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Silverbacks Shut Out Clippers to Move Back Into 1st Place

Salmon Arm B.C. — The Salmon Arm Silverbacks shut out the Nanaimo Clippers on Sunday afternoon at the Shaw Centre to improve to 12-3-1 this season and retake sole possession of first place in the BCHL.

GAME SUMMARY

The first period had plenty of action, with each team firing 15 shots on goal.

Halfway through the first period, the Silverbacks were handed a power play after William Poirier was pulled into the bench by a Clipper forward who wasn’t on the ice. On the ensuing man advantage, Daniel Rybarik poked home a loose puck in the crease to give the Backs a 1-0 lead.

The Clippers had a decent amount of o-zone time in the opening frame, but were mostly kept to the outside, and each and every shot they fired was stopped by Ethan Langenegger.

The Silverbacks had a very strong second period, outshooting the Clippers 17-5 in the frame. They also drew three penalties, but failed to get an insurance marker on any of the ensuing power plays.

Nineteen seconds into the third period, Drew Bennett got the Backs a key goal, backhanding a shot from in tight that went off a defender and past goaltender Zachary Bennett to make the score 2-0. Noah Wakeford picked up his second assist of the game on the play.

Salmon Arm remained in control for much of the third. Halfway through, they gave up a shorthanded breakaway, but Langenegger was there as usual. He also made a huge glove save on Steven Agriogianis on a 2-on-1 rush.

The Clippers did have a goal disallowed late in the frame after Langenegger was interfered with in the crease.

With 3:39 to go, the Backs were handed a five-minute penalty, and once again, Langenegger made sure the score stayed at 2-0.

STANDOUT PERFORMANCES

Daniel Rybarik, Salmon Arm Silverbacks: Rybarik opened the scoring on a power play with his ninth goal of the season, but what’s impressive is it was his first power play marker of the season. His nine goals on the season are tied for third in the entire BCHL, while his eight even-strength goals rank first.

Ethan Langenegger, Salmon Arm SilverbacksLangenegger continues to impress because of his calm demeanour. It’s one thing to make big saves at big times, and it’s another to do so and make them seem easy. The Kamloops native got his second shutout of the season and now sits tied for first in the league with 10 wins (10-1 record). His .939 SV% is tied for the third-best in the league amongst goalies that have played at least seven games.

Noah Wakeford, Salmon Arm Silverbacks:  Wakeford’s two assists give him 20 points now this season, which rank fifth in the BCHL. He and linemates Rybarik and Drew Bennett were dynamite all game.

For the full boxscore, click here.

STAT OF THE GAME

Rybarik 1G, 1A: Not only is Rybarik the only player in the BCHL with eight even-strength goals, but he also now has five game-winning-goals, which leads the league too. No one else in the league even has four.

WHAT’S NEXT

The Silverbacks have another weekday home game, this time hosting the Surrey Eagles on Wednesday night at the Shaw Centre.

The game can be heard on 91.5 EZ Rock with the pre-game show starting at 6:30 p.m., while fans can also stream the game on HockeyTV.

On the weekend, they make the trip down south to Wenatchee for a double-header at Town Toyota Center.