Centennials split weekend series with Coyotes; finish regular season this weekend

The Merritt Centennials split a home-and-home series with the Osoyoos Coyotes over the weekend in KIJHL action.

Going into Friday’s contest, the Centennials had a minuscule shot at third place in the Bill Ohlhausen Division, but they would need to win the remaining four games in their schedule, and the Kelowna Chiefs would have to lose their remaining games to enable the Cents to move into third place.

The keyword was minuscule.

On Friday night, Coyotes goaltender Ryder Hunt stopped all 43 shots he faced as Osoyoos blanked Merritt 3-0 at the Sun Bowl Arena, dashing any hopes of a third-place finish for the Cents.

“We (Centennials) had a good start to the game on Friday, but we took our foot off the pedal a bit, and it eventually cost us,”  said Cents coach Wes McLeod before Saturday’s rematch. “We needed to play Merritt Centennials hockey by being more physical, and we just didn’t do that Friday night.”

On Saturday, the Centennials got the message and took full advantage of their power play opportunities en route to a 6-3 decision at the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena (NVMA).

Ryder McAslan scored two goals and added an assist for the Centennials, while defenseman Jack Wideman and centre Braydon Thurlow each had three-point nights, leading the Cents to victory.

The Centennials power play, which went 0-10 in their previous three games, came to life on Saturday, going 4-12 in a penalty-filled affair.

The Centennials finish the 2025-26 KIJHL season with a pair of games at the NVMA this weekend.

On Friday night, the Kelowna Chiefs return to Merritt for the first time since Dec. 20, when the Centennials scored a dozen goals in a game for the first time in nearly 50-years in a 12-6 victory.  The last time the Cents had an offensive explosion like that was in a 20-3 win over Revelstoke on Oct. 29, 1977, in the old British Columbia Junior Hockey League (BCJHL).

Merritt will also welcome the Quesnel River Rush to the NVMA on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. to wrap up the regular season.

The Centennials will open the 2026 playoffs with a best of seven series with  a rematch of last years opening round  foes, the Revelstoke Grizzlies beginning in March. While it’s expected the series will open in Revelstoke March 6 and 7, the KIJHL has not confirmed the dates as of press time.

The Grizzlies eliminated the Centennials in five games last March.

Jared Thomas will have this weekend’s action for you on Q101 beginning with the Super Save Gas Cents hockey beginning with the Friday game at 6:45 while Saturday’s pregame show begins at 5:45 p.m.