SALMON ARM- Owen Desilets scored the overtime winner with 2:32 left, and Brandon Santa Juana pitched in with two goals and an assist to help propel the Silverbacks over the Vipers 4-3.
It was the second meeting of the preseason between the Silverbacks and the Vipers. Last week, the two teams met in Vernon, and the Backs came out on top 4-1. It was a quick start for the Backs’. They cashed in on a powerplay when Brandon Santa Juana came off the bench and ripped it over the glove hand of Vipers goaltender Roan Clarke to make it 1-0. But, Santa Juana wasn’t done there; just 16 seconds later, he found the back of the net, this time by some luck, as the puck bounced high in the air and over the head of Clarke to make it 2-0. The Vipers countered with a goal of their own to cut the lead in half. Reagan Milburn tipped a Desmond Johnson point shot past Silverbacks goaltender Liam Vanderkooi to make it 2-1 Backs’.
In the middle frame, the Backs’ had a few chances to regain their two-goal lead early on the powerplay. The best opportunities came off the stick of forward Mathieu Cobetto-Roy, but Clarke denied him both times. Then the Vipers had a powerplay of their own to try to deadlock the game at two, and they did just that. It was Reagan Milburn again snapping a shot cleanly past Vanderkooi to make it 2-2. The Vipers and Backs both each had a powerplay late in the second period but failed to convert. The Silverbacks outshot the Vipers 9-7 in the second period, but the Vipers had the advantage through both periods combined 22-19.
The Backs’ began the third period shorthanded as Serdachny was still serving his tripping minor. The Vipers needed all but seven seconds to cash in and take a 3-2 lead when Kjell Kjemhus beat Vanderkooi. But as the Silverbacks showed last season in the pod…nothing fazes them. The resilient Backs’ fought back and tied the game midway through the third period on the powerplay. Again, it was Santa Juana in the middle of things. This time feathering a beautiful pass backdoor to Simon Tassy, who made a perfect shot over Clarke’s left pad to tie the game at three. The two teams traded chances late, but this game needed more than 60 minutes.
The Silverbacks dominated the puck possession in the extra frame, as the Vipers didn’t even enter the Silverbacks defensive zone. Finally, with 2:32 left in the overtime period, Noah Serdachny picked up the puck and made a pass to streaking defenceman Owen Desilets, who then roofed it under the bar and gave the Silverbacks a come-from-behind 4-3 victory in overtime.
With the win, the Silverbacks improve to 3-1 on the preseason and will wrap up their six-game preseason schedule this weekend with a home and home with the Penticton Vees.
