The Merritt Centennials have ushered in a new era of hockey under Head Coach and General Manager Barry Wolff, and fans got their first look at what the future could hold after a tightly contested intrasquad match on Wednesday night that saw Team White prevail 5-4 over Team Black.
The game began with lots of pace and tight checking through the early going but the offense eventually arrived midway through the first when returning forward Brett Roloson broke the dead lock by streaking onto a rebound and batting it up high over Parker Rey who got the start for Team Black. Early on it was looking like defense might win the day as after 1 the score was 1-0 for Team White.
The teams settled into the flow in period 2, and the offense began to arrive as well. Some shaky goaltending from Pierre Oliver Couture led to Spencer Schneider firing it into an open cage after Couture lost sight of the puck. Carson Preston continued to impress as he picked up the goal to make it 2-1, but then reigning Playoff MVP for the Centennials Payton Matsui arrived scoring a pair of goals to put Team Black ahead 3-2 before the end of the period.
Early on in the third, Matsui completed the natural hat trick after stealing the puck from Dylan Kosik behind the net to make it 4-2 for Team Black. Towards the middle of the frame Ayden Lane brought Team White within one with a shot from the point that found its way through. Returning forward Vincent Guy then tied the game 4-4 after converting a smooth skating rush up the left side and snapping a wrister into the top right corner over the glove of Aaron Mercer. The period also featured a spirited fight between Tanner Mortenson and Brophy Dunne with Dunne getting the better of the tussle and drawing some blood before they skated to a draw to end the third.
With the game in a deadlock it went to 3-on-3 overtime and Carson Preston netted the OTW after the teams traded chances to give Team White the victory.
After the game, Head Coach and General Manager said he loved the variation of goals from the teams and the pace.
“I thought there was a lot of compete out there, the guys were playing with a lot of pace even after they were pushed hard in practice this morning which was nice to see. We saw a mix of the tight checking style early, and then a little more excitement towards the end. We saw some pretty goals, and we saw some grinding goals and that just goes to show we got a good mix of skill and grit on the team, you need players that are willing to go to the dirty areas.”
Wolff also said that there will be another round of cuts tomorrow morning before the Cents get prepped to play the Penticton Vees in Penticton on Friday.
