Merritt, BC – March 17, 2012
Carter Shinkaruk scored twice as the Merritt Centennials dumped the Prince George Spruce Kings 3-1 in BC Hockey League playoff action on Friday night at the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena.
The Spruce Kings scored first for the second straight night as Zack Rassell beat Cents netminder Lino Chimienti with just 11 seconds left in the first period to give Prince George a 1-0 lead.
Shinkaruk notched the equalizer for Merritt 2:50 into the second period before Evan Stack put the winning goal past Spruce Kings goaltender Ty Swabb at 14:02 of the middle frame to give the Centennials a 2-1 lead heading into the third period.
Merritt then struck at 16:17 of the final frame with BCHL Interior Conference MVP Paul De Jersey in the penalty box for unsportsmanlike conduct as Shinkaruk scored his second of the night on the power play.
Stack, Reece Willcox, Brent Fletcher, Regan Soquila and Brandon Bruce each posted an assist in the win.
Chimienti had another quality start in goal for the Centennials with 27 saves.
Swabb stopped 22 shots for PG.
Merritt visits Prince George in Game Three on Monday night at 7:00 at the Prince George Coliseum.
For further information, please contact Cents Head Coach & GM Luke Pierce at 250-378-3607.
Fans looking to purchase advance, reserved Interior Conference Semifinal playoff tickets can do so Monday – Saturday from 12 – 3 pm at the Centennials Marketing Office (2185 Voght Street).
Reserved tickets are also available on Thursday, March 22 (if necessary) and Saturday, March 24 (if necessary) from 3 – 6 pm at the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena.
All tickets purchased after 6 pm on game days are general admission and subject to availability. For more information, please call Cents Marketing Manager Rachael Sanders at 250-378-3604.
Exclusive Cents merchandise is available at both Booster Club Booths at the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena during all Centennials games. Merchandise includes t-shirts, hats, hoodies, souvenirs and much more.
Select merchandise is also available outside of game hours at the Cents Marketing Office (2185 Voght Street) and at Merritt Printing (1951 Garcia Street).
Throughout the playoffs, fans are encouraged to go to MerrittCentennials.com for exclusive coverage including photo galleries, post-game coverage and more. For extensive pre-and-post-game analysis by the Cents play-by-play voice, Alex Grebenyuk, visit centscentral.blogspot.com
The Merritt Centennials, proudly celebrating 39 seasons as the BCHL's longest continuously run franchise, is a non-profit, community owned Junior 'A' Hockey Club run by a dedicated team of investors, directors, and volunteers.
Stay current with the latest team news by visiting www.merrittcentennials.com. In addition, stay connected with the Cents on Facebook (/merrittcentennials) and Twitter (@merrittcents)
