LAST GAME: 4-1 win over Victoria yesterday
Nanaimo: 18-15-0-7 (43 pts) - 5th in Coastal Conference (7 points back of 4th place Coquitlam with 1 game in hand)
LAST GAME: 3-2 overtime win over Surrey on Friday
*First and only meeting between these two teams
- there is no question this will be the biggest test of the weekend for Merritt, and the first game in 5 where they play a team above .500, a team with something to play for
- as you can see, Nanaimo is well rested after a big momentum win on Friday, while the Centennials were (surprisingly) pushed to their limits vs Victoria last night, and will enter this game with fatigue playing a factor
- after a dominant weekend on home ice, the past 3 games (although Merritt has gone 2-1) have been 3 headscratchers, where something is missing, and something left to be desired. The Centennials were never "bad" in any of them, but they were far from their best, and did not play up to their potential. Instead they seemed to be playing down to the competition. Nanaimo is not a team that will allow Merritt to do that
- the Centennials desperately need to find some balanced offense. They recently had 2 out of 4 games where every line scored at least once in that game (vs Salmon Arm and vs Chilliwack), but the past 3 games (aforementioned headscratchers), it's been entirely the first line. First Stack Brears with 2 vs Westside, then Stack with 2 vs Alberni Valley, then Brears with 2, Soquila with 1, and Soquila setting up the other goal vs Victoria. So technically, all 8 goals scored during the past 3 games have been from the first line. That is a definite area of concern. Even though it's not all an effort issue, line 2-4 need to find a way to break through, or Merritt can get themselves in serious trouble against the better teams, especially when you look at Penticton coming up on Wednesday
- the Cents will also look to re-commit themselves to the focus of "team defense"; something they were great at last weekend in the 3 home games, but something that has been lacking at times in the last 3 games. The goaltenders, instead of thanking the players in front of them for making life easy, they've had to bail out the players with big saves far too many times (especially the last 2 nights)
- this is the last game for Merritt before the highly anticipated and hyped meeting with Penticton on Wednesday, and the Vees (if they beat Prince George today) could come into that game on a 25 game winning streak. Therefore, the Cents need a big effort and a game where they smooth out all their wrinkles. They need to be flying high and injected with confidence. Any self-doubt come Wednesday could lead to a long and frustrating night
- Nanaimo made a few moves at the deadline, both buying and selling, with the most significant deal seeing Colton Cyr go to Vernon and Clayton Chessa land in Nanaimo. The former Smoke-Eater sniper has just 1 assist through 3 games with his new club so far, but he could break out at any time
- the Clippers are in an absolute dogfight for the final playoff spot with Coquitlam. The Express loss last night allows the Clippers to get within 5 points of them (with both teams having 19 games left) if they can beat Merritt. This means expect Nanaimo to come out desperate and hungry, and the Centennials will have to match that energy
- Lino Chimienti will be the only fresh body in the lineup, as he draws back in between the pipes, and considering the desperation from the Clippers and the short turnaround for the Cents, he might be relied upon to make a few big stops in the 1st to allow the Cents to find their game and work off the fatigue (this is a game that the Cents will need to play on adrenalin)
- despite all the storylines and implications, the spotlight for this game is on the 2 coaches: Luke Pierce will go up against his former Vernon Vipers coach Mike Vandekamp, where the 2 of them enjoyed much success a decade ago. Vandekamp is also of course a former coach in Merritt, and he took over the reigns in Nanaimo this season after leaving the Grande Prairie Storm of the AJHL for personal reasons (to be closer to his wife on the coast). I'm sure the two of them will downplay the meaning of this game, but believe me they both want to win it bigtime. Luke Pierce more for the significance of what it means (the student trying to conquer the teacher), and Mike Vandekamp to prove that he is still the "superior", but mostly for the 2 points and what it would mean for his team. It's a great storyline, and I hope to talk to both coaches before the game to get their thoughts on it
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