PREVIEW: Penticton @ Merritt, Round 2, Game 4

PENTICTON LEADS THE BEST-OF-SEVEN SERIES 2-1

Last night was definitely a tough pill to swallow for the Centennials and their fans. Merritt did just about everything right, especially considering the opponent and what they've accomplished this season. It was far and away Merritt's best game of the series, but it wasn't enough, and now Penticton has all the momentum once again, in a series where games 2 and 3 were all about momentum shifts.

Now the Centennials can react in one of 2 ways to this situation. They can get demoralized from working so hard and not being rewarded  yesterday, and they could play defeated, which would allow Penticton to feast on them with ease. Or... the team can use game 3 as a momentum-boost for themselves. After all, they got better and better with each game in this series, and had a great game last night, proving again that they can beat the Vees. They just need to go out there and do it. But last night could be used as a confidence-booster if the Centennials approach it the right way; from the perspective that Penticton is beatable and there's nothing to be afraid of moving forward. The right mentality will play a big factor in game 4 tonight.

Yesterday, all 4 lines, all 3 defensive pairings, and even Tyler Steel (especially in the final 2 periods) were on their game. That needs to carry over into game 4 with a little more hunger for the net. The other thing that needs to continue is Merritt's impressive discipline in games 2 and 3, taking a combined 3 minor penalties in those 2 games after taking 7 in game 1. Staying out of the box is a must to give themselves a chance. And Merritt did a great job in the last couple games of maintaining their physicality, but not crossing the line and losing their cool.

The biggest focus for Merritt tonight has to be their start, particularly the first 5 minutes. Penticton has scored first in all 3 games in this series, and it's been withing 3 and a half minutes each time. Overall, regular season included, through 11 games, Penticton has scored first in 8 of them, and scored at least once in the first 5 minutes in 9 of those 11 games (with the exception of one game where they scored 7 minutes in). Bottom line is, you don't play catchup hockey vs the Vees, and Merritt should consider themselves lucky to accomplish that and win in game 2 in Penticton. But in the 3 games Merritt has scored first in, it's no surprise they've won once, and lost the other 2 in overtime. But it's clear how huge that first goal is, and it's an absolute must tonight for Merritt!

Regardless of how good Steel will be tonight overall, it's imperative that he make the big saves early and in the 1st period, to allow his team to take the lead and get the crowd into the game early. But having said that, the team around Tyler needs to help him as well and support him better defensively (especially in the early stages), and of course make sure they don't get penalized to give Penticton a chance to strike first and early again.

From a Penticton perspective, they're doing a great job of building a shield around backup Chad Katunar, who is being allowed to give up rebounds because his dmen seem to always be there to clear them. They protect him well in that sense, and in their clogging of shooting lanes, blocking shots and breaking up plays. 5 on 5, the Vees play a stifling defensive style, and it's almost easier in the small barn in Merritt. So having said that, Merritt will need to push that much more tonight and be like sharks on blood when it comes to rebounds. 26 shots in game 3 was an improvement on games 1 and 2, but still not enough to exploit the Vees backup. They have to jump on rebounds first and make Katunar pay for his inconsistencies. And maybe use the lively boards a little more often to confuse Katunar and create their own "lucky bounces", thereby utilizing home ice to their advantage.

If Merritt can't do it 5 on 5, they will need to do it on the power play, when the Vees can't play that same stifling defensive style. The Centennials can't lose the special teams battle against Penticton and expect to win. In general, with the few scoring chances the Vees allow, Merritt can't expect to let opportunities slide and win. They have to be opportunistic to win 3 of the next 4 games. So tonight, they will have to have at least 1 if not 2 power play goals to give them the edge in game 4. And hope the penalty kill doesn't get tested very often again.

Overall, it's really not a secret that the stars have to align just right for Merritt in this series, especially now that they have to win 3 of the next 4 to keep their season alive. And with yesterday's loss, they will now be forced to win at least 1 more game at the South Okanagan Events Centre, which took everything (including the kitchen sink) to do in game 2 on Wednesday. It's not elimination night tonight for Merritt, but make no mistake about it, it's pretty much a "must-win" situation for the Centennials. A loss tonight would force them to win 3 straight games vs a team that won 42 in a row this season, and 2 of those would be in Penticton... a building that the Vees have been basically unbeatable in all season. Not to mention the fact that the Vees would have all momentum in the series and the mental disadvantage would be a tough hurdle to overcome for Merritt. This isn't meant to create mass panic, but it's just the reality of the daunting situation, and emphasizes the importance of game 4 tonight.

*Only 1 lineup change tonight for Merritt, and that sees Tyler Martin draw back into the lineup for the first time since the Mar 1 meeting vs Penticton. He will take Scotty Patterson's spot (who draws out) on the 3rd line alongside Brandon Bruce and Carter Shinkaruk. The Vees are making no changes to their lineup. It'll once again be Tyler Steel vs Chad Katunar between the pipes.

Opening face-off tonight is at 7:30pm. Q101 pre-game show starts at 7:00pm. You can also tune in online at Q101.ca or through the BCHL fanzone at BCHL.ca

COME ON MERRITT FANS! LET'S PACK THE RINK ONCE AGAIN!

Cents Come Up Just Short in Game 3

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

It's funny how things work out sometimes. After relying mainly on their goaltender in game 2 and winning, the Merritt Centennials came up with their most complete, impressive effort of the series in game 3 at home but lost a 3-2 nailbiter to go down 2-1 in the best-of-sever Interior Conference Final.

There's no denying it, the first period was a nightmare start for Merritt. Not because they played poorly or were scrambling in their own zone, but because the Vees got 2 goals in 16 seconds out of the blue to open up a 2-0 lead.

16-year-old Cody Depourcq, who had a coming out party tonight, started the charge at 2:45 with incredible determination to maintain the puck, circle the goal, and get a wrist shot from the bottom of the left circle that fooled Steel, who appeared off his angle, and wound up going far glove side.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

Without a replay, it was hard to tell, but the puck appeared to bounce strangely, so it might have deflected off a Merritt player in front, and could have just been a matter of bad luck. Nevertheless, the Vees opened the scoring for the 3rd consecutive time in this series, and all 3 times it was within the first 3 and a half minutes. A very concerning trend for Merritt.

And just 16 seconds later, at 3:01, the Vees broke back in and scored a similar goal as their 2nd one on Wednesday (8 seconds after Merritt had made it 4-1)... Travis St. Denis' shot was stopped, Lucia was stopped on the rebound, but Murphy followed up with a wide open net backhander that gave the Vees a 2-0 lead, and it looked like they were off and running.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

The Centennials called a time-out after the 2nd goal and continued to play inspired in front of the packed house. Ross Mancuso cut off a clearing attempt at the right point and fired a shot from the blueline through a screen that beat Katunar high blocker side and gave the Cents life less than 3 minutes after they had gone down 2-0.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

From this point, I thought the Centennials really took over the 1st period. They had control of the puck in the Penticton zone for much of the time, however despite their cycling and good pressure, it didn't lead to many shots (only 7 total through the first 20 minutes). But they kept pushing until they pushed through. Another determined shift by the 2nd line led to the equalizer; after Harper and Reichert both had their shots blocked from the right circle, Fletcher (who might be the most consistent Centennial in the playoffs and now had 3 goals and 6 points in 7 games) followed up from the slot and beat Katunar (who was out of position) on a half-open net to tie the game at 2, with a minute and a half left in the 1st period.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

The Cents had a chance to really take the game over, when just seconds after their equalizer, they were given a power play and a chance to take the lead. They didn't score in the first and couldn't score with the 35 seconds they had left to start the 2nd period. And that turned out to the biggest momentum shift of the game in Penticton's favour. But it was 2-2 after the 1st period.

Early 2nd period, after Penticton killed off the rest of Logan Johnston's cross-checking penalty, he would reward them. Right out of the box, Johnston stole the puck in his own zone and led a rush into Merritt's end, which ended with a nifty give-and-go with Lucia, where Lucia centered from behind the net to the top of the crease for Johnston; the Penticton captain (who had a breakout game of his own) was able to tip it high blocker side past Steel to give the Vees their lead back at 3-2. And obviously, Penticton would never look back.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

The remainder of the 2nd period was very fun to watch, as both teams came at each other hard, traded chances and traded hits, but stayed clean and competitive without too much chippiness. It was hockey the way it was meant to be played, and I'm sure the fans appreciated it. The shots were dead even in the 2nd at 10-10, and very reflective of how the game went. Tyler Steel still faced the better quality chances against him, and he really stood tall the rest of the way to give the Cents a chance to tie the game. But it stayed 3-2 Penticton after 40 minutes.

The 3rd period carried over where the 2nd period left off. You could tell the Vees were slowly going into shutdown mode, but the Centennials tried hard to initiate some flow to the game, and although there wasn't as much in the 3rd as the 1st or 2nd, it was still there. The Cents pushed hard for the equalizer but were stifled by the Vees team defense, which included blocking a lot of shots, breaking up a lot of plays and clearing away any 2nd chances that came from Katunar's rebounds. Even though Katunar fought the puck again at times, his team shielded him very well, and it made for a very effective and frustrating game of clock management that the Cents just couldn't overcome.

Tyler Steel was especially sharp in this frame, making some very underrated saves to allow the Centennials at least a chance to find the equalizer. Even though his stats vs Penticton will take a bit of a hit with 3 goals on 26 shots, that doesn't tell the story of his efforts in game 3, though granted they weren't as heroic as game 2.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

Merritt never gave up and came really close on a couple occasions, particularly with 1 minute left on a scramble, where the 1st line appeared poised to tie it. But Katunar deserves credit for making the big save, and for making at least all the "first shot" saves the rest of the game. It was a team effort to get the job done.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

After Merritt pulled the goalie, Wade Murphy hit the cross bar on open net from the Merritt blueline with 10 seconds left (just like Soquila in game 2, also with 10 seconds left), but the Cents just ran out of time. Just like with Penticton in game 2, it seemed like a couple extra minutes could make the difference for the trailing team, but the Vees deserve credit for locking it down and deciding that a 3-2 win was just as valuable as a 6-2 win.

The Centennials showed good discipline all night, taking only 2 minor penalties, as did Penticton with 3 minor penalties (2 of them by captain Logan Johnston). Merritt's power play definitely had a chance to win or at least tie the game for them, but today it let them down going 0 for 3 and in crucial times of the game. Meanwhile the Vees deserve credit for an aggressive penalty kill and a commitment to help out Katunar in any way they could. But overall, it was nice to see that we could have a physical game where the 2 referees allowed the teams to just "play" and decide it themselves.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

The shots finished dead even at 26 apiece, and again I can say that was very reflective of how the game was played. All 3 periods the two teams were very evenly matched, and the Centennials went stride for stride and punch for punch all night with the Vees, which is a huge compliment considering Penticton has 3 NHL draft picks and 16 scholarships (granted only 14 of those were on the ice minus Michael Garteig and Connor Reilly). Honestly, this is one of those games that was destined to go to overtime, as neither team deserved to lose with their efforts. But it just wasn't mean to be.

The Centennials played tonight in front of a near-capacity crowd of 1050 passionate fans (about 50 of those, mind you, were the Vees fan bus, which contributed to a great atmosphere at the tiny NVMA). The crowd though was the biggest since the magical playoff run of 2001, and the first time since 2001 that Merritt packed in more than a thousand fans for a single game. Thanks to everybody who came out for the support, it was honestly spine-tingling and bone-chilling to be a part of that atmosphere! I can't wait to do it all again Saturday night for game 4!

SO WHERE WERE ALL THESE TOWELS HANDED OUT IN GAME 1?!    (Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

Here were my 3 stars from the broadcast:

1) Logan Johnston- 1G
2) Brent Fletcher- 1G
3) Tyler Steel- 23 saves

Here are the audio highlights from an exciting game 3 in Merritt with a disappointing end result:

Penticton @ Merritt Round 2 Game 3 Highlights by agreb21

PREVIEW: Penticton @ Merritt, Round 2, Game 3

SERIES TIED 1-1

Well I said coming into game 2 that Merritt would need all hands on deck to get the split in Penticton and stay a threat in this series, and they certainly got that. There were no passengers, that's for sure. But at the same time, regardless of Merritt's effort (they had a phenomenal 11 minute stretch scoring 4 times in the 2nd period), they were on their heels for much of game 2, and they would not be in the situation they're in now if it wasn't for Tyler Steel carrying the team on his shoulders right to the finish line.

Through one and a half games in this series, Steel has proven that he hasn't lost the spark vs Penticton that he had in the regular season. Because he only played 26 minutes in game 1, his Playoff GAA comes out to 2.79 and a save percentage of .909. However through 4 and a half games total (regular season included), Steel is sporting a 2.70 GAA and a .920 save percentage vs the Vees. That's better than his overall save percentage from the regular season (.916), proving that the Vees bring out the best in Steel. Which is a good sign. Because of my fatigue after game 2, I accidentally posted a headline reading "Steel Steals Game 3"... well hopefully that was a foreshadow of things to come, because he is on a roll right now and the obvious go-to guy in this series, after Lino Chimienti shone in round 1.

Despite Tyler Steel being the star in game 2, the team did do some things well that they can build off of for game 3. Their power play got going and looked dangerous, finishing 1 for 3, and despite an early Penticton power play goal, that was the only minor penalty the Cents took, after taking 7 in game 1. Additionally, after a quiet game 1, the first line of Stack, Brears and Soquila broke out for a pair of goals, and were the main threat for most of the night. You need your best players to be your best players, especially in the playoffs, and that was the case in game 2. Although the 2nd line had a heck of an effort as well with Reichert/Harper/Fletcher also chipping in with a pair of goals, and lots of aggressive, physical play. Overall, 8 players picked up points on the 4 Merritt goals, and it's always good to spread out that confidence after getting shut out in game 1.

Now while the effort was evident, and you could tell that guys were trying to go the extra mile for their team, the reality still remains that game 2 was won in 11 minutes for the Centennials. Those 11 minutes in the 2nd period might have been the best of not only the playoffs, but including the regular season for this team. They scored 4 times and didn't allow Penticton a single shot in the first 10 minutes of the 2nd frame. But after that, Merritt was pushed up against the ropes for much of that game, as the Vees took over in the 2nd half and outshot Merritt 25-6 the rest of the way, forcing Tyler Steel to put on the superman cape and literally steal the game for the Cents.

In fairness, with all the firepower the Vees have up front, there is no shame in getting outchanced by them and rely on your goaltender to make a few extra saves. But the rest of this series, Merritt will need more of a push-back, and not go into a shell if they have a lead, even if it's a multi-goal lead. The Vees are capable of mounting improbable comebacks, and several times they came inches away from completing such a comeback in game 2.

Offensively, the Centennials will want to really test Chad Katunar a lot more tonight, especially in the small confines of the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena. After 20 shots in game 1, Merritt finished with just 23 shots in game 2, and had only 1-2 scoring chances in the 2nd half of the game, while the Vees had upwards of 10 or more. In game, Vees backup Chad Katunar had a 150 minute shutout streak turn into 4 goals against on 8 shots, so his confidence is bound to be a little fragile coming into game 3 in Merritt, especially in the hostile confines of the NVMA. Merritt can use the lively boards to their advantage and just throw pucks on net from everywhere, even if they go wide, in hopes of a lucky bounce. Katunar is continuing to struggle with his rebound control, and the Centennials need to do their best to exploit that at home in games 3 and 4.

For the Centennials, they are coming home tonight to what could very well be a sellout for the first time in about a decade. The fans are pumped up after the game 2 victory, and the atmosphere will be electric to say the least. The team will need to feed off that and use it to their advantage, but still not get caught running around, and stick to their game plan. Coming into this series, I said the toughest challenge would be to win in Penticton, considering nobody had done it in regulation time all season. Now that Merritt snuck out one from there, the reality is, they don't need any more. While you can't expect Merritt to win all 3 games at home (after all, Penticton won all 4 regular season meetings in Merritt), they are certainly capable of stepping up their game and doing just that in front of potentially 3 straight sellouts, if this series gets to game 6. The fans will play a vital role. And the reality is, if Merritt gets the job done at home, they don't need to have another win in Penticton. And that's gotta be some extra motivation to get the job done in Merritt.

Remember, you the fans will play a vital role, so make sure you pack the barn and make lots of noise. This is the most exciting time for the franchise in over a decade!

Reserved tickets are SOLD OUT for tonight! A few general admission tickets will be made available starting at 6 pm! Don't miss out!

Opening face-off tonight is at 7:30pm. Q101 pre-game show starts at 7:00pm. You can also tune in online at Q101.ca or through the BCHL fanzone at BCHL.ca

Here are the projected lineups for both teams. Merritt will be without forward Sean Maktaak, who separated his shoulder in game 2, and Scotty Patterson will take his place on the 3rd line (he had 4 points in his final 2 regular season games). Other than that, all things stay the same for Merritt, and Penticton isn't making any changes themselves from games 1 and 2:

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)        (AP) Scotty Patterson (93)

Payton Schaefer (93)        Brayden Low (94)          Brendan Lamont (94)


                     Reece Willcox (94)        Brandon Pfeil (92)
       
                   Richard Sabourin (92)      Dylan Chanter (95)
       
                      Billy Marshall (91)        Ross Mancuso (92)

       
                                           Tyler Steel (93)       

                                         Lino Chimienti (91)      

SCRATCHES
Tyler Martin (93)
Sean Maktaak (92) - INJ


PENTICTON:

Mario Lucia (93)            Travis St.Denis (92)        Wade Murphy (93)
          
Joey Benik (92)             Steven Fogarty (93)        Bryce Gervais (92)
   
Curtis Loik (93)              Ryan Reilly (91)             Logan Johnston (91)
              
Grant Nicholson (93)      Cody DePourcq (95)       Chad Bannor (92)


                      Mike Reilly (93)        Troy Stecher (94)
   
                    Kyle Beaulieu (91)      Nick Buchanan (91)

                       Zach Urban (93)          DJ Jones (92)

     
                                    Chad Katunar (93)          
    
                                (AP) Cole Buckley (93)  

SCRATCHES:
Michael Garteig (91) - INJ
Connor Reilly (91) - INJ
(AP) Kameron Crawford (91)
(AP) Dexter Dancs (95)
(AP) Alex Jewell (94)
(AP) Jordan McCallum (93)  

Steel Steals Game 2, Series Tied 1-1

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

Sometimes, the headlines just write themselves. And on Wednesday, Tyler Steel wrote his own headline by coming up with a superman effort against the Vees; just what the doctor ordered for Merritt. With the guidance of Steel, the Cents erupted for 4 unanswered goals in the 2nd period, and it was the Steel-show again from there, as his heroics allowed the Cents to hang on for a 4-3 victory.

The first period was almost a mirror image of the night before in game 1. The Centennials got called for an early penalty (Brandon Bruce for high-sticking), and after winning the ensuing face-off, the Vees needed all of 13 seconds to convert. Mike Reilly fed Mario Lucia at the right point, who threw the puck to Travis St. Denis at the side of the goal, and St. Denis re-directed it on the backhand over the left shoulder of Steel just 2:27 into the game to give the Vees a 1-0 lead.

*In 6 games in Penticton (regular season and playoffs), the Vees scored their first goal on the power play each time, and 5 of the 6 games it was early in the first. Definitely something for the Cents to take note of and to watch out for as the series progresses.

Unlike the previous night, the Cents put up a much bigger fight in the 1st period, establishing several "momentum shifts" from all their lines, as they had the Vees pinned in their own zone. Late in the 1st, the Centennials seemed to be coming on, and despite trailing, they appeared to take some momentum into the locker room (in a game where it was all about momentum).

Conversely, Penticton still had the better scoring chances and outshot Merritt 10-7, requiring Steel to come up with 3 or 4 real quality stops, most notably a glove save on Buchanan from the slot in the dying seconds of the 1st. Steel was a big reason that the deficit was just 1 through 20 minutes.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

The 2nd period was a memorable one to say the least if you're a Cents fan. First of all, I'll start by saying that they held the Vees from getting a single shot on goal for the first 10 minutes of the 2nd. During that time, they erupted for 3 goals on 7 shots themselves.

First off, on Merritt's 2nd power play of the game, they worked the puck around very effectively, and Stack and Soquila were able to set up Brears in the right circle with a half open net, and Brears made no mistake. This goal at 4:52 snapped what was a 150 minute shutout streak for Vees backup Chad Katunar. And as it turned out, the goal would also open up the flood gates for Merritt.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

Just 19 seconds after the Brears goal, a great forecheck by the 2nd line of Harper/Fletcher/Reichert led to a scramble, after Fletcher poked the puck out of Katunar's glove as he was trying to cover it. Fletcher skated onto the loose puck in the slot himself and threw a backhander on net which was tipped by Harper through the legs of Katunar, to give Merritt their first lead of the series.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

To be honest, in the opposite far corner of the rink where the booth is, it was very difficult to see what happened on this play, and even hard to see the numbers, which is why I originally thought it was Brears' goal. Then I thought it was Reichert's goal, so I had to correct myself twice before it was announced as Harper's goal.

The Cents didn't stop there. 3 and a half minutes later, Regan Soquila set up Evan Stack from the right corner with a perfect pass into the left circle, and Stack buried it past Katunar to open up a 3-1 Merritt lead.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

The fan bus crowd was going nuts and the Cents bench was clearly fired up. This was some of the most inspired 10 minutes of hockey they've played against Penticton this season. But they still weren't done...

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

First, add one more massive stop by Tyler Steel, as he denied Travis St. Denis on a wide open net, diving across and stretching his arms out to make the save off a rebound from Lucia. After the Vees were thwarted in the 2nd half of the period with 11 shots on net (they really found some life), Dylan Chanter's heroic blocked shot in the Merritt zone led to a beautiful rush by Brent Fletcher, where he used his speed to cut around the defense, and from the right circle, snapped a shot low stick side on Katunar to increase Merritt's lead to 4-1.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

However, just as I was writing down that goal and talking about Merritt's dominant period, just 8 seconds after Fletcher's goal, the Vees would strike. After winning the face-off, they worked the puck into the Merritt zone; Kyle Beaulieu's long shot was stopped, Lucia was denied on the rebound, but the 3rd chance for St. Denis wasn't, and Travis St. Denis, after being held goalless in his first 7 playoff games, picked up his 2nd of the night. He was easily the most dangerous Vee in game 2, and if it wasn't for Steel, easily could have had anywhere from 4 to 6 goals. Even with his 2 goals, Steel had his number.

ONE OF THE HANDFUL OF TIMES STEEL SHUT DOWN ST. DENIS         (Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

After the Vees cut the deficit to 2, they really poured it on late in the 2nd and almost got another one, but Steel was cool as can be between the pipes and denied the Vees anything else for the remainder of the 2nd period. Merritt led 4-2 heading to the 3rd.

In the 3rd period, the Centennials deserve credit for a near perfect start, slowing down the game and killing clock efficiently, as they had the only shot for the first 5 minutes or so. But after that, the Vees came on in waves. Penticton was really dominant for most of the final 15 minutes, getting chance after chance, after chance. Once again, Tyler Steel was the story in the 3rd, but his teammates helped him by sacrificng their bodies, blocking shots, throwing hits and generally collapsing in front of their goaltender to make sure the puck stayed out.

STEEL DID RECEIVE HELP TONIGHT AS WELL, AS EVIDENCED HERE          (Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

Against the flow of play, Merritt had a chance to ice the game, when Regan Soquila was set up on a partial break from the blueline in. He tried to beat Katunar low glove side, but Katunar (after not seeing action for a while) kicked out the left pad to make a very important save, keeping the lead at just 4-2.

After that chance, the Centennials hardly got a sniff in the offensive zone. They were limited to just 3 shots all period while the Vees had 11, and Penticton knocked on the door at least 4-5 times in the final 10 minutes, cleary smelling blood. They would get a huge goal from New York Rangers draft pick Steven Fogarty, who went inside out on Sabourin down the right wing and chipped a perfect shot over Steel's left shoulder, between the post and crossbar to cut the deficit to 4-3 with just inside 9 minutes left.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

This goal made the Vees even more hungry, but Steel was simply on another planet tonight, and he refused the Vees to complete the comeback. He made several more extraordinary saves, maybe none better than a save off Joey Benik, who cut from behind the goal right into the slot, and Steel dove out and stretched out his blocker to make the save, losing his goal-stick in the process. This was his night, and he wasn't about to let the Vees ruin it.

HOW ON EARTH DID THIS PUCK STAY OUT?! IT'S ANYBODY'S GUESS     (Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

        GREAT RELATIONSHIP!       (Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

The nail in the coffin for Penticton was a tripping penalty to Wade Murphy on Chad Brears with 1:17 left. The Vees were all over Merritt, so when Brears stole the puck and was about to clear, Muphy wanted it back so bad that he made an obvious trip that killed any chance the Vees had to mount a comeback. Regardless, they were able to work the puck out shorthanded (they did have 17 shorthanded goals in the regular season after all) and pull Katunar to make it 5 on 5. Their dangerous-looking rush was stopped short by Cents defense, and then the puck bounced off the boards to center to a wide open Soquila, who appeared to have a partial breakaway down the right wing. He was being hounded from behind so he took a shot from the blueline, but just hit the outside of the post. The Cents though, wouldn't let the puck out. Shinkaruk and Soquila had another chance at the empty net, but even though the Vees denied them, they simply ran out of time and the clock ticked down to 0 with the puck still in Penticton territory.

*The win for the Centennials at the South Okanagan Events Centre marked the first time Penticton has lost at home in regulation this season. They lost once in the regular season to Merritt in overtime and once to Chilliwack in the playoffs in overtime. But this was the first regulation loss in 2011/2012 at the SOEC, and one that Merritt simply HAD to have to stay in this series.


*The Centennials were far more disciplined tonight that on Tuesday, taking just 1 minor penalty (even though it costs them) instead of 7, but at the same time, they didn't lay off their physicality

CHANTER SENDING A MESSAGE TO LUCIA AND THE VEES BENCH     (Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

*Despite being on their heels quite often, you can't deny the skill that the Vees have. And for what Merritt has, they battled like Warriors tonight. Everybody seemed to push just that little bit extra both with the puck and away from the puck. And when each player is going above and beyond and giving that extra 10%, in makes a big difference when all is said and done


*Merritt now has home ice advantage with 3 of the final 5 possible games to be played in Merritt, starting with game 3 on Friday and game 4 on Saturday. LET'S PACK THE RINK CENTS FANS!

Here are my 3 stars from the broadcast tonight:

1) Tyler Steel- 29 saves on 32 shots
2) Travis St. Denis- 2 goals
3) Evan Stack- 1 goal, 1 assist

Here are the audio highlights from Merritt's big game 2 win in Penticton:

Merritt @ Penticton Round 2 Game 2 Highlights by agreb21

If you're interested, the Penticton Vees have video highlights of the game as well, which you can find HERE

PREVIEW: Merritt @ Penticton, Round 2, Game 2

PENTICTON LEADS SERIES 1-0

Well there's no denying it, game 1 last night was a serious wake-up call for the Centennials, who found themselves in a very unusual scenario, playing a relatively meaningless 3rd period, already down 5-0. The Cents haven't been blown out in a long, long time, and even put a scare into the Vees the last 2 times they saw them in the regular season, in Merritt. But after bathing in the glory and praise of a 1st round sweep vs Prince George, yesterday's game was a step back to reality, and an indication that Merritt still has a lot of work to do.

In game 1, the Penticton Vees executed on pretty much all the key aspects of a hockey game... offensively, they created plenty of chances and finished, they played stifling defense giving up just 20 shots, their power play got 2 big goals for them to break the game open, they had a perfect penalty kill, and obviously flawless goaltending from Chad Katunar, who picked up his 2nd straight playoff shutout. For Merritt, nothing seemed to go right, and the best goaltender of the 1st round, Lino Chimienti, seemed to be left helpless on the 4 goals that beat him before he was replaced by Tyler Steel. Steel's strong play in the 2nd half of the game was one of the few bright spots on an otherwise forgetful night, and hopefully it's a sign of things to come for the Vernon native, as he gets a chance to be a difference-maker tonight in game 2.

The Centennials will need to figure out how to adapt their game better to the big ice sheet at the SOEC, and obviously they've shown they can do that by being the only team to take any points (3) from that building in the regular season. Discipline will definitely come into play once again, as the usual agitators (Fletcher, Maktaak, Reichert) spent time in the sin-bin yesterday and Merritt's 7 minor penalties took away any chance they could have had to win that game. Merritt showed again that they would not back down from their physicality in round 1 with a few big hits in game 1 of round 2, but they have to do a better job of walking the line without crossing it, and they certainly can't get frustrated and play dirty, no matter what happens. It's all about giving yourself a chance, and taking 7 minors in 1 game vs Penticton will give any team a very bad chance.

Tonight, the Centennials will need to improve in many facets of their game. They have to be a lot more aggressive defensively and make sure they don't leave anybody unchecked on top of the crease. They have to back-check a little harder and watch the bad pinches that often times led to odd-man rushes for Penticton, and even goals. It's got to be a very smart, textbook game. And of course, they'll need a clutch, possibly 1st star performance from the man between the pipes. My guess is that Tyler Steel will get the call between the pipes, but that hasn't been confirmed.

Offensively, Merritt simply needs to get pucks on net. Despite a shutout last night, Chad Katunar fought the puck a few times again, but there were no Centennials around to jump on rebounds. There were a lot of hopeless shots and it was a one and out scenario where Katunar really didn't need to be a factor in the game. Before Garteig (the number one goalie in the league stats-wise for 2 straight seasons) gets back in the crease for Penticton, Merritt would be wise to try and take advantage of the Vees backup goaltender while they have a chance.

Also tonight, the Centennials will need to work harder to draw some power plays for themselves, after only 3 last night, 2 of them on a 2 man advantage, and the other one a 19 second power play. Merritt's power play was strong in the 1st round, and they can't rely on just 5 on 5 scoring to win games. The power play needs to be a difference maker, and they need to figure out that aspect of their game quickly.

For everything that went wrong in game 1, tonight is a chance to wipe the slate clean. The Cents have to lay it all on the line here in game 2, come out with a split, and go home with home ice advantage, without a thought in the world of what happened in game 1. Easier said than done, yes, but a victory tonight would set all things right. If they can't do it though, they'll have Mount Everest to climb ahead of them, needing to win 4 of 5 games vs a team that lost only 4 games in regulation all season long (including that infamous 42-game win streak) and won 8 of 9 head-to-head meetings so far. That's a lot of pressure, yes, but this is the time to dig deep, find that extra bit of motivation, send a message and make this a series going back to a boisterous crowd in Merritt on Friday. Chilliwack did it after losing game 1 by a 6-1 final, so there's no reason to think that Merritt can't do the same.

*The Centennials might have some extra motivation to stick it to the Vees tonight, after a video on the jumbotron yesterday upset numerous fans that were in attendance from Merritt. There was a clip of Will Ferrell from the movie "Old School" doing a gymnastics routine with a ribbon, and after a Merritt penalty, that video was played with a Cents logo plastered on Will Ferrell's chest and the others in the video. You can draw your own conclusions as to what that means, but a few people I've talked to who consider it a classless move, though I'm sure the score being out of hand at that point had a lot to do with that. I'm not sure how the players feel about it, but any possible motivation for a massive game 2 can't hurt. Here's the video (without the Cents logo) in question. Decide for yourself:



Opening face-off tonight is at 7pm from the South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton, Q101 pre-game show starts at 6:30pm. You can also tune in online at Q101.ca and through the BCHL fanzone at BCHL.ca

Vees Just Too Much in Game 1

                      LINO CHIMIENTI WAS PEPPERED ALL NIGHT         (Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

There was a lot of buzz around the Nicola Valley coming into game 1 of the Interior Conference Finals. Not just the Valley, but across the BCHL, where everyone waited anxiously to see just how much magic this underdog team from Merritt had in them. Unfortunately, game 1 was a bit of a humbling for the Cinderella side, as the heavily favoured Penticton Vees pushed all the right buttons in a 5-0 victory.

The first period didn't see a whole lot of action either way, with the shots just 8-4 in favour of Penticton. As the 4 games at the SOEC in the regular season proved, you can't take early penalties against the Vees, yet that's exactly what happened. A bit of a strange interference call on Brent Fletcher led to the Vees opening the scoring 3 and a half minutes in, when Mario Lucia, cutting down the right wing, made an impressive inside out move around the defense, cut into the slot and snapped a shot low right through Chimienti. That unassisted effort was just the start of a phenomenal night for Lucia, and brought the electric crowd at the SOEC to life.

(Synergy Imaging/Fraser Rodgers "The Three V's" blog)

Shortly after the Lucia goal, Payton Schaefer had a great chance to equalize; after a big hit by Dylan Chanter at center jarred the puck loose, Schaefer picked it up and broke down the right wing on a partial break, but his backhander went off of Katunar's shoulder and deflected over top of the goal.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

Merritt wouldn't really get any other quality scoring chances in the first period. Chimienti made some solid stops to keep it a 1 goal game, and it went into the intermission with the Vees up 1.

The 2nd period is where it all slipped away for Merritt. Early on, they received an extensive 2 man advantage for well over a minute, but they had some real issues even getting set up, let alone generating a scoring chance or even a shot. The vees PK was extremely aggressive, and even had 2 shorthanded chances throughout the 2 and 1 man disadvantage. They killed it off with ease, and this was the turning point.

ONE OF FEW CHANCES MERRITT HAD ALL NIGHT            (Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

With the Vees feeling good about themselves, they received a quick power play right after their big kill, and it was Lucia again; with Soquila and Brears caught up-ice, Stetcher led a 4 on 2 rush into the Merritt zone and centered for Lucia, who's shot from the right circle appeared to go off a Merritt skate and through the legs of Chimienti to make it a 2-0 game and really demoralize the Centennials.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

The Vees came on really strong in this period and were relentless on their attack, which led to an opening of the flood-gates in their favour. Just past the 12 minute mark, after Brandon Pfeil got caught trying to make a pinch in the offensive zone, Joey Benik broke in down the left wing on a 2 on 1 and set up Bryce Gervais with a wide open net to extend the lead to 3-0.

(Synergy Imaging/Fraser Rodgers "The Three V's" blog)

 Less then 2 minutes later, Lucia would wrap up his hat-trick on a perfect centering pass from Wade Murphy (who was a great set-up man all night) to make it 4-0, and take away any doubt as to who was going to take game 1.

(Synergy Imaging/Fraser Rodgers "The Three V's" blog)

The 4th goal was the end of the night for Chimienti, who was the scapegoat in a game where he didn't deserve it. He had next to no chance on any of the goals, and didn't receive much help from his teammates. Tyler Steel came in to replace Lino, looking to give the team a spark, but it didn't work. After a remarkable point blank save on the 1st or 2nd shot he faced (off of Benik, again set up by Murphy), the Vees would score again moments later, when Wade Murphy again feathered a perfect centering pass from the right corner, on the tape of Loik in the crease, who tipped it past Steel to make it 5-0.

THE LOOK FROM MAKTAAK SUMS UP THE NIGHT   (Synergy Imaging/Fraser Rodgers "The Three V's" blog)

The last 3 goals were scored in near identical fashion. 4 goals in 12 minutes, and that was pretty much the storyline, as the Centennials went into the intermission down 5.

In the 3rd period, the Cents were clearly deflated and demoralized, and simply didn't have too much left in them to try and mount a comeback. There was only one real chance that stood out, and that was a similar rush to Schaefer's in the 1st by Brendan Lamont, who raced down the right wing with a nice snap shot, but was denied by the right pad of Katunar (the 4th line was arguably the most noticeable all night for Merritt, and that's typically not a good sign of how the night is going).

Chad Katunar was good, but on just 20 shots, he never had to be great, and really wasn't tested much at all in game 1. The amount of scoring chances Merritt had in this game could be counted on one hand, as they never really got any offensive momentum going. Now Katunar's confidence is sky-high, coming off his 2nd straight playoff shutout.

HE'S NOT THE MOST ORTHODOX GOALIE, BUT HE GETS THE JOB DONE          (Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

Tyler Steel looked very sharp the rest of the way, stopping all 10 shots he saw in the 3rd (11 of 12 total), and preventing any further damage. But the 3rd period was just a formality, and both teams played like it for the most part.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

Penticton did have 2 more power plays in the 3rd and put out some of their secondary guys out there, but they couldn't beat Tyler Steel. Discipline certainly played a factor in game 1, as the Cents lost their cool and played a bit frustrated, going down a total of 7 times. To their credit, after the Vees scored twice on their first 3 power plays, Merritt killed off 4 in a row. But they definitely can't play like that the rest of the series if they want any chance of coming out on top.

ONE OF FEW THINGS THAT WENT RIGHT FOR MERRITT: LOW VS NICHOLSON  (Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

SCARY MOMENT FOR CHANTER LATE IN THE GAME; HE'D BE OKAY      (Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

The 3 stars of this game, both on my broadcast, and in the rink were:

1) Mario Lucia- 3G
2) Wade Murphy- 2A
3) Chad Katunar- 20 saves, shutout

Here are the high/low-lights from a forgettable game 1 in Penticton:

Merritt @ Penticton Round 2 Game 1 Highlights by agreb21

If you want to re-live what happened with your own eyes, you can find the video highlights HERE

INTERIOR FINAL PREVIEW: Cents vs Vees

                                                          LET THE WAR BEGIN!              (Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

Merritt vs Penticton Round 2 Game 1 Intro by agreb21

The Interior Conference Final starts Tuesday night in Penticton with Game 1. Face-off is at 7pm. Q101 pre-game show starts at 6:30pm. You can also tune in online at Q101.ca or on the BCHL fanzone through BCHL.ca 
 
INSPIRATION/MOTIVATION: Back in 2000-2001, the Centennials finished the regular season with just 30 wins and 29 points behind the Penticton Vees (featuring current NHL'ers Duncan Keith and Chuck Kobasew). They swept the first round vs Prince George (notice the parallel yet?) and then went on to sweep the heavily-favoured Penticton Vees in the Interior Final, en-route to a heartbreaking game 7 loss in Victoria in the Fred Page Cup finals. Deja-vu? The fans sure hope so, this time with a different outcome in "the final game."

No, it wasn't supposed to happen. Nobody predicted Merritt to have the kind of regular season they had, to set the records they set, and certainly nobody expected them to dismantle the Spruce Kings in 4 straight games the way that they did. But... it happened! So I think the doubters and the critics have been silenced for now, and are all, along with the rest of the BCHL, eagerly awaiting and anticipating what could be a legendary Interior Final between the 1st and 2nd best team in the Interior Conference.

Now on paper, there's simply no denying it. This is a big mismatch and Merritt will come in as big of an underdog as anyone else would in a 7 game series with Penticton, where the Vees have up to 4 games at home. Penticton finished the regular season 34 points ahead of Merritt. In a normal season, there might not be that much differential between a 1st place team and a last place team in the conference, but this season is far from a "normal" season. For all the personal franchise milestones that Merritt set, the Vees garnered national media attention for eclipsing any and every record you could dig up. Their 54-4-0-2 record marked the best season in BCHL history, which was highlighted by a national record 42 game winning streak and a BCHL record 21 straight road wins.

Now let's see... the Vees averaged a league-best 5.6 goals per game and a 2nd-best 2.2 goals against per game. They had 7 of the top 9 scorers in the league (9 of the top 15). They have a league-best 15 scholarships (3/4 of the team), including to their 3 NHL draft picks; Mario Lucia, Steven Fogarty and Mike Reilly. Not to mention the goaltender with the best GAA and SV% in the league, Michael Garteig. But that's where this series might have a twist...

The Penticton Vees were dealt a couple of significant injury blows late in the season, with then-leading scorer Connor Reilly suffering a season-ending reported knee injury, and starting goaltender Michael Garteig suffering what was reported to be a high ankle sprain. When I last spoke to Vees coach Fred Harbinson on March 1st, the indication was that Garteig should be back for game 1 of the playoffs. But the reality is, not only did he not play a single game, he wasn't even healthy enough to suit up as a backup. So his regular backup Chad Katunar got the call. And despite a shaky start to the series, Katunar really came on and had a heck of a finish, culminating in a 4-0 shutout in game 6 to defeat the Chilliwack Chiefs 4 games to 2. But make no mistake, despite Katunar's impressive playoff numbers, he is no Michael Garteig. Katunar is expected to start the series in goal, with Garteig still listed as "day-to-day", but if Garteig can't play at all in this series, that could play a big factor, and you'll see that in the numbers breakdown further down below.

For the Merritt Centennials, they finished the regular season averaging 3.2 goals per game, which was tied with Chilliwack for the lowest among playoff teams. They know coming in that they are heavily outskilled on paper. After all, their leading scorer, Regan Soquila (70pts) would be 10th on the Vees in scoring. How's that for a wake-up? But come the playoffs, that "paper" only means so much.

In round 1, the Centennials boasted some of the most impressive numbers in all facets of the game, and with 7 wins in a row dating back to the regular season, they are not only hotter than the Vees (who have lost 3 of their last 7), but they are the hottest team in the league. They've averaged the 2nd most goals per game in the playoffs (3.5 vs Surrey's 3.6) and have averaged the least goals against of anyone (1.5). They have the best power play and the best penalty kill, as well as the best goaltender (Chimienti) through the first round.

With all that said, the Centennials know they aren't going to win by trying to compete in a run-and-gun style. This series will be all about slowing down the pace for Merritt and grinding it down; playing physical (but smart and disciplined), getting some big, timely saves, and scoring that big, clutch goal that they had trouble scoring in the 8-game season series.

The numbers side by side don't look pretty for Merritt, but if you're a glass half-full individual, look at it this way: in 8 games, 3 of them went to overtime and the last meeting of the season was a one-goal game as well (5-3 loss with an empty netter). So realistically, half  of those games could have gone either way, and it proves that the Centennials can stay competitive with the high-flying Vees.

REGULAR SEASON

MERRITT:
34-18-2-6 (76pts)
Goals For: 194 (3.2 per game)
Goals Against: 171 (2.9 per game)
Power Play: 18.3% (13th)
Penalty Kill: 79.6% (9th)

PENTICTON:
54-4-0-2 (110pts)
Goals For: 334 (5.6 per game)
Goals Against: 133 (2.2 per game)
Power Play: 31.4% (1st)
Penalty Kill: 85.8% (1st)

PLAYOFFS

MERRITT:
4-0
Goals For: 14 (3.5 per game)
Goals Against: 6 (1.5 per game)
Power Play: 26.7% (1st)
Penalty Kill: 92.9% (1st)
Lino Chimienti: 4-0, 1.47 GAA, .949 SV%

PENTICTON:
4-2
Goals For: 20 (3.3 per game)
Goals Against: 10 (1.7 per game)
Power Play: 16.7% (5th)
Penalty Kill: 88.9% (3rd)
Chad Katunar: 4-2, 1.64 GAA, .936 SV%

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Merritt: 1-5-0-2 (4pts)
Penticton: 7-0-0-1 (15pts)
Penticton outscored Merritt 37-14 (average of 4.6 to 1.75 goals per game)
Merritt PP: 4 for 35 (11.4%)
Penticton PP: 16 for 42 (38.1%)
Merritt PK: 26 for 42 (61.9%)
Penticton PK: 31 for 35 (88.6%)
Merritt Goaltending:
Lino Chimienti- 0-4-0-1, 5.33 GAA, .843 SV%
Tyler Steel- 1-1-0-1, 2.65 GAA, .925 SV%
Penticton Goaltending:
Michael Garteig- 6-0-0-1, 1.33 GAA, .957 SV% (only loss was a 3-2 OTL on Nov. 5, giving up just 1 goal on 18 shots after taking over for Katunar starting in the 2nd period)
Chad Katunar- 1-0-0-0, 3.75 GAA, .891 SV% (5-3 win in Merritt Mar 1; before that 10 saves on 12 shots in the 1st period on Nov. 5; overall stopped 41 of 46 shots)

MERRITT'S KEYS TO THE SERIES

1) SUCCESS AT THE SOEC
This is just a fact that can't be avoided. However it will be the toughest challenge of the series for Merritt. The Vees had a basically flawless regular season at home, winning 29 games and dropping just one, in overtime, to Merritt, back on Nov. 5. However, it's noteworthy that they had 5 of their top players out of the lineup that night (at the World Junior A Challenge) and played with 5 AP's. Nobody else has even taken a single point from the South Okanagan Events Centre (Merritt did have another one in an earlier 5-4 OT loss). The only other game the Vees have lost at home was in the playoffs, also in overtime, a 3-2 loss in game 2 vs the Chilliwack Chiefs. In the 4 head-to-head meetings in Merritt, the Vees won all of them. Oh, and they also won 21 straight road games overall at one point. So it's hard to expect Merritt to sweep their 3 games at the NVMA. If they win 2 of 3 at home, that leaves a "must-win-2" scenario in Penticton. Considering the Vees lost just twice (including playoffs) at home in 6 months, and Merritt might need to win twice there in 9 days, this will be a daunting task for all of the above stated reasons. But the playoffs are a whole different story, and Merritt will have to get it done in Penticton!

2) KEEP YOUR COOL & KEEP YOUR FEET MOVING
That's what Merritt will need to do to stay out of the box, and that is a must for them to have success. The Vees take no prisoners when it comes to the power play. They obviously have the best power play in the league, but it's been more lethal against Merritt than anyone else, going an astounding 16 for 42 (38.1%). That's an average of 2 power play goals per game. To put it in perspective, Merritt has only scored 14 goals in the season series, averaging less than 2 goals per game in any capacity. That means the usual suspects, big man Jakob Reichert and pests Silvan Harper and Sean Maktaak (top 3 in minor penalties in the regular season and playoffs) will have to really be careful to not go over the edge and cost their team.

3) FINISH! FINISH! FINISH!
The number one thing that people look at when it comes to the Vees is their intimidating depth up front and ability to score goals at will. While that may be true, they pride themselves on being equally as good defensively, and rightfully so. The Vees rarely give up more than 30 shots in a game, and of those shots, very few are quality scoring chances for the opposition. Chilliwack had some great opportunities to break the game open in games 5 and 6 which I saw, but were thwarted by the Vees tenacious defense and even backup goaltender Chad Katunar, who turned into a star in that series. As a result, the Vees found the "momentum goal" in both games and never looked back. Penticton will not give up much, meaning that Merritt has to find the determination to bury whatever chances they get in this series, and not leave anything to chance. If they don't, they might be left wondering "what if" and the "coulda/shoulda/woulda" cliche will come into play.

4) 4-LINE FEROCITY
Considering the fact that Penticton has ultimately three 1st lines (lines that probably any team would take as their 1st line), the Centennials will not be able to win this series without all hands on deck, every game, for every shift. They certainly had that vs Prince George, but the Vees are a different animal. And despite a great series by all, the 4th line for Merritt was held off the scoresheet. Now granted, they're not expected to score, but against the Vees, they might have to. It starts with being more hungry and winning puck battles (for every line), but it eventually needs to end with a puck in the net. If the 4th line can even get 1 big goal in this series (they have potential for much more considering they scored 4 times in the last 2 regular season games), it might make the difference in a single game; and that single game could very well be the difference in this series.

5) GOALTENDING GREATNESS!
Let's be honest now... no team in their right mind can or will beat the 2011/2012 Penticton Vees without elite goaltending. Again, the good news is, Lino Chimienti was stellar in all 4 games vs Prince George. But the bad news is, Penticton is not Prince George, and Chimienti has had his struggles against the Vees. With a GAA of over 5 and a SV% of under .850, Lino has given up 3, 4, 5, 6 and 9 goals in his games vs Penticton. It's very unlikely that Merritt will be winning games 4-3 and 5-4. They'll need to win 2-1 and 3-2 type games, which means that Lino will need to carry over his success vs Prince George against Penticton. But if he doesn't, Tyler Steel has had 3 great games vs Penticton to fall back on, and he could very well step in, steal a couple games and make a difference himself if need be.


*The Centennials are taking a fan bus to both games 1 and 2 in Penticton. $40 for 1 game or $75 for 2 games. That includes roundtrip, your game ticket, pizza and prizes on the bus. Reservations must be made with marketing manager Rachael Sanders prior to 6pm Monday night: Call (250) 315-7224

This is the official release


THE CENTENNIALS AREN'T MESSING WITH A GOOD THING! THEIR LINEUP FOR GAME 1 REMAINS IDENTICAL TO WHAT WE SAW VS PRINCE GEORGE. LINO CHIMIENTI GETS THE START, TYLER MARTIN AND SCOTTY PATTERSON REMAIN AS THE SCRATCHES, AND THERE ARE NO CHANGES TO THE LINE COMBINATIONS!

BCHL Roundtable Episode 12

As promised, Round 2 is here, and that means another edition of the BCHL Roundtable. This time around, all 4 remaining teams are represented with their broadcaster, including Dan Marshall who has been filling in for the Surrey Eagles. This is a Conference Final preview show with 4 very talkative broadcasters.

Included first is a review of the 4 first round series, talking about how Merritt, Penticton, Powell River and Surrey got to where they are. Then each broadcaster breaks down how their team will have success in their respective Conference final. We conclude with the broadcasters making their prediction for the series opposite the one they're covering... you know, to be politically correct.

Enjoy the madness!

BCHL Roundtable Episode 12 by agreb21

Audio Highlights From Prince George

As promised, even though it took some time, here are the highlights from games 3 and 4 up in Prince George, as well as an emotional, and you could say historical interview that I had with Luke Pierce on the post-game show following the completion of the series:

Merritt @ Prince George Mar 19 Game 3 Highlights by agreb21

Merritt @ Prince George Mar 20 Game 4 Highlights by agreb21

Luke Pierce postgame interview after game 4 vs PG by agreb21

Video Highlights from Games 3 & 4 in Prince George

GAME 3



GAME 4

Oh How "Sweep" It Is! Merritt Finishes Off PG in 4!

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

Lame, I know but it really is a sweet feeling that can't even be described. After so many years of regular season struggles, let alone a lack of playoff success, the Merritt Centennials finished off the Prince George Spruce Kings 3-1 on Tuesday to complete a near flawles 4-game sweep and advance to the Interior finals for the first time since 2000-2001. One thing I can admit to is that even as a broadcaster, it was an emotional night for me and I got goosebumps as the finals seconds ticked down to 0.

With the Cents up 3-0 and coming into the game with no pressure, a lot of people might have wondered just how much motivation, desperation and urgency they would have. Well it was clear this night that they weren't interested in playing another game on Thursday, and had every intention to put the series away. The guys really battled and came up with a superior performance to game 3, though again not without the heroics of Lino Chimienti, who was outright stellar again on this night and the first star of the series.

In the 1st period, both teams played a very loose, carefree and often careless game, trading turnovers and trading a wide array of scoring chances, but the goaltenders (Lino and Ty Swabb again) were extremely sharp and able to keep the game scoreless in what was a wild and entertaining opening 10 minutes. The second half of the 1st period slowed down a bit as both teams got settled down.

After both teams failed to score on their first power play (Merritt really struggled on their 1st while Prince George looked dangerous but couldn't capitalize), the Cents got their 2nd power play and looked very good. After Evan Stack was robbed point blank on a delayed penalty call, and earlier robbed on a shorthanded breakaway, he would make good on his 3rd grade A chance of the 1st period, as Soquila fed a pass behind the goal to Brears and he centered for Stack at the bottom of the right circle; the captain one-timed the puck low stick side on the far post on Swabb to give Merritt the all-important 1st goal in the final 2 minutes of the 1st period. Merritt took the 1-0 lead into the intermission.

In the 2nd period, things got really heated. The physicality and the emotion in the game picked up, and there were plenty of post-whistle scrums and trash talking between the benches. The Spruce Kings hung around and kept pushing for the equalizer, but Chimienti was laser sharp, and very much a calming presence in the Merritt crease, finding pucks through traffic, swallowing shots and controlling rebounds very effectively. He was unnerved this entire series.

The man of the series with the birthday boy guarding the crease        (Ron Gallo/Prince George)

Then Merritt got their 2nd power play opportunity, and a chance to really put the Spruce Kings in a hole. Unfortunately, this power play was equally as unimpressive as the first, and led to a clear-cut Leo Fitzgerald shorthanded breakaway set up by Myles Fitzgerald... Leo made a nice head-fake and snapped a shot blocker side on Chimienti to tie the game at 1 and send the Coliseum into a frenzy. It looked like a big momentum goal, but as it turned out, it would mean nothing.

The big turning point of this game was right after this, when Tyson Witala was trying to chase down a loose puck at center while shorthanded, and appeared to get tripped up by Reece Wilcox... the fans were hollering for a penalty that never came, and seconds later Jarryd Ten Vaanholt got injured on an accidental knee on knee collission (that forced him to miss the remainder of the 2nd period, though he'd be back for the 3rd), and again the whistle didn't blow... both these incidents allowed the Centennials to break in 3 on 1, and they executed the play perfectly.... Reece Willcox (on his 18th birthday) broke in on the left wing, made a perfect cross-crease pass to Stack, who one-timed the pass back door to Brears for a wide open net. It was arguably the prettiest goal of the series that literally ripped the momentum out of the hands of the Spruce Kings, and created a chorus of boos at the Coliseum. The fans were apparently chanting "no goal" but the goal would stand, there was no debate, and Merritt would go up 2-1, a lead they would never relinquish.

(Ron Gallo/Prince George)

Shortly thereafter, the Spruce Kings frustrations got the best of them. After Fletcher and De Jersey collided in the left corner in the Spruce Kings zone, De Jersey came up swinging and after punching Fletcher in the head, he proceeded to cross-check him in the head a couple times after that as well. To Fletcher's credit, he didn't react and allowed his team to go on a marathon power play, as De Jersey was given a 5 minute major for a hit to the head and a game misconduct. At this point, with Betz and Woodley already suspended by the team from the night before, the Spruce Kings were down 3 men on the bunch and completely demoralized. It became clear this was not going to be their night. However, Merritt took their own penalty during the 5 minute power play, and the Spruce Kings were able to kill off the 2 minutes and change after that. So it stayed a 2-1 game until late in the 2nd period.

After both teams had traded a few more chances (again both Chimienti and Swabb looked very sharp for their respective teams), the Centennials would get the insurance marker; after a failed give and go between Shinkaruk, Bruce and Stack that resulted in the play being broken up twice, the Spruce Kings still couldn't get onto the puck, so Carter Shinkaruk skated into the loose biscuit, and his spin-around shot from the top of the 2 circles beat Swabb high to the blocker side. It was a solid shot by Shinkaruk, but one that Swabb had to have for him team, and when he didn't, it was just another sign for the Spruce Kings that it wasn't mean to be this year. Merritt led 3-1 going to the 3rd.

In the 3rd period, the Centennials clearly weren't all that intersted in offense, and did a fairly effective job of clamping down defensively and eating up the clock. It was a very methodical 10 minutes or so of clock-eating where the Spruce Kings were stifled offensively, but in the final 10 minutes, things got a little hairy when the Centennials took back to back penalties and opened a little window for the Spruce Kings to mount a comeback for the 2nd straight night. However, Lino Chimienti was just too much in the zone on this night. He was really peppered in the final 5 minutes, but after making several underrated stops, he then came up with a few beauties, starting with Colantone in the slot and ending by denying Khaira several times in a goal-mouth scramble. He was simply unflappable and determined not to give up anything else. The Spruce Kings would pull their goalie with about 2 minutes left for the extra attacker, and they really pushed hard, but Chimienti stood his ground and the defense collapsed in front of him to preserve the 3-1 win and complete the series sweep.

*Lino Chimienti was the story of this series. He only gave up 6 goals through 4 games, and only 1 that you could consider a bad goal, which was just an unlucky bounce off his stick and in. But he was extremely consistent and Merritt's MVP throughout the series on a night in, night out basis. Although, the commitment to team defense in front of him was top notch as well.

(Ron Gallo/Prince George)

*As I mentinoed with Luke Pierce on the post-game show, I was very impressed with the Cents' ability to frustrate the Spruce Kings into taking bad and costly penalties, while at the same time being able to maintain their own composure throughout the series. Merritt won the special teams battle in games 1, 2 and 4, and it ultimately made a huge difference in this series, just like I said it would at the very start.

*The other keys I laid out at the start of the series was for Merritt to win the goaltending battle, which they did hands down, and to shut down the De Jersey line, which they did almost with ease it seemed, limiting the BCHL's leading scorer to just 1 point through 4 games, and forcing him into taking 6 minor penalties, a 5 minute major and a game misconduct. The "X Factor" for PG was Jarryd Ten Vaanholt, who was supposed to be a key addition at the deadline, and a guy Merritt didn't see until the playoffs. But his story was similar. Lots of undisciplined play with 3 crucial minor penalties, and he was held completely off the scoresheet... pointless. In fact, none of the top players, and nobody overall had more than 2 points for Prince George over the 4 game series. Execution of the game plan to a TEE for Merritt!

An example of the stifling defense that frustrated Khaira and the Spruce kings     (Ron Gallo/Prince George)

 *The series win for Merritt is their first in 6 seasons, since the Zabotel era in 05/06. The sweep is their first since 2000-2001 when they also swept Prince George in the 1st round and then Penticton in the 2nd round (they would go on to lose in game 7 of the Fred Page Cup to Victoria). And although there is one less round to worry about this season, this is the first time since that magical 2000-2001 season that Merritt has advanced to the Interior Conference final. Is this deja-vu? Let's all hope so (with a better ending in game 7 of the finals)

My 3 stars on the broadcast were:

1) Lino Chimienti- 28 saves
2) Evan Stack- 1G, 1A (I thought he would get a 2nd assist on the Shinkaruk goal as well)
3) Myles Fitzgerald- 1A

It is the wee hours of the morning as I post this, as we have just gotten back from Prince George. I have not had the chance to go to the station to put together the highlight package of the last 2 games. But I will try to have highlights up from both games 3 and 4 later on today, as well as my interview with head coach Luke Pierce on the post-game show following Game 4. So check back later for that audio.