Merritt: 29-17-2-5 (65pts) - 2nd in Interior (lead Prince George by 3pts, but PG has 1 game in hand)
LAST GAME: 4-2 win over Chilliwack last Saturday (3rd straight victory after a 6 game losing skid)
Trail: 11-34-1-4 (27pts) - 8th/last in Interior and overall
LAST GAME: 4-2 loss in Penticton last night, on Thursday (6th straight loss)
Season Series: Merritt 1-2-1-0 (both teams have scored 12 goals)
*The last meeting was way back on Dec. 10, a 3-0 Merritt shutout victory
- the two teams saw each other twice at the very beginning of the season, 4 times total in 5 months total, and now will meet each other 4 times in a span of 2 weeks (+ 1 day). So despite the fact that Trail doesn't have a playoff spot to play for (they were mathematically eliminated a while ago, currently 33 points back), they will definitely look to win this 4-game mini-series and send a message before they're done
- after their 6 game losing slide, the Centennials were starting to get counted out by some to even make the playoffs, but the 7-1 win over Vernon has completely reversed their fortune, and they are coming off their best week of the season, 3 dominant wins, outscoring their opposition 19-3
- funny again how things work in sports... after nothing went right, and I mean NOTHING during their 6 game slide, suddenly all aspects of the team's game are coming around again, almost full circle. Their offense is as hot as it ever has been (minus the 4th line, who are still playing well, but not getting results), their team defense is back in the fold, the goaltenders have been strong, and both their special teams, power play and penalty kill, are playing much better. The power play went 2 for 5 vs Chilliwack (but looked dangerous on all 5 tries), while their penalty kill has gone a perfect 16 for 16 over the last 4 games (before that they gave up power play goals in 5 straight games)
- clearly the main concern for Merritt down the stretch in their final 7 regular season games is CONSISTENCY! They want to be one of the hottest teams come playoff time, and keep that snowball rolling in the right direction
- tonight the Cents have a chance to do what they couldn't do in late January, which is come into a game vs Penticton "on fire". If you'll recall, they had a 7 game win streak heading into a very winnable 3 games on their island road trip, but they lost 2 of 3, and then that demoralized team got embarassed by Penticton in Merritt 9-0. In order to avoid anything close to a repeat, the Cents need to have another great game tonight, and come into tomorrow's match with Penticton (winners of 35 in a row) feeling as good about themselves as they ever have. Half the battle is/will be mental
- speaking of the mental battle, the biggest test tonight for the Centennials will be to keep focused on Trail and not look ahead to tomorrow night, which I'm sure is on the back of everyone's mind. They need to take the Smokies seriously and show them and play them with respect, especially considering how much difficulty they've had against them in the season series
- I mentioned that the Centennials are getting balances scoring from everyone lately (in the past week), except for the 4th line trio of Brayden Low, Payton Schaefer and Brendan Lamont. Well with all due respect to Trail, they are a vulnerable group today with their standing and having lost 6 straight, and averaging nearly 5 goals against per game, so tonight is a great opportunity for that 4th line to get on the scoresheet and round out that team confidence ahead of Penticton tomorrow (there's no pressure right now with how well the team has performed and how many goals they've scored, but the 4th line will need to be at their best vs Penticton, that's for sure)
- as for Trail, I mentioned that they don't have a playoff spot to motivate them, but they are playing for pride, they're playing for jobs, they're playing for scholarships (don't have any), and they're playing for a chance to be "spoilers"
- the Smoke-Eaters have shown an ability this season to compete with any team in the league, despite their last place standing, and they recently went on a run going 5-3 before their current 6 game losing slide. So they can play and they can keep motivated without a playoff spot on the horizon
- former Centennials assistant coach Bill Birks was quoted recently as saying that the team has embraced the role of "spoiler", and when they're playing with no pressure, as loose as they are, with 2 former Merritt coaches (including assistant Bob Dever), that poses a danger to the Centennials who are, frankly, under a lot more pressure and under more expectations than the Smoke-Eaters
- like I mentioned earlier, the main key for Merritt tonight is to come to the rink with the right mental approach, like it is Penticton tonight, and not Trail. As long as they stick to their game, don't give up any soft goals (Lino Chimienti should be good, but doesn't need to be great), they should be just fine and come out with another 2 points. They can also help themselves by drawing a few penalties with their work ethic, and feasting on the Smokies 75% penalty kill, especially while Merritt is coming off their best game on the power play in a long time
*I will try to have player of the week Evan Stack, runner-up Brandon Bruce and recent scholarship recipient Dylan Chanter on my pre-game show tonight (even though he's not playing due to an injury)
Here are the projected lineups for the Centennials tonight, with Lino Chimienti scheduled to get the start between the pipes for the 2nd straight game:
MERRITT:
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) Ross Mancuso (92)
Billy Marshall (91) Tyler Martin (93)
Lino Chimienti (91)
Tyler Steel (93)
SCRATCHES
Dylan Chanter (95)
TRAIL:
*I don't have the ability to transfer their lineup for tonight's game onto my blog, but I can tell you that there are no AP's in their lineup (they've have a few over the season). Their only scratch is 18 year old rookie forward Adam Fares, and James D'Andrea is scheduled to get the start between the pipes, despite the fact that Lyndon Stanwood has been outstanding vs Merritt (85 saves on 90 shots, for a save percentage of .944%). I suspect the Smokies might still go with Stanwood, as D'Andrea played last night and was very busy facing 43 shots in Penticton
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