The Merritt Centennials took home their third win of the season and their first over the Trail Smoke Eaters on Feb. 19, finishing the game with a final score of 5-3.

Goaltender Colton Phillips-Watts stopped 48 of the Smoke Eaters’ 51 shots during the game, and Jakob Jones, Cents forward, finished off a 2-on-1 to score his first BCHL goal. 

In the second the Centennials made it 2-0 with a goal on the powerplay, with the Smoke Eaters soon tying up the score. 

The Cents restored their two-goal lead and went into the their period 4-2, adding another goal early on in the period to make it 5-2. 

Phillips-Watts stopped 17 of 18 shots, allowing one in for the Smoke Eaters to finish the game with three goals. 

The Cents were bouncing back from a poor performance the night before during which they had lost to the Cranbrook Bucks 4-0. 

According to the Centennials website: 

“The Cranbrook Bucks came out strong on Friday night and controlled the play for the vast majority of the opening 20 minutes. Cranbrook would work two early powerplay chances in the first, they would fail to convert but at the mid-point of the period, shots were 17-0 in favour of the visitors.

“The Cents would finally level their first shot of the period at the 12:00 mark, after 20 the shot clock would only show three for Merritt.

“Late in the frame, Cranbrook would turn the puck over and send Luke Pfoh in all alone, Pfoh would beat Hicks on Cranbrook’s 22nd shot of the period to open the scoring.

“The Bucks would continue to carry the mail in the middle stanza with three quick goals. First a powerplay marker from Johnny Johnson. Less than two minutes later Declan Ride would score from the point. Then exactly two minutes later it would be Carsyn Good scoring his first in the BCHL top corner past Hicks.

“Hicks playing strong, turning aside 42/46 through 40.

“No goals would be scored in the final period, with AP rookie goalie Carter Captan earning a 15-save shutout in his BCHL debut. Hicks would have 55 saves goaltender.”

The Cents will play again this Friday, facing off against the Penticton Vees with a 7:00PM puck drop.