Salmon Arm, B.C. – The Salmon Arm Silverbacks were in West Kelowna to start the BCHL Interior Conference Semi-Finals against the Warriors.
Both teams were feeling each other out in the first period with the Silverbacks being the offensive aggressors. Each team traded penalties with neither finding the back of the net. In the opening frame, the Silverbacks outshot the Warriors 11-5.
The Silverbacks got the first goal of the series in the second period. Five minutes in, Nathan Mackie takes a feed in the slot and slides it through the five-hole for the 1-0 lead. Later in the middle frame, the puck once again sneaks through the legs of the Warriors goalie, Matthew DellaRusso, and sits right on the goal line where Riley Ashe swooped in to tap in the puck for the 2-0 lead.
The offense for the Silverbacks did not slow down in the third period. Once again, five minutes in, Patrick Raftery sits alone in front of the net and tucks home a rebound to push the lead to 3-0. At the 13:14 mark, right off a clean offensive zone faceoff win, Ryan Gillespie tips in a point shot for the 4-0 lead. Trying to grab some momentum, Viggo Nordstrom gets the Warriors on the board when he launches one on net from the high slot, bringing the game to 4-1. Shortly after, the Warriors pull the goalie trying for the late game comeback but it gets shut down quickly when Tanner Walos hits the empty net. To ice the game away, Maddux Martin finds himself on a breakaway with a minute left, and rifles it top corner, 6-1.
Eli Pulver made 21/22 saves to give the Silverbacks the 1-0 series lead.
(Photo credit: Tami Quan)
