Merritt 20-10-2-5 (47 pts) - 2nd in Interior
LAST GAME: 7-4 win over Salmon Arm last night (now won 2 in a row)
Vernon 17-15-1-2 (37 pts) - 5th in Interior (3 points back of 4th place Chilliwack for a playoff spot)
LAST GAME: 4-3 loss to Victoria last night (now lost 2 in a row)
Season Series: Merritt 1-0-1-1 (points in every game, but it's been a really tight series... every game was decided by 1 goal if you discount the last game, a 2-0 Merritt win on Dec. 3 which came with an empty netter... Merritt has outscored Vernon by the slimmest of margins by a total of 8-7... expect this one to go the wire)
-Cents cap off a 3 game road trip tonight before embarking on a 4-game home stand
-no longer can we talk about "road woes" for Merritt, and the conversations about "rink size" can also take a back seat for now. The Cents have won 4 straight road games, and now boast the 2nd best road record in the Interior, 3rd best overall in the league (huge key come playoff time that can give Merritt the edge). Merritt's got 20 win, and they're split up evenly: 10 at home, and 10 on the road
-the Cents will look for their first post-Christmas-break "full 60 minute" game. Even though they're 2-0-0-1 in the 3 games out of the break, there have been lapses in every game and various issues to address each night. But when you're winning and picking up points "with" a few issues, it's a good sign of what can be accomplished once the kinks are ironed out
-offensively, Merritt did just about all you could ask of them yesterday... 45 shots, 7 different goal scorers, every line with at least 1 goal... it will take a similar effort at both ends of the ice against the Vipers, who never take a shift off and usually have 4 lines that come at you in waves. Salmon Arm didn't look too interested in many parts of last night's game, but you can bet the Vipers will be more than interested, and will likely come out flying out of the gate like an angry hornets nest
-the Vipers are easily the more desperate team right now, with much more to prove, so expect them to play with desperation off the opening face-off. It might be a tough adjustment for Merritt after having a relatively easy time against Salmon Arm yesterday. The key for the Cents will be to survive the probable early onslaught and get a couple of big stops from Lino Chimienti to keep them in it. If the Cents can keep it tied through 20, I would expect them to complete the adjustment, find the urgency they'll need and get steadily better as the game wears on.
-the Cents will be helped out by some significant Viper injuries. Vernon has easily had the worst luck, at least in the Interior Conference, when it comes to injuries this year (I think Westside is a close 2nd), and it has hurt both teams in the standings. Vernon is still missing their captain Patrick McGillis, best offensive defenseman in Luke Juha, and now are without the services of newly acquired sniper Ben Gamache and Viper veteran John Knisley. These are big shoes to fill and won't be easy for any affiliate that tries. I don't have Vernon's lineup for tonight, but I believe all 4 will be out of action for a bit still.
-the Vipers do have 2 new bodies in the lineup, one of which is an old body... Dylan Walchuk, who earned a scholarship to Northern Michigan with an outstanding season last year, he has now left the University to rejoin the Vipers. Now earlier last year, he was involved in allegations of bike theft at the University (along with other former BCHL'ers, including former Cents' Jake Baker and Ryan Aynsley). I'm not sure if him coming back is related to that incident or not, but the fact remains, he is a scary weapon, and is capable of much more than the 1 goal and 5 points he has so far through his first 5 games back. The other new body is defenseman Sean Robertson, who has spent his entire BCHL career in Victoria up till now. The Vipers have not received very much offense from the blueline at all this season, with a total of just 5 goals among all their dmen. Sean Robertson came in with 5 goals of his own and 22 points, so he will be a constant on the power play and provides a weapon that the Snakes never had up till now. Though he's gotten off to a bit of a slow start with the Vipes so far, with just 2 assists over his first 6 games.
-Merritt has been quite fortunate with a lack of injuries themselves this season, and the guys that did get injured did not stay out longterm. However, the hockey gods have caught up to Merritt, as the Cents might be without Sean Maktaak for quite some time. He took a vicious head to the head in last night's game from Salmon Arm defenseman Taylor Love when trying to cut into the slot, and never came back to the game. He is out tonight with what I assume is a concussion (hasn't been confirmed), and will likely be re-evaluated over the course of the week ahead, as the Cents don't play again until Friday
*So the lineup for Merritt changes a bit tonight with Sean Maktaak coming out and Ross Mancuso drawing back in after sitting 2 games. He'll be paired with Billy Marshall, and Dylan Chanter will be the 7th "roaming" defenseman if you will. With the 3rd line having a hole, I suspect that Chanter might get another chance to play up front as he did earlier this season. Lino Chimienti will get his 3rd straight start tonight and see action for the 4th straight game after coming in relief of Tyler Steel in the first game after the Christmas break against the Warriors. It might be a bit of a surprise, and perhaps a first this season that Luke Pierce does not flip-flop goalies on back to back games, but Luke indicated on the post-game show yesterday that the reason Tyler is not playing in his hometown today as some would expect is because of an off-ice issue that the team is keeping confidential. But it's not because of a poor outing against Westside, and not because of injury. So that's good news, and I would expect Tyler to have a big-game when he does finally get in, most likely back home against Vernon on Friday (he did, after all, shut them out in the last meeting, that 2-0 win on home ice back on Dec 3rd)
Face-off: 7:00pm / Pre-game show: 6:30pm on Q101 FM in Merritt and online at Q101.ca
Saturday, 7 January 2012
Cents Outgun the Apes
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| Brayden Low had a very effective night on the 2nd line with Reichert and Harper |
It wasn't pretty, and it wasn't necessarily "exciting", but the Centennials had their biggest offensive outburst of the season in Salmon Arm on Friday night, blasting the Silverbacks by a 7-4 final.
-In what was a polar opposite storyline from last Saturday in Chilliwack, the Centennials managed to capitalize on pretty much everything they were given. The scoring was very much spread out. Every single line scored, all 7 goal scorers were different, and 15 of the 18 skaters picked up points on the night (especially nice to see Schaefer snap a 10 game pointless drought and Lamont snap a 19 game pointless drought)
-Conversely, despite giving up just 25 shots, the Cents had a few mental lapses in this one with turnovers and odd man rushes given up the other way. For Lino Chimienti, following a routine 20 save shutout in Chilliwack, I thought this was a similar type of game where he could have had a similar result, but he fought the puck a bit, especially with rebounds, and his stats took a bit of a hit with 4 goals on 25 shots.
-lets not look past another dominant 1st period by Merritt, outshooting Salmon Arm 16-4... just like in Chilliwack, they started the right way, but unfortunately they got in trouble when they put it on cruise control, and were outshot 6-1 to start the 2nd period before "righting the ship"
-Salmon Arm deserves credit for sticking around and not quitting, fighting back from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits, but the Cents also deserve credit for finding ways to bounce back and re-take the lead, including Fletecher scoring a minute after the 2-2 equalizer, and then Brears adding one a minute after that to blow the game open and end the night for starting goalie Kurt Williams (it's clearly tough for the Silverbacks players to compete when they can't buy a save for most of the season... it's like running on a vertical treadmill- not easy)
-Unfortunately, Salmon Arm's backup, Adam Clark, didn't fare much better than Williams. Centennials did a great job utilizing what they were given for most of the night, and when a 2-man advantage opportunity arose, the captain struck to make it 5-2, and then Brayden Low, who was allowed to walk into the zone unimpeded, was able to wire a slapper past Kurt Williams with just 4 seconds left in the 2nd to give Merritt a stranglehold going to the 3rd. This was a problem for Salmon Arm all night, allowing the Cents easy access into the zone and to unload 45 shots towards their goaltenders.
-in the 3rd period, the game took on a new level of "chippiness", and tempers started to flare all over the ice, mostly from the understandably frustrated Silverbacks, who were not getting many breaks from referee Jason Cramer... Merritt had a 6-1 advantage on the power plays, including 2 lengthy 5 on 3's
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| This was a theme all night long, but especially in the 3rd period |
-ironically, with Merritt having the only 3 power plays of the 3rd period, including a full 2 minute, 2 man advantage (the timekeepers screwed it up however and one of the penalties on the clock was only for 1:56), it was probably their worst period, surrendering a shorthanded goal to Morgan Zulinick (who was, not surprisingly, the most dangerous Silverback all night along with Devin Muller) to cut the lead to 6-3. But instead of using that as inspiration, the Silverbacks got frustrated and agitated, and this all culminated in what wound up being I think a 15 minute delay, where referee Jason Cramer was verbally pummeled by both teams (had to feel bad for the guy) for what he was calling and not calling, and no matter how many conversations the ref had with players and coaches from both sides, nobody seemed to be happy, and eventually the puck was dropped out of frustration I think while one of the linesmen was still talking to the Merritt bench. The Cents got the full (minus 4 seconds) 2 man advantage out of this, and it was good to see Luke giving the 4th liner and 3rd d-pairing a chance to do something, but without much practice, they weren't able to muster up any scoring chances, despite quite a few shots thrown towards the net.
-overall, this was a team win, and nice to see Merritt find a "different" way to win hockey games, by outscoring their problems, although the Salmon Arm defense and goaltending did contribute in this regard
-Merritt's 4th line of Shaefer, Lamont and Fletcher were dangerous and hungry all night, and Lamont (who had a great steal that led to an assist on the opening goal by Schaefer) had numerous chances to light the lamp where he was either robbed or had a shot go wide or get blocked. This was the best the 4th line has helped in a long time, much to the contribution of Brent Fletcher who is currently centering that trio, and had a goal of his own while on a shift with Evan Stack
-Hard to say if this was the "big" win Merritt was looking for. 7 goals is the most they've scored all year, and this is the first time they won by 3 goals without an empty netter. But considering they were up 6-2 through 40, and had a 3-0 power play advantage in the 3rd (including the marathon 5 on 3) and surrendered a shorthanded goal, overall getting outscored 2-1, I don't think anybody involved was happy with the way they finished
-Cents haven't had a full 60 minute effort in a while, as they struggled really early against Westside out of the Christmas break, then had a near invisible offensive night vs Chilliwack, and followed that up with a relatively dominant (outshooting Salmon Arm 45-25) but not "clean" win against Salmon Arm. As Luke Pierce said in our post-game interview, if they had played like that against the elite teams, they would have been in big trouble.
-Now don't look now, but the Centennials have suddenly figured out a way to play on the road. YES, it's true! After too many years of road misery, and only being able to win at home, the Centennials now have exactly 10 wins at home and 10 on the road. In fact, if you count overtime losses as outright losses, Merritt would be just 2 games above .500 at home, and 3 games above .500 on the road
-This win, at least temporarily, again puts Merritt into the pluses for goals for vs goals against... the different is just one, but they've now scored 117 times on the season while surrendering 116 goals themselves
*NOTE: Sean Maktaak received a vicious hit to the head from new Silverback Taylor Love in the 2nd period, and it wouldn't be overly surprising if he is suffering at least a mild concussion, and doesn't play tomorrow in Vernon. After all, the next game isn't until the following Friday. I'm speculating that perhaps Tyler Martin will go back to an offensive role tomorrow, and Ross Mancuso will draw back into the lineup on the back end.
Here's the highlights of a wacky game, followed by Luke Pierce's post-game comments:
Merritt @ Salmon Arm Jan 6 Highlights by agreb21
Luke Pierce Jan 6 post-game by agreb21
Thursday, 5 January 2012
PREVIEW: Merritt @ Salmon Arm
Merritt: 19-10-2-5 (45 pts) - 2nd in Interior
LAST GAME: 1-0 win over Chilliwack on Dec 30
Salmon Arm 13-17-0-6 (32 pts) - 6th in Interior
LAST GAME: 5-4 OT win over Trail on Jan 4
Season Series: Merritt 4-1, but it's a little deceiving. The games have been very tight, and the Cents have only outscored Salmon Arm by a slim 19-16 margin... none of the games have been decided by more than 2 goals... 2 of Merritt's wins were in overtime, and they lost the last meeting 5-3 on Dec 16
-This is the first of a mini 2-game road trip for the Cents before starting a 4-game home stand
-Cents are coming off the most crucial win of the season, a 1-0 win over Chilliwack, but it was a game that left much to be desired, especially offensively... it's a little easier to give them a mulligan after an emotional, rollercoaster game vs Westside the night before, but you would hope that game was a one-off, because with 24 games left, the games will only become tougher and tougher to win, and it will take much more to pick up points
-only this game and Saturday vs Vernon are left before the final Jan 10 carding/trading deadline, so the team needs to come up with a couple of encouraging efforts, and most importantly, results, to give coach Luke Pierce the confidence he needs to keep the status quo and let these guys run with it
-this begs the question, what happens at the deadline? Yes Merritt is still 2nd, and have been for over a month in the Interior Conference, but with 5 overtimes losses and 2 ties, the Cents have won just over half their games this season. And over the last month or so, in 11 games, they have been treading water with a record of 5-4-1-1... a far cry from the 12-2-0-3 record they had in the 17 games prior to that. We were wondering what kind of team we would see after the Christmas break, the dominant one or the mediocre one, and so far, it's been only 2 games, but it would be hard to say Merritt is once again "dominant". They would love to, and need to, re-establish that reputation leading up to the playoffs. Especially when you look at who they have to beat, mainly Penticton, coming off a dominant 6-1 win over Vernon, and winners of 19 in a row (very much thanks to the addition of Bryce Gervais who's been a part of 15 of these wins, and contributed 15 goals and 5 assists). Also when you look at the Coast, Cowichan Valley has recently added Richard Vanderhoek from Westside and now Brett Knowles from Salmon Arm, to add to an already dominant 1st place team. So although it's easy to be "content" with Merritt's record up to now, you can't help but think about the playoffs, and what it would take to knock out those 2 powerhouses, if they manage to get past the first one. After all, it's not just about getting in anymore... this year the Cents want to do some damage and make a run.
-Salmon Arm has seen plenty of turnover this season, including as of late. Like I mentioned, after trading away Bryce Gervais to Penticton about a month and a half ago, their latest move has captain Brett Knowles going to the Coastal-Conference leading Cowichan Valley Capitals in exchange for promising, but still up-and-coming 18 year old forward Travis Stephens and future considerations. They also moved 20 year old defenseman Matt Brown to Calgary in the AJHL for future considerations, and brought in 19-year old journeyman defenseman Taylor Love from Coquitlam in exchange for future considerations. They've also lost another player in forward Bradley Robinson, who they signed from the Revelstoke Grizzlies of the KIJHL midway through the season, but is now gone for the remainder of the season due to a shoulder injury
-in addition to all the roster moves, Salmon Arm has already dealt with an assistant coaching change earlier this season, and after a loss to Vernon last weekend in which they led 3-0, there were rumours that head coach Colin O'Hara had quit the team, only to come back shortly later after a conversation with ownership/management. But clearly, there is turmoil behind the scenes in Salmon Arm, and coming off a shaky game against the last place Trail Smoke-Eaters on Wednesday, the Silverbacks should be, as the saying goes, "ripe for the picking"
-for Merritt, the key in this game will be to get a quick start and don't allow the Apes to get any confidence... take away their will to win, and don't give them any hope to work with. Although Salmon Arm does have other guys who can score, the reality is that they only have 2 big weapons left in Devin Muller and Morgan Zulinick, both of whom might be targeted at the deadline as well... Merritt will need to key on these guys... shutting them down will be the biggest necessity in taking 2 points. And it won't hurt to fire the puck from everywhere, as both Kurt Williams and Adam Clark have been shaky of late between the pipes for Salmon Arm, and likely battling with their confidence as well.
*Lineup for Merritt is staying exactly the same as last Saturday in Chilliwack. Brayden Low will skate on the 2nd line with Reichert and Harper, while Fletcher will skate on the 4th line with Shaefer and Lamont. Ross Mancuso remains a scratch, and coming off his 2nd shutout of the season, Lino Chimienti will once again get the start between the pipes.
Face-off: 7:00pm / Pre-game show: 6:30 on Q101 FM and online at Q101.ca
LAST GAME: 1-0 win over Chilliwack on Dec 30
Salmon Arm 13-17-0-6 (32 pts) - 6th in Interior
LAST GAME: 5-4 OT win over Trail on Jan 4
Season Series: Merritt 4-1, but it's a little deceiving. The games have been very tight, and the Cents have only outscored Salmon Arm by a slim 19-16 margin... none of the games have been decided by more than 2 goals... 2 of Merritt's wins were in overtime, and they lost the last meeting 5-3 on Dec 16
-This is the first of a mini 2-game road trip for the Cents before starting a 4-game home stand
-Cents are coming off the most crucial win of the season, a 1-0 win over Chilliwack, but it was a game that left much to be desired, especially offensively... it's a little easier to give them a mulligan after an emotional, rollercoaster game vs Westside the night before, but you would hope that game was a one-off, because with 24 games left, the games will only become tougher and tougher to win, and it will take much more to pick up points
-only this game and Saturday vs Vernon are left before the final Jan 10 carding/trading deadline, so the team needs to come up with a couple of encouraging efforts, and most importantly, results, to give coach Luke Pierce the confidence he needs to keep the status quo and let these guys run with it
-this begs the question, what happens at the deadline? Yes Merritt is still 2nd, and have been for over a month in the Interior Conference, but with 5 overtimes losses and 2 ties, the Cents have won just over half their games this season. And over the last month or so, in 11 games, they have been treading water with a record of 5-4-1-1... a far cry from the 12-2-0-3 record they had in the 17 games prior to that. We were wondering what kind of team we would see after the Christmas break, the dominant one or the mediocre one, and so far, it's been only 2 games, but it would be hard to say Merritt is once again "dominant". They would love to, and need to, re-establish that reputation leading up to the playoffs. Especially when you look at who they have to beat, mainly Penticton, coming off a dominant 6-1 win over Vernon, and winners of 19 in a row (very much thanks to the addition of Bryce Gervais who's been a part of 15 of these wins, and contributed 15 goals and 5 assists). Also when you look at the Coast, Cowichan Valley has recently added Richard Vanderhoek from Westside and now Brett Knowles from Salmon Arm, to add to an already dominant 1st place team. So although it's easy to be "content" with Merritt's record up to now, you can't help but think about the playoffs, and what it would take to knock out those 2 powerhouses, if they manage to get past the first one. After all, it's not just about getting in anymore... this year the Cents want to do some damage and make a run.
-Salmon Arm has seen plenty of turnover this season, including as of late. Like I mentioned, after trading away Bryce Gervais to Penticton about a month and a half ago, their latest move has captain Brett Knowles going to the Coastal-Conference leading Cowichan Valley Capitals in exchange for promising, but still up-and-coming 18 year old forward Travis Stephens and future considerations. They also moved 20 year old defenseman Matt Brown to Calgary in the AJHL for future considerations, and brought in 19-year old journeyman defenseman Taylor Love from Coquitlam in exchange for future considerations. They've also lost another player in forward Bradley Robinson, who they signed from the Revelstoke Grizzlies of the KIJHL midway through the season, but is now gone for the remainder of the season due to a shoulder injury
-in addition to all the roster moves, Salmon Arm has already dealt with an assistant coaching change earlier this season, and after a loss to Vernon last weekend in which they led 3-0, there were rumours that head coach Colin O'Hara had quit the team, only to come back shortly later after a conversation with ownership/management. But clearly, there is turmoil behind the scenes in Salmon Arm, and coming off a shaky game against the last place Trail Smoke-Eaters on Wednesday, the Silverbacks should be, as the saying goes, "ripe for the picking"
-for Merritt, the key in this game will be to get a quick start and don't allow the Apes to get any confidence... take away their will to win, and don't give them any hope to work with. Although Salmon Arm does have other guys who can score, the reality is that they only have 2 big weapons left in Devin Muller and Morgan Zulinick, both of whom might be targeted at the deadline as well... Merritt will need to key on these guys... shutting them down will be the biggest necessity in taking 2 points. And it won't hurt to fire the puck from everywhere, as both Kurt Williams and Adam Clark have been shaky of late between the pipes for Salmon Arm, and likely battling with their confidence as well.
*Lineup for Merritt is staying exactly the same as last Saturday in Chilliwack. Brayden Low will skate on the 2nd line with Reichert and Harper, while Fletcher will skate on the 4th line with Shaefer and Lamont. Ross Mancuso remains a scratch, and coming off his 2nd shutout of the season, Lino Chimienti will once again get the start between the pipes.
Face-off: 7:00pm / Pre-game show: 6:30 on Q101 FM and online at Q101.ca
"Meet the Cents" with Regan Soquila
In the latest edition of "Meet the Cents", we have the Cents leading scorer, Regan Soquila, who decided (I'm sure with the help of a couple teammates) to have a little fun with me, courtesy of a particular "Family Guy" scene. In case you're not familiar with family guy, here's the source of Regan's "comedy" followed by Regan's personal performance:
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Monday, 2 January 2012
BCHL Roundtable Episode 1
In an idea started by Powell River Kings Broadcaster Alex Rawnsley, a group of broadcasters from around the league have come together to participate in a weekly roundtable discussion surrounding various topics around the BCHL. In week 1, Alex Rawnsley, Chris Wahl (Trail Smoke-Eaters) and myself take a look at the mid-season surprises and what to expect in the final stretch drive.
The broadcasters involved will rotate on a week-to-week basis. Next week will feature Fraser Rodgers from the Penticton Vees and Colin Tiggelaar of the Surrey Eagles. In the meantime, enjoy the first episode!
BCHL Roundtable Episode 1 by agreb21
Saturday, 31 December 2011
Cents Wrap Up 2011 With Sty... errrr.... 2 points
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| ...and seconds later, the puck is in the net (just imagine it's in the Chilliwack zone) |
Thursday night, Merritt vs Westside was the most entertaining and exciting game of the entire season. So Friday in Chilliwack, after an emotional game that went the distance, there was bound to be a bit of a dropoff in intensity. But nobody could have expected what we saw. It literally went from the most exciting to the most dull game of the season. But it's the result that counts, right? And the result on Friday was better, and more important than the one on Thursday:
-in the 1st period, the Cents actually surprised me. They came out with lots of jump and energy in their game, and played as desperate as the night before at home vs Westside, outshooting the Warriors 18-7. Just like in the last meeting in Chilliwack on Dec. 7th, the Cents couldn't find a way to light the lamp, even though they were helped by Chilliwack playing their backup goaltender, Brydon Udy
-late in the 1st, with just over a minute left, and a face-off to the left of Udy, the Cents would finally get rewarded for their efforts, but it was Chilliwack literally rewarding Merritt personally. With Fletcher and Graboski facing off, the puck was drawn sideways to the right (still not sure if Fletcher got a piece of it) it then bounced off a Chilliwack player's skate (might have nicked Schaeffer's skate as well) towards the right faceoff circle, where Fletcher tried to get a shot off. But before he could, Graboski got to it first, and in an attempt to clear the puck behind his own goal, he accidentally got off a perfect shot on his own goaltender low stick side, where Udy had to react quickly, got a big piece of it with his stick, but had the puck hop up and over the goal line for what would wind up being the only goal of the game either way. Now the goal was credited to Fletcher, and I'm still not sure if he ever touched the puck during the sequence... assists were somehow awarded to Schaeffer and Lamont, which snapped a 9 game pointless drought for the former and an 18 game pointless drought for the latter. Now not to suggest that these guys haven't been good or were not deserving of points, but on this particular goal, they were definitely phantom assists, especially for Lamont who was nowhere near the puck. But with the lack of luck these guys have experienced over the last couple months, they both deserved a break. And it's ironic that the only goal of the game went to Brent Fletcher, who, for the first time in a long time, found himself moved from the 2nd line to the 4th line.
***UPDATE: Sadly, but I think fairly, the assists from Schaefer and Lamont were since taken away, and it now stands as an unassisted goal by Brent Fletcher
-the 2nd period was, quite frankly, as exciting as watching paint dry. And that's an insult to paint. But that's not necessarily a bad thing for Merritt. In fact, if you're the road team, and you're boring the hometown fans, then you're likely doing something right. There were hardly any scoring chances, and Merritt only had one shot in the first half of the period, and 4 overall, compared to Chilliwack's 5 shots. In a game where so much was on the line for both squads, it was really surprising to not see much passion at all in the 2nd period.
-3rd period was much the same as as the 2nd, with the shots winding up 8-3 in favour of the Chiefs, but again I thought neither side was really too desperate. Merritt seemed content with a 1-0 lead, and Chilliwack seemed to show no urgency and didn't have much of a push-back to tie the game. It actually looked like the Cents would ride cruise control the rest of the way for the victory, but things got interesting late, when Dustin Lebrun took a tripping penalty with 2:03 left, and opened the window for the Chiefs to tie the game. They pulled the goalie and went 6 on 4 for much of the power play, and were able to keep sustained pressure in the Merritt zone, but never got any quality chances thanks to the Centennials strong PK and commitment to blocking shots and cutting off passing lanes. It got tense at times, but the Cents were able to hold off the late onslaught and prevail with the 1-0 victory.
-Lino Chimienti certainly deserves credit for his 2nd shutout of the season, but I think he would admit it was the easiest shutout he'll ever have... 20 shots, and not a whole lot of grade A scoring chances. But Lino looked calm and composed throughout the night, and hopefully this game will allow him to get his confidence back. It's nice to see his GAA improve to 3.04 and SV% move up to .898... a couple more shots faced, and his GAA would be under 3 and SV% above .900
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-considering the importance of this game and the rivalry that SHOULD have developed by this 4th meeting, it was very surprising to see a lack of physicality again, for the 2nd straight time between these two teams. There wasn't a whole lot of emotion or fiestyness in this one. A few mini post-whistle scrums, yes, but that's about it. The hatred just isn't there between these two teams, and that might have been the cause for a relatively lifeless last 40 minutes.
-despite Merritt's offense being non-existant in the final 2 periods, they deserve credit for their stingy defensive play, giving up just 13 shots in the final 2 periods and 20 overall. So they were never really on their heels or in any serious danger. It was basically a chess match where the two teams cancelled each other out, including on the special teams, where the Cents killed off all 5 Chilliwack power players (now 36 for their last 40 over the last 11 games, exactly 90%), but Merritt also faltered on the power play for the first time in a long time, going 0 for 3 with the extra man
*Here are the audio highlights from the game. Keep in mind, the Chilliwack power play at the end was about as exciting as it got, which is why it takes up about half of the highlight pack.
Merritt-Chilliwack Dec 30 Highlights by agreb21
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Friday, 30 December 2011
PREVIEW: Merritt @ Chilliwack
Merritt 18-10-2-5 (43 pts) - 2nd in Interior
Chilliwack 19-11-0-2 (40pts) - 3rd in Interior... have lost 2 in a row after an 8 game stretch of 15 of a possible 16 points
Season Series: Merritt 2-1-0-0 (one win in overtime... after a 3-0 lead, Chilliwack tied it, Merritt won 4-3 in overtime). Last game was a 2-1 Chilliwack victory on Dec 7
-the Centennials got some help on the scoreboard the last couple of nights, with Prince George doubling up Chilliwack 4-2 Wednesday, and yesterday Salmon Arm upsetting Vernon 7-4. With these results, the Cents solo point from last night has allowed them to hold a 3 point cushion on Chilliwack for 2nd (though the Chiefs have 3 games in hand) and an 8 point cushion on the 5th place Vipers (who have 3 games in hand as well) heading into this game
-ANOTHER edition of "most important game of the season"... with the Cents .500 hockey over the last 10 games and Chilliwack's recent hot run (until their last 2 losses), the gap between these 2 teams is only 3 points. And with the Chiefs' 3 games in hand, even if they lose tonight, they could still overtake Merritt by winning their 3 games in hand. A Chilliwack win tonight would move them to within 1 point of Merritt with 3 games in hand, and only require them to have 1 point out of their 3 games in hand to overtake Merritt, who have been holding down the 2nd spot for over a month now
-the Cents might be hottest team on the power play right now, and their 10 for 21 streak over the last 7 games has moved them from 15th in the league on the power play to 7th, at a very respectable 20%... their penalty kill has also been outstanding, killing off 5 of 6 Westside power plays last night (the only goal against was on a 2 man advantage) and 31 of the last 35 penalties against them, allowing their PK to go from 15th to 11th at 77.6%... but I'm sure as any coach would tell you, the goal is to get to at least 80%, and that's what the team needs to shoot for now. Shockingly, like I mentioned in last night's game review, these amazing special teams stats have led to a very average 4-4-1-1 record over their last 10 games. You have to think this anomaly will not last long if these type of numbers continue for the Cents.
-this should be another evenly matched game between 2 teams that have very consistent 1st lines, and rely a lot on balanced scoring from the 2nd to the 4th line. The Stack/Soquila/Brears vs Bondra/Gould/Huisman matchup will be an interesting one to follow, and this type of game can be won either by the 1st line, or by a big performance from one of the bottom lines... various factors can play an influence
-I imagine that after a tough night for Tyler Steel, and according to plan all season, Lino Chimienti will get the nod between the pipes for the Centennials, and hopefully he can start a consistent roll. Him and Tyler Steel can both stand on their heads, steal a game and be the best goalie in the league at any given time, but they also are both prone to one too many off nights here and there, and that's why their stats are not as good as they could/should be, and not reflective of their talents. Consistency in goal will be a big key for the remaining 25 games and especially into the playoffs, and tonight Lino will go up against maybe the most consistent goalie in the league in Mitch Gillam. So it will be a tough challenge for him to match Gillam and possibly outplay him for the Centennials to pick up 2 pts... especially on the road at Prospera Centre.
*LINEUP CHANGES:
-Tyler Martin draws back in the lineup tonight, Ross Mancuso will be a healthy scratch
-A bit of line juggling tonight as Brayden Low moves up to center the 2nd line beside Harper and Reichert, and Brent Fletcher moves down to the 4th line to center Schaeffer and Lamont. Low has been extremely good of late and showing a lot of skill, meanwhile despite consistent effort, Schaeffer and Lamont have struggled to put up points (Lamont pointless in 18, Schaeffer pointless in 9), so moving Fletcher down there might be an attempt to jumpstart them
-not much of a surprise here, but Lino Chimienti will get the nod between the pipes after a solid effort in relief of Tyler Steel yesterday, making 24 saves on 26 shots
Face-off: 7:00pm / Pre-game show: 6:30 on Q101 FM and Q101.ca
Chilliwack 19-11-0-2 (40pts) - 3rd in Interior... have lost 2 in a row after an 8 game stretch of 15 of a possible 16 points
Season Series: Merritt 2-1-0-0 (one win in overtime... after a 3-0 lead, Chilliwack tied it, Merritt won 4-3 in overtime). Last game was a 2-1 Chilliwack victory on Dec 7
-the Centennials got some help on the scoreboard the last couple of nights, with Prince George doubling up Chilliwack 4-2 Wednesday, and yesterday Salmon Arm upsetting Vernon 7-4. With these results, the Cents solo point from last night has allowed them to hold a 3 point cushion on Chilliwack for 2nd (though the Chiefs have 3 games in hand) and an 8 point cushion on the 5th place Vipers (who have 3 games in hand as well) heading into this game
-ANOTHER edition of "most important game of the season"... with the Cents .500 hockey over the last 10 games and Chilliwack's recent hot run (until their last 2 losses), the gap between these 2 teams is only 3 points. And with the Chiefs' 3 games in hand, even if they lose tonight, they could still overtake Merritt by winning their 3 games in hand. A Chilliwack win tonight would move them to within 1 point of Merritt with 3 games in hand, and only require them to have 1 point out of their 3 games in hand to overtake Merritt, who have been holding down the 2nd spot for over a month now
-the Cents might be hottest team on the power play right now, and their 10 for 21 streak over the last 7 games has moved them from 15th in the league on the power play to 7th, at a very respectable 20%... their penalty kill has also been outstanding, killing off 5 of 6 Westside power plays last night (the only goal against was on a 2 man advantage) and 31 of the last 35 penalties against them, allowing their PK to go from 15th to 11th at 77.6%... but I'm sure as any coach would tell you, the goal is to get to at least 80%, and that's what the team needs to shoot for now. Shockingly, like I mentioned in last night's game review, these amazing special teams stats have led to a very average 4-4-1-1 record over their last 10 games. You have to think this anomaly will not last long if these type of numbers continue for the Cents.
-this should be another evenly matched game between 2 teams that have very consistent 1st lines, and rely a lot on balanced scoring from the 2nd to the 4th line. The Stack/Soquila/Brears vs Bondra/Gould/Huisman matchup will be an interesting one to follow, and this type of game can be won either by the 1st line, or by a big performance from one of the bottom lines... various factors can play an influence
-I imagine that after a tough night for Tyler Steel, and according to plan all season, Lino Chimienti will get the nod between the pipes for the Centennials, and hopefully he can start a consistent roll. Him and Tyler Steel can both stand on their heads, steal a game and be the best goalie in the league at any given time, but they also are both prone to one too many off nights here and there, and that's why their stats are not as good as they could/should be, and not reflective of their talents. Consistency in goal will be a big key for the remaining 25 games and especially into the playoffs, and tonight Lino will go up against maybe the most consistent goalie in the league in Mitch Gillam. So it will be a tough challenge for him to match Gillam and possibly outplay him for the Centennials to pick up 2 pts... especially on the road at Prospera Centre.
*LINEUP CHANGES:
-Tyler Martin draws back in the lineup tonight, Ross Mancuso will be a healthy scratch
-A bit of line juggling tonight as Brayden Low moves up to center the 2nd line beside Harper and Reichert, and Brent Fletcher moves down to the 4th line to center Schaeffer and Lamont. Low has been extremely good of late and showing a lot of skill, meanwhile despite consistent effort, Schaeffer and Lamont have struggled to put up points (Lamont pointless in 18, Schaeffer pointless in 9), so moving Fletcher down there might be an attempt to jumpstart them
-not much of a surprise here, but Lino Chimienti will get the nod between the pipes after a solid effort in relief of Tyler Steel yesterday, making 24 saves on 26 shots
Face-off: 7:00pm / Pre-game show: 6:30 on Q101 FM and Q101.ca
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