The Merritt Centennials accomplished a lot of firsts: their first lead after 20 minutes, their first lead after 40 minutes, but they’re still looking for their first win of the season against the Penticton Vees as 65 minutes solves nothing and the Cents fall in a shootout 4-3.
The first period was a text book road game period. Work hard defensively, commit to blocking shots, and convert when you get your opportunities. The lone goal came when Nick Wicks feathered one up the middle just out of the reach of Matt Kopperud, but Kopperud worked hard to force a Vees turnover onto the stick of a streaking Mathieu Gosselin who went down low, and then around the net to the other side to beat Jack Lafontaine on a wrap around for the 1-0 lead. Shots were 12-8 for the Cents after 1, with Vincent Duplessis stopping all 8 he faced.
The middle frame saw the Vees tie the game up on a seeing eye shot from Luke Loheit that just got over the pad of Duplessis. However, the Cents would regain their edge at the 8:10 mark of the second when Brendan Schneider and Rylan Van Unen tag teamed a puck off the end boards, Van Unen took it out front and beat LaFontaine upstairs, blocker-side to make it 2-1. After two the shots were 20 a side, and the Cents had their first opportunity to carry a lead into the third.
The final frame saw the Cents get just their second powerplay goal of the season against the Vees. Matt Kopperud found the puck after it broke free from a goal-mouth scramble, and gave the Cents a two-goal cushion 3-1. The Vees came back with a chance on the powerplay, and it was familiar foe James Miller netting the goal to make it 3-2. Eric Linell would tie things up at 3 and send the game to overtime.
In extra time the Cents and Vees traded chances. The Cents had their best chance on a give and go passing play between Captain Nick Wicks and Rylan Van Unen. But without some key stops from Vincent Duplessis, including a save on a buzzer beating 2-on-1, the Cents wouldn’t have even made it to the shootout.
In the shootout, Captain Massimo Rizzo was stopped by Duplessis. Matt Kopperud cut in with a nifty move, but LaFontaine stuck with him when he pulled it backhand. Cassidy Bowed faked a shot and went backhand to beat Duplessis. Mathieu Gosselin beat LaFontaine but not the post, and Connor Hutchison pulled off a late dangle to beat Duplessis to win the shootout 2-0.
The Centennials had a lot of positives in this game, and Head Coach Joe Martin wasn’t questioning his team at games end.
“I thought the effort was there from start to finish from our guys. The game was in our grasp, we had a few unlucky calls, a few unlucky bounces, and that was the difference.”
The Cents will reset and get ready to welcome the Alberni Valley Bulldogs to the NVMA tomorrow.
