VERNON, BC: Captain Daniel Panetta scored a natural hat-trick, and goaltender Owen Say stopped all 26 shots he faced for his second shutout of the season, as the Salmon Arm Silverbacks defeated the Vernon Vipers 3-0 inside Kal Tire Place.
The Silverbacks offence struck early in the first period a pair of goals off the stick of the captain Daniel Panetta. The first one was a beautiful power move to the front of the net by Panetta, and he found some space under Vipers goaltender Ethan David’s pads to make it 1-0 Backs. But he wasn’t done there, just 26 seconds later. Panetta pounced on the loose puck in front of David off an Ethan Ullrick point shot for his 11th of the season. Panetta has found the back of the net three times the last two games. The Silverbacks had a couple of chances to extend the lead to three on a pair of powerplay’s but were unsuccessful. The Vipers had a pair themselves and, like the Silverbacks, could not convert thanks to fantastic goaltending by Owen Say, stopping the Vipers flurry of chances late in the opening twenty minutes. Say stopped all ten shots he faced in the first period. The Backs were outshot 10-7.
Three minutes into the middle frame, Vipers defenceman Adam bourgeois was assessed a five-minute major penalty for charging as he hit Panetta hard into the corner boards. However, the Silverbacks could not get anything going on the major penalty. They didn’t even generate a chance on it. After the kill, the Vipers got a chance to cut the lead in half when Griffen Barr got a chance at the side of the net, but Say lunged across to make the left pad save, keeping it a 2-0 Backs lead. Say was tested on the Vipers powerplay a couple of times off MacDonald’s and Millburn’s sticks, but he stood tall to preserve the lead. The Silverbacks were outshot 8-7 in the second period.
In the third period, the Silverbacks extended their league on the powerplay. Just 2:55 into it, Panetta capped off the hat-trick. He planted himself in front of the net and swatted home the rebound off David’s pad. It was his first hat-trick of the season, second as a Silverback, and 12th of the campaign. The Silverbacks finished the game 1/5 on the powerplay. Owen Say stopped all eight shots that he faced in the final frame. In the third period, the Silverbacks dominated possession time outshooting the Vipers 19-8. With the win, the Backs improve to 21-4-1 on the season and will be back in action tomorrow at 4:00 PM against the Vipers at home.
