SALMON ARM, BC: The West Kelowna Warriors scored four second period goals as they went on to defeat the Salmon Arm Silverbacks 6-2 in Game 1 of Round 2.
In front of a large capacity crowd at the Shaw Centre, the opening twenty minutes between the Salmon Arm Silverbacks and the West Kelowna Warriors was jammed packed with hits and pace. The Silverbacks nearly took the lead in the opening stages of the first period when Nathan Mackie stormed down the right wing and centred to Ethan Ullrick, but Warriors goaltender Johnny Derrick denied him. There was one powerplay in the first period, and it went to the Backs. Daniel Panetta was tripped up in the defensive zone. The Silverbacks had one good opportunity; it came off the stick of the captain as he let a shot go from the bumper position but was denied by Derrick. The Warriors opened the scoring as Tyler Cristall skated down the right-wing side and passed into the middle to a streaking Charles Alexis-Legault; Owen Say made the original save, but the rebound went right to John Evans and he jammed it home for a 1-0 lead. The very next shift, the Silverbacks nearly tied the game as defenceman Lucas Matta let a shot go from the slot, but it just went wide of the mark. The Warriors outshot the Backs 11-7 in the opening twenty minutes.
The start to the second period was not the start the Silverbacks were looking for; 2:33 into the middle frame, Chase Dafoe beat Say blocker side doubling the Warrior lead. Just 44 seconds later, the Warriors stuck again; Brennan Nelson beat Say blocker side silencing the once loud Shaw Centre as the roadside quickly jumped out to a 3-0 lead. The Silverbacks did, however, get on the board shortly after. With a delayed penalty on the way, the puck got launched up to Tassy, and he made a move around Tyler Rubin and was able to sneak it through the wickets, cutting the lead to two. It was Tassy’s fifth of the post-season. After that goal, the Silverbacks seemed to gain some momentum as they spent time in the offensive zone after the goal and generated some chances but couldn’t solve Derrick. The Warriors added to their lead as Evans picked up his second of the night, beating Say blocker side. The Silverbacks got another powerplay when the Warriors were caught with too many men on the ice, which gave the Backs a chance to get back within two. However, they failed to convert on the man advantage. Then in the final stages of the second period, Marcus Joughin danced into the offensive zone, and he too beat Say blocker side extending the lead to four. The Silverbacks were outshot 14-9 in the middle frame.
In the third period, the Backs found themselves in a deep hole. Trailing 5-1 heading into the final period, they could not generate much offence. The Warriors had accessible zone entries all night long, which continued in the third. The Warriors nearly extended their lead to five as Chase Dafoe had a breakaway but Say denied him. The Silverbacks had a powerplay opportunity just passed the midway point of the period when Daniel Panetta was contacted with a high stick. However, the Silverbacks couldn’t get set up properly and failed to convert. Serdachny found the back of the net late in the third to extend his point streak to eight games as he beat Derrick blocker side. Lambert picked up the lone assist on the marker. The Warriors added a late empty-net goal to make it 6-2, and that would be the final from the Shaw Centre. The loss snaps the Silverbacks perfect home record in these playoffs, and they are now 4-1. Game 2 will go tomorrow night at 6:00 PM.
