I apologize for getting this up so late, but we only recorded it on Thursday night, and I wanted the focus to stay on the weekend games for the Cents vs Trail and Penticton. So I held off on posting this until now. Episode 8 of the roundtable has Alex Rawnsley from Powell River hosting a discussion with myself and Brandon Astle of the Langley Rivermen, as we take a look at the BCHL poll of "who is the most exciting player to watch in the BCHL?" We run down the list that they provide plus talk about some of our own picks. Then we lock in our personal choice. Enjoy!
This almost sums up the night for Merritt; they were right there, but just couldn't finish it off
It hardly seems fair to think about it, but the Merritt Centennials were 45 seconds away from snapping Penticton's marathon 35 game winning streak when the Vees found a way yet again to pull through and push the streak to 36 with a 2-1 double overtime victory:
for entertainment value, this might have been the best game of the season, and I think it was also the biggest crowd of the year, with 870 fans packing the old Memorial Arena. There were in for a treat to say the least. Unlike the game 1 month ago where Merritt lost 1-0, this game certainly lived up to its hype and then some
despite having to adjust from the worst team in the league to the best team in the league overnight, the Cents did that very seamlessly in the 1st period and went stride for stride, punch for punch with the Vees, trading chances in a fast, up and down opening 20 minutes
Penticton got an early power play and looked very dangerous on it, but the Centennials established their defensive desperation early, and Tyler Steel previewed what would be a phenomenal night for him on his 19th birthday as the Cents killed it off
One of Tyler Steel's many outstanding saves (Photo Courtesy of John O'Connor/Merritt News)
the Cents would go on to get 4 straight power plays in the 1st period, and frankly, they looked much better and more dangerous 5 on 5. The Vees were very efficient on the PK and easily outshot and outchanced Merritt while shorthanded
finally, while on a 5 on 3, the Cents got back to basics... Bruce got the puck back to the left point for Sabourin, he fed across to the right point for Marshall, who's one-timer was stopped, but Sean Maktaak outwaited Garteig on the rebound before sliding it into a half open net to open the scoring for the Cents (2nd goal in as many nights for Maktaak) late in the 1st. The 2nd assist was given to Bruce (which would extend his point streak to 5 games) but it should have been given to Sabourin, which might be changed. Had the Vees killed off all 4 penalties, they'd likely steal the momentum going into the 2nd period, but instead the Cents had it during the internmission
the 2nd period saw the Vees start to take the game over a bit as they outshot Merritt 15-5. Their skill took over as they had the Centennials pinned in their own zone a lot of times and peppered Tyler Steel, who remained unflappable in his crease
the Cents had a couple of isolated chances, particularly a 2 on 1 early in the 2nd by Stack and Soquila which could have broke the game open, but Soquila's efforts were denied by Garteig (who was superb himself all night long) and the rebound just trickled through the crease
the 2nd period saw the Centennials take 3 straight minor penalties of their own, and as they say, if you play with fire (the top ranked power play in the league), chances are, you'll get burned. And that's what happened. Joey Benik set up Mike Reilly for a one-timer from the right point, that was perfectly placed, finding its way through a maze of traffic over the left shoulder of Steel to tie the game at 1. This was the 2nd of the 3 straight power plays for the Vees, Merritt killed the last one off nicely. The goal also halted Steel's shutout streak at 95 minutes and 34 seconds. It stayed 1-1 going into the 3rd
Mike Reilly was all over the ice, also part of the physicality (photo courtesy of John O'Connor/Merritt News)
the 3rd period picked up where the 1st period left off. It was another exciting 20 minutes, lots of back and forth play, great goaltending, and plenty of physicality. It was very evenly played, and that showed in the shots (12-10 for Penticton) and on the scoreboard, where nobody was able to break through
despite getting outshot by 2, I thought Merritt was the more desperate team in the 3rd and had the better quality scoring chances. For the 2nd straight night, the 4th line seemed particularly hungry; they got plenty of scoring chances, specifically a 3 on 1 rush where Lamont fed a saucer pass in front to Schaefer, but he couldn't control the bouncing puck in his skates, and it turned into a broken play and a huge wasted chance
near the end of the 3rd, it seemed like both teams resigned to the fact that they'd go to overtime, and both seemed content with that scenario. It was the first time Merritt went to overtime in nearly 2 months, since a Dec. 29th 6-5 overtime loss to the Westside Warriors
the overtime session(s) proved to be just as exciting as the 3rd period, and actually wound up being the most exciting 9 minutes (and change) of the game. The two teams both seemed a little cautious at times, but they were both able to create some quality chances, and the goaltenders (the story of the game both ways) were again outstanding in giving their teams a chance to win. Merritt had the better chances overall, but just couldn't find that finish that was so prevalent over their past 4 games where they scored 26 times
with the game going to a 2nd overtime, 3 on 3, things really got interesting, and again the Cents appeared like they were going to end it, but Garteig made sure that wouldn't happen (he deserves all the credit for his league-leading goaltending stats)
just when it looked like a tie was the only possible result, which would be a very fitting result, the Vees Mike Reilly and Travis St. Denis worked a give and go, and Reilly drove wide ride on Fletcher, and from behind the goal, made a perfect centering pass to St. Denis who tipped it over Steel's blocker with 45 seconds left in the 2nd overtime, to, just barely, extend the Vees win streak to 36 games.
Despite the win, never in this streak was Penticton pushed quite as hard as the Cents pushed them tonight. And I'm sure despite the loss, the message was sent from Merritt... they will be a formidable opponent should these 2 teams meet in the 2nd round of the playoffs
*I was extremely impressed with the Cents physicality tonight. They were very aggressive and didn't take anything that they didn't give back. They were able to frustrate the Vees on a lot of occasions and tire them out by forcing the issue physically
*this really was an overall team effort. There wasn't a single guy on the team that I didn't notice at some point, including Dylan Chanter (back from injury, 1st game since securing a scholarship), Tyler Martin and the 4th line of Low, Schaefer and Lamont, who continue to do all the right things without being rewarded
*the goaltending battle was a real treat to watch, as both teams I'm sure got frustrated with 2 goalies who were on their game all night, and made it one of those low-scoring, but very entertaining affairs
*I think the 1st period and early 2nd period, the Cents had a real great chance to open up a multiple goal lead, which could have changed the complexion of this game, and obviously might have been enough to win. Despite scoring once in the 1st, Sean Maktaak had 3 glorious chances overall in the opening 20 mins, as did a few others, and the Cents could have easily gone into the room up by 2 or 3. But allowing the Vees to hang around and then go on a run of power plays was the ultimate undoing for the Cents
*Merritt has scored just 2 goals now in 3 games vs Penticton on home ice, and have been outscored 32-11 overall through 7 games
*This was the first time in more than 2 and a half months, since Dec. 6, that anyone has gotten any points from Penticton. That night, Logan Johnston had the double overtime winner, as the Vees beat the Westside Warriors 3-2 in Westbank
*Merritt's record vs Penticton of 1-4-0-2 might not look very impressive, but they are still the only team to get any points from the South Okanagan Events Centre, and the only team in the league to get more than 2 points from Penticton overall... they now have 4, which is a promising stat in the case that they meet again in the playoffs
*the single point gained extends Merritt's points streak to 5 games (9 of a possible 10 points), and it could be monumental come the end of the regular season, as it has given them a 2 point lead on Prince George for 2nd, even after the Spruce Kings beat Salmon Arm 4-1 to complete the series sweep 8-0 yesterday. Prince George still has 1 game in hand, but even if they win it, they have a much tougher schedule to end the season. And in case of a tie-breaker, Merritt won the season series 5-2, with both teams getting an overtime win. So the Cents have 11 points in the series, Prince George has only 5. Though this tie-breaker is only applied if the two teams are tied in wins. Right now they are with 30, but if Prince George wins their game in hand then keeps pace the rest of the way (which means beating Penticton most likely in at least one of their final 2 games vs the Vees), then they would have the first tie-breaker, which is "wins". But there's still 2 weeks left to determine all this...
***THE SINGLE OT POINT BY MERRITT, AND THE VERNON LOSS IN POWELL RIVER LAST NIGHT HAS OFFICIALLY CLINCHED THE CENTENNIALS A PLAYOFF SPOT FOR THE THIRD STRAIGHT SEASON!!! (a great accomplishment under the new playoff format with only half the teams making it in)
*in the meantime, there's one more rematch in the regular season coming up on Thursday night, after a return trip from Trail on Wednesday
Here are my 3 stars from the broadcast tonight:
1) Tyler Steel- 44 saves on 46 shots (on his birthday, he couldn't possible do more)
2) Michael Garteig- 33 saves on 34 shots (just as good as Steel, and made one more clutch save by the end)
3) Mike Reilly- 1G, 1A (best, most consistent overall "skater" on the ice, and backed it up with 2 points)
Here are the highlights from one of the most exciting games of the season:
Merritt: 30-17-2-5 (67pts) - 2nd in Interior (worth noting they would still be 1pt out of the playoffs in the Coastal Conference behind Coquitlam)
LAST GAME: 7-2 win over Trail last night (4th straight victory)
Penticton: 47-3-0-2 (96pts) - 1st in Interior (29pts up on 2nd place Merritt with 2 games in hand)
LAST GAME: 4-2 win over Trail on Thursday (35th straight victory)
Season Series: Merritt 1-4-0-1 (outscored by Penticton 30-10) *Last meeting was exactly a month ago on Jan. 25, a 9-0 Penticton victory *Merritt is still the last team to beat Penticton way back on Nov. 5, a 3-2 OT win. They are the only team this season to beat Penticton in their own building (or even earn a single point), and including a 5-4 OT loss at the SOEC, the Centennials are also the only team in the league who have taken 3 points from Penticton
on paper, nobody can deny that this game looks like another huge mismatch (just like every game Penticton has played against anybody this season). Don't kid yourselves, the game for the Cents vs the Vees won't be any easier than it was for any other team they've victimized on their inhumane run they've gone on. The task looks daunting at first glance, but there are a couple of factors to look at for the optimists that would indicate Merritt's got a good shot here:
Look at the home record for Merritt (17-5-0-4) vs the road record for Penticton (22-3-0-1). Obviously the Vees sport the better record, but the Cents have just 5 regulation losses at home all season, while the Vees have 3. However, take away the 2 regulation losses to Penticton at the NVMA (4-1 and 9-0), and the Centennials have an identical 3 regulation losses in this sort of set-up. And of course, playing in their small, cozy barn gives them an advantage over the high-flying vees who are used to the open ice at the SOEC
Look at the last 4 games; obviously both teams have been perfect, but Merritt has been even more perfect. They have outscored their opposition 26-5 (Vernon, Coquitlam, Chilliwack were no slouches either), while Penticton has outscored their opposition during this time span 21-12. And their opposition wasn't much tougher. In fact, they were all the non-playoff teams in the Interior (Westside, Vernon, Salmon Arm and Trail, collectively ranked 5th through 8th). That's not to say Penticton has played poorly, and 21-12 is still a dominant "Goals For vs. Goals Against" mark through 4 games, but the Vees are used to better, and Merritt has outright been better. So you could make an argument for just who is the hotter team tonight ;)
there's never a "good" time to play the Vees, but for Merritt, this is definitely the best time they will ever get, full of confidence riding a 4 game win streak (opposite from the last meeting where they came in after faltering on the Island losing 2 of 3 games)
for the most part, the Cents are rolling on all cylinders right now, with team confidence and individual confidence throughout the lineup, with the exception of the 4th line. Despite their hard work, they can't buy a goal right now, and haven't scored in over a month. Brendan Lamont is on a 9 game pointless drought, Brayden Low is on a 13 game drought, and Payton Schaefer is pointless in 17 games. As tough as it's going to be, tonight would be an ideal night for these guys to chip in, because the Cents will need all the offense they can get
the Cents are in need of a near flawless game, where everything has to go right. They have to be very disciplined against the top power play in the league, they can't have many turnovers, and can't have any lulls, because one lull could be the difference at the end of the night. They also need elite goaltending from Tyler Steel, who is celebrating his 19th birthday today, and would love nothing more than to take down Penticton and celebrate "legally"
one of the toughest tasks for Merritt tonight, especially in the 1st period, will be to adjust to the pace of the game that the Vees will surely try and establish. Merritt is going from the last place team in the league to the best team possibly in BCHL history (a 69 point jump in their competition), and they might get burned in the 1st period if they can't manage to keep up and adapt to the big difference in skill
Penticton is not only the best team in the league, they are tops in pretty much every major category: goals for, goals against, power play, penalty kill, 2 goals back of Powell River for the most shorthanded goals (14 vs 16), and their goaltender Michael Garteig leads the league in GAA and SV% for starting netminders
the Vees have long surpassed the record for most consecutive wins which the New West Royals set back in 1989/90 with 29, but now they're after the Royals record of 38 straight games going undefeated, so that's the record that Merritt will get a chance to snap. Meanwhile the Vees will be motivated simply by keeping their streak alive, surpassing the 38 game undefeated mark, and trying to run the table in their final 8 games, which a lot of people have predicted they will do. The Cents will try and prove those people wrong tonight!
THE BUZZ IS IN THE AIR! MAKE SURE YOU'RE AT THE RINK TONIGHT! FILL THE BARN!
Opening face-off tonight is at 7:30pm from the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena. Our pre-game show gets going at 7 o'clock. You can tune in on Q101 FM in Merritt, online at Q101.ca or on the BCHL fanzone through bchl.ca
Here are the projected lineups for both Merritt and Penticton, with Dylan Chanter drawing back into the lineup in favour of Ross Mancuso, and Tyler Steel getting the nod between the pipes:
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)
The main key for Merritt tonight was to stay focused on Trail and not look ahead to Penticton. Mission accomplished. The guys came out hungry and kept their foot on the gas pedal for 40 minutes before putting it on cruise control in the 3rd for a 7-2 victory.
the 1st period was one of the most dominant that Merritt has played this season, and that says a lot for a team that recently went 6 straight and 9 of 10 without scoring a 1st period goal. They piled on 24 shots (a single period record for them this season) and were all over the Smoke-Eaters. And the 10 shots against were not very dangerous
Merritt started the game in the 1st minute on a 4 minute power play, when Connor Tiechko high-sticked Brandon Bruce and drew blood, causing the double minor. Despite good puck control, the Cents didn't create very many quality chances and got blanked on the 4 minutes, which could have been a potential turning point for Trail, but instead was the start of a feeding frenzy for the Cents
shortly after the power play had expired, Sean Maktaak opened the scoring 6 minutes into the game off a feed from Shinkaruk... Maktaak fanned on his original shot, but got it back on his stick and snapped a shoft from the left hashmark over the left shoulder of the 5'6 Lyndon Stanwood between the pipes for the Smokies.
a minute and a half later, the Cents won a loose puck battle (credit to Harper), and he cycled behind the goal for Fletcher, who centered a perfect pass for Reichert to cap off a nifty passing play. Reichert made it 2-0, and the rout was on
the Cents would get another chance on the power play (as it turned out, it would be their last one on the night) late in the 1st period, and this time they would break through. After controlling a face-off, Brandon Pfeil threw the puck on net from the top of the point, and Brears tipped it in to make it 3-0 through 20 minutes of play
the 2nd period was equally as dominant for Merritt, even though the shots were closer at 14-9 in favour of the Cents. But they were a constant danger in the offensive zone and skated circles around the Smoke-Eaters, creating chance after chance after chance
the 4th goal came on a bit of a broken play, as Stack, coming across the blueline on the right wing, tried to feed a pass across to Soquila, but it was partially blocked, landing back on Stack's stick... so he walked into the slot and fired a hard shot on goal that trickled through Stanwood before Brears tapped it into an empty net for his 2nd of the game (and 25th of the season, to get back within 2 of Stack for the team lead in goal scoring)
a minute and a half later, after Reichert nearly scored on a great chance out front, he centered for Harper who buried his first of two on the night to make the score 5-0
...and 2 minutes later, after arguably the most dominant shift of the season for the Centennials (not surprisingly by the top line of Stack, Brears and Soquila), Reece Wilcox was able to finish it off with his 4th of the season to increase the lead to 6-0. Surprisingly, there was never a mercy hook for Lyndon Stanwood, who ended up going down with the sinking ship
after Chimienti made a fantastic point blank save on Connor Tiechko, minutes later, the Smoke-Eaters broke though... after hitting the post on a shot from the left circle, Poulsen fired a shot on net from the right point that was stopped by Lino, but McMullen jammed it in on a scramble in the crease to spoil Lino's shutout bit with 5 and a half minutes left in the 2nd frame
undeterred, the Cents came right back and got the goal back just 2 minutes later. Another pretty 3-way passing play, this time from Fletcher to Reichert, back door to Harper for his 2nd of the game to make it 7-1, which is how the period would finish
Tyler Martin took a double-minor penalty himself for high sticking late in the 2nd, and the Cents were able to kill off a brief 2 man advantage, but the power play carried over for 2:27 into the 3rd period for Trail
in the 3rd, early stages, the Smoke-Eaters were able to break through with exactly 2 minutes left in the double minor to Martin (which extended their power play for another 2 minutes), as Connor Tiechko (easily the best Smoke-Eater tonight) made a nice move to get past Marshall at center, and with speed across the line, centered a perfect pass for captain Clayton McEwan to cut the lead to 7-2, which would actually be the end of the scoring in this game. This goal also snapped Merritt's 18 for 18 penalty killing streak over 4 games and 2 periods
the Centennials still outshot Trail in the 3rd 13-6, but I don't think that was reflective of the period. The Smoke-Eaters had a few very good shifts and pinned Merritt in their own zone on a few occasions where the Cents were left to just clear to relieve the pressure. This was the first sign of vulnerability the Cents showed all game, and you have to give credit to Trail for still battling in a game that got out of hand on them
the Cents had a few chances in the 3rd period, and many of them were by the 4th line of Low, Lamont and Schaefer, who were clearly desperate to score, but just couldn't buy the breaks the other lines could (every other line scored tonight, but it's been 9 games now since anyone on the 4th line has registered a point, dating back to a Jan 22 game where Lamont assisted on a Harper breakaway goal)
*It's easy to overlook Lino Chimienti on this night, but he did exactly what he needed to... stopped everything he should have, made 1 or 2 big saves (had no chance on the 2 goals against him) and let the offense win the game for him
*the 4th line got caught in their own zone a few times, but still easily outplayed Trail's 4th line... they looked dangerous for much of the night, but can't buy any breaks. They're the last "piece to the puzzle" to have a full, well-oiled machine
*the other 3 lines were equally impressive, even though the top line again stood out the most for Merritt, as they seemed to generate quality chances each and every time they were on the ice
*the Centennials also deserve credit for playing a solid defensive game. They did have a few careless turnovers, but for the most part, everyone battled equally at both ends of the ice, and Lino Chimienti was helped numerous times on blocked shots and broken up plays, such as the backcheck stick lift by Carter Shinkaruk on a shorthanded breakaway for Cooper
*after a 6 game losing skid where they scored just 5 goals, the Centennials 4 game win streak has seen them outscore the opposition 26-5
***Sorry for the late post, but things got a little busy with filling in on the afternoon show today...
Merritt: 29-17-2-5 (65pts) - 2nd in Interior (lead Prince George by 3pts, but PG has 1 game in hand)
LAST GAME: 4-2 win over Chilliwack last Saturday (3rd straight victory after a 6 game losing skid)
Trail: 11-34-1-4 (27pts) - 8th/last in Interior and overall
LAST GAME: 4-2 loss in Penticton last night, on Thursday (6th straight loss)
Season Series: Merritt 1-2-1-0 (both teams have scored 12 goals)
*The last meeting was way back on Dec. 10, a 3-0 Merritt shutout victory
the two teams saw each other twice at the very beginning of the season, 4 times total in 5 months total, and now will meet each other 4 times in a span of 2 weeks (+ 1 day). So despite the fact that Trail doesn't have a playoff spot to play for (they were mathematically eliminated a while ago, currently 33 points back), they will definitely look to win this 4-game mini-series and send a message before they're done
after their 6 game losing slide, the Centennials were starting to get counted out by some to even make the playoffs, but the 7-1 win over Vernon has completely reversed their fortune, and they are coming off their best week of the season, 3 dominant wins, outscoring their opposition 19-3
funny again how things work in sports... after nothing went right, and I mean NOTHING during their 6 game slide, suddenly all aspects of the team's game are coming around again, almost full circle. Their offense is as hot as it ever has been (minus the 4th line, who are still playing well, but not getting results), their team defense is back in the fold, the goaltenders have been strong, and both their special teams, power play and penalty kill, are playing much better. The power play went 2 for 5 vs Chilliwack (but looked dangerous on all 5 tries), while their penalty kill has gone a perfect 16 for 16 over the last 4 games (before that they gave up power play goals in 5 straight games)
clearly the main concern for Merritt down the stretch in their final 7 regular season games is CONSISTENCY! They want to be one of the hottest teams come playoff time, and keep that snowball rolling in the right direction
tonight the Cents have a chance to do what they couldn't do in late January, which is come into a game vs Penticton "on fire". If you'll recall, they had a 7 game win streak heading into a very winnable 3 games on their island road trip, but they lost 2 of 3, and then that demoralized team got embarassed by Penticton in Merritt 9-0. In order to avoid anything close to a repeat, the Cents need to have another great game tonight, and come into tomorrow's match with Penticton (winners of 35 in a row) feeling as good about themselves as they ever have. Half the battle is/will be mental
speaking of the mental battle, the biggest test tonight for the Centennials will be to keep focused on Trail and not look ahead to tomorrow night, which I'm sure is on the back of everyone's mind. They need to take the Smokies seriously and show them and play them with respect, especially considering how much difficulty they've had against them in the season series
I mentioned that the Centennials are getting balances scoring from everyone lately (in the past week), except for the 4th line trio of Brayden Low, Payton Schaefer and Brendan Lamont. Well with all due respect to Trail, they are a vulnerable group today with their standing and having lost 6 straight, and averaging nearly 5 goals against per game, so tonight is a great opportunity for that 4th line to get on the scoresheet and round out that team confidence ahead of Penticton tomorrow (there's no pressure right now with how well the team has performed and how many goals they've scored, but the 4th line will need to be at their best vs Penticton, that's for sure)
as for Trail, I mentioned that they don't have a playoff spot to motivate them, but they are playing for pride, they're playing for jobs, they're playing for scholarships (don't have any), and they're playing for a chance to be "spoilers"
the Smoke-Eaters have shown an ability this season to compete with any team in the league, despite their last place standing, and they recently went on a run going 5-3 before their current 6 game losing slide. So they can play and they can keep motivated without a playoff spot on the horizon
former Centennials assistant coach Bill Birks was quoted recently as saying that the team has embraced the role of "spoiler", and when they're playing with no pressure, as loose as they are, with 2 former Merritt coaches (including assistant Bob Dever), that poses a danger to the Centennials who are, frankly, under a lot more pressure and under more expectations than the Smoke-Eaters
like I mentioned earlier, the main key for Merritt tonight is to come to the rink with the right mental approach, like it is Penticton tonight, and not Trail. As long as they stick to their game, don't give up any soft goals (Lino Chimienti should be good, but doesn't need to be great), they should be just fine and come out with another 2 points. They can also help themselves by drawing a few penalties with their work ethic, and feasting on the Smokies 75% penalty kill, especially while Merritt is coming off their best game on the power play in a long time
Opening face-off tonight is at 7:30pm from the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena. Our pre-game show gets going at 7 o'clock. You can tune in on Q101 FM in Merritt, online at Q101.ca or on the BCHL fanzone through bchl.ca
*I will try to have player of the week Evan Stack, runner-up Brandon Bruce and recent scholarship recipient Dylan Chanter on my pre-game show tonight (even though he's not playing due to an injury)
Here are the projected lineups for the Centennials tonight, with Lino Chimienti scheduled to get the start between the pipes for the 2nd straight game:
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)
*I don't have the ability to transfer their lineup for tonight's game onto my blog, but I can tell you that there are no AP's in their lineup (they've have a few over the season). Their only scratch is 18 year old rookie forward Adam Fares, and James D'Andrea is scheduled to get the start between the pipes, despite the fact that Lyndon Stanwood has been outstanding vs Merritt(85 saves on 90 shots, for a save percentage of .944%). I suspect the Smokies might still go with Stanwood, as D'Andrea played last night and was very busy facing 43 shots in Penticton
It was an oustanding week for the Merritt Centennials. They were a flawless 3-0, outscoring their opposition 19-3, and they were led by their captain who had multiple point nights throughout. Evan Stack picked up 2 assists in a 7-1 triumph over Vernon on Tuesday, 2 goals and an assist in an 8-0 pummeling of Coquitlam on Friday, and another 2 clutch, 3rd period goals (including the game winner) to defeat Chilliwack 4-2 on Saturday. All in all, Stack finished the week with an impressive 4 goals and 4 assists in 3 games, and took a 4 goal lead over Chad Brears for the team lead in goal-scoring (27 for Evan to 23 for Chad).
The Centennials were so strong that they even received 2 honorable mentions this week, including forward Brandon Bruce who scored in all 3 games and finished with 4 goals and 2 assists, and defenseman Richard Sabourin, who had a phenomenal game on Saturday and finished the week with 3 assists, following a 9 game pointless drought.
*It's worth noting that this is the 2nd player of the week the Centennials have received this season. The first one came near the tail end of their 7 game winning streak when Lino Chimienti got 2 shutouts in 2 games. And then after a frustrating 6 game slide, the Cents had maybe their best week of the season to pick up another player of the week nod.
***I will try to get both Evan Stack and Brandon Bruce on the pre-game show ahead of Friday's game vs Trail
In this latest edition, I catch up with the newest Centennial acquired at the trading deadline from Powell River, 20-year-old Carter Shinkaruk. We discuss his transition into Merritt and his post-BCHL future after the season is over. Enjoy!
