LAST GAME: 4-3 OT win in Trail yesterday (6 game points streak with 11 of possible 12 points)
Penticton: 49-3-0-2 (100pts) - 1st in Interior (30 pts up on 2nd place Merritt with 2 games in hand)
LAST GAME: 4-1 win over Prince George on Sunday (37th straight win)
Season Series: Merritt 1-4-0-2 (outscored by Penticton 32-11)
- last night was a solid lesson learned by the Centennials, in a game where they could afford to learn a lesson and still win. That luxury can't be afforded tonight
- despite the OT loss on Saturday and the minor fumble last night, the Cents are still on an impressive 6 game points streak with 11 points, following a 6 game losing slide with 0 points. So you have to think this is, again, good timing to see Penticton
- motivation tonight is oozing out of all corners: first of all, it's Penticton, Merritt's most hated/heated rival, 2nd of course, it's the 37 game win streak they want to snap, and stop the Vees from tying the 89/90 New West Royals record of 38 straight games undefeated. Also, it's a chance for Merritt to build on their own streak of 6 games, and to make them a force to be reckoned with come playoff time by finishing on a tear. And it's the 8th and final meeting of the season between the two clubs, meaning that the Cents obviously want to send a message, and prove to Penticton, themselves and the league that they should not be counted out in case of a 2nd round matchup with the Vees
- mentally, the Cents are at a bit of a disadvantage, having traveled 12 hours on the bus yesterday, including a very later/early morningn arrival back in town. So the players did not get much proper sleep, and might be a little rusty to start the game of, simply due to lack of proper rest. But at the same time, they know they have a weekend off coming up, and they know what's at stake, so pure adrenaline might take them through this game after all before they can realize that they're even tired
- the Vees always come at you with 4 lines that can score, so it was good timing for Merritt to get contributions from all 4 lines last night. Hopefully it was everyone feeling good about themselves, and confident in their ability to not only create chances, but also finish them, one of the number one keys to come out with 2 points, which didn't happen on Saturday
- although I'm sure the storyline will be downplayed, this is a huge game for Lino Chimienti. It's the final real tough challenge of the season for Merritt, with only Salmon Arm and Trail the rest of the way, so coach Luke Pierce needs to see how Lino matches up against this team. The bar has been set high with Tyler's performance vs the Vees on Saturday, so Lino will likely have to shine for Merritt to win and to get the starting job come playoffs, where Luke Pierc will likely roll just one guy
- the Centennials now know the recipe to be successful against this team. Take the body whenever you can, get them playing frustrated and making bad decisions. Basically, they just need a copy and paste from Saturday, minus the 2nd period lull and plus a little more finish. If they get that, mixed with a stellar performance from Chimienti between the pipes, then the Cents might just make history by being the first team to end the marathon, record-setting win streak currently at 37 games for the Vees
- the Cents are getting a definite assist tonight from the hockey gods, as the Vees will be without arguably the top goaltender in the league, Michael Garteig, and without their leading scorer, and 2nd leading scorer in the league, Connor Reilly (86 points in 54 games). Both are out due to injury for an unspecified period of time, but even though the Vees have plenty of depth without them, these are arguably their 2 most important players out of the lineup, which is a definite blow on the ice and to the mental psyche, and makes this all-star team more than a little vulnerable. Without these guys, and taking on the Cents in Merritt, this will likely be the toughest game the Vees have had throughout this entire streak
- as a result of the injuries (as well as a lingering injury to 20-year-old defenseman Kyle Beaulieu), the Vees will have 2 AP's in the lineup tonight, both from the Summerland Steam of the KIJHL, who finished last in the Okanagan division and missed the playoffs. The backup for regular backup Chad Katunar will be 20-year-old Chris Hurry, who gets one last chance to suit up in his junior career, although he's not expected to see any time between the pipes. Meanwhile, on the 4th line, the Vees will have quite the player; 18-year Jordan McCallum led the Steam in scoring this season with 65 points in 46 games, and he also suited up in 7 games as an AP with the Vees, scoring a goal in that span vs Trail. Meanwhile Curtis Loik will move to the top line with Mario Lucia and Travis St. Denis. No surprises on the other end for Merritt.
Here are the projected lineups for both teams, with Lino Chimienti getting the start between the pipes, Payton Schaefer drawing back in on the 4th line, and Ross Mancuso once again a healthy scratch:
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) Dylan Chanter (95)
Billy Marshall (91) Tyler Martin (93)
Lino Chimienti (91)
Tyler Steel (93)
SCRATCHES:
Ross Mancuso (92)
PENTICTON:
Mario Lucia (93) Travis St.Denis (92) Curtis Loik (93)
Joey Benik (92) Steven Fogarty (93) Bryce Gervais (92)
Logan Johnston (91) Ryan Reilly (91) Wade Murphy (93)
Jordan McCallum (93) AP Cody DePourcq (95) Grant Nicholson (93)
Mike Reilly (93) Troy Stecher (94)
Nick Buchanan (91) Zach Urban (93)
Chad Bannor (92) DJ Jones (92)
Chad Katunar (93)
Chris Hurry (91) AP
SCRATCHES:
Kyle Beaulieu (91) - INJ
Connor Reilly (91) - INJ
Michael Garteig (91) - INJ
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