Salmon Arm, B.C. – The Salmon Arm Silverbacks returned to Rogers Rink for a matchup against the Vernon Vipers.
Vernon grabs the small lead in the first period. With a minute and a half left, Keaton Dowhaniuk let a shot go from the point which gets through traffic for the 1-0 lead. During the opening frame, each team had a powerplay opportunity but neither was able to take advantage.
The score remains the same in the second period as the Silverbacks push for a comeback. Salmon Arm started off with another powerplay but once again were unable to find the back of the net. To end the middle frame, the Vipers had two powerplays but solid penalty kill work by the Silverbacks keeps this a 1-0 game. Shots on goal in the second period were 15-8 in favour of the Silverbacks.
The Vipers took control in the third period. Within the first two minutes, Marko Stojkov send another point shot on that ramped up the stick of a defender and into the back of the net for a 2-0 game. Off the ensuing faceoff, Kaycee Coyle gets sent to the box with a tripping penalty, sending the Vipers to their fourth powerplay of the night. With the man advantage, Charlie Kresl sits back door and finishes off a rebound to extend the lead to 3-0. In the final couple of minutes, Tanner Walos would take a cross-checking penalty, giving the Vipers a late powerplay. With 30 seconds left in the game and still a powerplay, Lukas McCloskey makes it a 4-0 game with a top corner snipe.
Despite the loss, Ryan Grout made 27/31 saves.
(Photo credit: Kristal Burgess)
