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Backs Welcome Rival Vipers to Shaw Centre

SALMON ARM, BC- The Salmon Arm Silverbacks are looking to bounce back from a 2-0 loss at home last weekend to the West Kelowna Warriors. Tonight, they welcome the Vernon Vipers to town for their fourth meeting of the season. The Silverbacks have won the last two and have won 2/3 overall so far this season. Tonight will be the last meeting until after Christmas for the Interior Division Rivals. The Silverbacks come into tonight third in the division with an 11-3-1 record, while the Vipers are in seventh with a 4-6-5 record.

It’s going to be an uphill battle for the Silverbacks, as they are embarking on four games in five days, as they will travel to Wenatchee for three games in three days. These two teams met just seven days ago; it was the Silverbacks grinding out a 4-2 win on the road on the backs of Daniel Panetta’s two tallies and Simon Tassy’s shorthanded goal. Owen Say stopped 21 of 23 in the victory. Simon Tassy leads the way for the Backs, as he sits first in team scoring with 24 points and sits just two points shy of the league-leading Matthew Wood, who has 26 points. Tassy was named the BCHL’s first start of the week for last week’s efforts. He potted four goals and chipped in two assists. He was also one of the first 18 named to the 2022 BCHL All-Star Game.

A Look At The Opposition:
It’s no secret that the Vipers are a struggling hockey team; as I mentioned above, they sit 7th in the Interior Division with a 4-6-5 record. However, they are banking points with five losses coming in extra time. They come into tonight’s contest losers of three in the row and have lost nine of their last ten games. Luke Buss and Reegan Millburn have led the way up front for the Vipers. Cam MacDonald, a forward that has been out for quite some time, was off to a hot start with ten points in five games. The last two times these teams have faced off, the Vipers split their goaltenders, so it’s hard to say who will get the call in goal for the road side.