The Merritt Centennials (3-16) face off against the Chilliwack Chiefs (12-6) for one final time in the pod tonight.
Last night the Cents couldn’t level enough shots towards the Spruce Kings net to make life difficult for their goaltender and fell by a score of 3-0 in the series finale.
In the first period it took a while for the offense to arrive, but when it did it was Prince George who got things going. Hunor Torzsok struck again as he was able to find a loose puck on a bounce from the wall and levelled a backhander that baffled Dias to make it 1-0. Another ex-Cent added to the lead towards the tail end of the first when Christian Buono picked up a drop pass from Killian McGregor and fired it post and in to make it 2-0.
The game was still up for grabs in the second period, but the Cents couldn’t seize it. They’d get into a bit of penalty trouble, but would manage to kill off every attempt. Neither team would find offense in the second as the goaltenders reigned supreme.
The Cents luck on the penalty kill ran out in the third period when Kolton Cousins tallied a powerplay goal, and despite wanting to have a strong comeback effort the Cents couldn’t break the goose egg.
The Chiefs have been laying dormant since the 3rd of may when they picked up a 3-0 shutout over the Spruce Kings and in their last 5 games they are sporting a 4-1 record. To make things interesting for the pod championship, the Chiefs need to win out the season so are coming in with something to play for. The Cents will only be playing for pride as they wrap up their pod season tonight. It will come down to a battle of wills, and a battle of intensity.
After another slow night offensively Walker Erickson is looking to pile on a few more points before the pod season wraps up and leads the team with 11. Ben Ward, Brandon Dent and Talon Zakall all have 9.
Ethan Bowen returned to the line up and returned to the top of the pile for the Chiefs as he now has 18 points. Captain Kyle Penney has 17 points, and Sasha Teleguine has 14 points.
The Chiefs will have the edge of special teams and the Cents will have to stay disciplined.
Powerplay: Penalty Kill:
MER – 12.1% (14th) MER – 77.4% (11th)
CHW – 16.2% (11th) CHW – 83.3% (6th)
The battle in the blue paint will see Josh Dias suit up for one more time in his junior career. He’s 2-12 with a .890 SV% and a 4.08 GAA.
Across the ice Mathieu Caron will be looking to end his junior career on a high note and is 10-5 with a .904 SV%, a 2.64 GAA and 3 shutouts.
Head Coach Derek Sweet-Coulter says that the Cents can’t leave anything in the tank tonight.
The Cents are hoping they can end their pod season with a win.
Puck drop 5PM. Pregame 4:45 with Jared Thomas and Michael Reeve on Q101.ca and BCHLTV.ca.
