Cents Game Day – Merritt vs Powell River – December 2/22
graphic - Jared Thomas/Q101
Dec 2, 2022 | 7:00 AM
Vern Strecheniuk
Date – Friday, December 2, 2022
Game Time – Puck drop 7:00 pm, Pregame show 6:45 pm
Location – Hap Parker Arena, Powell River BC
Broadcast – CKMQ-FM Q101 & BCHLTV
Merritt Centennials – 6-13-3-0
Langley Rivermen – 6-13-1-2
Previous meetings;
This matchup between the Merritt Centennials and the Powell River Kings is a rare one.
The game tonight is the only game between these teams this year and they didn’t meet once last year.
Over the past five seasons these two teams have played each other four times with the series being tied 2-2. Tonight, is the deciding fifth game over the past five seasons.
Blue Paint Battle;
Johnny Hicks has made 14 appearances this season logging over 800 minutes of hockey, 821 to be exact. Hicks has put up a 5-4-3 record with a 0.918 SV% and a 3.29 GAA. Back-up Connor Sullivan is still trying to get his feet underneath on the Cents. Sullivan has played in three games with an 0-3 record and a 0.833 SV% and 7.71 GAA.
Kyle Metson has taken most of the load for the Kings this year. He has made 19 appearances, putting up a 4-8-1 record with a 0.890 SV% and 3.78 GAA. The back-up, Liam Vanderkooi has played in eight games with a 2-5 record and a 0.873 SV% and a 5.10 GAA.
Special Teams Comparison;
Cents – PP 18.75% (15/80) *12th best in the league PK 80.81% (80/99) *6th best in the league
Kings – PP 22.86% (16/70) *6th best in the league PK 80.95% (68/84) *5th best in the league
Players to Watch;
The Cents made a flurry of moves and one of the trades involved a new defenseman going to make it Cents debut. 20-year-old Tyler Bates was acquired from the Calgary Canucks in the AJHL and is coming onto this time to provide veteran leadership.
Starting goalie for the Kings, Kyle Metson, has seen lots of action this season, sneaking up on 1,000 minutes of hockey. His advanced stats are nothing to drop your jaw over, but with the Centennials last in the league in goal differential, this is an opportunity for Metson to have a great game and turn his season around.
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