The Tracker Sports-wear midget reps had their season come to an end on the weekend, losing two games to one to Vernon in their best-of-three, second-round playoff-series matchup.
The Merritt midgets took game one Friday night in Vernon by a convincing 5-1 score, but couldn’t secure a second win against a determined Jr. Vipers squad.
Saturday, in Merritt, Vernon scored two late goals to edge the homeside 3-1, then wrapped up the series with a 3-2 victory on their home ice Sunday.
Missing from the Merritt line-up for Sunday’s deciding game in Vernon were several players from the local NVIT midget rec team that have been regular call-ups throughout the season. Those players were back in Merritt, helping their side defeat a team representing the Thompson-Cariboo 8-2 in game one of their second-round playoff series.
Game two of their best-of-three contest will go this Saturday in Ashcroft, with game three (if needed) slated for Sunday at the Shulus arena at 1:15 p.m.
Saturday will see three other playoff series also underway at the Shulus arena.
In the peewee rec division, Merritt’s Interior Savings team currently leads 100 Mile one game to none after taking the best-of-three series opener 7-1 on the road. Game two goes Saturday at 10:15 a.m., and game three (if necessary) at 3:45 p.m.
The Tolko female bantams are currently down a game to Kamloops, having lost 7-3 in the Tournament Capital City this past weekend. Game two of the series will take place at noon on Saturday at Shulus. If a game three is required, it will be on Sunday in Kamloops.
Finally, the Ramada peewee reps return to playoff action this weekend after a bye week. They take host Penticton in games one and three (if needed) on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and on Sunday at 11 a.m. respectively.
The only non-playoff game scheduled for Merritt this coming weekend sees the Fountain Tire atoms host Kamloops on Saturday at 2 p.m.
The Merritt atoms are coming off a fourth-place finish at a 16-team tournament in Squamish on the weekend. They went 4-2 in their six games, defeating Abbotsford, Port Moody Vancouver and the host team before falling to Whistler and Oceanside in the playoffs.
