The chase for the final playoff spot in the BCHL’s Interior Division rolled through Merritt on Tuesday night with the Vipers in town. In a game that lacked a lot of offense, made up for with an abundance of intensity, physicality and desperation. In the end a late goal even strength would be the difference as the Merritt Centennials were able to skate off with two points and a 3-1 win to move within 4 points of the Vipers for the final Interior playoff spot.
The Cents struck early off a Michael Faulkner point shot with a ton of traffic in front of Brendan Barry. The Vipers responded nicely thanks to a powerplay, although they didn’t score were able to generate some momentum. A good hard working shift deep in the Merritt zone led to the first Viper goal as McCarthy found Riley Brandt open in the slot and he went post and in to tie the game. Late in the period Colin Grannary would find his way in on a shorthanded breakaway, but would be stopped by Barry.
The second was a battle of goaltenders as both Barry and Kehler had to be sharp. Barry more so than Kehler thanks to a few Merritt powerplays. In a weird pattern that took shape, the period started with end to end action, slowed up in the middle portions only to pick up again in the final minutes, but after 40 the game was still 1-1.
The Centennials had a glorious opportunity early in the third period thanks to a lengthy 5 on 3 powerplay, but some great saves and key blocked shots allowed the Vipers to kill it off with the game remaining tied. The Cents kept up the pressure and really carried the momentum throughtout the period. It took the Vipers nearly 11 minutes to register their first shot on goal. By that point the Cents had taken the lead as Michael Regush was able to bank a shot from behind the red line off a body and past Barry to make it 2-1. The Vipers would pull Barry to get the extra attacker, but Brett Jewell would seal the game into an empty net making the final score 3-1.
Scoring Summary:
Period 1
MER – Michael Faulkner (4) – Grannary 3:12
VER – Riley Brandt (15) – Zandee, McCarthy 12:48
Period 2
NO SCORING
Period 3
MER – Michael Regush (5) – Fiorentino 11:44
MER – Brett Jewell (12) – unassisted 18:01 (EN)
Game Stars
Vernon – Brendan Barry – 2nd star, 35 saves
There is something about the NVMA that brings out the best in Brendan Barry. Athough it was the first time the Kelowna product has lost in the building, he put on a display. Many crucial saves and crucial times to give his team a chance to win. It was also statistically his best game of the season as the Vipers may have to rely on him a bit more with a lot of hockey left in a short period of time.
Merritt – Nick Fiorentino – 1A, Energy Player
Nick Fiorentino had a pretty steady performance on the Merritt blueline. He chipped in with an assist, but it was his play away from the puck that drew my attention. He was physical, positionally sound and logged a lot of minutes for Joe Martin. Martin has said Nick is at his best when he’s not doing anything too flashy, well that statement was true on Tuesday.
Final Thoughts
This was a hard fought game with two teams desperate for points. Unfortunately for the Vipers the team that needed to be more desperate, played like it and the Merritt Centennials played a near flawless game. In the third period they were able to find a gear that the Vipers came close to matching, but couldn’t overcome. The way the goaltenders were playing, you got a sense it would be an ugly one that made the difference and that was true. No fault to Brendan Barry on the play, just an unfortunate ricochet. The Vipers will need to add an element of desperation to their game. They are in the drivers seat when it comes to the final playoff spot, but can’t rely on just that. Another big game awaits on Friday night at KTP.
