Preview: Merritt @ Victoria

Merritt 25-11-2-5 (57 pts) - 2nd in Interior
LAST GAME: 3-2 loss in Alberni Valley yesterday (snapped a 7 game win/9 game point streak)

Victoria 18-25-0-0 (36 pts) - 6th in the Coastal Conference (14 pts back of Coquitlam for the final playoff spot, but they have 17 games left, Coquitlam has 20)
LAST GAME: 5-2 loss to Coquitlam yesterday (lost 6 in a row, outscored 46-14 during the skid)

*First and only meeting between the two teams

• after a cold, pouring rain kind of day yesterday, the sun is shining on the Island today, so life goes on after a devastating loss in Alberni Valley last night

• the loss last night might have been the biggest heartbreaker of the season, especially based on the circumstances, so the question is "where do you go from here"? How does the team get past it? I think it's a lot easier said than done, but that's the task at hand

• the guys will play this game with a feeling they're unaccustomed to... the feeling of losing. It's a sting they haven't felt since Dec 29, and are certainly not used to it. The question will be how do they channel that feeling? They can either be dejected and play that way, or play with anger and hunger to avenge the results of last night

• this is an important game for peace of mind. The Grizzlies have been mired in a miserable tailspin since the trading deadline and don't appear to be close to ending it. A Merritt loss tonight would raise a few alarm bells I'm sure with the coaches and the fans. The Cents can't afford to be beaten by two bottom-feeders back to back, especially when the 2nd team tonight is the coldest team in the league

• Merritt will need to approach this game with the right mentality, and not overlook the Grizzlies despite all their struggles. The game should be a cakewalk if the Cents play their game and don't shoot themselves in the foot. A blowout win tonight could be effective in helping to forget yesterday entirely

• ultimately, this weekend doesn't mean much in the standings for Merritt, as they still have a 10 point lead on Prince George and 11 point lead on Chilliwack for 2nd... essentially, this weekend is a tee-up for Penticton on Wednesday (if they beat Prince George tomorrow, they will enter that game on a 25-game winning streak), and the Centennials need to head into that game oozing with confidence and not doubting themselves, or it could be a long night. Therefore the game today and tomorrow are monstrous for their mental state come Wednesday

• Victoria were the biggest sellers at the trading deadline, moving away all their top players (Wade Murphy, Jarryd TenVaanholt, Mike Collins, Taylor Pernerowski and goalie Jamie Tucker. They also lost all-star Wesley Myron to a season-ending injury/surgery). They've been playing with a bare-bones lineup ever since, including yesterday when they had just 10 regular skaters plus 3 AP's, but still played 6 players short of a full lineup. That is near impossible to overcome, no matter who you play

• the one thing you can't overlook with Victoria is their power play. Even after the trading deadline, it continues to click with regularity. Just like Merritt's power play, Victoria has scored 5 straight games with the man advantage, including going 7 for 17 in their last 4. So the Cents might not realize it, but staying out of the box would be a good idea tonight

• Victoria's head coach is also their owner, former NHL'er Len Barrie, and he has been quoted as saying that he feels confident with his team's ability to be near the top again next year with all the roster moves (mainly future considerations, which are players coming in at the conclusion of this season). But right now, during this 6 game skid, the Grizzlies are averaging just over 2 goals per game, and just under 8 goals against per game (over 8 in the last 5 games), so they are as ripe for the picking as anyone in the league right now. It's a great opportunity for Merritt to regain their swagger after what happened last night

• Merritt will need to find scoring from a few more sources as well. Evan Stack and Chad Brears are the only 2 players to find the back of the net over the last 2 games, and the Centennials have just 7 goals in their last 3 games overall

• if there was any game where the message would be to just "SHOOT", then this is it. The Grizzlies goaltenders have next to no confidence right now (at least 5 goals against in 5 straight games), and playing with a very limited lineup, the Cents can tired out the Grizzlies very quickly by hemming them in their own zone. This could lead to an easy night for Merritt and a long night for the Grizzlies

*LINEUP NOTES: Brandon Bruce's weekend is over. He has been suspended 2 games for his hit to the head penalty last night which led to a 5 minute Bulldogs powerplay and Bruce getting a game misconduct. That means Bruce is the only scratch for tonight. Tyler Martin will play up front (most likely on the 3rd line with Shinkaruk and Maktaak), while Dylan Chanter draws back into the lineup on defense. The goaltending rotation continues with Tyler Steel getting the start between the pipes

Note the face-off time tonight: Puck drop is at 7:15 from the Bear Mountain Arena in Victoria. That means the pre-game show starts at 6:45. You can tune in on Q101 FM in Merritt or online at Q101.ca

Centennials get Robbed in the Dogpound, Denied the "Great 8"

(the game winner with 3 seconds left, courtesy of Evan Hammond's Bulldogs blog... video underneath)

 

It's as if the hockey gods were playing a cruel joke on Merritt. It's the definition of "tease and denial". Against all odds, the Centennials stormed back in the 3rd period but were denied their 8th straight victory by a Bulldogs buzzer beater. The term "heartbreaker" is often overused, probably more by me than anyone else, but this is what heartbreak really is:

• I said before, you never quite know what you're gonna get when 2 stranger teams meet for the first and only time. And tonight, what we got was pure entertainment

• Merritt was a little slow out of the gate and didn't show much jump, which was natural considering the marathon trip that started at 5:30am in Merritt. They were fine defensively, but had almost no life offensively, not registering their 1st shot until about the 6 minute mark of the period

• after both teams struggled on their respective 1st power play of the game, the Bulldogs were the first team in 8 tries to score first on Merritt, using their 2nd power play to get on the board on a Turner Popoff slap shot from the right circle. This seemed to knock the Cents off guard a bit, as it was not only the first time since Dec 29 (over 3 weeks) that they had surrendered the first goal, but also the first time they trailed in a hockey game since 2011

• as the period wore on, the Centennials found their legs and the game really opened up. There was plenty of up and down action and odd man rushes both ways, creating an exciting atmosphere and an entertaining game to broadcast. But the 2 netminders stole the show; Lino Chimienti for Merritt, and Cameron Large (affiliate callup from the Comox Valley Glacier Kings of the VIJHL) for Alberni Valley

• the 2nd period, as maybe expected, was Merritt's best, as they pushed hard for the equalizer and created some glorious chances but simply didn't have the finish... they weren't crisp on a lot of passes and made a lot of unforced errors that took away more scoring opportunities, sometimes on 2nd chances. But you could tell the effort was there

• after Sabourin had his point-shot blocked, new Bulldog Hunter Stewart sprung himself for a breakaway, and Bulldogs captain Trent Dorais was able to bury the rebound, against the flow of play, to give Alberni Valley a 2-0 lead. Now you could tell the Cents were a little worried\

• Lino Chimienti continued to stand tall and give Merritt a chance to climb back into it, but again they had trouble with their finish, including on a late power play, where the top line trio of Stack, Soquila and Brears did everything but score. It looked like a do or die power play to get life for the 3rd, but as it turned out, it wouldn't really factor into the game story at all

• at the conclusion of Merritt's failed late 2nd period power play, Brandon Bruce got 5 minutes and a game misconduct for a hit to the head in the last minute of play. This meant that the Bulldogs would get 5 minutes of power play no matter what, 4:25 of which carried over into the 3rd period

• the Centennials were full credit for a superb PK on the 5 minute major, but then Evan Stack took a high-sticking penalty that put his team down 2 men for a full 2 minutes. It looked to be the final straw for Merritt, but once again, we were fooled

• Merritt played the 2-man down situation as perfectly as they could and Lino Chimienti was clutch... they were able to kill off the whole thing unscathed and get back to even strength with 15 minutes still left to play. A predicted turning point, and it sure was...

• Regan Soquila forced the Bulldogs into a turnover from behind their own goal, allowing Evan Stack to cut in from the top of the left circle uncontested, and he made a great move to the backhand to get Merritt on the board. You could sense the penalty kill was a complete momentum and game changer

• Merritt came fast and furious at the Bulldogs looking for the equalizer, but still relied heavily on Lino Chimienti to bail them out on a few occasions, which he did

• finally, on their 3rd power play, the Cents would strike again, and once again it would be the captain... driving hard around the defense on the left wing, cutting in with a shot that appeared to be stopped, but somehow trickled across the line to tie the game at 2. The Merritt bench was in jubilation. The guy who took the penalty to give the Bulldogs a 5 on 3 wound up tying the game himself with 2 beautiful goals

• as if Merritt's fortunes weren't good enough already, Bulldogs defender Walker Hyland would take a high-sticking penalty with just over 2 minutes left in regulation to allow Merritt to put an exclamation mark on the comeback. And they had a few chances, particularly a superb chance for Brayden Low who pick-pocketed a Bulldog at their own blueline and created a 2 on 1 which led to a breakaway... but Cameron Large came up "Large" turning aside the shot with his right pad and blocker, allowing the game to continue, and presumably, go to overtime. BUT...

• just as everyone expected overtime, Hyland stepped out of the box, was fed a pass to center by Berkholtz with 10 seconds left, and the rest, as they say, is history... Hyland danced into the zone, dropped a pass off for Ryan Lough, who made a great move around the defense, and went backdoor to Hyland again... with 3 seconds left, Hyland, who almost cost his team the game with the late penalty, buried the opportunity past a sprawling Chimienti, and THAT was how Merritt suffered their first loss of 2012, and saw their win streak end at 7

Here's how it all ended for Merritt (video courtesy of Evan Hammond's Bulldogs blog):




*the game wasn't necessarily chippy/dirty, but there were lots of big hits, many questionable ones, and I believe the referee Carl Poole let a lot of things go both ways, that maybe he shouldn't have. The Bulldogs players were dropping like flies it seemed, but credit to them they kept bouncing back up and playing the next shift

*this was the 2nd game in a row where only the top line scored for Merritt... in the last 2 games, Brears and Stack have been the only ones to find the back of the net. The other lines are working hard, but it will become a problem if they can't find a way to turn hard work into goals

*both Captains led by example, as the Bulldogs Trent Dorais was the best skater for them all night long, picking up a goal and an assist... but he created many more chances and played a very solid 2-way game

*Cameron Large did exactly what coach Luke Pierce and I feared... in his first BCHL game of the season, he stood on his head and stole the show... he was extremely clutch and basically "stole" this game for the Bulldogs

*Lino Chimienti did all he could, but it wasn't enough. The Popoff goal in the 1st period snapped a streak of 155 minutes and 25 seconds of shutout hockey for Lino. The loss also snapped his own personal 5 game winning streak

*Merritt's run of perfect penalty killing ended at 19 straight kills tonight (they were a perfect 16 for 16 in the 4 games leading up to this), but their power play goal gives them 5 straight games with at least 1 PP goal

*Not only does the loss snap Merritt's 7 game win streak, it also snaps a 9 game points streak (their first regulation loss in 10 games), and it snaps what was a very impressive 5 game road winning streak



The sting of this game is tough to take, even for myself. I too got caught up in the ride, and it's hard not to feel bad for the guys the way they lost this game. It just doesn't seem fair. Not that they lost in general, but the way they lost. The post-game meal didn't taste quite as good as it should have, the bus ride back to the hotel felt depressing, and back in my room, where I'm usually pretty jovial, all I really wanted to do was stare at the ceiling. It was hard to motivate myself to get my thoughts down on paper (or on screen I should say). But here they are. It's a tough pill to swallow for everyone involved I'm sure, and I can only imagine that the players and coaches feel even worse.

But the Centennials have no time to dwell on it or feel sorry for themselves, as it's a quick turnaround before heading to the provincial capital to take on the spiraling Victoria Grizzlies tonight

***As I am at the hotel and have no access to clips from the game, I will be unable to post my usual audio highlights for this game or the next vs Victoria, but by some point on Monday, I will try to have the audio highlights up from all 3 weekend games

Westside @ Merritt Video Highlights

Courtesy of Paul McLellan at SHAW TV, here are the highlights from Merritt's 7th straight victory, a 2-1 triumph over the Westside Warriors on Wednesday:

Major Changes Coming Again for the BCHL

WOW! That's all I can say. After a slew of significant rule changes last year, particularly the playoff format for this year, the BCHL is at it again. The annual Governor's meeting will see a slew of changes for next year as well. The biggest change that will affect me personally is that the number of games in a season has been cut by 4, which will be a bit of a financial burden on the BCHL broadcasters who already do their job mostly for the love of the game. And as someone who loves the game and the league, and someone who feels the season is too short as is, I'm a little choked to see it get cut once again. 

Another major change to affect the Centennials is the movement of Chilliwack and Prince George (WHAT?! Yeah!) to the Coastal Conference, which will create two separate Coastal Divisions, once again: the Island and Mainland Division. This means that Merritt will be left in a very tough decision with the 4 (usually dominant) Okanagan teams and the Trail Smoke-Eaters, who are also bound for a much better season next year. Westside and Salmon Arm have made plenty of moves that should get them back to prominence next season, and you have to think that Vernon's stumble this year is a one-off, especially when you consider the amount of significant injuries they've had. So it will be that much tougher for Merritt next season. Though the playoff format is yet to be determined. Here are all the details on what the BCHL has come up with:

 The British Columbia Hockey League passed a number of significant motions Thursday at the league’s semi-annual governors meeting in Richmond. The changes will take effect in the 2012-13 season.

To allow more fans to attend games, governors voted to lower the number of regular season games from 60 to 56. This will decrease the number of mid-week games when fans are less able to attend. Now, a greater percentage of home dates can be held on the prime nights of Friday and Saturday.

Also, a showcase event will be held Sept. 7 to 9 at a site yet to be determined. The showcase is similar to events held in the Alberta and Saskatchewan Junior Hockey leagues where college and professional scouts are invited. Showcase results will count in the regular season standings. Each BCHL team will play two games at the event meaning all teams, except the host of the showcase, will then have 27 home dates in the 2012-13 season. Any revenues from the showcase will be split up amongst the league’s 16 clubs. Teams are being asked to submit by Feb. 1 their bids to host the event.

Another motion that passed was the decision to move the start of the regular season to Sept. 14, 2012. This will mark the date that the standard BCHL regular-season format shall commence though by that point, two regular season games will have been played at the showcase event by each team.

The season will end March 10, 2013 which means the coming season is two weeks longer than normal. This also will allow more games to be scheduled on prime nights rather than mid week.

With respect to the alignment of the conferences, there will be now be 10 teams in the Coastal Conference and it will be split into two groups called the Island Division and Mainland Division. The Island Division will include Victoria, Cowichan Valley, Nanaimo, Alberni Valley and Powell River. The Mainland Division will include Coquitlam, Surrey, Langley, Chilliwack and Prince George.

Prince George will be given the option to return to the Interior Conference after the conclusion of the 2013 playoffs. With Prince George and Chilliwack set to join the Coastal Conference, the new Interior Conference will include the remaining teams: Merritt, Trail, Penticton, Vernon, Salmon Arm and Westside.

“These decisions were not made in haste and came only after lengthy debate by our governors,” said BCHL commissioner John Grisdale. “The BCHL considers itself an innovator and model for Junior A hockey in Canada and these decisions, not all of them unanimous, have been made with the intention of ensuring the long-term viability of our league.”

Each club has been asked to submit new playoff format ideas to the BCHL office by Feb. 1, 2012. After that, a decision will be made and announced.

Preview: Merritt @ Alberni Valley

Merritt: 25-10-2-5 (57 pts) - 2nd in Interior
LAST GAME: 2-1 win over Westside on Wednesday (won 7 in a row, outscoring the opposition 24-7. Merritt has also won 5 straight on the road)

Alberni Valley: 14-22-2-0 (30 pts) - Tied for 7th/8th on the Coastal Conference with Langley, but have played 3 less games than the Rivermen
LAST GAME: 7-0 loss to Powell River on Saturday

*First and only meeting of the season between the 2 teams

• it was a close call for Merritt Wednesday vs Westside, as they were pushed to the brink and forced into a grueling, physical, likely exhausting war. It might be a good thing. It might serve as a "wake-up call" to stay on their toes without actually having to lose a game

• with each passing win, excitement in the community is building and I think the players are thriving on this. The motivation is now to see far they can push this magical run

• based on the 4 game home stand (the 3 game road trip prior had a few ups and downs), if Merritt keeps playing that way, this streak could go up to 10 games ahead of the highly anticipated home ice rematch with the Penticton Vees next Wednesday. The Cents are getting timely scoring that was very balanced up until the last game, they're winning special teams every night (scored on the PP in 4 straight, 6 for 22, and perfect on the PK in 4 straight, 16 for 16), they're playing team defense with clutch goaltending (given up just 3 goals in their last 5 games, and only 8 goals during the 7 game win streak). On top of that, Merritt has scored 1st in every game during this streak, which makes the streak a well-deserving one and not just a coincidence

• the number one priority for Merritt for this game and during the Island road trip will be to stay the course and not get over-confident that just because the teams they're playing are struggling in the standings, things will fall into place easily. That's simply not the case. Even though they're playing the so-called "bottom feeders" of the Coast, these games can be tricky. Merritt does not know the teams, their systems or tendencies, and in just one game to figure it out, it's easy to get burned by something unexpected. Players on Alberni Valley and Victoria are still playing for scholarships this year and jobs next year, while Nanaimo on Sunday will be extremely hungry pushing for that final playoff spot

• as for the Bulldogs, they were hoping that when new head coach Kevin Willison took over in early December for Paul Esdale, there would be a miraculous turnaround. The passionate fanbase was calling for Esdale's head, and when they got their wish, the Bulldogs won their first game under Willison 3-1 over the Costal Conference leading Cowichan Valley Capitals. But overall, they have gone 4-8-1-0 under the new bench boss, and are now all but mathematically out of playoff contention, 18 points back of 4th place Coquitlam. So they will play for pride and try to play the role of spoilers

• scoring 1st would be astronomical for Merritt in this game, as this will be the longest trip they make all season before playing a game. A trip that will start between 5 and 5:30 in the morning. All in all, the Centennials might be in survival mode in the 1st period, and should probably be happy if they come out tied or with any sort of lead. The travel legs will be tough to overcome. The best thing the Cents can do is just fire rubber towards the net and hope for a good bounce or rebounds. This game, especially the 1st period, is probably not the time to get fancy, not after the marathon road trip that leads up to puck drop. Getting too pretty might be the only thing loses this game for Merritt if it leads to mental mistakes and odd-man rushes the other way

*Lino Chimienti will get the start between the pipes as the rotation is back in full swing. The Centennials also get forward Sean Maktaak back from a concussion. Maktaak missed 5 games in a row after taking a hit to the head from Salmon Arm defenseman Taylor Love  (who got a 2 game suspension for the hit) on January 6th. That means somebody will have to come out of the lineup, and that scratch will be revealed by Coach Pierce when the team arrives to the hotel tomorrow afternoon. All in all, it's great news to have the scorching Centennials back to 100% healthy. Not many teams can make that claim. And that's likely a big reason for Merritt's success of late and throughout the season; avoiding any serious longterm injuries.

Opening face-off from the Weyerhaeuser Arena in Alberni Valley is at 7 o'clock. I'll have the pre-game show on the air starting at 6:30. You can tune in on Q101 FM in Merritt or online at Q101.ca

"Meet the Cents" with Evan Stack

In this latest edition of "Meet the Cents", I sit down with captain Evan Stack, and we talk about his journey with fellow teammates Chad Brears and Billy Marshall, as well as the thrill of having the "C" sewn on his jersey.

7th Heaven as the Cents Edge the Warriors

 

Chad Brears provided all the offense, and Tyler Steel provided the stellar goaltending we've become accustomed to, as the Merritt Centennials fought tooth and nail for a 2-1 victory over the Westside Warriors, their 7th win in a row!

• As I predicted before the game, this was probably the toughest game the Centennials have had to play in a while... perhaps, uncoincidentally, since their last loss, a 6-5 overtime defeat at the hands of the same Warriors back on Dec. 29

• Both teams came to play in this one, as the Centennials maintained their work ethic, and the Warriors played like a team that still had faith a playoff spot was within reach

• The Cents and Warriors traded plenty of chances in the opening 20 minutes, a period with plenty of flow to it despite no scoring. Both goaltenders (Tyler Steel and Dwayne Rodrigue) looked extremely sharp, and even though Rodrigue faced almost twice as many shots as Steel (15-8), I thought the period was quite evenly played. The difference was that every time Merritt was in the offensive zone, they would usually come out with shots, whereas the Warriors were sometimes thwarted by blocked shots or broken up plays (credit to Merritt there). The key for Merritt was Steel's shorthanded breakaway save on Max French (who had 12 goals in 15 games since coming back from injury, including 2 in the last game vs Merritt), allowing Merritt to open the scoring for the 7th straight game (not a coincidence that they won 7 in a row)

• Merritt would open the scoring early in the 2nd period. After struggling on their first 2 power plays, the usual suspects would break through... Regan Soquila threw the puck towards the net from the right halfboards, and it took a fortuitous bounce onto the stick of the waiting Brears at the bottom of the left circle. Chad buried the puck high blocker on Rodrigue, who couldn't come across fast enough. But unlike in the other games this past weekend, the 1st goal did not lead to the other teams unraveling

• The Warriors fought extremely hard in the 2nd period, and prevented the Centennials from taking control of the game, which they could of. Merritt had a 4-1 power play advantage in the 2nd period, but after Brears' goal, they struggled mightily to set up or generate many scoring chances. The Warriors were very aggressive on the puck, and the likes of Hascarl, Blanleil and French were outstanding killing penalty after penalty, and even generating chances shorthanded. All in all, the Warriors were full credit for escaping the 2nd giving up just the 1 goal, and having the shots evened up at 9. What could have been a formality of a 3rd period wound up being a war

• The Centennials started the 3rd period on a power play as well, as Seb Lloyd took a charging penalty at the 20 minute mark of the 2nd. It was another great chance for Merritt to get some insurance, but again they struggled with the man advantage (again credit to the Warriors). This left the door open for Westside, but even though they got the next 2 power plays, Merritt's penalty kill was equally as good, and Tyler Steel was, not surprisingly, their best penalty killer (which helps when he took one of the penalties himself for tripping). But surprisingly, despite all the power plays both ways, it was a time when power plays overlapped and the teams went 4 on 4 that the Warriors finally found a way to solve Tyler Steel... a nice rush led by Hochhausen led to a centering pass from him at the right point, and defenseman Bet Betker, of all people, with just his 4th goal of the season, was able to tip it past Tyler Steel on top of the crease, to tie the game for the Warriors. Tyler clearly showed his anger and frustration in giving up the goal (even though I don't think there was anything more he could have done), but he channeled that frustrating the right way, and was able to shut the door the rest of the way

• Finally, on their 9th power play, with the game almost given away due to a struggling power play, the Cents managed to break through once more. Regan Soquila took an innocent looking, but hard snap shot from the top of the right circle, it was blockered aside by Rodrigue, but the juicy rebound came to Chad Brears at the side of the goal, and under pressure, he was able to golf at the puck on the backhand, and chip it just over the blocker of Rodrigue and across the goal line from a terrible angle. Once again, Merritt "found" a way, and this goal with 8 minutes left wound up being the game winner

• Ironically enough, after seemingly struggling on the power play for most of the night, the Cents still wound up a very respectable 2 for 9 on the man advantage (scored on the PP in 4 straight now), and improved on their 20% mark. At the same time, they went 5 for 5 on the PK (perfect through the 4 game home stand) and have now killed off 55 of 60 over the last 17 games, for an astounding 91.7% penalty kill percentage. They have not given up more than 1 power play goal on any given game during this stretch. Hard to believe considering how badly they got burned on the PK earlier this season, giving up multiple PP goals on many nights. It's been a complete 180 degree turnaround in many aspects of their game

• The one main difference on this night from the other wins during this stretch is that it was entirely 1 line who got the job done. Both goals were Brears (who now overtakes Stack for the team lead in goals at 19) from Soquila and Stack. Even though the other lines battled hard (for instance, Payton Schaefer had an outstanding penalty kill shift in the 3rd, they were not overly noticable offensively, and most of the chances seemed to come either from the top line trio or the defensemen who had a few good looks. Now considering this was the first game in a while where all 4 lines didn't contribute evenly, I'm sure it won't be much of a concern, but at the same time I know coach Luke Pierce will want to once again see all his lines going and contributing come the Island road trip this weekend

Here are the highlights from a very exciting, intense, 2-1 Merritt victory:

Westside @ Merritt Jan 18 Highlights by agreb21