Salmon Arm, BC – The Salmon Arm Silverbacks welcomed the Prince George Spruce Kings to town on Saturday night as they concluded pre-season play. It was game six for the ‘Backs on the schedule, as the entered tonight’s matchup with a 4-1-0 record, while outscoring their opponents 22-10. The two teams met on Thursday night in Prince George, with the Spruce Kings taking it by a final of 3-2.
It was a different matchup in between the pipes, as Matthew Tovell got the start for the Silverbacks, who carried a 2-0-0 record, .963 Save Percentage, and a 1.00 GAA through two pre-season games. While at the other end of the ice, it was Jordan Fairlie, who got his second start of the pre-season for Prince George.
The first period was a very eventful one for the Silverbacks. They came out of the gates with a lot of momentum, as they bounced early. Three goals from three different goal scorers, Ethan Ullrick (1), Ryan Gillespie (1), and Isaac Lambert (3) helped the Silverbacks jump on the Spruce Kings. Besides the three goals, it was a penalty filled first period, as there was a combined 12 penalty minutes between the two teams.
The Spruce Kings turned things around in period number two, as they got their legs going. It was Luke Eurig getting his second of the pre-season to pull the Spruce Kings within two early in the second. Prince George put 16 shots towards the Silverbacks net, as Tovell had to be sharp to keep the Silverbacks ahead. The Spruce Kings had a chance to pull it within one as they had a lengthy five on three midway through the period, but the Silverbacks were resilient on the penalty kill to keep them off the board.
The pace of the third period was a quick one, as there was back and fourth rushes throughout the period for both teams, but they stayed scoreless. In the end, the Silverbacks took it by a final score of three to one. Matthew Tovell continued his strong play as he stopped 27, of 28 shots on route to his third victory of the pre-season, and pickup the first star in the contest.
Join us on Friday night here at the Shaw Centre, as the Silverbacks open up the 2022/23 campaign with their home opener against the Vernon Vipers at 7:00pm. All kids 15 and under will get free admission thanks to Gentech Engineering!
