Oakes and Merritt Centennials need quick turnaround in BCJHL playoffs

If the Merritt Centennials hope to have any kind of run in this years BCJHL playoffs, they are going to need to get untracked tonight, when they host Game Three of their Best of Seven series with the Penticton Vees.

The Centennials, who count Prince Rupert's Devin Oakes among their roster players this season, have been badly outscored in their first two games.

Dropping both games of their series with the Vees on Tuesday and Wednesday nights in Penticton.

Tuesday the Centennials failed to pick up a goal, getting shut down and shut out by the Vees by a score of 8 to 0.

Wednesday night saw Merritt find a bit more offence, picking up three goals on the night, but still they found themselves on the wrong end of the scoreboard suffering a 6-3 loss, allowing the Vees to storm back with five unanswered goals to claim victory.

With the twin victories, the Vees take a 2 games to 0 lead into Merritt Friday, no doubt looking to close out the series with the Centennials  over the weekend at the Centennials home rink.

For Rupert's Oakes, the first game was a frustrating one, which saw the PRMHA alumni pick up a five minute penalty and assessed a game misconduct for slashing.

Wednesday night, he again found himself popular on the penalty box box score, assessed penalties for Boarding and Unsportsmanlike conduct.

Summaries of the two games can be found below:

Tuesday night (Penticton 8 - Merritt 0)
Wednesday night (Penticton 6 - Merritt 3)


Both the Friday and Saturday night games start at 7:30 from Merritt's Nicola Valley Arena.

Rupertites can follow Oakes and the Centennials by way of Merritt radio station Q101, which has the live broadcast of the game starting at 7:30.

Previews of game three can be found here.

Media reviews of the Centennials playoff games can be found below:

Vees vs Merritt March 5  (video recap)
Power Play rebounds in Vees third period rally
Vees use power play to take 2-0 lead
Goal surge powers Penticton Vees
Vees draw first blood in game one of playoffs

Update: 

March 10-- The Centennials were eliminated from the BCJHL playoffs on Saturday night, bowing out in four straight games to the Penticton Vees.

You can follow the path that other Prince Rupert athletes have followed from our Archive page