Sebastien Pare's goal 9:42 into the third period put the hosts ahead, and goaltenders Jack Burgart and Devin Kero stopped 35 of 36 SilverBacks shots as Merritt edged Salmon Arm 2-1 in pre-season action Thursday.
The Centennials overcame an early second-period deficit with two similar goals and held off a late Salmon Arm surge to preserve the win in front of over 500 fans at the Nicola Valley Arena.
Both sides dressed young squads, but it was the SilverBacks who shot out of the gate, hemming Merritt in their own zone for extended stretches of the opening frame thanks to an aggressive forecheck and physical prowess below the goalline. Salmon Arm outshot Merritt 12-7 but could not solve Burgart, the best chance coming off a Harlan Orr one-timer from the low slot after linemate Carter Lukenda swerved around the Centennials goal.
The 'Backs found the scoreboard on the second of two early-second period power-plays, thanks to a nifty deflection from rookie Connor Brown-Maloski. The Kamloops product stood his ground in front of the Centennials net and re-directed a Justin Dewitz point shot through Burgart's legs at the 4:25 mark.
Merritt would answer back with just over 6 minutes remaining in period two though, when Dane Birks' heavy point shot caromed off a SilverBack's shinpads to centre Diego Cuglietta, who fired a quick wrister past Salmon Arm netminder Kyle Michalovsky.
The teams would trade chances until midway through the third, arguably the best of those opportunities coming off the stick of the SilverBacks' Cam Berry, who found himself alone in the slot only to have his wrist shot snagged out of mid-air by Kero.
The Cents found their winner shortly after, when Pare followed up Gavin Gould's blocked shot, scoring from a similar spot on the ice to Cuglietta a period earlier. Merritt withstood a late spell of pressure to hold on for the win, despite being outshot in every period.
Up Next: the 'Backs begin a weekend home-and-home series with the Vernon Vipers, starting Friday at home (7:00, Shaw Centre).
