Cents get first OT win of season against Silverbacks 4-3

The Merritt Centennials got their first win in Overtime this year, picking up the game 4-3 over Salmon Arm at the Shaw Center on Friday Night.
Cents goalie Cole Kehler picked up the win, picking up 24 saves in the win. Angus Redmond’s 37 saves weren’t enough to secure the win for Salmon Arm.
Merritt gets their first Overtime win of the year, over another team still looking for a win in extra frames. Only Salmon Arm and Prince George have yet to win in Overtime this year. Merritt is now six points back from Vernon for the final play-off spot in the Interior.
The game started much like the January 19th game. Both teams expected the physical play to start early but it seemed each team also wanted to skate around whoever planned on being more physical. Salmon Arm went to the attack early but Merritt was up to task in the first period. Halfway through the 1st, Merritt would fire off chances of their own towards Redmond. The first period endrd scoreless.
The Silverbacks added the first goal of the game off Mitch Skapski’s stick, with assists from Ayrton Nikkel and Kodi Schwarz. Salmon Arm put another on the board with a Nick Hutchison power play goal, fifteen minutes into the 2nd period.
Down 2-0 to the Silverbacks going into the 3rd, the Cents would turn on. Mitch Lipon managed to bring the Cents within one, assisted by Nick Fiorentino. Only three minutes later, Zach Court got credit for his 3rd in a Cents uniform off an unassisted marker. Mitch Skapski added another powerplay marker to put Salmon Arm up again, at 11:53 of the third. Pressing again, Mitch Lipon’s 2nd of the game with only 11 seconds left in the game forced the game into extras.
In the 4th period, Colin Grannary would bring the puck into the Silverbacks territory. Checked off the puck, Nick Fiorentino picked the loose puck up and fired it on net, past Angus Redmond.
Redmond was the games first star, with Mitch Lipon and Nick Fiorentino rounding out the top three.
Merritt plays next on Saturday night, the second game in a home and home against the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. Puck Drop for the game is at 7:30pm, pre game will begin on Q101 at 7:15pm.