GAME ONE PREVIEW: Merritt Centennials (22-26-5-1) at Salmon Arm Silverbacks (34-17-0-3)

Merritt Centennials — (22-26-5-1)

The Cents are the team of destiny in the postseason. It’s literally do or die for this group as the players know this their last run together with the off-ice news of the team’s departure from the BCHL after the postseason. I’m sure Merritt has garnered a lot of fans for the playoffs as they will have their hands full tonight in one of the toughest arenas in the BCHL to escape with a playoff victory. Salmon Arm went 20-5-0-2 at the Shaw Centre this year but the Cents were one of seven teams to leave here with a victory. Merritt looks to steal one and set the tone early tonight.

Salmon Arm Silverbacks — (34-17-0-3)

The Silverbacks saw a 6 game winning streak snapped in their final home game of the regular season against Trail. They did anything but back into the playoffs with everyone chipping in to a well over .500 season for the Silverbacks. It was a step in the right direction for Salmon Arm who won exactly 27 and lost 27 games last year. With multiple wins over Penticton this year the Cents stand in the way of the Backs as they look to go on another long run in the playoffs and chase their first championship. They are the 4th best team in the BCHL out of 17 teams heading into the postseason.

Centennials Celebrating | Joey Jones Photography

Previous Meetings;

The Silverbacks won the season series 3 games to 2. The games in Salmon Arm saw the Backs torch the Cents twice, 7-1 and 7-3 but also lose 3-2 in an eleven round shootout. At the NVMA the teams played twice with the Silverbacks crushing the Cents 5-2 and getting blown out 4-0 themselves. The season series has been all over the place with 4 out of 5 games being blowouts with only one game being a thriller. Salmon Arm also had points in 4 out of 5 matchups against the Cents.

Special Teams Comparison;

Cents PP:   39/182 (21.4%) (T8th) PK: 40/195 (79.5%) (7th)

Backs PP: 34/159 (21.4%) (T8th) PK: 29/158 (79.5%) (3rd)

The Cents celebrate their fourth straight goal in Trail putting them up 4-3 | BCHL TV

Players to Watch:

CT Larochelle went into the playoffs on an absolute heater. A 10 game point streak with 8 goals and 4 assists, 12 points along that span. He also had 7 goals during his 5 game goal scoring streak. The 21 year old is ready to end his junior career on a high note. Michael Felsing doesn’t have the best numbers against Salmon Arm this year but still had 9 points in his final 9 games of the season as he also looks to end his junior career on a high note.

For the Silverbacks Eli Pulver remains the difference maker for Salmon Arm. Pulver won five of his six starts in March, stopping 186 of 194 shots to earn a .959 save percentage and a 1.27 goals-against average. The Vancouver, B.C. native allowed one goal or less in four of his starts, including a shutout on March 8 where he went 69:46 without allowing a goal, making 42 saves in a 1-0 Silverbacks win in overtime over the Cranbrook Bucks. Pulver allowed just three goals over his final four starts, all resulting in Salmon Arm victories. He was named BCHL 2nd star of the month for March.

Keys to the Game:

Key number 1 – Confidence. Had they played Vernon or Penticton they would be going into the playoffs against a team that has not beaten them all season. Against West Kelowna the team lost the season series handily getting blown out in the final three games of the series. This was probably the most favorable matchup but will still be a very very tall task for the Cents to beat such a strong team in the league. 

Key Number 2 –  Steal one from the Shaw Centre. All it takes is one win on the road in games one or two to steal home ice in the series. With three out of four games at the NVMA after Game Two a win would go a long way in the first two to give the Cents a chance to get some home cooking and shock the BCHL with a round one upset. 

Key number 3 – Play for each other. A week ago the team was playing for the veterans. Now with everyone seeking a home next season it’s the last push as a group together, One last push to do it all and bow out of the league with some pride.