The Merritt Centennials appear to have left their road woes in the rearview mirror as the calendar changes to 2010. On Wednesday, the Cents authored a comeback from down two goals and left Trail with a 4-3 overtime victory over the Smoke Eaters.
Scott Jacklin and Darnell Dyck had put the home side ahead early, but Merritt hit the board with just over a minute remaining in the first period when Andrew Pickering converted a Dustin Johnson feed for a power-play goal.
The Smokies re-established their two-goal advantage midway through the second, however, on a Sam Mellor effort, before Merritt's comeback took shape. Derek Hills scored another late-period marker to cut the deficit to one and Johnson scored with less than four minutes remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime. Once there, Hills picked up his third point of the night on Silvan Harper's winner.
Centennials netminder Keith Hamilton picked up the win and a first star nod with a 40-save performance, while Kiefer Smiley took the loss after facing 30 shots.
With the win, Merritt is guaranteed sole possession of fifth place in the Interior Conference heading into 2010. The Centennials have also rung up three consecutive road victories after beginning the year with 17 straight losses away from the friendly confines of the Nicola Valley Arena.
The Cents are back in action on Saturday when they host the Williams Lake Timberwolves, while the Smoke Eaters now venture out for a visit to Salmon Arm on Sunday. Catch all the action live with BCHL Web TV.
