The Silverbacks travel to Coquitlam today to take on the defending BCHL champion Express at 7 pm at the Poirier Sports and Leisure Centre. The first meeting of the season and the first of two this month as the 'Backs will host the Express Sunday, November 16 at 3 pm at the Shaw Centre in Salmon Arm.
The Silverbacks are coming off back-to-back 4-3 overtime losses last weekend to West Kelowna in double OT on Saturday in the Okanagan after the visitors lead one-nothing after the first period. The Silverbacks have dropped their last three games and are 6-6-0-4 with 16 points in 16 games. The 'Backs went 3-5-0-3 in October and 1-3-0-2 away from the Shaw Centre after beginning the season 3-1-0-0 in September and 3-0-0-0 on the road.
The Silverbacks are 3-0-0-1 against the Mainland Division, beginning the season with a 4-2 win over Langley and a 4-3 double overtime victory against Surrey at the Bauer BCHL Showcase in September. The Backs then lost 3-2 in OT in Surrey last month and won 5-2 at home over the Rivermen.
The Express are 5-11-0-2 with 12 points in 18 games and come into tonight after a pair of wins last weekend over the Langley Rivermen, 7-5 at home on Friday and 4-2 in Langley on Saturday. Coquitlam is 0-2-0-1 versus the Interior Division this season, after 6-2 and 6-5 double overtime losses to West Kelowna, and an 8-3 loss to Trail in September.
The Express have eight returnees from last season's team that finished with 59 points (27-26-2-3), third in the Mainland Division and went onto seep the Vernon Vipers in the Fred Page Cup Final, before losing to Spruce Grove at the Western Canada Cup. Coquitlam has lost their top four scorers and their two goaltenders, but Corey Mackin and Joey Santucci have returned. Mackin scored 50 points in 57 regular season games in 2013-14 and has 29 points in 18 games this season, while Santucci put up 41 in 51 last season and has 18 points in 17 games this season.
Andrew Farny leads the Silverbacks in scoring with seven goals and nine assists, Taro Hirose has six goals and eight assists. Carson Bolduc is next with six goals and seven helpers and Shane Danyluk rounds out the top four with three goals and eight assists and all four players have played all 16 games.
After tonight the Silverbacks begin a home-and-home set with the Vernon Vipers beginning Friday, November 7 at 7 pm at the Shaw Centre in Salmon Arm.
