Penticton, B.C. — The Salmon Arm Silverbacks were defeated 6-3 by the Penticton Vees on Friday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
With the loss, the Silverbacks record is still an impressive 18-6-1, good for second in the Interior Division.
GAME SUMMARY
The Silverbacks found the back of the net just 16 seconds into this one, after William Poirier stole the puck from defenceman Steve Holtz following a chip in, and then made a great drop pass on the forehand to Coalson Wolford, who was following up on the play and whipped a shot past Yaniv Perets.
The Backs and Vees went back and forth for the next few minutes, playing a mostly even period, but with just under five minutes to go, the Vees got even after Liam Malmquist rocketed a cross-ice pass to Danny Weight, who notched his 12th of the season.
Just 1:26 later, the Silverbacks were unable to clear the zone and David Silye made them pay, finishing on the backhand to make it a 2-1 Vees lead.
Penticton would add to their lead 7:17 into the middle frame, this time on a power play, as a point shot from Evan McIntyre found it’s way through some traffic to give the home side a 3-1 edge.
Just a few minutes later, the Backs would respond on a power play goal of their own, after Tony Andreozzi’s shot was blocked, but Jayden Price followed it up and deposited his fourth of the season to make the game 3-2.
Another defensive zone lapse from the Backs meant the Vees would restore their two goal lead just 2:25 later, after Lukas Sillinger stole a puck and fed Jay O’Brien who made it a 4-2 game.
But before the period was out, Salmon Arm would once again inch closer, and once again it was on the power play. Akito Hirose fed Nick Unruh in the slot, who didn’t entirely connect on a one-timer, but the puck rolled right to William Poirier, who made no mistake for his 10th goal of the year. Hirose’s assist increased his point-streak to 13 games (2G, 16A).
The Silverbacks had some chances in the third period, but Steve Holtz’s shot from the point at the 12:01 mark of the third period gave the Vees the insurance marker they needed. Sillinger also added an empt netter to make it a 6-3 final.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES
William Poirier, Salmon Arm Silverbacks: Poirier set up the first goal and scored the last. He and linemates Nick Unruh and Coalson Wolford were strong on this night, particularly below the goal line and on the forecheck. Poirier now has 10 goals and 15 assists in 25 games, including five tallies on the power play.
Akito Hirose, Salmon Arm Silverbacks: Not only did Hirose increase his point streak to a league-leading 13 games, but he had several shot attempts and set up his defensive partner Hunter Sansbury for several more. His offensive creativity was on display tonight.
Lukas Sillinger, Penticton Vees: Sillinger registered a whopping five points on this night, giving him 30 on the season.
For the full boxscore, click here.
STAT OF THE GAME
Backs 2-for-5 on the PP: The Backs power play looked much better than it has in the past, particularly in the second period, when it converted twice.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Silverbacks host the Wenatchee Wild on Sunday afternoon at the Shaw Centre at 3 p.m.
The contest can be heard on 91.5 EZ Rock with the pre-game show starting at 2:30 p.m. Fans can also stream the game on HockeyTV.
