Salmon Arm, B.C. – The Salmon Arm Silverbacks travelled to Cranbrook to face the Bucks for the final time this season, looking to tie up the season series.
No team is able to find the back of the net in a physical first period. Five minutes into the game, Dakota MacIntosh and Nic Leggett drop the gloves and get 5 minutes for fighting and 10 minute fighting misconducts. With a couple of minutes left in the frame, some more rough stuff sends Patrick Raftery and Jordan Murray to the box for two minutes. In the final 6 seconds, Jacob Fletcher gets called for a slashing penalty, sending the Silverbacks to the powerplay to start the second period.
An offensive explosion in the second period gives the Silverbacks the lead. In the first 30 seconds, on the powerplay, Patrick Raftery grabs a rebound in the slot and wires it past a scrambling goalie to get the Silverbacks on the board with his 9th goal of the year. A minute later, the Bucks answer when Blake Cotton takes the puck on a clean faceoff win and snipes it top corner. Halfway through the period, Keifer Miller drives the puck up the right wing and slides in five-hole to regain the Silverbacks lead with his 9th of the season. Five minutes later, Sawyer Prokopetz sends a clean point shot through traffic, finding the back of the net, for his 4th of the season. Before the period ends, Roenick Jodoin forces the turnover in front of the net and goes to his backhand to pop it over the glove, Jodoin’s 16th of the year, to give the Silverbacks the 4-1 lead.
The goals keep coming as the Silverbacks pile onto their lead. Starting off the period, the Bucks grab another tally with Rasmus Svartström tipping the puck in front to make it a 4-2 game. Answering back quickly, a minute later, was Roenick Jodoin getting his second of the game with another goal of the year candidate as he scores a Michigan goal, taking the puck up on his stick from behind the net to wrap it around top corner. At the 9:00 minute mark, Payton Nelson cuts through the crease and tips a Caleb Mahar shot over top of the shoulder, his 10th, to extend the lead, 6-2. A couple of minutes later, Dakota MacIntosh drives the net, getting a partial breakaway where he is able to trickle it over the body and into the net. MacIntosh scores his 21st of the season to make it 7-2. Before the game is over, the Silverbacks take a penalty, which leads to Svartström tapping in his second of the game, 7-3.
Daniel Dirracolo gets his third win of the season, stopping 20/23 shots faced.
(Photo credit: Kristal Burgess)
