The Merritt Centennials went from likely losers to hopeful winners and back again, finally scoring a pair of late goals to finish off the Quesnel Millionaires on home ice by a 7-5 margin on Friday evening.
The scene look grim for the Cents early in the second period, as Quesnel had grown a 3-0 lead on goals from Taylor Holst, Darick Ste-Marie and Spencer Grabowski. But Merritt rebounded with a flurry of offence, tying the game after 40 minutes and going ahead by a pair just 1:32 into the third.
Undeterred, the Millionaires proved equally capable of playing catch-up, with Chris Kerr and Trever Hertz knotting the score with goals five minutes apart. But when the chips were down, Merritt found goals from Derek Hills and Colston Sobchak to finally put the game to rest.
Sobchak finished the game with two goals and an assist, while Hills, Matt Mazzarolo and Alex Valenti all contrinuted two-point performances. Mazzarolo and Jeff Zmurchyk supplied the remaining Centennials goals.
Meanwhile, Holst and Ste-Marie each put up a pair of points for the Millionaires, who also received goals from Chris Kerr and Trever Hertz.
The Centennials wrap a two-game weekend homestand on Saturday with a visit from the recently surging Trail Smoke Eaters, while Quesnel continues on to Vernon for an encounter with the Vipers.
