SALMON ARM, BC-John Harrington scored two goals in the third period, and goaltender Jordan Fairlie stopped all 18 shots he faced as the Prince George Spruce Kings shut out the Salmon Arm Silverbacks 5-0 at the Shaw Centre.
The opening period was a period to forget for the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. The visiting Prince George Spruce Kings poured on the shots forcing Backs goaltender Owen Say to be sharp. The Backs were outshot 13-4 in the opening twenty. Spruce King’s best chance came off the stick of newcomer Luc Laylin, who found himself wide open in the slot, but Say came out to challenge and stopped him. The Spruce Kings got the first powerplay of the hockey game. A spot the Silverbacks were in five times last night in West Kelowna, and like last night, they were able to kill it off. The penalty killers did an excellent job keeping the passes to the perimeter. The Silverbacks got a powerplay of their own late in the first period. They had some good zone time but failed to convert on the man advantage.
In the second period, it again was not a good start. The Silverbacks failed to chip a puck out of the zone, and defenceman Colton Cameron fed Luc Laylin a pass out front, and he beat Say five-hole to give the Spruce Kings a 1-0 lead. The Spruce Kings would add another off the stick of Kolton Cousins, as he ripped an in tight snapshot under the bar over the left shoulder of Say to double to Spruce Kings lead. The Backs had a little bit of a pushback midway through the middle frame on a powerplay, but they couldn’t solve Spruce Kings goaltender Jordan Fairlie. Again, the Backs were outshot; this time, 12-6 for a whole period total of 25-10.
In the third period, the visitors struck early. Spruce Kings forward John Harington ripped home a one-timer blocker side past Say to extend the lead to 3-0. The Silverbacks were a man short due to a hooking minor by Ethan Ullrick. Just 2:30 later, the Spruce Kings struck again; this time, it was Simon Labelle snapping a shot under the glove, making 4-0 Prince George. Harrington would add another late in the final frame to make it 5-0. This is now the third time the Silverbacks have been shut out on home ice this season. It’s a quick turnaround for the Backs, as they host the West Kelowna Warriors tomorrow afternoon at 4:00. Following the game, fans will be able to Skate with the Backs.
