allow him that opportunity. But only time will tell. However, Chimienti, if he does start, will need a repeat 1st start performance, especially in Penticton where the Vees tend to pepper goalies at will and force them to steal the game if the opposition is to take 2 points. Only Tyler Steel and Mitch Gillam have managed to do that in the regular season and/or playoffs. That 1st start performance will likely need to carry over into game 6 and 7 as well if the Centennials are to keep playing past this week. But at the same time, the Centennials have to maintain a strict commitment to team defense, much like the Vees do around Katunar. The 1st overtime of the last game was a great example, where guys were sacrificing every part of their body to block shots and get pucks out of their zone.
The Centennials deserve credit where credit is due, and they have done a great job in terms of team discipline after game 1. The first game they gave Penticton 7 power plays, but only 5 in the last 3 games combined. And the PK has been a perfect 4 for 4 over the last 2 games. The penalty kill will very likely need to be perfect tonight again, and limiting the Vees to just 2 or 3 power plays at most will definitely help that cause.
Offensively, the Centennials can still do more to make Chad Katunar's life difficult. He has come up clutch in back to back games, but there's still a vulnerability there that Merritt needs to expose and take advantage of. The Vees have done a great job around Katunar by clearing almost each and every rebound, so the Centennials need to find a way to penetrate this bubble around the Vees backup. They need to find a way to make life as difficult for Katunar as the Vees are making it for Steel and Chimienti. The 2 Merritt netminders are being forced to steal games, but Katunar is allowed to just be "good" but not great, and he still wins. That says a lot.
Here's the truth of the situation. After the way that Merritt lost games 3 and 4, all the emotion and disappointment, in a situation where they have to win 3 in a row, nobody out there will give them a hope in the world. But then again, nobody gave them any hope to make the playoffs, and nobody believed they could sweep the Prince George Spruce Kings either. The Centennials have proven themselves to others all season, and now it's time to do that again. Even if nobody else believes in them, they have to believe in themselves. Each and every player needs to honestly believe deep down in their heart that they not only can but will win tonight, and continue to win tomorrow and Thursday. If there are any doubters on the team, it will show on the ice, and it won't happen.
Finally, watch out for 7 players tonight and possibly over the next 3 games. 5 graduates (Stack, Brears, Shinkaruk, Marshall, Chimienti) and 2 guys with scholarships for next year (Willcox and Pfeil) will all hopefully realize that tonight might be their last game in Junior A hockey. This is one thing they should think about, so they can do everything in their power to make sure tonight is not their last game. Anything at all that will help motivate to go that extra mile. Watch for those 7 aforementioned players to make a difference tonight. This is the time for them to lead the way. Win or lose, they have to be the best players on the ice.
Opening face-off tonight is at 7:00pm from the South Okanagan Events Centre. Q101 pre-game show starts at 6:30pm. You can also tune in online at Q101.ca or on the BCHL fanzone through BCHL.ca
To be honest, the replay on the PPV feed is not sharp and it's from fairly far away, making it impossible to really tell what happened on either of the 2 goals in question in game 4. However, the Penticton Vees had a cameraman film the game for them as well, and they were able to slow down both plays on replay to show us exactly what happened. And the "proof is in the pudding" as they say, except this time it's in the video.
The opening goal by the Centennials appears to be the wrong call by linesman Bevan Mills, who was the only one who made the call. According to the slow replay at the end of the video, it's very evident that the puck actually deflected off of Mike Reilly's full facemask (very lucky he was wearing it, or his face would have been a mess). There is still a small chance that the puck grazed off Brears' stick first, which was high, but it doesn't appear like it in the video. So, probably wrong call.
Here's a more close-up look at the waved off goal, and this angle makes it seems a little more likely that the puck did graze Brears' stick, but it's still too tight to call either way.
The 2nd goal, however, was a legitimate goal and a good call by referee Korey Martens. You can even hear some of the Merritt fans admitting that it was a goal. Not a whole lot of argument from the fans right around the camera either. Again, if you fast forward to the slow replay near the end (you can even see it in the original play), you'll see that Benik's shot does in fact pop the water bottle before bouncing back out, and I don't think it ever did hit Chimienti's mask or the crossbar as some fans speculated.
So there you are. Merritt was 50% robbed. And let the speculation begin as to whether that first goal would have ultimately won the game for Merritt or not. Obviously Cents fans will say that it would have, and it's hard to argue with that. After all, everyone knows the value of that "first goal"
STACK PROFUSELY ARGUING MERRIT'S 1ST PERIOD GOAL BEING WAVED OFF (Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
I have to admit, even a couple hours after wrapping up a 4 and a half hour broadcast, I'm still a little lost and puzzled at what happened in game 4, and at a loss for words. But I'll come up with some for this report. The storyline revolves around 2 goal calls that both went against the Centennials and forced the game into double overtime, where the Vees would find a hero and take a commanding 3-1 series lead.
The big question coming into tonight's game was how would Merritt respond after their great effort in Friday's game 3 wound up short. Well the answer was revealed in the first period, where the Centennials came out firing on all cylinders and looked like they were the ones that finished the regular season 34 points ahead of Penticton, and not vice versa. After a post by Benik just 15 seconds in, the Centennials took over the game and maintained their dominance for much of the opening frame, outshooting the Vees 10-5, and helping Chimienti make an easy transition into the game with just the 5 routine shots that he faced.
Now all the talk will revolve around what "could" have been, had the officiating gone Merritt's way tonight. After some great pressure, the Cents appeared to get on the board when Sabourin's shot from the left point was tipped in front by who everyone (myself included) thought was Evan Stack. However, of the 4 officials, one linesman indicated that it was tipped with a high stick, and he managed to convince the other 3 officials into waving the goal off, and robbing Merritt of an opportunity to take a 1-0 lead for the first time this series. Honestly, it happened way too fast for me to get a good look at it without replay, but after watching the replay online, I've come to the conclusion that it wasn't even Stack who was called for the high stick. Everyone thought so because of how hard he argued and because he was closest to the net, but I don't believe he ever raised his stick at all or got a piece of it. I believe the high stick that was called was on Brears at the top of the left circle. He had his stick a little high (too tough to tell if it was too high) and appeared to duck when the shot from Sabourin came. Frankly, he might not have even touched the puck at all, which is maybe why Merritt was so angry in the first place. And if he did touch it, it's very unlikely that the puck would deflect "up" the way it did and wind up going top corner over Katunar's blocker. That's almost impossible, as the puck would have had to be tipped downwards for it to be a high stick. Nevertheless, the call wound up being costly, as the game stayed scoreless through 20 minutes.
THE ONLY HIGH STICK I SAW FROM STACK WAS DURING HIS CELEBRATION (Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
In the 2nd period, the game really opened up both ways, and the Vees found a lot of life. They peppered Chimienti with 14 shots and some glorious scoring chances, including a Benik breakaway (after he hit his 2nd post early in the 2nd) and a 2 on 1 with Benik and Gervais.
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
The Centennials had their own chances, particularly a 2 on 1 where Harper found Wilcox with a seemingly wide open net, but Katunar made his biggest save of the series by stretching out with the left pad to keep it out (he was shaky at times again, but ultimately came up clutch for a 2nd straight night).
Finally, we had a goal to talk about, and for the 4th straight game in this series (and 9th time 12 games going back to the regular season), it was the Vees who broke the ice. After Fogarty won a face-off, he cut to the net and got set up by Benik; Fogarty made a nice deke right on top of the crease and was able to squeak a puck off Chimienti across the line to give the Vees a 1-0 lead at the 13:05 mark of the period.
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
The Vees opening goal was obviously a backbreaker, but it looked like it might get even worse when Brent Fletcher took a charging penalty shortly thereafter. However, it was the Centennials who gained momentum from the penalty kill. And it helped to get a goal on the PK. Billy Marshall stole the puck away from Benik deep in his own corner and sprinted up-ice on what turned into a 3 on 1 with Brears and Soquila... Marshall used them both as decoys and snapped a shot high blocker side on Katunar, off the post and in, to tie the game just over 2 minutes after the Vees had opened the scoring.
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
The Cents looked possessed the rest of that PK and even creating scoring chances, and they finished the 2nd period on a tear, taking all the momentum into the 3rd.
In the 3rd period, Lino Chimienti was forced to rise up and shine again, which he did admirably, just like Tyler Steel in game 2. Even though the shots were 13-10 for Penticton, the scoring chances heavily favoured the Vees, and Chimienti was stellar in turning them all aside, particularly 2 saves off of Murphy and Lucia (set up by Murphy) in tight.
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
Even when the 3rd period started, you got the sense that it was overtime already, and next goal would win it. Well thanks to Lino's goaltending, the Centennials got that goal. After a dominant, relentless 4th line shift, Billy Marshall (after holding the line) got a shot on goal from the right point, and Low pounced on the rebound to give Merritt what looked to be the game-winning goal, earning them a 2-1 lead at 13:22 (not 14:22 as the official scoresheet indicated).
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
But... less than a minute later, controversy would strike again. After an inability by Merritt to clear the puck from their zone, Joey Benik (who was the most dangerous Vee all night) skated down to the bottom of the left circle and threw a very innocent-looking shot on net from a sharp angle, which appeared to be stopped by Chimienti and bounce out onto the other side (the belief is that it grazed Chimienti's helmet, went off the crossbar, and bounced out the other side). There was no reaction from either team or the fans, or even the officials. But one of the referees to the corner of the net (Korey Martens) made a very late reaction with Benik's assistance and indicated that it was in fact a goal and pointed to the net.
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
This resulted in jubilation by Benik and the Vees and another furious argument by Cents captain Evan Stack and his teammates that fell on deaf ears. Mind you, there was a long conference between the 4 officials, and they even included the goal judges (which is a rarity) in this argument, but eventually the verdict came back that it was a good goal, and we had ourselves a 2-2 tie. Again, it all happened too quick, and I can't say I have a definitive opinion (without a replay) either way.
A RARE TIME YOU SEE A REFEREE CHECK WITH A GOAL JUDGE (Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
*As bad luck would have it, Merritt's disallowed goal was only called off by 1 linesman, who convinced the other 3 officials, and this mysterious Benik goal was only spotted by 1 referee, who convinced the other 3 officials. You talk about bad luck! And you talk about injustice!
LUKE PIERCE NOT IMPRESSED WITH THE DECISION ON BENIK'S GOAL (Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
After the Vees tied it at 2, you could tell the Centennials were angry and deflated, and the Vees kind of kicked it up a notch, coming close to winning the game in regulation. The Cents also had a couple of isolated opportunities, but no real quality chances on Katunar. And so we went to overtime for the first time in this series...
In the 1st overtime session, the shots were quite even at 13-12 Penticton, but the scoring chances were definitely lop-sided in favour of the Vees. The Centennials seemed to be content to shoot from everywhere and hope for a lucky bounce, while the Vees picked their spots and got plenty of quality opportunities that forced Chimienti to play hero again. He made some very tough saves and underrated saves, and battled like crazy to make sure he'd give his team a chance to win at all costs. Mainly because of the play of Chimienti, the 1st overtime solved nothing, and the two teams went to the locker room for another full intermission.
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
The Centennials battled really hard defensively in the first OT, blocking a ton of shots and breaking up other great opportunities. They seemed very desperate defensively, but not as desperate offensively. Overall though, everybody still played on top of their game it seemed, but they couldn't help feeling like they got the raw end of the deal by even being forced to play in this overtime to begin with. It was a tough mental battle to deal with while trying to take care of business on the ice.
The 2nd overtime started with the Vees looking to end it early. They had 2 great chances in the opening half-minute and really pressed the Centennials, seemingly wearing them down. The Centennials were barely hanging on thanks to Chimienti, who made a stupendous save on St. Denis on the door step, stretching out his arms to stop the puck on the goalline, when St. Denis thought his deke to the backhand had gone in and already started celebrating. Moments later, Joey Benik sprung Bryce Gervais on a breakaway, but Chimienti denied him with the left shoulder, once again giving the Centennials an opportunity to score the winner. But the Vees were just more determined, and they kept coming and coming till they broke through.
Finally, after a Vees dump-in from DJ Jones, Brandon Pfeil got stripped off the puck along the left halfboards by the speedy St. Denis, who drove hard directly to the net on the left wing, appeared to get poke-checked trying to deke in front, but while Willcox was fishing for the rebound, Wade Murphy pounced on the puck and slammed it into the net on the opening high glove, with Chimienti down along the ice.
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
And so that was that. A devastating conclusion to a 2nd straight epic game, and the Vees, who could have very well been down 3-1 in the series, now take a 3-1 lead back home to Penticton on Monday, where they will look to put the Cents out of their misery in game 5.
*This was the 3rd straight game that Merritt managed to maintain their physicality and discipline at the same time. Minus a charging call to Fletcher (which Merritt wound up scoring on shorthanded), the Cents played very smart, and that's why they gave themselves a chance, by keeping the game 5 on 5. And they finished with only 2 minor penalties, for a total of 5 minors in the last 3 games combined, following 7 minors in game 1
*The top line for Merritt winds up getting held off the scoresheet for a 2nd straight night (though they did score the disallowed one, and Soquila and Brears were on the ice for the Marshall shorthanded goal), but for the 2nd night in a row, they had an inspired game and really led by example. They seemed to be dangerous every time they were out there, yet they just couldn't break through when they were needed most
*You hate to harp on it, but despite the good discipline, the Merritt power play let them down big-time again for a 2nd straight game. They only had 3 power plays, but they were at crucial times. They had an extended 5 on 3 for over a minute in the first with a chance to take the lead, and made some poor decisions with the puck, resulting in only a couple of shots and no real scoring opportunities. They made it too easy on Katunar. And then with the chips on the line, even after the controversial goal that tied it at 2, Merritt got a late power play with just over 5 minutes left (Murphy off for tripping Pfeil), and again couldn't break through, finishing a combined 0 for 6 in games 3 and 4. Remember that in game 3, the Vees killed off Logan Johnston's penalty before Johnston scored the game-winner seconds later. Well tonight, they killed off Murphy's tripping call on Pfeil, and then in double overtime, it was Pfeil getting stripped off the puck by St. Denis, and Murphy, who could have been the scapegoat, playing instead the role of hero
*I have never seen so many broken sticks in one game for a single team as there were tonight for Merritt. Expensive sticks were snapping like dry twigs all night. There were at least 6 broken sticks in total for Merritt (including 2 for Chanter alone), and a couple of times it led to a great scoring chance the other way for Penticton. I don't know what the issue is, but it's an issue the Cents might want to look into heading back to an elimination game in Penticton on Monday
*For the 2nd straight night, Merritt played with over a thousand fans in the building (official number was 1030, meaning 20 less fans than Friday's game 3), and again the atmosphere was very special to be a part of. It was heartbreaking to see such passionate, supportive, loyal fans go home so disappointed, but it says something when Merritt draws back to back 1000+ fans to a game, after failing to reach that mark for the past 11 years. It's great to hopefully see the team make a profit on these playoff games, one that would be well-deserved
Merritt will now need to win 3 straight games vs Penticton, including 2 at the SOEC to keep their season alive. It all starts with the first elimination game Monday night in Penticton for game 5. Another fans bus will be headed there, so you can call marketing manager Rachael Sanders at 250-315-7224 to book your seat.
