Both Salmon Arm and Penticton wrap up their respective seasons tonight in the South Okanagan Events Centre.
Last night the two faced off in the Shaw Centre, with Penticton winning 5-2. Salmon Arm led 2-1 heading to the third period, but an early pair of Penticton gave them the eventual edge. Nick Unruh provided both goals for Salmon Arm on the power play where the Silverbacks were two for three on the night.
This season in the SOEC, Salmon Arm is 1-1, with the most recent visit being a 3-1 win for Salmon Arm. Tonight’s game is key for both teams as Salmon Arm can meet up with a much more ideal opponent and the Vees can win their eighth consecutive Interior Division banner (see Standings segment below)
At home, Penticton is second for league best in points with a 21-6-1-1 record, outscoring opponents 102-63. On the road, Salmon Arm is 11-15-2.
Penticton has now won three of their last eight games, while the Silverbacks have one in their last six heading into playoffs. With both team’s having something to play for, tonight should be a great battle to wrap up the season.
STANDINGS:
After the game last night, Salmon Arm will not have home ice advantage in the first round of the BCHL 2019 Playoffs. Tonight’s game is still important for the team though. A single point guarantees them finishing fifth in the division which would slot them against the Vernon Vipers in round one. However, if Salmon Arm loses and West Kelowna beats Trail, the Warriors would trade places with the Silverbacks dropping them to sixth where they would play Wenatchee. Salmon Arm is 5-1 against the Vipers this season and 1-4-1 against the Wild. Vernon is also 40 minutes away while the Wild are 6.5 hours.
For Penticton, they remain tied with the Merritt Centennials after both teams won last night. A win tonight would clinch an eighth consecutive division banner for the team. Merritt plays later at 7pm against the Vernon Vipers who may be resting a few players with the knowledge they can’t rise or sink from their fourth place position in the Interior Division.
Who to Watch:
Silverbacks: Coming back from a three game suspension, Trevor Adams hit the scoresheet twice last night assisting on both of his team’s goals. The points also ended a two game point streak which was the longest Adams faced since mid-December. Back in the lineup yesterday for the first time in three weeks, Sol Seibel made his return on home ice. The team Captain last played on February 1st against the West Kelowna Warriors.
Vees: Held off the scoresheet in the first two games he played against Salmon Arm, Lukas Sillinger came up huge Friday night with three assists on the night. The second year forward now has six points in the last five games. Missing the first game of the year against Salmon Arm, Massimo Rizzo now has three goals and three assists against Salmon Arm in just four games. The North Dakota commit is expected to be a second or third round draft pick in the 2019 NHL draft this spring held in Vancouver.
TUNE IN
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