SALMON ARM, BC– Isaac Lambert and Nathan Morin scored their first BCHL goals, and Owen Say stopped 26 of 28 as the Silverbacks exploded for eight goals to defeat the Wenatchee Wild 8-2 on a wild Friday night at the Shaw Centre.
In the opening twenty minutes, the Silverbacks got off to a blazing hot start with four goals on their first six shots. First, it was the top line duo at it again; as Simon Tassy gathered the puck and dashed in on a two on one with Serdachny, he feathered a beautiful pass to Serdachny, who then cut to the backhand and chipped it over the pad of Wild goaltender Tyler Shea. The goal was Serdachny’s third of the season. Then 2:02 later, defenceman Lucas Matta wristed a harmless shot from the point that found its way into the net for his third season. Then one minute later, it was Isaac Lambert’s turn to find the scoresheet. He was the recipient of an excellent feed from Serdachny, and he directed it past Shea for his first BCHL goal, making it 3-0 for the home side. The 3-0 marker chased Shea from the net. Just 12 seconds later, Mathieu Cobetto-Roy stayed hot, backhanding a puck five-hole in, past the new Wild goaltender Andy Vlaha for his third goal in two games, making it 4-0. The Wild quickly answered as Quinn Emerson snapped a shot over the glove side of Say cutting the lead to 4-1. Then 2:30 later, while shorthanded, Hudson Blue was sent in alone by a Matta turnover at the line, and he beat Say under the arm to cut the lead in half. The Silverbacks outshot the Wild 14-6 in the opening twenty minutes.
In the second period, the goals kept coming for Salmon Arm. Danny Ciccarello picked up a puck and bursted down the right-wing, snapping a shot five-hole on Vlaha to make it 5-2 Backs. It was the second consecutive five-hole goal, and they weren’t done there. Moments later, after a Lambert penalty that he didn’t like, he responded well by ripping a puck past Vlaha, and the celebration was epic as he jumped into the glass, firing up the lively Shaw Centre crowd. Then with 1:05 left, Serdachny shot a puck off the post and in, his second of the night, and fourth of the season, to make it a runaway 7-2 lead for the Silverbacks. The Backs outshot the Wild 9-8 in the second period.
In the third period, the Backs continued to press offensively, and it was Nathan Morin slipping a nifty backhand through the five-hole, making it 8-2. The goal was Morin’s first BCHL goal. He had four in the preseason but finally got on the board in the third. Owen Say stopped 26 of 28 in goal to improve to 4-0-1 on the year. The Backs themselves win their third in a row to improve to an impressive 5-0-1 on the year.
They will be back in action tomorrow when the Victoria Grizzlies come to town. If you remember, it was the Silverbacks that swept the Grizzlies in the first round before COVID-19 halted play during the 2019-20 Playoffs. It’s the first matchup since that playoff battle. Puck drop is set for 6:00 PM.
