Salmon Arm, B.C. — The Salmon Arm Silverbacks (19-8-2) host the Langley Rivermen (12-14-2) at the Shaw Centre on Friday night for the only time this season.
The only other head-to-head meeting will take place in Langley on Feb. 4.
Tonight’s game has a 7 p.m. puck drop.
Last Time Out
The Backs are coming off a three-game week where they picked up a single point in three outings, falling 3-1 to Wenatchee on Thursday, 2-1 in a shootout to the Vernon Vipers on Friday and 6-2 to the West Kelowna Warriors last Saturday. This is the only time so far this season the Backs have lost three straight games.
A Closer Look
Backs captain Akito Hirose continues to lead all defenceman in the BCHL in points with 32 (4G, 28A) and currently sits ninth overall in league scoring amongst all skaters.
Noah Wakeford and William Poirier each scored their 11th goals of the season last Saturday and sit second and third on the Backs in points, with 31 and 26, respectively.
The Silverbacks are 4-5-1 in the month of October, after going 6-1-1 in September and 9-2 in October. On home ice this season, Salmon Arm is an impressive 13-3.
The Opposition
The Rivermen are coming off a 3-1 road victory over the Vernon Vipers last Saturday, a game in which they outshot Vernon 34-20.
Langley is led up front by Brendan Budy, who has 14 goals and 24 assists for 38 points, tied for fourth in the BCHL. He is the only forward on the team with more than 17 points.
The Rivermen are 7-8-1 on the road this season. They have a league-high 482 penalty minutes.
Notable Versus Langley
The Backs and Rivermen haven’t played yet this season and will only face off once more, on Feb. 4. Last season, Langley went 2-0 in the head-to-head games, winning 4-3 in overtime on Nov. 28 and 3-1 on Dec. 21.
In his rookie season, Silverbacks forward Nick Unruh had four goals and an assist in two games, including a hat-trick.
Players to Watch
SILVERBACKS: WILLIAM POIRIER
Poirier notched his 11th goal of the season on Saturday and now has 26 points this season.
RIVERMEN: BRENDAN BUDY
The team’s leading scorer is coming off a two-goal performance on Saturday against Vernon, and has five points in his last four games (3G, 2A). In November, he has recorded 14 points in nine games (6G, 8A).
Tune In
Pre-game coverage on EZ Rock starts at 6:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will also be streamed live on HockeyTV.
