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Merritt Centennials: Team History

(1973-74 BCJHL Rookie of the Year Fred Berry)

The Cents franchise was founded in 1961 as one of the four originating teams in the upstart Okanagan (Mainline) Junior "A" Hockey League - the Kamloops Rockets. When the Western Canada Hockey League's Vancouver Nats moved to Kamloops in the summer of 1973 to become the Chiefs, the city's British Columbia Junior Hockey League team relocated to White Rock and was renamed the Centennials.

In November of 1973, White Rock was struggling on the ice and at the gate despite the presence of top scorers like Fred Berry and Darrel Zelinski and made the decision to move the team to the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena in Merritt.

In January of 1974, a group of Merritt businessmen - Jim Flux, Len Pare, Bill Pooley, John Mulvey and Don Dewinetz - formed Merritt Hockey Limited and purchased the franchise, giving the Centennials their first local ownership group.

The 1977-78 season represents the most significant in Centennials history as the team experienced achievements yet to be matched. The Cents rocketed to the top of the BCJHL standings, finishing with a record of 50-15-1 and 101 points. Merritt racked up an astonishing 489 goals that season, led by six different players with 90 points or more.

Once the BCJHL playoffs rolled around, the Centennials were nowhere to be found. Opting to return to the Centennial Cup Junior "A" playoffs, the league decided that Merritt would represent them. While the rest of the BCJHL teams competed the regular playoffs, the Centennials first faced the Pacific Coast Junior Hockey League's Richmond Sockeyes for the Mowat Cup provincial championship. Merritt swept the best of five series 3-0 and advanced to the BC-Alberta Junior "A" Championship against the Alberta Junior Hockey League's Calgary Canucks. The Centennials swept them aside in six games.The Cinderella run came to an end in the Abbott Cup Championship against the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League's Prince Albert Raiders as they beat the Centennials 4 games to 1.

In 2011-12, the Cents set a new franchise mark for fewest goals against in a season with 171 goals-allowed, breaking the previous record from 1978-79 by five.

Since joining the BCHL in 1973-74, Merritt has advanced to the playoffs 33 times.