It wasn't the way that Merritt wanted to go out, but it seemed like the emotional crash from a heartbreaking game 4 in Merritt was too much to overcome Monday in Penticton, as the Cents dropped game 5 by a 6-2 final in Penticton, losing the Interior Final 4 games to 1, and thus ending what's been a memorable season for everyone involved.
The Centennials had a great chance to get some life early in the game, when the Vees took a penalty in the opening minute. But unfortunately, as has been the case all series, the Centennials power play couldn't get the big goal when needed, and it would cost them. As a matter of fact, they would finish the game 0 for 8 and the series 1 for 20 (5%) on the power play; a big factor in this best-of-seven series.
Right as the power play to Gervais expired, he came out of the box and was allowed to walk into the Merritt zone and cut right into the left hashmark, where he wired a wrist shot high blocker side on Chimienti to open up a 1-0 lead (the 5th time in 5 games that Penticton scored first, and the 4th time it was within the first 3 minutes).
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
Less than 3 minutes later, Mario Lucia (BCHL player of the week) made a nifty dangle to cut right on top of the crease from the right wing, and while his initial shot was stopped, Wade Muprhy pounced on the rebound with a wide open net to give the Vees a 2-0 lead. And the rout was on.
The Vees seemed to have the killer instinct in the 1st period, realizing the vulnerability of Merritt and their emotions after game 3 and 4. They got 18 shots in the first 20 minutes and capitalized on pretty much every scoring chance.
After Merritt missed on another power play opportunity, the Vees would strike on their first. A scramble in front led to Logan Johnston finding the puck in the slot and he popped it past Chimienti high blocker before Lino could even track down the puck. 3-0 at this point.
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
As if that wasn't enough, less than a minute later, Benik and Gervais (the 2 best Vees on the night) worked a perfect give-and-go, and Benik snapped a perfect shot from the right circle through the legs of Chimienti to make it 4-0 at the 17:56 mark.
The Cents bounced back quickly from the 4th goal against. On the next shift, the 2nd line (maybe the best line of the series) would get it right back when Reichert used his body to shield the puck charging down the left wing, his backhander was stopped, but with Katunar well out of position on the rebound, Silvan Harper would slam the rebound to the back of the net to make it a 4-1 game.
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
That's how the first period would end, with a dejected Cents crew outshot 18-10.
The 2nd period picked up right where the 1st left off, with the Vees keeping their foot on the gas pedal and going for the kill. After Chimienti made a big save in tight off Fogarty and Benik, Benik would get his revenge... his shot from the top of the point was perfectly tipped upwards by Gervais on top of the crease, high glove side past Chimienti to give the Vees a 5-1 lead. This would be the end of Chimienti... at least for the 2nd period.
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
When Tyler Steel came in, he was forced into a couple of big saves off Lucia and Murphy, but he would be beat once himself on a centering pass from behind the goal by Murphy to set up Ryan Reilly. At 12:35 of the 2nd period, it was 6-1 Penticton, and there was no denying the Centennials ultimate fate.
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
After the 6th goal, the Vees took their foot off the gas pedal a bit, and to Merritt's credit, they battled hard, knowing that this would likely be the last game they got to play all season. 4 power plays helped the cause, but Merritt outshot Penticton 10-9 in the 2nd period, and Katunar looked very strong for the Vees, as he clearly gained momentum and confidence throughout the course of these playoffs. Tyler Steel was also very strong in the pipes for Merritt, proving that he is quite likely going to be the centerpiece of this team come 2012/13. But it remained 6-1 Penticton through 40 minutes.
In the 3rd period, Luke Pierce put Lino Chimienti back in net to give him a chance to finish off his junior A career on the ice. And it turned out to be a good move, as Lino was flawless in turning aside 9 Penticton shots. The Vees played their 3rd and 4th line quite a bit, knowing that they had the game pretty much locked up. To their credit, the bottom 2 lines played hard and seized the opportunity, forcing Chimienti to still be strong, which he was. A good ending to a great 2 years in Merritt.
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
For the Centennials, you could tell they were very much demoralized and didn't have much fight left in them, but they still did their best to empty the tank so they could at least feel good about themselves at the conclusion of the season. They once again outshot the Vees by a 10-9 margin and were able to kill off a double minor to Lamont in the process. There were some late-game fireworks after Zach Urban left his feet to throw a dangerous open-ice hit on Brayden Low, who naturally responded by dropping the gloves.
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
A SEPARATE "BROO-HA-HA" AFTER A HIT BY BEAULIEU ON REICHERT (Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
For the final minute of the game, Luke Pierce made a very honourable move by calling a time out, and getting all the graduating players on the ice at the same time to finish the game. Minus the injured Pfeil, that of course included Chimienti in net, Stack, Brears, Shinkaruk up front and Marshall and Wilcox on the blueline. They actually had a great final minute, and with a late face-off, were able to get one last goal. Brears won the draw back cleanly for Willcox, and from the top of the point, Reece blasted a slap shot high glove side on Katunar with just 2.5 seconds left, his final goal (and Brears' final point) in the BCHL.
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
It went in the books as a 6-2 loss that ended Merritt's season.
BILLY MARSHALL WAS A WARRIOR IN GAME 5; SALUTES THE CROWD (Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
My 3 stars from the broadcast tonight were:
1) Bryce Gervais- 2 goals, 1 assist
2) Joey Benik- 1 goal, 1 assist
3) Billy Marshall- no points, but a dominant game at both ends with close to 10 shots
Here are the highlights from Merritt's final game of the 2012/2013 season:
*It's been a magical 7 month ride for this team, setting the record for fewest goals against in a season, most wins since 89 and most points since 79. I'll definitely have a season recap of some sorts, whether it's written or audio/visual. I'll put something together in the coming days/week
UNWAVERING SUPPORT EVEN AFTER THE BUZZER (Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)
*Meanwhile, the Centennials will likely have their year-end awards night later this week, and Spring Camp runs Friday to Sunday at the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena. Everyone is welcome to attend the camp, so you can still get your fix of Cents hockey a little while longer
No comments:
Post a Comment