"Meet the Cents" with Tyler Steel

I know this is a little late, but if you haven't caught it yet on SHAW TV or online, here's my chat with Tyler Steel (likely next year's starting goaltender) about his time growing up in Vernon, his versatility in a pair of sports, and his fiery personality.
*NOT my best hair day (or camera angle)

"On The Grid" Featuring Regan Soquila

You might remember the first "On the Grid" feature that focused on Evan Stack, well this one focuses on Merritt's leading scorer this season, Regan Soquila. It was filmed before a game in Vernon a couple months ago by the talented folks from "Hockeytube.net"

Hockeytube.net talks to Merritt Centennials forward and the BCHL's Most Sportsmanlike Player award winner #12 Regan Soquila. The Maple Ridge resident talks about joining the Cents and his success this season. Also another round of 90 seconds!

Magical Merritt Season Ends in Penticton

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

It wasn't the way that Merritt wanted to go out, but it seemed like the emotional crash from a heartbreaking game 4 in Merritt was too much to overcome Monday in Penticton, as the Cents dropped game 5 by a 6-2 final in Penticton, losing the Interior Final 4 games to 1, and thus ending what's been a memorable season for everyone involved.

The Centennials had a great chance to get some life early in the game, when the Vees took a penalty in the opening minute. But unfortunately, as has been the case all series, the Centennials power play couldn't get the big goal when needed, and it would cost them. As a matter of fact, they would finish the game 0 for 8 and the series 1 for 20 (5%) on the power play; a big factor in this best-of-seven series.

Right as the power play to Gervais expired, he came out of the box and was allowed to walk into the Merritt zone and cut right into the left hashmark, where he wired a wrist shot high blocker side on Chimienti to open up a 1-0 lead (the 5th time in 5 games that Penticton scored first, and the 4th time it was within the first 3 minutes).

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

Less than 3 minutes later, Mario Lucia (BCHL player of the week) made a nifty dangle to cut right on top of the crease from the right wing, and while his initial shot was stopped, Wade Muprhy pounced on the rebound with a wide open net to give the Vees a 2-0 lead. And the rout was on.

The Vees seemed to have the killer instinct in the 1st period, realizing the vulnerability of Merritt and their emotions after game 3 and 4. They got 18 shots in the first 20 minutes and capitalized on pretty much every scoring chance.

After Merritt missed on another power play opportunity, the Vees would strike on their first. A scramble in front led to Logan Johnston finding the puck in the slot and he popped it past Chimienti high blocker before Lino could even track down the puck. 3-0 at this point.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

As if that wasn't enough, less than a minute later, Benik and Gervais (the 2 best Vees on the night) worked a perfect give-and-go, and Benik snapped a perfect shot from the right circle through the legs of Chimienti to make it 4-0 at the 17:56 mark.

The Cents bounced back quickly from the 4th goal against. On the next shift, the 2nd line (maybe the best line of the series) would get it right back when Reichert used his body to shield the puck charging down the left wing, his backhander was stopped, but with Katunar well out of position on the rebound, Silvan Harper would slam the rebound to the back of the net to make it a 4-1 game.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

That's how the first period would end, with a dejected Cents crew outshot 18-10.

The 2nd period picked up right where the 1st left off, with the Vees keeping their foot on the gas pedal and going for the kill. After Chimienti made a big save in tight off Fogarty and Benik, Benik would get his revenge... his shot from the top of the point was perfectly tipped upwards by Gervais on top of the crease, high glove side past Chimienti to give the Vees a 5-1 lead. This would be the end of Chimienti... at least for the 2nd period.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

When Tyler Steel came in, he was forced into a couple of big saves off Lucia and Murphy, but he would be beat once himself on a centering pass from behind the goal by Murphy to set up Ryan Reilly. At 12:35 of the 2nd period, it was 6-1 Penticton, and there was no denying the Centennials ultimate fate.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

After the 6th goal, the Vees took their foot off the gas pedal a bit, and to Merritt's credit, they battled hard, knowing that this would likely be the last game they got to play all season. 4 power plays helped the cause, but Merritt outshot Penticton 10-9 in the 2nd period, and Katunar looked very strong for the Vees, as he clearly gained momentum and confidence throughout the course of these playoffs. Tyler Steel was also very strong in the pipes for Merritt, proving that he is quite likely going to be the centerpiece of this team come 2012/13. But it remained 6-1 Penticton through 40 minutes.

In the 3rd period, Luke Pierce put Lino Chimienti back in net to give him a chance to finish off his junior A career on the ice. And it turned out to be a good move, as Lino was flawless in turning aside 9 Penticton shots. The Vees played their 3rd and 4th line quite a bit, knowing that they had the game pretty much locked up. To their credit, the bottom 2 lines played hard and seized the opportunity, forcing Chimienti to still be strong, which he was. A good ending to a great 2 years in Merritt.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

For the Centennials, you could tell they were very much demoralized and didn't have much fight left in them, but they still did their best to empty the tank so they could at least feel good about themselves at the conclusion of the season. They once again outshot the Vees by a 10-9 margin and were able to kill off a double minor to Lamont in the process. There were some late-game fireworks after Zach Urban left his feet to throw a dangerous open-ice hit on Brayden Low, who naturally responded by dropping the gloves.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

A SEPARATE "BROO-HA-HA" AFTER A HIT BY BEAULIEU ON REICHERT    (Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

For the final minute of the game, Luke Pierce made a very honourable move by calling a time out, and getting all the graduating players on the ice at the same time to finish the game. Minus the injured Pfeil, that of course included Chimienti in net, Stack, Brears, Shinkaruk up front and Marshall and Wilcox on the blueline. They actually had a great final minute, and with a late face-off, were able to get one last goal. Brears won the draw back cleanly for Willcox, and from the top of the point, Reece blasted a slap shot high glove side on Katunar with just 2.5 seconds left, his final goal (and Brears' final point) in the BCHL.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

 It went in the books as a 6-2 loss that ended Merritt's season.

BILLY MARSHALL WAS A WARRIOR IN GAME 5; SALUTES THE CROWD    (Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

My 3 stars from the broadcast tonight were:

1) Bryce Gervais- 2 goals, 1 assist
2) Joey Benik- 1 goal, 1 assist
3) Billy Marshall- no points, but a dominant game at both ends with close to 10 shots

Here are the highlights from Merritt's final game of the 2012/2013 season:

Merritt @ Penticton Round 2 Game 5 Highlights by agreb21

*It's been a magical 7 month ride for this team, setting the record for fewest goals against in a season, most wins since 89 and most points since 79. I'll definitely have a season recap of some sorts, whether it's written or audio/visual. I'll put something together in the coming days/week

UNWAVERING SUPPORT EVEN AFTER THE BUZZER       (Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

*Meanwhile, the Centennials will likely have their year-end awards night later this week, and Spring Camp runs Friday to Sunday at the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena. Everyone is welcome to attend the camp, so you can still get your fix of Cents hockey a little while longer

PREVIEW: Merritt @ Penticton, Round 2, Game 5

PENTICTON LEADS SERIES 3-1

It's Monday. It's no longer Saturday. It's not just a new day, but a full day has passed in between since all the controversy of game 4 in Merritt. I'm sure the storyline of the last game will continue to get discussed by fans even into game 5 tonight in Penticton, but it has to be "out of sight, out of mind" when it comes to the Centennials themselves. Looking back at the replays of the 2 goals in questions, it was evident that Benik's shot did in fact go in, while the high-sticking call is still undecided, despite plenty of zooming and slowing down. But it really doesn't matter anymore. Every player and both coaches need to turn the page and not look back.

Game 5 tonight for Merritt is all about the mental approach. It's a heck of a lot easier said than done, I understand, but they truly do need to reset their minds and focus on the task at hand, and not on what could have been over the past couple of games. After all, they easily could have been up 3-1, or at least tied 2-2 right now, but that can't be where their mind wanders tonight. The mind can't wander,  period.

Here's the reality: the Centennials now have to beat Penticton 3 games in a row, including 2 at the SOEC (where the Vees only lost once in the regular season/twice in the playoffs, only once in regulation time). Everybody knew the importance of game 4 and how dire the situation would be if Merritt lost, but now that the situation is what it is, there's no time to feel sorry for yourselves if you're the Centennials. Instead they could use the events of game 3 and 4 as a rallying point, and focus on the fact that they've gotten better with each game in this series. They just gotta keep that going tonight and start a memorable streak that the players can reflect back on for the rest of their lives.

Now that the Cents are 1 loss away from having their season end, there's obviously no more room for error, and pretty much everything will have to go right tonight, tomorrow and Thursday for the Centennials to keep their season going and advance to the Fred Page Cup finals. At this stage, they can't rely on anything or anyone else but themselves. Don't count on the refs, don't count on the "bounces", don't count on luck, and don't count on justice if you think you got robbed in game 4. Don't leave anything to chance.

It's time to break out the cliches. Every player has to look in the mirror and find the motivation to have the game of their lives tonight. And just tonight. Yes, you can't look at the overall task at hand, but just focus on "what can I do to make sure we win game 5 tonight?" And then copy and paste that mentality if you're fortunate enough to prolong this series into tomorrow.

One thing Merritt will definitely need to figure out tonight is their power play. It doesn't matter how "dangerous" it has looked in the past or how many chances they've gotten (even though it hasn't been many), it's not the regular season. There's no time for baby steps. It has to be "produce now or season's over". The last 2 games could have easily gone Merritt's way if their power play had broken through. They went 0 for 3 in both games, and they were missed opportunities are crucial times. In game 3, after tying the game at 2, they got a power play immediately after with Logan Johnston in the box. But they fail to score, lose momentum, and Johnston comes out of the box and scores what winds up being the game winner. Game 4, even after the disallowed goal, Merritt had a long 5 on 3 during which they looked lost, but could have taken the lead. And after Benik tied it, the power play again got a chance to win the game in regulation, but let them down. Merritt hasn't had many power plays in this series (3 in each game), but they've gone a combined 1 for 12 (8.3%) and let crucial opportunities slide in the past 2 games. Tonight, the power play must break through and make a difference.

The other must for Merritt tonight will be to score 1st. With the disallowed 1st period goal in game 4, they've given up the 1st goal in each game in this series, and when you're playing Penticton, that's a much more steep hill to climb than against any other team. They're virtually unbeatable when scoring first. And tonight, Merritt needs a ray of light, a sign of hope, and that 1st goal would go a long ways. If they surrender the 1st goal again, that mental hurdle/momentum might be an impossible thing to overcome. The Centennials might get dejected, and the Vees will likely show no mercy, sense that vulnerability and go for the kill, which might make it a long night. The 1st goal has never been as important as it is tonight.

Then there's the goaltending. Who will start might be a mystery until we get to the rink, but both guys have done everything they can in this series, and can't be blamed one bit. My gut says Lino Chimienti will start. He was a very deserving 1st start in game 4, and his Junior A career is on the line. I'm sure he wants the opportunity to impact his own fate, and I believe Luke Pierce will allow him that opportunity. But only time will tell. However, Chimienti, if he does start, will need a repeat 1st start performance, especially in Penticton where the Vees tend to pepper goalies at will and force them to steal the game if the opposition is to take 2 points. Only Tyler Steel and Mitch Gillam have managed to do that in the regular season and/or playoffs. That 1st start performance will likely need to carry over into game 6 and 7 as well if the Centennials are to keep playing past this week. But at the same time, the Centennials have to maintain a strict commitment to team defense, much like the Vees do around Katunar. The 1st overtime of the last game was a great example, where guys were sacrificing every part of their body to block shots and get pucks out of their zone.

The Centennials deserve credit where credit is due, and they have done a great job in terms of team discipline after game 1. The first game they gave Penticton 7 power plays, but only 5 in the last 3 games combined. And the PK has been a perfect 4 for 4 over the last 2 games. The penalty kill will very likely need to be perfect tonight again, and limiting the Vees to just 2 or 3 power plays at most will definitely help that cause.

Offensively, the Centennials can still do more to make Chad Katunar's life difficult. He has come up clutch in back to back games, but there's still a vulnerability there that Merritt needs to expose and take advantage of. The Vees have done a great job around Katunar by clearing almost each and every rebound, so the Centennials need to find a way to penetrate this bubble around the Vees backup. They need to find a way to make life as difficult for Katunar as the Vees are making it for Steel and Chimienti. The 2 Merritt netminders are being forced to steal games, but Katunar is allowed to just be "good" but not great, and he still wins. That says a lot.

Here's the truth of the situation. After the way that Merritt lost games 3 and 4, all the emotion and disappointment, in a situation where they have to win 3 in a row, nobody out there will give them a hope in the world. But then again, nobody gave them any hope to make the playoffs, and nobody believed they could sweep the Prince George Spruce Kings either. The Centennials have proven themselves to others all season, and now it's time to do that again. Even if nobody else believes in them, they have to believe in themselves. Each and every player needs to honestly believe deep down in their heart that they not only can but will win tonight, and continue to win tomorrow and Thursday. If there are any doubters on the team, it will show on the ice, and it won't happen.

Finally, watch out for 7 players tonight and possibly over the next 3 games. 5 graduates (Stack, Brears, Shinkaruk, Marshall, Chimienti) and 2 guys with scholarships for next year (Willcox and Pfeil) will all hopefully realize that tonight might be their last game in Junior A hockey. This is one thing they should think about, so they can do everything in their power to make sure tonight is not their last game. Anything at all that will help motivate to go that extra mile. Watch for those 7 aforementioned players to make a difference tonight. This is the time for them to lead the way. Win or lose, they have to be the best players on the ice.

Opening face-off tonight is at 7:00pm from the South Okanagan Events Centre. Q101 pre-game show starts at 6:30pm. You can also tune in online at Q101.ca or on the BCHL fanzone through BCHL.ca

The "Truth" Behind the 2 Goals in Question

To be honest, the replay on the PPV feed is not sharp and it's from fairly far away, making it impossible to really tell what happened on either of the 2 goals in question in game 4. However, the Penticton Vees had a cameraman film the game for them as well, and they were able to slow down both plays on replay to show us exactly what happened. And the "proof is in the pudding" as they say, except this time it's in the video.

The opening goal by the Centennials appears to be the wrong call by linesman Bevan Mills, who was the only one who made the call. According to the slow replay at the end of the video, it's very evident that the puck actually deflected off of Mike Reilly's full facemask (very lucky he was wearing it, or his face would have been a mess). There is still a small chance that the puck grazed off Brears' stick first, which was high, but it doesn't appear like it in the video. So, probably wrong call.



Here's a more close-up look at the waved off goal, and this angle makes it seems a little more likely that the puck did graze Brears' stick, but it's still too tight to call either way.



The 2nd goal, however, was a legitimate goal and a good call by referee Korey Martens. You can even hear some of the Merritt fans admitting that it was a goal. Not a whole lot of argument from the fans right around the camera either. Again, if you fast forward to the slow replay near the end (you can even see it in the original play), you'll see that Benik's shot does in fact pop the water bottle before bouncing back out, and I don't think it ever did hit Chimienti's mask or the crossbar as some fans speculated.



So there you are. Merritt was 50% robbed. And let the speculation begin as to whether that first goal would have ultimately won the game for Merritt or not. Obviously Cents fans will say that it would have, and it's hard to argue with that. After all, everyone knows the value of that "first goal"

Cents "Robbed???" in Game 4

STACK PROFUSELY ARGUING MERRIT'S 1ST PERIOD GOAL BEING WAVED OFF  (Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

I have to admit, even a couple hours after wrapping up a 4 and a half hour broadcast, I'm still a little lost and puzzled at what happened in game 4, and at a loss for words. But I'll come up with some for this report. The storyline revolves around 2 goal calls that both went against the Centennials and forced the game into double overtime, where the Vees would find a hero and take a commanding 3-1 series lead.

The big question coming into tonight's game was how would Merritt respond after their great effort in Friday's game 3 wound up short. Well the answer was revealed in the first period, where the Centennials came out firing on all cylinders and looked like they were the ones that finished the regular season 34 points ahead of Penticton, and not vice versa. After a post by Benik just 15 seconds in, the Centennials took over the game and maintained their dominance for much of the opening frame, outshooting the Vees 10-5, and helping Chimienti make an easy transition into the game with just the 5 routine shots that he faced.

Now all the talk will revolve around what "could" have been, had the officiating gone Merritt's way tonight. After some great pressure, the Cents appeared to get on the board when Sabourin's shot from the left point was tipped in front by who everyone (myself included) thought was Evan Stack. However, of the 4 officials, one linesman indicated that it was tipped with a high stick, and he managed to convince the other 3 officials into waving the goal off, and robbing Merritt of an opportunity to take a 1-0 lead for the first time this series. Honestly, it happened way too fast for me to get a good look at it without replay, but after watching the replay online, I've come to the conclusion that it wasn't even Stack who was called for the high stick. Everyone thought so because of how hard he argued and because he was closest to the net, but I don't believe he ever raised his stick at all or got a piece of it. I believe the high stick that was called was on Brears at the top of the left circle. He had his stick a little high (too tough to tell if it was too high) and appeared to duck when the shot from Sabourin came. Frankly, he might not have even touched the puck at all, which is maybe why Merritt was so angry in the first place. And if he did touch it, it's very unlikely that the puck would deflect "up" the way it did and wind up going top corner over Katunar's blocker. That's almost impossible, as the puck would have had to be tipped downwards for it to be a high stick. Nevertheless, the call wound up being costly, as the game stayed scoreless through 20 minutes.

THE ONLY HIGH STICK I SAW FROM STACK WAS DURING HIS CELEBRATION     (Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

In the 2nd period, the game really opened up both ways, and the Vees found a lot of life. They peppered Chimienti with 14 shots and some glorious scoring chances, including a Benik breakaway (after he hit his 2nd post early in the 2nd) and a 2 on 1 with Benik and Gervais.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

The Centennials had their own chances, particularly a 2 on 1 where Harper found Wilcox with a seemingly wide open net, but Katunar made his biggest save of the series by stretching out with the left pad to keep it out (he was shaky at times again, but ultimately came up clutch for a 2nd straight night).

Finally, we had a goal to talk about, and for the 4th straight game in this series (and 9th time 12 games going back to the regular season), it was the Vees who broke the ice. After Fogarty won a face-off, he cut to the net and got set up by Benik; Fogarty made a nice deke right on top of the crease and was able to squeak a puck off Chimienti across the line to give the Vees a 1-0 lead at the 13:05 mark of the period.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

The Vees opening goal was obviously a backbreaker, but it looked like it might get even worse when Brent Fletcher took a charging penalty shortly thereafter. However, it was the Centennials who gained momentum from the penalty kill. And it helped to get a goal on the PK. Billy Marshall stole the puck away from Benik deep in his own corner and sprinted up-ice on what turned into a 3 on 1 with Brears and Soquila... Marshall used them both as decoys and snapped a shot high blocker side on Katunar, off the post and in, to tie the game just over 2 minutes after the Vees had opened the scoring.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

The Cents looked possessed the rest of that PK and even creating scoring chances, and they finished the 2nd period on a tear, taking all the momentum into the 3rd.

In the 3rd period, Lino Chimienti was forced to rise up and shine again, which he did admirably, just like Tyler Steel in game 2. Even though the shots were 13-10 for Penticton, the scoring chances heavily favoured the Vees, and Chimienti was stellar in turning them all aside, particularly 2 saves off of Murphy and Lucia (set up by Murphy) in tight.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

Even when the 3rd period started, you got the sense that it was overtime already, and next goal would win it. Well thanks to Lino's goaltending, the Centennials got that goal. After a dominant, relentless 4th line shift, Billy Marshall (after holding the line) got a shot on goal from the right point, and Low pounced on the rebound to give Merritt what looked to be the game-winning goal, earning them a 2-1 lead at 13:22 (not 14:22 as the official scoresheet indicated).

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

But... less than a minute later, controversy would strike again. After an inability by Merritt to clear the puck from their zone, Joey Benik (who was the most dangerous Vee all night) skated down to the bottom of the left circle and threw a very innocent-looking shot on net from a sharp angle, which appeared to be stopped by Chimienti and bounce out onto the other side (the belief is that it grazed Chimienti's helmet, went off the crossbar, and bounced out the other side). There was no reaction from either team or the fans, or even the officials. But one of the referees to the corner of the net (Korey Martens) made a very late reaction with Benik's assistance and indicated that it was in fact a goal and pointed to the net.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

This resulted in jubilation by Benik and the Vees and another furious argument by Cents captain Evan Stack and his teammates that fell on deaf ears. Mind you, there was a long conference between the 4 officials, and they even included the goal judges (which is a rarity) in this argument, but eventually the verdict came back that it was a good goal, and we had ourselves a 2-2 tie. Again, it all happened too quick, and I can't say I have a definitive opinion (without a replay) either way.

A RARE TIME YOU SEE A REFEREE CHECK WITH A GOAL JUDGE      (Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

*As bad luck would have it, Merritt's disallowed goal was only called off by 1 linesman, who convinced the other 3 officials, and this mysterious Benik goal was only spotted by 1 referee, who convinced the other 3 officials. You talk about bad luck! And you talk about injustice!

LUKE PIERCE NOT IMPRESSED WITH THE DECISION ON BENIK'S GOAL    (Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

After the Vees tied it at 2, you could tell the Centennials were angry and deflated, and the Vees kind of kicked it up a notch, coming close to winning the game in regulation. The Cents also had a couple of isolated opportunities, but no real quality chances on Katunar. And so we went to overtime for the first time in this series...

In the 1st overtime session, the shots were quite even at 13-12 Penticton, but the scoring chances were definitely lop-sided in favour of the Vees. The Centennials seemed to be content to shoot from everywhere and hope for a lucky bounce, while the Vees picked their spots and got plenty of quality opportunities that forced Chimienti to play hero again. He made some very tough saves and underrated saves, and battled like crazy to make sure he'd give his team a chance to win at all costs. Mainly because of the play of Chimienti, the 1st overtime solved nothing, and the two teams went to the locker room for another full intermission.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

The Centennials battled really hard defensively in the first OT, blocking a ton of shots and breaking up other great opportunities. They seemed very desperate defensively, but not as desperate offensively. Overall though, everybody still played on top of their game it seemed, but they couldn't help feeling like they got the raw end of the deal by even being forced to play in this overtime to begin with. It was a tough mental battle to deal with while trying to take care of business on the ice.

The 2nd overtime started with the Vees looking to end it early. They had 2 great chances in the opening half-minute and really pressed the Centennials, seemingly wearing them down. The Centennials were barely hanging on thanks to Chimienti, who made a stupendous save on St. Denis on the door step, stretching out his arms to stop the puck on the goalline, when St. Denis thought his deke to the backhand had gone in and already started celebrating. Moments later, Joey Benik sprung Bryce Gervais on a breakaway, but Chimienti denied him with the left shoulder, once again giving the Centennials an opportunity to score the winner. But the Vees were just more determined, and they kept coming and coming till they broke through.

Finally, after a Vees dump-in from DJ Jones, Brandon Pfeil got stripped off the puck along the left halfboards by the speedy St. Denis, who drove hard directly to the net on the left wing, appeared to get poke-checked trying to deke in front, but while Willcox was fishing for the rebound, Wade Murphy pounced on the puck and slammed it into the net on the opening high glove, with Chimienti down along the ice.

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

(Ian Webster/Merritt Herald)

And so that was that. A devastating conclusion to a 2nd straight epic game, and the Vees, who could have very well been down 3-1 in the series, now take a 3-1 lead back home to Penticton on Monday, where they will look to put the Cents out of their misery in game 5.

*This was the 3rd straight game that Merritt managed to maintain their physicality and discipline at the same time. Minus a charging call to Fletcher (which Merritt wound up scoring on shorthanded), the Cents played very smart, and that's why they gave themselves a chance, by keeping the game 5 on 5. And they finished with only 2 minor penalties, for a total of 5 minors in the last 3 games combined, following 7 minors in game 1

*The top line for Merritt winds up getting held off the scoresheet for a 2nd straight night (though they did score the disallowed one, and Soquila and Brears were on the ice for the Marshall shorthanded goal), but for the 2nd night in a row, they had an inspired game and really led by example. They seemed to be dangerous every time they were out there, yet they just couldn't break through when they were needed most

*You hate to harp on it, but despite the good discipline, the Merritt power play let them down big-time again for a 2nd straight game. They only had 3 power plays, but they were at crucial times. They had an extended 5 on 3 for over a minute in the first with a chance to take the lead, and made some poor decisions with the puck, resulting in only a couple of shots and no real scoring opportunities. They made it too easy on Katunar. And then with the chips on the line, even after the controversial goal that tied it at 2, Merritt got a late power play with just over 5 minutes left (Murphy off for tripping Pfeil), and again couldn't break through, finishing a combined 0 for 6 in games 3 and 4. Remember that in game 3, the Vees killed off Logan Johnston's penalty before Johnston scored the game-winner seconds later. Well tonight, they killed off Murphy's tripping call on Pfeil, and then in double overtime, it was Pfeil getting stripped off the puck by St. Denis, and Murphy, who could have been the scapegoat, playing instead the role of hero

*I have never seen so many broken sticks in one game for a single team as there were tonight for Merritt. Expensive sticks were snapping like dry twigs all night. There were at least 6 broken sticks in total for Merritt (including 2 for Chanter alone), and a couple of times it led to a great scoring chance the other way for Penticton. I don't know what the issue is, but it's an issue the Cents might want to look into heading back to an elimination game in Penticton on Monday

*For the 2nd straight night, Merritt played with over a thousand fans in the building (official number was 1030, meaning 20 less fans than Friday's game 3), and again the atmosphere was very special to be a part of. It was heartbreaking to see such passionate, supportive, loyal fans go home so disappointed, but it says something when Merritt draws back to back 1000+ fans to a game, after failing to reach that mark for the past 11 years. It's great to hopefully see the team make a profit on these playoff games, one that would be well-deserved

Merritt will now need to win 3 straight games vs Penticton, including 2 at the SOEC to keep their season alive. It all starts with the first elimination game Monday night in Penticton for game 5. Another fans bus will be headed there, so you can call marketing manager Rachael Sanders at  250-315-7224 to book your seat.

Here are my 3 stars from tonight's broadcast:

1) Lino Chimienti- 45 saves on 48 shots (they 2nd overtime shots weren't marked)
2) Joey Benik- 1 goal, 1 assist, (2 posts)
3) Billy Marshall- 1 goal, 1 assist

Here are the audio highlights from the heartbreaking double overtime game 4 loss on Saturday:

Penticton @ Merritt Round 2 Game 4 Highlights by agreb21

PREVIEW: Penticton @ Merritt, Round 2, Game 4

PENTICTON LEADS THE BEST-OF-SEVEN SERIES 2-1

Last night was definitely a tough pill to swallow for the Centennials and their fans. Merritt did just about everything right, especially considering the opponent and what they've accomplished this season. It was far and away Merritt's best game of the series, but it wasn't enough, and now Penticton has all the momentum once again, in a series where games 2 and 3 were all about momentum shifts.

Now the Centennials can react in one of 2 ways to this situation. They can get demoralized from working so hard and not being rewarded  yesterday, and they could play defeated, which would allow Penticton to feast on them with ease. Or... the team can use game 3 as a momentum-boost for themselves. After all, they got better and better with each game in this series, and had a great game last night, proving again that they can beat the Vees. They just need to go out there and do it. But last night could be used as a confidence-booster if the Centennials approach it the right way; from the perspective that Penticton is beatable and there's nothing to be afraid of moving forward. The right mentality will play a big factor in game 4 tonight.

Yesterday, all 4 lines, all 3 defensive pairings, and even Tyler Steel (especially in the final 2 periods) were on their game. That needs to carry over into game 4 with a little more hunger for the net. The other thing that needs to continue is Merritt's impressive discipline in games 2 and 3, taking a combined 3 minor penalties in those 2 games after taking 7 in game 1. Staying out of the box is a must to give themselves a chance. And Merritt did a great job in the last couple games of maintaining their physicality, but not crossing the line and losing their cool.

The biggest focus for Merritt tonight has to be their start, particularly the first 5 minutes. Penticton has scored first in all 3 games in this series, and it's been withing 3 and a half minutes each time. Overall, regular season included, through 11 games, Penticton has scored first in 8 of them, and scored at least once in the first 5 minutes in 9 of those 11 games (with the exception of one game where they scored 7 minutes in). Bottom line is, you don't play catchup hockey vs the Vees, and Merritt should consider themselves lucky to accomplish that and win in game 2 in Penticton. But in the 3 games Merritt has scored first in, it's no surprise they've won once, and lost the other 2 in overtime. But it's clear how huge that first goal is, and it's an absolute must tonight for Merritt!

Regardless of how good Steel will be tonight overall, it's imperative that he make the big saves early and in the 1st period, to allow his team to take the lead and get the crowd into the game early. But having said that, the team around Tyler needs to help him as well and support him better defensively (especially in the early stages), and of course make sure they don't get penalized to give Penticton a chance to strike first and early again.

From a Penticton perspective, they're doing a great job of building a shield around backup Chad Katunar, who is being allowed to give up rebounds because his dmen seem to always be there to clear them. They protect him well in that sense, and in their clogging of shooting lanes, blocking shots and breaking up plays. 5 on 5, the Vees play a stifling defensive style, and it's almost easier in the small barn in Merritt. So having said that, Merritt will need to push that much more tonight and be like sharks on blood when it comes to rebounds. 26 shots in game 3 was an improvement on games 1 and 2, but still not enough to exploit the Vees backup. They have to jump on rebounds first and make Katunar pay for his inconsistencies. And maybe use the lively boards a little more often to confuse Katunar and create their own "lucky bounces", thereby utilizing home ice to their advantage.

If Merritt can't do it 5 on 5, they will need to do it on the power play, when the Vees can't play that same stifling defensive style. The Centennials can't lose the special teams battle against Penticton and expect to win. In general, with the few scoring chances the Vees allow, Merritt can't expect to let opportunities slide and win. They have to be opportunistic to win 3 of the next 4 games. So tonight, they will have to have at least 1 if not 2 power play goals to give them the edge in game 4. And hope the penalty kill doesn't get tested very often again.

Overall, it's really not a secret that the stars have to align just right for Merritt in this series, especially now that they have to win 3 of the next 4 to keep their season alive. And with yesterday's loss, they will now be forced to win at least 1 more game at the South Okanagan Events Centre, which took everything (including the kitchen sink) to do in game 2 on Wednesday. It's not elimination night tonight for Merritt, but make no mistake about it, it's pretty much a "must-win" situation for the Centennials. A loss tonight would force them to win 3 straight games vs a team that won 42 in a row this season, and 2 of those would be in Penticton... a building that the Vees have been basically unbeatable in all season. Not to mention the fact that the Vees would have all momentum in the series and the mental disadvantage would be a tough hurdle to overcome for Merritt. This isn't meant to create mass panic, but it's just the reality of the daunting situation, and emphasizes the importance of game 4 tonight.

*Only 1 lineup change tonight for Merritt, and that sees Tyler Martin draw back into the lineup for the first time since the Mar 1 meeting vs Penticton. He will take Scotty Patterson's spot (who draws out) on the 3rd line alongside Brandon Bruce and Carter Shinkaruk. The Vees are making no changes to their lineup. It'll once again be Tyler Steel vs Chad Katunar between the pipes.

Opening face-off tonight is at 7:30pm. Q101 pre-game show starts at 7:00pm. You can also tune in online at Q101.ca or through the BCHL fanzone at BCHL.ca

COME ON MERRITT FANS! LET'S PACK THE RINK ONCE AGAIN!