Salmon Arm, B.C. — The Salmon Arm Silverbacks (19-7-2) travel to West Kelowna on Saturday night to take on the Warriors (4-18-5) for the fifth time this season.
The Backs are 3-1 so far against the last-place Warriors, winning on Sept. 8 (4-1), Sept. 24 (4-3), and Oct. 1 (6-1), before losing the most recent matchup on Oct. 18 (2-1). The final meeting will take place on Feb. 12.
Tonight’s game has a 6 p.m. puck drop.
Last Time Out
The Backs are coming off a 2-1 shootout loss to the Vernon Vipers on Friday. Drew Bennet scored a spectacular goal in the game and Ethan Langenegger was superb with 37 saves, but the Vipers won their fifth shootout of the season after getting goals from Connor Marritt and Logan Cash.
Before that, the Backs lost 3-1 to the Wenatchee Wild on Thursday, so this will be the team’s third game in three nights.
A Closer Look
Backs captain Akito Hirose continues to lead all defenceman in the BCHL in points with 31 (4G, 27A). With one more point, he will tie his career high and we’re only at the halfway point of the season.
Noah Wakeford recorded his 30th point of the season on Friday with an assist, accomplishing the feat for the second straight year. He is tied for 10th in the BCHL in scoring.
With his goal yesterday, Bennett now has seven points in his last nine games.
Four of the Silverbacks seven regulation losses this season have come in the month of November, a month where the Backs hold a 4-4-1 record. On the road this season, Salmon Arm is 6-4-2.
The Opposition
Believe it or not, the last win for the Warriors was that game on Oct. 18 against the Backs, as West Kelowna has gone 0-9-1 since then. They are coming off a 5-1 loss to the Wenatchee Wild on home ice last night.
The Warriors are led up front by Brandon Dent, who has 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points. He is the only Warrior with more than 17 points this season.
With goaltender Brock Baier hurt, the Warriors have recently turned to Johnny Derrick, who has started five straight games. Although Derrick has just one win this season in nine starts, he has registered a respectable a .903 SV%.
West Kelowna is 1-7-4 on home ice this season. They’ve allowed a league-high 111 goals against.
Notable Versus West Kelowna
The Backs and Warriors have already played four times this season, with the Backs outscoring them 15-7 overall in those games. Salmon Arm has out-shot them in each of the four games.
Hirose has eight points in the four head-to-head games this season. The next highest Silverback — Daniel Rybarik — has four points head-to-head.
Drew Vieten is the only Warriors player with at least three points in the four matchups this season.
Players to Watch
SILVERBACKS: DREW BENNETT
Not just because of his beautiful goal, but also because he’s got seven points in his last nine games.
WARRIORS: JOHN EVANS
The rookie forward has three points in his last four games. After just two points in his first 13 games, he now has nine points in his last 14 games.
Tune In
Pre-game coverage on EZ Rock starts at 5:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 6 p.m. The game will also be streamed live on HockeyTV.
