SALMON ARM, BC- As the calendar flips to November; Silverback fans will get a chance to watch a lot of games inside the Shaw Centre. This month, the Backs have seven home games, the first of seven is tonight against the Vernon Vipers. It’s the third meeting this season between the two teams, the Silverbacks defeated the Vipers in their home opener 4-2, and the Vipers returned the favour the next night, downing the Backs 4-3 in overtime. The Silverbacks are coming into tonight riding high with a four-game winning streak and sit atop the Interior Division with a 6-0-1 record. They are coming off the heels of a weekend sweep over the Wenatchee Wild and Victoria Grizzlies, scoring 15 goals in the two games combined. They have been getting production from up and down the entire lineup. A big line for the Backs has been Isaac Lambert, Mathieu Cobetto-Roy, and Nathan Morin. The line accounted for seven of the 15 goals over the weekend. Owen Say started both games for the Silverbacks in goal, improving to 5-0-1 on the year.
Players to Watch:
Lucas Matta: Was Player of Month for October, defenceman racked up three goals and six assists in seven games. He’s scored in three of his last four games and has found himself third in team scoring with nine points.
Mathieu Cobetto-Roy– Starting to find his stride and adjusting to the BCHL. He has scored in his last four games. He has shown that his shot can play and is a lethal option on the powerplay for the Backs, with three of his five coming on the man advantage. But it’s the play away from the puck, and he is slowly getting to the soft areas on the ice. He also had a couple of nice hits on the forecheck against Wenatchee.
Danny Ciccarello- Got put into the middle with the absence of Nathan Mackie and has put together two good games together in a row. He seems more engaged in the play and is creating more for his teammates. Ciccarello scored his first of the season against the Wild Friday night.
A Look At the Opposition
On the other hand, the Vipers have sputtered as of late, dropping their late three contests to Victoria, Alberni Valley, and Cowichan Valley. Two of those losses came in extra time. They are 3-3-2 on the season and sit in 7th place in Interior Division. Cameron MacDonald leads the way for the Vipers with 10 points in five games; he scored the OT winner against the Backs October 16th. Ethan David has started two games for the Vipers and had yet to allow a goal. He is 1-0-1 on the year.
