Who: Salmon Arm SilverBacks vs. Penticton Vees
When: Friday, August 30, 7:00 pm
Where: Shaw Centre, Salmon Arm
Pay-Per-View: FAST Hockey
Radio: Mixlr
The final weekend of the SilverBacks pre-season begins tonight at home, as Salmon Arm and Penticton kick off a home-and-home set. The 'Backs are very close to a final roster of 22 after some difficult decisions on the part of Troy Mick and his coaching staff, and tonight's game, coupled with tomorrow's in the South Okanagan, will serve more as a chance for fine-tuning systems and chemistry than an opportunity to evaluate potential players.
Fans who attended last weekend's games against Merritt and Vernon should expect a bit more polish tonight. The club has had a full week of practice (combined with a few off-ice activities including a team visit to the Interior Provincial Exhibition in Armstrong yesterday), and spirits (and anxiety I'm sure) are high ahead of the start of a new campaign.
Colorado products Evan Anderson and Landon Smith were terrific together last weekend, in particular last Friday in the 5-1 win over the Vipers. But the forward combination that drew the most chatter in the press box and in coffee shops around town featured all rookies, as former LA Junior Kings Taylor Maruya and Thomas Plese showed a fair bit of razzle-dazzle with ex-North Okanagan Knight Colton Thibault. Plese lit the lamp both Friday and Saturday while Thibault scored a power-play marker in his hometown of Vernon last Saturday night.
20 year-old Blake Box will get another chance to show his physical side this weekend, too. The Texan has been gritty right from the start of camp, and has shown a lot of will to carry the puck too, something 'Backs fans saw a lot of from the likes of Shane Hanna and Brayden Sherbinin last year.
Tonight also marks the first meeting between the 'Backs and the Penticton Vees since the 2013 BCHL playoffs, when the Vees swept Salmon Arm in the opening round.
Last Meeting: The Vees won the aforementioned playoff matchup on Shaw Centre ice back on March 19th thanks to a four-pack of first-period goals. Ryan Gropp had the deciding marker on an opening-frame power-play.
Our Opponent: The Vees will be a force once again this season, if evidenced only by the fact that 10 players on the club's current roster have already secured scholarships. Sniper Brad McClure takes over for the departed Troy Stecher as team captain, and the club features almost an entirely new roster from last season, including between the pipes where Olivier Mantha and Hunter Miska replace Chad Katunar (Notre Dame) and Nic Renyard (Victoria). At first blush, Fred Harbinson's club looks like it will carry significant size, especially on the back end. So far, the defense has come to play as well, surrendering only four goals in three pre-season games, most recently a 3-1 win over Trail Wednesday night.
