Hope, BC – August 29, 2012
The Merritt Centennials fall to 0-1-1 on their 2012 BCHL Exhibition Season following a 3-1 loss to the Chilliwack Chiefs in a neutral site game in Hope, BC on Wednesday night.
The Chiefs opened up a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Mitch Skapski at 7:42 and Garrett Forster at 11:06.
Chilliwack increased its lead to 3-0 at 17:31 of the second period on a goal by Spencer Graboski.
The Cents got on the board at 16:45 of the third period when defenceman Kevin Lohan scored, with assists to veterans Payton Schaefer and Dylan Chanter.
Michael Hails started the game in goal for the Centennials, finishing with 20 saves while Russell Sanderson played the final half, making nine saves.
The Cents went 1-for-5 with the man advantage and Chilliwack went 0-for-3 on the power play.
Merritt's next game is Friday night at the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena in the first half of a home-and-home series against the Trail Smoke Eaters.
SCORING SUMMARY
First Period
1. CHWK Mitch Skapski (David Thompson, Austin Edwards) 7:42
2. CHWK Garrett Forster (Spencer McHaffie) 11:06
Penalties: Alex Perron-Fontaine CHWK (roughing) 1:57; Mathieu Tibbet CHWK (checking from behind, game misconduct) 8:56; Dylan Chanter MER (charging), Richard Sabourin (roughing), Matt Revel CHWK (roughing) 11:42; Tim Coish MER (cross-checking) 13:22
Second Period
3. CHWK Spencer Graboski (Josh Hansen, Ben Masella) 17:31
Penalties: Garrett Forster CHWK (roughing), Rhett Willcox MER (roughing) 6:59; Kevin Lohan MER (tripping) 10:06; Jeremy Gossard CHWK (tripping) 11:47
Third Period
4. MER Kevin Lohan (Payton Schefer, Dylan Chanter) 16:45 PP
Penalties: Spencer Graboski CHWK (slashing) 11:39; Garrett Forster (blow to the head, misconduct) 15:30; Sean Maktaak MER (fighting, misconduct), Alex Perron-Fontaine (fighting, misconduct) 17:59; Ben Masella CHWK (roughing), Stephen Ryan MER (roughing) 20:00
Shots on goal: Merritt: 9-6-7-22; Chilliwack: 14-11-7-32
Thursday's Schedule
10 – 11:30am – Player Interviews
2:15 – 3:45pm – Practice
7 – 8:30pm – Team Activity
For further information, please contact Cents Head Coach and GM Luke Pierce at 250-378-3607 or email [email protected].
Follow the Cents on Twitter at @BCHLCentennials and on Facebook.com/MerrittCentennials.
Season tickets are still available for the 2012-13 season. For more information on how to get yours, call the Cents Marketing office at 250-378-3604.
The Merritt Centennials, proudly celebrating 40 seasons as the BCHL's longest continuously run franchise, are a non-profit, community owned Junior 'A' Hockey Club run by a dedicated team of investors, directors, and volunteers.
