Season Series
October 7th: Merritt 1 at Penticton 5
October 8th: Penticton 4 at Merritt 3 (OT)
October 21st: Penticton 4 at Merritt 2
November 19th: Merritt 2 at Penticton 3 (OT)
December 30th: Merritt 2 at Penticton 4
January 13th: Penticton 2 at Merritt 3
February 1st: Penticton 4 at Merritt 2
Playoff Schedule
GM 1: Merritt 1 at Penticton 4
GM 2: Merritt 1 at Penticton 4
GM 3: Penticton 1 at Merritt 5
GM 4: Penticton 2 at Merritt 1 (OT)
GM 5: Merritt 5 at Penticton 4
GM 6: Penticton 1 at Merritt 2 (OT)
GM 7: March 27th at SOEC, 7 pm
It all comes down to this. One game, winner takes all. The Penticton Vees host the Merritt Centennials tonight in Game Seven of their Interior Division Semi-Final at the SOEC; puck drop is 7 pm.
The Centennials forced a seventh and deciding game after their 2-1 overtime win in Game Six on Friday night. Tyrell Buckley, the Penticton native, was the hero scoring 10 and a half minutes into OT for his second goal of the series (Game Recap HERE).
After Zach Zorn gave the Cents’ a 1-0 lead late in the first period, Matt Gosiewski scored his first of the post-season midway through the second to tie it up through 40-minutes. Mat Robson was superb in net despite the loss, as he turned aside 50 of 52 Merritt shots. In fact, the two teams combined for 100 shots in 70 and a half minutes on Friday night.
Games like tonight is the reason why the Vees fought so hard for home ice advantage in the regular season. The Vees are 2-1 at home in the playoffs but were 22-5-0-1 at home in the regular season. Merritt did take a 5-4 win out of the SOEC in Game Five but the Vees are still 5-1 at the SOEC this season versus Merritt (regular season & playoffs).
Tonight is the third Game Seven for the Vees since 2014 and they won their last, a 2-0 win over Vernon in the Interior Division Final in 2015. Under President, General Manager & Head Coach Fred Harbinson, the Vees are 3-1 in series deciding games. The Vees also won a fifth and deciding game against Prince George in 2009 (best-of-five series).
Mat Robson will look to build off of his 50-save performance in Game Six. This post-season, Robson is 3-3, owning a 2.20 goals-against average and sports a .924 save percentage. Merritt’s Jacob Berger has been equally as good, owning a 7-3 record, with a 2.60 goals-against average and has a .929 save percentage.
One trend that will be closely watched is who scores first tonight. The team that has scored first in this series has gone on to win every game, and the Cents’ are 7-0-0 when scoring first in the playoffs.
Power-Plays have struggled on both sides in this series, as the two teams are a combined 3-40; the Vees have scored just once on 22 opportunities. A power-play goal could be a big difference maker in a game of this magnitude.
Nicholas Jones continues to lead the Vees in playoff scoring in both goals (3) and points (8). Jones is closely followed by Chris Klack (1-6-7) who leads the Vees in playoff assists; Klack also has points in six straight. Rounding out the top three is defenceman Gabe Bast who has a pair of goals and three points.
Tyler Ward not only leads the Cents’ in playoff scoring but the entire BCHL. The Kamloops native has a league-best nine goals and 16 points through 10 games. Behind him is Stephan Seeger (5-5-10) and Michael Regush (3-5-8).
Vees’ Playoff Scoring:
| Nicholas Jones | 3-5-8 |
| Chris Klack | 1-6-7 |
| Gabe Bast | 2-1-3 |
| Owen Sillinger | 2-1-3 |
| Jamie Armstrong | 1-2-3 |
Centennials’ Playoff Scoring:
| Tyler Ward | 9-7-16 |
| Stephan Seeger | 5-5-10 |
| Mike Regush | 3-5-8 |
| Mike Faulkner | 1-6-7 |
| Nick Fidanza | 1-6-7 |
Tonight isn’t the only Game Seven in the BCHL, as the Victoria Grizzlies host the Powell River Kings at the Q Centre. That best-of-seven Island Division Final is tied 3-3, after Victoria picked up a 4-2 win in Game Six Saturday.
Fans can listen to today’s game on EZ Rock AM 800 locally, or on the iHeartRadio Canada app for their iPhone, iPad, smartphone or tablet. If you’re streaming through your web browser, go to the EZ Rock AM 800 website. The game is also available via the BCHL webcast at www.HockeyTV.com
