The Merritt Centennials took care of business efficiently on the weekend, winning their final two games of the 2011-12 regular season, and locking up second place in the Interior Conference of the BCHL in the process.
Both weekend wins came at the expense of the cellar-dwelling Trail Smoke Eaters, as the Cents snuffed out the Smokies 6-2 at the Cominco Arena on Friday before returning home to defeat the same team 5-2 on Saturday in front of a season-high crowd of over 850 people at the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena.
“We were trying to just get out of the weekend without any injuries, and at the same time play with good habits and remain confident,” stated Cents’ head coach and GM Luke Pierce.
Merritt’s bench boss was particularly pleased with his team’s opening period in each of the games against Trail. Friday, the Centennials outshot the Smoke Eaters 18-8 through 20 minutes, and forged a 2-0 lead going into the first intermission.
“It was probably the best first period we’ve played in Trail in three years,” he said.
Saturday, both teams had nine shots in the opening frame, but the Cents thoroughly dominated play territorially, and quickly built another two-goal lead before the game was nine minutes old.
“It was huge to get out to a good start,” Pierce explained, “and then be able to pull back a bit and just manage the game.”
Another real positive to emerge from the weekend was the strong play of the Centennials’ so-called fourth line. The trio of Payton Schaefer centering Brendan Lamont and Scotty Patterson combined for nine points (4 goals and five assists) in the two outings.
“The Schaefer line was probably our best line over the two days,” stated Pierce. “That was real big for them.”
Patterson, a Cents’ affiliate player who just wrapped up his KIJHL season with the Creston Valley Thunder Cats (formerly coached by Cents’ assistant Joe Martin), scored once and added an assist each night against the Smokies.
“Scotty will be here for the duration [of the playoffs], however long they last” said Pierce. “We’re going to go with the guys that got us here to start with, but getting through a playoff series without some bumps and bruises is very difficult. It’s nice to know that we have a player like [Patterson] ready and capable of playing our style. The extra depth is key for us.”
Depth was evident throughout the line-up on the weekend as all four lines chipped in on the scoreboard.
In addition to goals by Patterson and Schaefer on Friday night, other Cents’ marksmen were Jakob Reichert, Regan Soquila and Evan Stack.
Saturday, it was Patterson, Lamont, Stack, Brayden Low and Reece Willcox all lighting up the lamp.
Willcox’s tally was one of the nicest this season as he finished off a three-way passing play with Stack and Chad Brears by leaping over Smokies’ netminder James D’Andrea and depositing the puck in the back of the net.
Merritt’s opponents in the first round of the BCHL playoffs are the Prince George Spruce Kings. Games one and two of the best-of-seven series take place this Friday and Saturday in Merritt.
For a complete preview of the exciting Centennials-Spruce Kings match-up, be sure to get a copy of this Thursday’s edition of the Merritt Herald.
