LAST GAME: 2-1 win over Westside on Wednesday (won 7 in a row, outscoring the opposition 24-7. Merritt has also won 5 straight on the road)
Alberni Valley: 14-22-2-0 (30 pts) - Tied for 7th/8th on the Coastal Conference with Langley, but have played 3 less games than the Rivermen
LAST GAME: 7-0 loss to Powell River on Saturday
*First and only meeting of the season between the 2 teams
- it was a close call for Merritt Wednesday vs Westside, as they were pushed to the brink and forced into a grueling, physical, likely exhausting war. It might be a good thing. It might serve as a "wake-up call" to stay on their toes without actually having to lose a game
- with each passing win, excitement in the community is building and I think the players are thriving on this. The motivation is now to see far they can push this magical run
- based on the 4 game home stand (the 3 game road trip prior had a few ups and downs), if Merritt keeps playing that way, this streak could go up to 10 games ahead of the highly anticipated home ice rematch with the Penticton Vees next Wednesday. The Cents are getting timely scoring that was very balanced up until the last game, they're winning special teams every night (scored on the PP in 4 straight, 6 for 22, and perfect on the PK in 4 straight, 16 for 16), they're playing team defense with clutch goaltending (given up just 3 goals in their last 5 games, and only 8 goals during the 7 game win streak). On top of that, Merritt has scored 1st in every game during this streak, which makes the streak a well-deserving one and not just a coincidence
- the number one priority for Merritt for this game and during the Island road trip will be to stay the course and not get over-confident that just because the teams they're playing are struggling in the standings, things will fall into place easily. That's simply not the case. Even though they're playing the so-called "bottom feeders" of the Coast, these games can be tricky. Merritt does not know the teams, their systems or tendencies, and in just one game to figure it out, it's easy to get burned by something unexpected. Players on Alberni Valley and Victoria are still playing for scholarships this year and jobs next year, while Nanaimo on Sunday will be extremely hungry pushing for that final playoff spot
- as for the Bulldogs, they were hoping that when new head coach Kevin Willison took over in early December for Paul Esdale, there would be a miraculous turnaround. The passionate fanbase was calling for Esdale's head, and when they got their wish, the Bulldogs won their first game under Willison 3-1 over the Costal Conference leading Cowichan Valley Capitals. But overall, they have gone 4-8-1-0 under the new bench boss, and are now all but mathematically out of playoff contention, 18 points back of 4th place Coquitlam. So they will play for pride and try to play the role of spoilers
- scoring 1st would be astronomical for Merritt in this game, as this will be the longest trip they make all season before playing a game. A trip that will start between 5 and 5:30 in the morning. All in all, the Centennials might be in survival mode in the 1st period, and should probably be happy if they come out tied or with any sort of lead. The travel legs will be tough to overcome. The best thing the Cents can do is just fire rubber towards the net and hope for a good bounce or rebounds. This game, especially the 1st period, is probably not the time to get fancy, not after the marathon road trip that leads up to puck drop. Getting too pretty might be the only thing loses this game for Merritt if it leads to mental mistakes and odd-man rushes the other way
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