18 • THURSDAY, August 26, 2021
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Otters find success at Kamloops swim meet
Jake Courtepatte NEWSROOM@MERRITTHERALD.COM The Otters were back in the pool in Kamloops on Aug. 8 for the Okanagan Region Celebration meet. Around 30 Merritt swimmers com-
Cents roster coming together
peted, with a number of gold medal performances. At the youngest level, Tenley Post finished at the top of the podium in a handful of events, including the Girls Division 1 100-metre Individual Medley, 50m Freestyle, 50m Butterfly, and 100m Freestyle.
Jake Courtepatte NEWSROOM@MERRITTHERALD. COM With the Merritt Centennials’ roster in the midst of building for the 2021-22 BCHL season, seasoned hockey fans might recognize a pretty famous last name. Defenseman Will Bowman is one of the newest Cents, an American who established his game early within the Chicago Mission hockey program. The 18-year old is the son of Chicago Blackhawks President of Hockey Operations Stan Bowman, and the grandson of the
Paige Asselstine was the winner of the A final for the Girls Division 6 200m Individual Medley, 100m Breaststroke, 100m Freestyle, and 100m Backstroke, while Isaac Asselstine found the same result in the Boys Division 5 200m Individual Medley, 50m Butterfly, 100m Freestyle, and 50m Freestyle.
famous ex-NHL Head Coach Scotty Bowman. Despite his last name, the youngest Bowman has forged his own path: Cents General Manager Dave Chyzowski praised his newest recruit for his defensive style of play. “Will is one of those players that is defensive minded, he’s a stay at home D that takes a huge amount of pride protecting his net, defensive zone and goalie. That being said, he also has a great first pass out of the zone.” In a statement, Bowman himself said that he’s excited for the move to Canada. “Growing up in the States every player wants to play
Evi Slanzi won the Girls Division 4 50m Freestyle and 100m Freestyle. Collectively, the Otters were the first to the wall in the Girls Division 1 200m Medley Relay and both the Boys Division 6 200m Medley Relay and 200m Freestyle Relay.
either USHL or NAHL and the really good tier 1 Canadian leagues sometimes get left out of the equation. I am really excited to move to a new environment and experience something new. As for the Centennials, I am looking forward to meeting the community. Other than the past two years when I attended boarding school, I had lived in a big city, so I am looking forward to living in a community where hockey means a lot.” Another new name that Cents fans may recognize is that of Sam Ward: Ward’s brother Ben spent the last three seasons with Merritt. Ward joins the team at just 16 years old, after a suc-
cessful stint in the Canadian Sports School Hockey League’s Under-16 program. Though the 2020-21 season was extremely limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ward managed two post three points in four games last year with Delta Hockey Academy. Ward, like Bowman, is pumped up to get the season started. “What has me excited about joining the BCHL and Merritt is the step up to Junior Hockey, the pace of the game, and playing against older, stronger competition. I’m stoked to play in Merritt because I have heard so many good things about the city , fans, coaches, and staff.”
