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
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