Salmon Arm, BC – With the BCHL Playoffs right around the corner, the Silverbacks have reeled together an impressive month to put themselves in the thick of the Interior Conference playoff race. Since January 14th, the ‘Backs have went 5-1-1-0 where they have outscored their oppositions 36-12 over that span. Six of the seven games were against Interior Conference opponents which has helped catapult the ‘Backs up the standings to within one point of third place in the conference.
Besides the consistent effort from up-and-down the Silverbacks lineup, three Silverbacks have made their marks on the individual side of the game.
Nathan Mackie has reached another level in his sophomore season. Since January 13th, the ‘Backs Captain has scored five goals, and added seven assists for twelve points over the course of seven games played. In the midst of the stretch, the Michigan State University commit took his talents to the BCHL Top Prospects’ and All Star game in Penticton. During that weekend, he took home the puck relay challenge in the skills competition. The 18-year-old was recently named the BCHL 1st star of the week (Feb 6-12). His 21 goals on the season has him tied for eighth in the BCHL in that category.
Mackie says he is thrilled with the strides that the team is making collectively.
“I think our team has been playing some good hockey since the break and it’s exciting to see us moving in the direction we want to be going in the final stretch before playoffs”
21-year-old Silverbacks netminder, Matthew Tovell, has established himself as one of the best goalies in his first season in the BCHL. After being acquired from the Hawkesbury Hawks by the ‘Backs on August 22nd, Tovell has taken charge in between the pipes for Salmon Arm. His most recent stretch of seven games has been the most dominant for Tovell, going 5-1-1-0, while boasting a 1.74 GAA, and a .944 save percentage. Those numbers helped propel him to the BCHL 3rd Star of the Month (January), the BCHL 2nd Star of the Week (Jan 23-29), and earn an honorable mention for the BCHL Star of the week (Feb 6-12). Overall this season, his .924 save percentage (3rd), 2.60 GAA (5th), 4 shutouts (T-2nd), 17 wins (7th), and 1937 minutes played (1st) have him in the top 7 of every goaltending category across the BCHL.
“Every member of the team has been doing their job, and we’re playing great hockey.” Said Silverbacks Goalie, Matthew Tovell. “It’s exciting to see our team play for each other each night, regardless of the situation. We look to continue to get better every day, and hit our full stride as we get closer to playoffs”
Ethan Ullirck has established himself in the Silverbacks lineup as one of the most consistent point producing forwards. He was named an honorable mention for the BCHL Star of the week twice out of the last three weeks (Jan 23-29 & Feb 6-12). Since January 11th, Ullrick has scored four goals, and added ten assists for fourteen points over the nine game span. This streak has helped him climb to second on the team for points (38), and in goals (17). The Air Force Academy commit is also seven games away from reaching the 100-game plateau in the BCHL.
“Last month was huge for us as a team. We’ve really started to find our identity since the break and show the league how dangerous we can be when we play our game.” Said Silverbacks forward, Ethan Ullrick. “On an individual note, it’s been nice to be able to produce recently, but it’s been even better to see production coming from everyone up and down the lineup. We’ve had some guys really step up and take on some big roles recently, which has led to us being able to have all 20 guys making an impact each night. It’s been fun watching this team progress, that’s for sure”
The Silverbacks look to carry the momentum into this weekend when they travel up North to Burns Lake for the 2023 BCHL Road Show.
Written by TONY TROZZO – Photos by CHRIS FOWLER
