Wenatchee, B.C. — The Salmon Arm Silverbacks (19-13-2) play their final road game before the winter break on Friday night, taking on the Wenatchee Wild (16-15-4) at Town Toyota Center.
This is the sixth of seven head-to-head meetings this season. The Backs have gone 4-1 against the Wild so far, winning 3-2 on Oct. 4, 8-5 on Oct. 25, 4-2 on Oct. 26 and 3-2 in overtime on Nov. 17. Their lone defeat was the most recent matchup, on Nov. 21 at the Shaw Centre, when the Wild won 3-1.
The final meeting between the clubs will be Feb. 16.
Tonight’s game has a 7:05 p.m. puck drop.
Last Time Out
The Backs are coming off a tough road trip that saw them drop three straight games.
They were edged 2-1 by Nanaimo last Friday, lost 5-3 to Alberni Valley on Saturday and were shut out 5-0 by the Cowichan Valley Capitals on Sunday.
The Silverbacks are now 0-7-1 in their last eight games.
A Closer Look
Salmon Arm has 10 goals in the last eight games, after scoring 10 in the previous three. The Silverbacks have out-shot their opponent in three of the last four games, a good sign after being out-shot in five of the previous seven.
Forward Lucas Breault has four points in three games as a Silverback, after making his debut last Friday. Akito Hirose still leads the Backs in scoring with 33 points, with Noah Wakeford ranking second with 32.
The Backs are 6-8-2 on the road this season and 5-4-1 at Town Toyota Center against the Wild in the last five years.
The Opposition
The Wild are coming of a 3-1 loss to the Trail Smoke Eaters on Wednesday night. Harrison Scott had the lone tally for Wenatchee in the game, his 10th of the season.
Rookie Nick Cafarelli leads the Wild in points (31), while Brian Adams leads them in goals (16).
Wenatchee is 10-7-1 on home ice this season. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games.
Notable Versus Wenatchee
The Backs have scored 12 goals in two games against the Wild with Noah Altman in goal, but just seven goals in three games with Daniel Chenard manning the Wild crease.
Hirose has seven points in five head-to-head games this season, leading all skaters, while William Poirier (injured) has six. Daniel Rybarik has four goals in five games and Coalson Wolford and Nick Unurh each have three goals in five games.
Players to Watch
SILVERBACKS: COALSON WOLFORD
Wolford was limited to less than a game last weekend on the island and enters Friday’s action with strong numbers head-to-head against the Wild. He scored two power play goals in the 4-2 win on Oct. 26 and had a shorthanded goal and an assist in an 8-5 win the night before. On the season, Wolford has 12 points in 29 games as a rookie.
WILD: NICK CAFARELLI
Cafarelli had an assist in his return to the lineup on Wednesday, giving him points in five straight (1G, 6A).
Upcoming Milestones
Nick Unruh: 4 points from 100 career BCHL points
Tune In
Pre-game coverage on EZ Rock starts at 6:35 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 7:05 p.m. The game will also be streamed live on HockeyTV.
