Langley, BC — The Langley Rivermen will look to make it five wins in a row on Friday (November 8th) as they will face the Merritt Centennials for the second time this season and the first of back to back meetings this weekend. Face off is 7:30pm from Nicola Valley Arena.
The Rivermen are coming off another double overtime victory and a successful week in the BCHL going 2-0. With wins against Chilliwack and Prince George the Riv continue to lead the Mainland Division by three points with a 13-5-1-1 record.
The Rivermen are currently the hottest team in the BCHL, having won 4 straight games.
The Merritt Centennials sit third in the Interior Division with a 12-9-1-0 and are 5-4-1-0 over their last ten games.
Previous Meeting / Head to Head
The Rivermen were able to squeak out a 1-0 win way back on September 6th at the BCHL Showcase. The Riv are a much different and better looking hockey team than they were two months ago.
Keys to the Game / Who to Watch
The Riv have done a great job of forcing turnovers over the last couple games. This has come from consistent effort taking the body and a high pressure fore check. Look for that trend to continue this weekend.
Big players need to play big. Mitch McLain continues to impress for the Riv sitting 4th in league scoring with 26pts. Austin Azurdia will get back into the line up after a two game absence and should be a motivated hockey player. James Robinson was the overtime hero in the last game and will need to continue to produce.
Matt Ustaski and Chris Forney have really picked up their offensive play and will hope to keep their hot play going. Jakob Reichert is due for a break out this weekend. The big winger has been playing well but hasn’t been rewarded. Sooner or later the puck will begin to bounce his way.
Look for both goaltenders in Brock Crossthwaite and Steve Myland to get a start this weekend. Neither keeper has been able to establish himself as the clear number one. That is probably just fine with Head Coach Bobby Henderson as both goalies continue to rack up wins.
Langley will return home to the LEC for the back half of the double header on November 9th for a 7:15pm puck drop.
Both games this weekend are available to watch or listen online
Streaming video: http://www.fasthockey.com/login.php
Audio only: http://mixlr.com/
