It's been more than ten years since a local served behind the bench of the Merritt Centennials hockey club.

After three administrative changes over the year, the Centennials organization may have finally found their man.

New head coach and GM Luke Pierce couldn't have made it any easier for the Centennials Society to accept him than by winning his first two games as a Junior A hockey coach.

“I felt like a kid a Christmas,” says Pierce.
“I'm excited but well aware of the challenge ahead.”

Pierce was elevated from his assistant coach position after the team announced last Wednesday that brothers Dylan and Tyler Forsythe were not returning to the bench.

The Centennials Society has not yet announced why the two are no longer employed by the club but the Centennials losing record and recent road trip losses likely contributed.

“Everybody wasn't satisfied with the way the team was working,” explains Pierce.
Pierce says the Centennials players realize now that there will be no more excuses for them.
“They have a fresh start.”

Pierce has high expectations going into his new role.

“I intend on finishing in the fifth or sixth spot – just making it to the playoffs is not what I expect.”

The Centennials responded to Pierce's ascension to bench boss with a 7-3 win over the Williams Lake Timberwolves last Thursday night at home.

Forward Colton Sobchak scored two goals and two assists to help the Cents, who lit up the net behind Timberwolves goaltender Sean Donnelly seven times.

For the first time in what seems like a long time, the Cents outshot the opposition 44-34.

Forward Alex MacMillan, who spent most of the last year and the beginning of this season off the ice with injuries, was saluted by Centennials fans who showered the ice with a barrage of hats after MacMillan's third goal of the game midway through the third period.

“We kept the pressure on them and kept going and finally the chances came, and that's when we buried them,” said defenceman Steve Tresierra, who netted one goal on the night.

The Timberwolves had kept the Cents deadlocked in a 2-2 tie until Dustin Johnson put one past Donnelly early in the third.

The Cents carried their momentum into Saturday's contest against the Quesnel Millionaires, who are two positions head in the interior conference standings.

The Cents came out firing on Millionaires goaltender Kirby Halcrow.

The teams were evenly matched throughout most of the game but by the end of the second period, the Millionaires were leading 5-4 thanks to a go-ahead goal by Sam Higgins.

Jeff Zmurchyk and Jeff Jones added two more in the third period but it wasn't enough to capture the W because of a goal by Millionaires forward Spencer Graboski that tied the game at five.

Overtime was needed to decide this one. Zmurchyk, who already had a taste of scoring, stepped up as the overtime hero.
Captain Jordan Soquila and forward Daniel Chang combined to feed Zmurchyk who put a shot on net that deflected over the shoulder of a sprawling Halcrow.

Tresierra says the Cents physical play helped them stay in the game against the Millionaires.
“I think we can beat pretty much any given team on any given,” says Tresierra.
“We've just got to give a full 60 minutes.”

As for the new coach, how do the players feel?

“He's a really positive guy, his practices are high tempo, and everybody respects him,” says Tresierra.
“He's played hockey too, so guys can relate to him.”

The Centennials bench will only staff two coaches for the time being. Maury Grant, from Vernon, will help out with assistant coaching duties until the Cents can find a full time replacement.

The Centennials start their first interior conference road swing Friday night in Williams Lake.

Pierce says goaltender Keith Hamilton will start in goal. Hamilton has recently returned to the Cents lineup after recovering from injuries.
The Centennials released tough guy Joey McEwan prior to the BCHL carding deadline Tuesday night and signed forward Austin Baecker who has most recently played Midget in Kelowna. Forward Kevin Philp has also been released.