Gavin Gould potted the teams' first goal and the winner with 1:21 left in overtime en route to a 3-2 Merritt Centennial victory at Kal Tire Place in Vernon on Saturday night over the Vipers.
Gould's 2nd and 3rd goals of the season helped his team improve on the BCHL season to 3-4-0-0, while Vernon dropped to 1-2-1-2.
Payton Schaefer, the Cents captain, tied the game in the 2nd period off a goalmouth scramble for his 3rd goal of the season.
In goal, Connor LaCouvee made his Centennials debut and he was sharp as could be, stopping 32 of 34 shots for his first win in his first start of the year.
Vernon's Austin Smith was strong at the other end, stopping 36 of 39, including 14 in the 1st period.
Replying for Vernon was Mason Blacklock and Craig Martin.
The Centennials hit the road next Friday for Penticton as the Vees welcome Merritt to town for a 7:00 puck drop.
The full boxscore can be found here.
Dustin Scafe's blog recap of the game can be found here.
