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!
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)
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