The Silverbacks will visit the Trail Smoke Eaters tonight at 7:30pm for Game 5 of the first round Best-of-7 Interior Division matchup. Salmon Arm staved off elimination in Game 4 on Wednesday with a 6-4 victory over Trail at the Shaw Centre. The Smoke Eaters took a 3-0 series lead with a 4-3 victory in Salmon Arm on Tuesday. Trail opened the series with 4-2 and 7-2 victories last Friday and Saturday in the West Kootenay.
Carson Bolduc leads the Silverbacks in scoring through the first 4 games. The 20-year-old captain and Salmon Arm product is 8th in BCHL playoff scoring with 3 goals and 3 assists, including 1 power-play goal and 4 penalty-minutes. Elijiah Barriga has 2 goals and 3 assists, including 2 power-play goals and 2 penalty-minutes for the 20-year-old of West Covina, CA. Nathan Iannone now has 2 goals and 2 assists, Josh Latta has 3 goals.
Carter Cochrane leads the Smoke Eaters and is second in playoff scoring with 2 goals and 6 assists, including 1 power-play goal and 8 penalty-minutes. Josh Laframboise is third in post-season scoring with 4 goals and 3 assists, including 2 power-play markers and 1 game winner with 2 penalty-minutes. Connor Brown-Maloski is sixth in the league with 4 goals and 2 assists, including 2 power-play goals and 6 penalty-minutes. Trail’s top 3 scorer’s are each 20-year-old’s and each former Silverbacks.
The Smoke Eaters have outscored Salmon Arm 19-13. Trail is ranked second in playoff scoring, while the Silverbacks have the allowed the second highest total of playoff goals with 19 in 4 games. The Smoke Eaters have 74 penalty-minutes and the highest total thus far, Salmon Arm has the fourth highest total with 54. The Silverbacks power-play is at 28-percent and fourth around the league, including the highest total of power-play goals with 7. Trail is second at 33-percent with the man-advantage and tied for third with 5 power-play goals. The Silverbacks penalty-kill is at 67-percent and 11th, the Smoke Eaters are ninth on the PK at 72-percent.
Games 6 and 7 if needed are set for Saturday and Sunday of this weekend. Game 6 would be tomorrow night in Salmon Arm and a 7pm face-off at the Shaw Centre.
Salmon Arm Community Radio will continue to broadcast each road game, as well as each home game during the post-season will be live at 93.7 FM and online via www.voiceoftheshuswap.ca Tune into CKVS each Monday at 7pm, and Tuesday at 7am for 30 minutes or more Silverbacks hockey talk. Each Silverbacks game is webcast PPV at www.hockeytv.com
