Cents Looking For A Win Versus Vipers:

This was in yesterday's Merritt Herald Newspaper:

Cents looking for a win versus Vipers on Friday

By Ian Webster on September 14, 2017

It’s still early in the season, and certainly no time to hit the panic button yet.

That said, the Merritt Centennials will be looking to improve their performance considerably this Friday when the Vernon Vipers come to town, following two disappointing Cents’ home-ice losses on the opening weekend of  the BCHL regular season.

The number one need is to stay out of the penalty box. Centennials’ indiscretions in their first two outings resulted in a combined total of 15 power-play opportunities for the opposition. Time spent in the sin bin basically cost the Cents both games.

Players and coaches can moan all they want about the way games are being called in today’s hockey, but it’s the teams that adjust and adapt to the evolving standards that more often than not wind up winners. Fundamental Darwinism at work.

The second need is for a functional powerplay. The Centennials went 0-for-8 with the man advantage on the weekend — and looked terrible in the process. They had difficulty gaining the other team’s zone, struggled to set up when they did get across the blueline, and couldn’t find passing or shooting lanes in order to generate legitimate scoring chances.

All is not doom and gloom, however. The Centennials’ first 120 minutes of hockey also displayed a number of bright spots.

First and foremost was the solid netminding of Merritt’s Jake Berger. Despite allowing four goals each night in the two weekend losses, the 20-year-old Minnesotan looked poised, quick and ready to have an outstanding year. With a very capable Vincent Duplessis waiting in the wings, puckstopping is not going to be the Cents’ Achilles heel this season.

The Centennials’ young and inexperienced blueline brigade made a few glaring errors in week one, but for the most part acquitted themselves well. The opposition only scored four even-strength goals over two games — a testament to the resiliency of Merritt’s defensive corps.

Up front, there’s plenty of speed and individual skill in the forward group, and some solid physicality. They just need to work more cohesively as a team, and get pucks on net. Once the vets and the rookies get on the same page, there definitely could be some sparks fly.

Merritt will be put to the test this Friday by a retooled Vernon team that won both of its weekend games against the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. The Vipers are led by veteran forwards Jimmy Lambert (BCHL Player of the Week with five points in two games), Brett Stapley and Jagger Williamson, along with returning defensemen  Michael Ufberg and Chris Jandric, as well as netminder Ty Taylor.

Friday’s puck drop is at 7 p.m.