Salmon Arm, B.C. — The Salmon Arm Silverbacks (19-6-1) host the Wenatchee Wild (11-10-4) at the Shaw Centre on Thursday night, four days after besting them 3-2 in overtime.
It’s the fifth of seven meetings this season. The Silverbacks are currently 4-0 in the head-to-head games, winning 3-2 on Oct. 4 at the BCHL Showcase in Penticton, 8-5 on Oct. 25 in Wenatchee, 4-2 on Oct. 26 in Wenatchee and 3-2 on Nov. 17.
The Interior Division rivals will meet again on Dec. 13 in Wenatchee and on Feb. 16 in Salmon Arm. The Silverbacks are 13-2 on home ice this season.
Tonight’s game has a 7 p.m. puck drop.
Last Time Out
As mentioned, the Silverbacks are coming off a 3-2 overtime win over the Wild on Sunday. Nick Unruh notched the OT winner for the second time this season. Logan Shaw and Daniel Rybarik also scored in the game.
Before that, the Backs split a home-and-home with the Penticton Vees, topping them 4-3 last Wednesday and then falling 6-3 on Friday.
Salmon Arm is 7-3 in their last 10 games.
The Opposition
Before Sunday’s loss to the Backs, the Wild went 0-2-1 in three straight games against the Vees.
Since the doubleheader between the Silverbacks and Wild on Oct. 25 and 26, Wenatchee has gone 2-3-2. They are 3-5-2 in their last 10 games.
The Wild are led up front by rookie Nick Cafarelli, who has 24 points. Winger Tyler Young ranks second on the team in scoring with 22 points, while Brian Adams and Brett Chorske are tied for third with 19 points each. Goaltender Daniel Chenard has made 66 saves on 71 shots in two games since returning from injury and carries a 6-4-4 record this season.
Notable Versus Wenatchee
Captain Akito Hirose (7A) has seven points in four head-to-head games against the Wild this season. In 16 career games against Wenatchee, he has 12 points (2G, 10A).
William Poirier has six points (1G, 5A) in four head-to-head games this season, while Daniel Rybarik has four goals and five points.
Eight different Silverbacks players have recorded at least three points in the four combined previous games.
Players to Watch
SILVERBACKS: ETHAN LANGENEGGER
After Sunday’s victory — his 16th of the season — Langenegger has now won four straight starts, with a combined .933 SV% in those contests. On the season, he holds a 16-2 record and is one of just two goaltenders with more than 13 wins.
The Lake Superior State University commit has made 30 or more saves eight times this year.
WILD: BRIAN ADAMS
The Wild captain had another point against the Backs on Sunday, his third this season.
He has five points in his last six games (2G, 3A).
Current Point Streaks
Akito Hirose: 14 games (2G, 17A)
Tony Andreozzi: 6 games (2G, 5A)
Jayden Price: 3 games (1G, 2A)
Tune In
Pre-game coverage on EZ Rock starts at 6:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will also be streamed live on HockeyTV.
