LAST GAME: 7-1 win over Vernon on Tuesday (snapped a 6 game losing slide)
Coquitlam: 30-17-2-2 (64 pts) - 4th in Interior (3pts back of 3rd, 4pts back of 2nd, 5pts back of 1st)
LAST GAME: 6-3 win over Nanaimo on Wednesday (took an 11 point lead on the Clippers for the 4th and final playoff spot)
*FIRST AND ONLY MEETING OF THE SEASON BETWEEN THE TWO TEAMS (and Merritt's final out of conference game this season)
- the Centennials will travel to Coquitlam and play this game with a lot less tension/anxiety, as each player and both coaches lifted a piano off their back on Tuesday with a dominant 7-1 win over Vernon (had the result been reversed, not only would Merritt's losing skid be at 7 games, Vernon would now be 2pts back and Chilliwack would be 4 points back with 2 games in hand. If they won these games in hand, Merritt could have been out of the playoffs by the end of the weekend)
- instead of that sweat-inducing circumstance listed above, the win vs Vernon all but shook off the Viper threat from behind (they're now 6 points back, both teams have 9 games left) and brought Merritt back into 2nd place with a favourable schedule remaining in the final 9 games (6 of them at home, 2 vs Trail, 1 vs Salmon Arm, and after tonight, the only 2 road games left will also be in Trail). Despite 2 remaining games with Penticton at home, Merritt might have the easiest schedule between themselves and mainly Prince George (the main threat for 2nd place), but also Chilliwack and Vernon as well. Prince George will see Trail twice as well, but they finish the season vs Vernon, Penticton and Penticton, while Merritt finishes with games against Salmon Arm, Trail and Trail. So if the Cents can keep pace with Prince George over the next 6 games, 2nd place should be theirs
- tonight's game in Coquitlam will be a very interesting matchup between the 2nd most offensive team vs the 3rd most defensive team (by goals for and goals against) in the league. Both teams have plenty to play for in terms of playoff positioning, so despite the fact they know hardly anything about each other, motivation will not be lacking
- the Cents' morale/confidence must have taken a 180 degree turn after Tuesday and is now sky high after sinking to an all-time low during the 6 game slide. The main reason for the confidence is that after scoring just 5 goals in the 6 game skid, they managed 7 vs Vernon in one game, and 7 players broke fairly lengthy point droughts
- as I mentioned above, the Express are an interesting creature on the Coast. They've been in 4th for a while, but have 3 more points than Merritt, who are 2nd in the Interior, and Coquitlam has a great shot still to climb the ladder into 3rd, 2nd, and yes, even 1st, where they are just 5 points back of Surrey (though it's unlikely because the Eagles have 2 games in hand). Safe to say, if the Express get the heroic goaltending they've had this year from Cole Huggins in the playoffs, they could be a real darkhorse and "upset" anybody
- last weekend the Express snapped Powell River's 10 game winning streak with a pair of wins over the Kings, before their recent win over Nanaimo on Wednesday. They might be inclined to position themselves to play Powell River in the playoffs (the Kings are currently in 2nd place), as they have dominated the season series with a record of 6-1-1
- you can call the Express offense the "Penticton Vees" of the Coastal Conference, or a "mini-Penticton" as I like to call them. Though not quite as deep as the Vees, they do have 6 players who are at least a point a game, and their 4.1 goals for average ranks 2nd highest in the league behind the Vees who average 5.7 goals a game (yes, I know, ridiculous)
- though not quite as solid defensively as Penticton, Coquitlam isn't bad in that aspect either, averaging 3.2 goals against per game, and much lower when they have Cole Huggins between the pipes. Huggins has been the goaltending surprise of the year. He has won his last 5 straight starts and 6 of 7 (the only loss he gave up just 1 goal to Powell River). He has a remarkable record of 18-5-1 (started undefeated in his first 12 starts or so) with a solid GAA of 2.60 and a dazzling save percentage of .928). Expect Huggins to get the call again tonight against Merritt, and with the stakes as high as they are, he'll probably start every game for Coquitlam until he loses again (which Merritt fans hope is tonight)
- the Centennials will be helped by the fact that the rink at the Poirier Sports & Leisure Centre is quite small and comparable to the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena (at least in rink size, not the building itself). This might help Merritt feel more at home, but the pucks come around the boards very quickly, and from past memory, or almost more unpredictable than the boards in Merritt
- despite a 7-1 win over Vernon on Tuesday, it was "finish" and a bit of luck that made all the difference. The game was not an overall work of art for the Centennials, and they will need to step up their game tonight on the road, against a higher quality team with plenty of offensive weapons
- with a small rink and a highly skilled forward group (including a couple defensemen), the Centennials will need to severely limit their turnovers, especially in the defensive zone. They will also need a repeat performance between the pipes, and it will be Tyler Steel who'll get a chance to bounce back after getting pulled in a 4-1 loss to the Vipers in his last start. Against the powerhouse Express offense, he'll need to be as good as Lino was on Tuesday against the Vipers. The Express have a strong offense, but a lot of them are small, speedy guys, so in a small rink, the Cents will need to play the role of the "bully" and really bang these guys up (legally). The Express might want to wind it up and play a run and gun style, but that's not Merritt's forte, so the other key is to slow down the game and control the tempo to the speed that they want it played at
- the Centennials are proving each game just how big the first goal is. During the 7 game win streak, they scored first every time, while giving up the first goal in each game of the 6 game slide. Then they scored 1st against Vernon and ran away with the win. Overall, when scoring first, the Cents are an astounding 20-2-1-4, while when giving up the first goal, they are a dismal 6-15-1-2 (there's one win missing, and that's from the reversed game in Westside which I counted as on OTL for the purpose of these stats)
*Here are the projected lineups for the Centennials tonight, with Ross Mancuso drawing out as a healthy scratch and Tyler Steel between the pipes (a couple of line combination changes from the last game):
Regan Soquila (93) Chad Brears (91) Evan Stack (9)
Silvan Harper (92) Brent Fletcher (92) Jakob Reichert (93)
Carter Shinkaruk (91) Brandon Bruce (93) Sean Maktaak (92)
Payton Schaefer (93) Brayden Low (94) Brendan Lamont (94)
Reece Willcox (94) Brandon Pfeil (92)
Richard Sabourin (92) Dylan Chanter (95)
Billy Marshall (91) Tyler Martin (93)
Tyler Steel (93)
Lino Chimienti (91)
SCRATCHES
Ross Mancuso (92)
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