FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Merritt, BC – February 24, 2012
Chad Brears and Silvan Harper lead the charge for the Merritt Centennials in their win over the Trail Smoke Eaters 7-2 in BC Hockey League action on Friday night at the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena.
Brears and Harper each picked up three points with two goals and an assist for the Centennials (30-17-2-5) and earned the first and second star respectively. Jakob Reichert also picked up three points with a goal and two assists while Reece Willcox and Sean Maktaak each scored a goal for the Cents. Evan Stack and Brent Fletcher picked up two assists each and assists for the night also went to Tyler Martin, Ross Mancuso, Carter Shinkaruk, Regan Soquila, Brandon Bruce and Brandon Pfeil.
Garrett McMullen put Trail (11-36-1-4) on the board late in the second and Clayton McEwan scored the only other goal for the Smoke Eaters with just twenty-eight seconds elapsed in the third period.
Lino Chimienti made 23 saves for Merritt in the win while Trail Goaltender Lyndon Stanwood stopped an astounding 44 Cents attempts.
The Centennials went 1-for-2 on the power play while the Smoke Eaters went 1-for-4 on their man-advantage opportunities.
With the win, the Cents now have just thirteen regulation losses in their last 47 games and continue to sit in second place in the BCHL's Interior Conference, three point ahead of Prince George and seven points ahead of Chilliwack.
The Centennials next game is at home on Saturday, February 25th against the Penticton Vees at the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena.
For further information, please contact Cents Head Coach and GM Luke Pierce at 250-378-3607.
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)
