Merritt Centennials, Kamloops Storm chime in ahead of Coquihalla Cup series opener

Both teams made the jump to the Junior A Tier 1 B.C. Hockey Conference in time for the 2026-2027 campaign. They played in separate divisions last season in the Junior A Tier 2 Kootenay International Junior Hockey League.

“It’s usually just the banter on the ice, going in hard and the chirps, but it’s going to be the physicality,” Storm forward Mattias Holte said when asked what it’s going to take for the Merritt-Kamloops rivalry to blossom.

The clubs will square off six times this season. Teams will be awarded three points for a regulation win, two points for an overtime victory and one point for an overtime loss.

Kamloops (3-1-0-0) will host the first game of the series on Friday (Oct. 2), with puck-drop scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre.

“It should be a hard-fought game,” said Storm forward Carter Biggs, one of eight Kamloopsians on the team. “They’re usually pretty rough, but in our barn it should be better than in their small one.”

Merritt (2-2-1-0), which edged Kamloops 3-2 in a shootout in the pre-season, will host Game 2 of the Coquihalla Cup series on Halloween night.

“There’s going to be a lot more fans coming to Merritt from Kamloops and from Kamloops to Merritt, and I think that’s exciting,” Centennials’ defenceman Crosby Hollinshead said. “More fans contribute to more of an atmosphere.”

Merritt head coach Henry Acres said the clubs have history on which to build.

“It’s interesting because if you look back at the history of the Merritt Centennials, they started out in Kamloops in 1961,” he said. “I’m sure there are some people around who remember those days. Hopefully, that piques their interest to step into either of our arenas again.”

by Marty Hastings

Merritt Centennials, Kamloops Storm chime in ahead of Coquihalla Cup series opener

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