Cents look to build momentum as Christmas break approaches

The Merritt Centennials are on the road this weekend looking to build on their huge win last Friday (Nov. 29) against the Columbia Valley Rockies and try to climb the ladder of the KIJHL’s Bill Ohlhausen Division.

The Centennials sit in fourth in the division trailing Sicamous  (30) by three points and Revelstoke (32) by five points heading into weekend play that begins Friday, Dec. 6 in Spokane, against the Braves.

“The Braves had a tough start to the season but appears to have gained momentum having won two big games against Nelson (W 5-0 Nov  23) and Beaver Valley (W 5-4 Dec 1), ” said Centennials head coach Wes McLeod before boarding the bus on Thursday. “Everybody on the bus knows that we (Cents) can not take any nights off against any team in this division.”

The Centennials are 5-3-1-1 in their last ten games while Spokane is 2-7-1 in their last ten games.

“We like how our team responded last week against Columbia Valley; especially after back to back losses against Sicamous the week before” McLeod added. “All four lines had jump and played hard on the puck and the results were a big two points.”

The Centennials light schedule the past two weeks has allowed Merritt to get some bodies back in their line-up this weekend.  Cooper Harrington has finished his one game suspension for a staged fight on Nov. 23 against the Eagles while Troy Horn is expected back after dealing with the flu bug.

“When we are healthy, we are one of the best teams in the league,” said Cents forward Taye Shukin. “The past few weeks there has been a bug going through the dressing room and some guys have a few injuries but I think everyone is good to go for the road trip,”

The Cents begin the two game trip in Spokane on Friday night then Saturday night the Cents head to Beaver Valley to play the Eddie Mountain Division leading Nighthawks. Both games are at 7:00 p.m.

“The boys are eager for this road trip for sure as it brings us closer together and it keeps any distractions at bay so we can just focus on hockey,” Shukin noted. “It would be great to get on a good role before the Christmas break.”

Both weekend games can be heard on Q101 with Jared Thomas and Roger White starting with the Super Save Gas pre-game show at 6:45 p.m.