LAST GAME: 9-0 loss to Penticton on Wednesday (lost 3 of their last 4)
Chilliwack: 22-17-1-2 (47 pts) - Tied with Prince George for 3rd in Interior (with 1 game in hand)
LAST GAME: 5-2 loss to Westside on Wednesday
*Chilliwack has 4 games in hand on Merritt. The Cents have 14 games left, Chilliwack has 18
Season Series: Merritt 4-1 vs Chilliwack (outscored them 15-7), but 1-1 in Chilliwack with just 1 goal in each game (2-2 overall in those 2 games combined)
- there's no question the Centennials are in a bit of a funk right now, with 3 losses in 4 games, including against 2 teams (Alberni Valley and Nanaimo) that they expected to beat
- from last Friday (when they left Merritt for the Island at 5:30am on a 7 game winning streak) to this Friday (where they're coming off 3 losses in 4 games, including an embarassing 9-0 blowout at the hands of Penticton), the team has been on both ends of the emotional spectrum
- offense for Merritt has definitely dried up lately after scoring 7 on Salmon Arm and 5 on Chilliwack recently. The last 6 games, they have never scored more than 3 times and only 13 goals total during this span. 9 of the 10 goals scored in the last 5 games have been from the first line (the Cents are hoping to get Regan Soquila back in the lineup tonight). And with an average of just 3.07 goals per game, Merritt is the lowest scoring playoff team and tied with Alberni Valley for 3rd lowest overall in the league
- it's funny how things work when it comes to goaltending. Lino Chimienti recently stole the spotlight with 5 straight wins (3 shutouts in that span) and being named the BCHL player of the week. Since then, he has lost 3 straight, giving up 15 goals during that span. Meanwhile, despite the minor skid the Cents are on right now, Tyler Steel, who watched Lino from the sidelines during his hot run, is now the hot goaltender, having won 3 straight, and giving up just 1 goal in all those games for a total of 3 goals against
- For Merritt, you have to think that fatigue has played a factor in their recent drop-off. Tonight's game in Chilliwack caps off a ridiculous stretch of 9 games in 2 weeks (15 days), from Friday to Friday. This is a tough game to come into Chilliwack this tired and emotionally upset
- the Chiefs are also on a bit of a funk... in December, they went on a tear winning 7 straight games and getting 15 of a possible 16 points during that stretch. Since then, they have really struggled to gain much consistency, as evidenced in the last 5 games where they have gone 2-2-1-0. And they are the coldest playoff team in the last 10 games, with just 3 victories in that span
- like the Centennials, Chilliwack has been giving up more goals lately than they're used to, and are also struggling to keep up offensively with much of the scoring burden being on the top line
- while both teams tonight will look to get on track, Merritt still has a decent cushion to work with and some breathing space in the 2nd spot. For Chilliwack, they want to get on track, but they also need points quite badly. Even though they still have a shot at 2nd if they win their games in hand on the Cents, their primary focus is to hold off the struggling Vipers for the final playoff spot. Vernon is currently 6 points back with 1 game in hand. But there is also the intense battle for 3rd. Chilliwack is tied in points with PG with 1 game in hand, but both teams will desperately want to at least sneak into 3rd in order to avoid the "hot-as-the-sun-itself" Penticton Vees
- the key for Merritt tonight to try and generate some more offense will be to play a team game, stick to the fundamentals, and don't try and be a hero. A few times over the last few games, some guys have tried to do too much on their own and it's resulted mostly in turnovers rather than scoring chances.
- With both teams heavily reliant on their top lines, I would expect lines 2-4 to cancel each other out, and the better top line will have a good chance of deciding this game
- I'm sure the coaching staff will also emphasize team defense for tonight's game. The goaltenders have been far too busy the last few games, especially vs Penticton when the Cents gave up 51 shots, and quality scoring chances well into the double digits
Opening face-off tonight is at 7:00pm. Our pre-game show gets going on Q101 starting at 6:30. You can tune in on Q101 FM in Merritt or online at Q101.ca
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