Cents look to take down BCHL Interior “Big Dogs” in weekend home stand

MERRITT — It’s a three game home stand that features three of the “cream of the crop” teams in the BCHL. But such is life in the BCHL Interior, similar to what the Toronto Blue Jays have to deal with in the AL East, always trying to keep pace with opponents like the NY Yankees, Boston Red Sox and the recently surging Tampa Rays and Baltimore Orioles.

For the Centennials they’ll stare down the West Kelowna Warriors and Penticton Vees this weekend at the NVMA. Merritt has one particular “streak of doom” they would like see come to a close this weekend.

Streak of Doom: Penticton Vees 

The streak of doom of ALL streak of dooms. It has been five seasons, yes half a decade almost since February 15th of 2019. That was the last time the Merritt Centennials beat the Penticton Vees, the game was played in Penticton. 27 games in a row lost to the Vees, it’s a streak that like all streaks has to end eventually!

And what better time than Saturday at the NVMA to dethrone the back-to-back champs. The Cents were outclassed in the first matchup between both teams in late September, a 6-0 loss. Since then a lot of new players have joined the team and in their last matchup Merritt looked a lot better. The Cents lost 5-3 in a game that was tied at 3-3 at one point, Losier nearly had the winning goal but it was disallowed, a goal that could’ve given the Cents a 4-3 lead in Penticton.

Vees head coach Fred Harbinson admitted his team was outworked in the second and third period after the game, a statement that should resonate with the Centennials.

The first game will be played Friday against West Kelowna at 7 p.m. (Nov 3.) Merritt has yet to beat a team ahead of them in the Interior, losing recently 6-4 to the Warriors in a game where the Cents took fifteen whopping minutes to get their first shot on net.

That game was a day after the team had arrived around 5 a.m. back from Trail, this team the team may have a little more jump in their step after some rest this week and no travel for a little bit.

Brian Passmore will likely go with Andrew Ballantyne or Karlis Meszargs in net if he continues his three goalie rotation.