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Fresh faces abound on new-look Cents roster for 2009/10

The Merritt Centennials reduced their roster to twenty-three players this week in preparation for the first game of the 2009-10 BCHL regular season, this Friday at 7:30pm versus the visiting Trail Smoke Eaters.

The final number includes ten members of last year’s Centennials’ team, which finished eighth and last in the Interior Division of the British Columbia Hockey League, along with 13 new players who earned their spots over the course of training camp and the pre-season.

The Cents were served up a bit of a reality check in the days leading up to final cuts as the team lost its final four exhibition games after winning the opener on August 31. Two of the losses, by scores of 10-0 and 10-4, were one-sided blowouts at the hands of the Penticton Vees and the Salmon Arm Silverbacks respectively. The other two contests were considerably closer: a 7-3 defeat by the `Backs in the first half of their home-and-home series last Thursday, and a 6-5 setback to the Westside Warriors Sunday afternoon.

In fairness to the Cents, all four losses featured line-ups generously filled with rookies as the club’s new coaching staff continued its evaluation and selection process leading up to the September 11 deadline.

For head coach Dylan Forsythe, and assistants Luke Pierce and Tyler Forsythe, the scrutiny has first and foremost been at the goaltending position. The Cents’ brain trust is committed to improving the team’s defensive play this season, beginning between the pipes. To that end, training camp opened back on August 21 with an even dozen netminding prospects on hand, including lone incumbent Kyle Nielson.

When the dust settled Monday morning of this week, Nielson was gone, while three other goalies still remained with the Cents’ team: 19-year-old Norbert Bizczsak from Vancouver, 17-year-old Spencer Bacon out of Victoria, and 16-year-old Cole Holowenko, a late cut of the WHL Chilliwack Bruins last week.

There are few surprises along the Centennials’ blueline as seven of eight spots have been claimed by D’men with BCHL experience. They include Cents’ vets Steve Tresierra, Jake Baker, Matt Mazzarolo and Brad Bourke, along with Ryne Bodger and Derek Hills from the Powell River Paper Kings and Jeff Zmurchyk of the Smoke Eaters. The only new addition is Penticton’s Kameran Crawford who played for the Grand Forks Border Bruins of the KIJHL.

The Cents’ forward ranks are a solid mixture of old and new with a total of 13 players still with the club. From last year’s Merritt team are Dustin Johnson, Colton Sobchak, Alex Valenti, Jordan Soquila, Gary Rai and Kevin Philps. They are joined by Thomas Hardy, formerly of the Burnaby Express, and Stephen Walls from St. Albert of the AJHL. Rookies include Daniel Chang from Valencia, California, Vancouver’s Silvan Harper and David Sabey, Joey McEwan from Kelowna, and Jeff Jones who played Junior B hockey last year with the Revelstoke Grizzlies.

In their season opener, the Centennials will go face-to-face with an opponent that has done just about as much retooling in the off-season as the Cents have. The Smoke Eaters also have just 10 returnees from the squad that finished fifth in the BCHL Interior last year, as well as a host of new faces. Their biggest acquisitions arguably are proven goaltender Devon Murtagh from the Victoria Grizzlies, and forward Colin Lidster who played for the Silverbacks one year ago. Even bigger, physically, up front is 6’7″ 255lbs Matt Malenstyn, a summer-time acquisition.

Look for the sparks to fly this Friday night as both teams try to get their 2009-10 BCHL campaigns off on the right foot.