Salmon Arm, B.C. — The Salmon Arm Silverbacks (18-6-1) host the Wenatchee Wild (11-10-3) at the Shaw Centre on Sunday afternoon.
It’s the fourth of seven meetings this season but the first in Salmon Arm. The Silverbacks have won each of the previous three head-to-head games; 3-2 on Oct. 4 at the BCHL Showcase in Penticton; 8-5 on Oct. 25 in Wenatchee; and 4-2 on Oct. 26 in Wenatchee.
The Interior Division rivals will meet again at the Shaw Centre just a few days later on Nov. 21, and they will also see one another on Dec. 13 and Feb. 16. This afternoon’s game has a 3 p.m. puck drop.
The Silverbacks are 12-2 on home ice this season.
Last Time Out
The Silverbacks are coming off a 6-3 loss to the Penticton Vees on Wednesday, a game that was much closer than that score indicates. Coalson Wolford, Jayden Price and William Poirier all scored in the game, which was 4-3 until the 12-minute mark of the third period.
The Backs beat the Vees 4-3 two days earlier on home ice, with Ethan Langenegger making 32 saves.
Salmon Arm is 7-3 in their last 10 games.
The Opposition
The Wild are coming off three straight games against the Penticton Vees. They played them in a back-to-back on home ice last weekend and lost 4-1 and then 5-3, and last night they were defeated 2-1 in overtime at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
Since the doubleheader between the Silverbacks and Wild on Oct. 25 and 26, Wenatchee has gone 2-3-1. They are 4-5-1 in their last 10 games.
The Wild got a big boost to their lineup last night with the return of goaltender Daniel Chenard, who made 31 saves on 33 shots in his return, although it’s doubtful he plays this afternoon.
Notable Versus Wenatchee
Poirier (1G, 5A) and captain Akito Hirose (6A) each have six points in three head-to-head games against the Wild this season. In 15 career games against Wenatchee, Hirose has 11 points (2G, 9A).
Daniel Rybarik and Wolford each have three goals in three games versus the Wild this season.
Ten different Silverbacks players have recorded at least two points in the three previous meetings, where the Backs have scored a total of 17 goals.
Players to Watch
SILVERBACKS: LUKE MYLYMOK
Mylymok was just acquired from the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers and will play in his first game on Sunday. The 18-year-old was teammates with Wolford on the Notre Dame Hounds AAA midget team in 2017-18 that won a national championship.
Last season Mylymok recorded 25 points in 62 games as a rookie. He will wear #9 for the Backs.
WILD: NICK CAFARELLI
Cafarelli had the lone goal for the Wild last night, but also has eight points in his last five games (3G, 5A). He is currently tied for first in BCHL rookie scoring with 24 points.
The Backs have held him to just one point overall in the previous three meetings.
Upcoming Milestones
Nick Unruh: 1 assist from 50 career BCHL assists.
Current Point Streaks
Akito Hirose: 13 games (2G, 16A)
Tune In
Pre-game coverage on EZ Rock starts at 2:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 3 p.m. The game will also be streamed live on HockeyTV.
