The Salmon Arm Silverbacks got off to a strong start in their playoff series versus the West Kelowna Warriors.
Round 2 of the playoffs for the two Interior teams got underway Friday, April 19 at Royal LePage Place.
First period saw a couple players from both teams spend time in the penalty box, though none were able to light up the board. This changed early in the second period, when Salmon Arm’s Nathan Mackie rippled the mesh at 5:20 with assists by Ryan Gillespie and Nathaniel Davis. At 13:48, Riley Ashe added another goal to the Silverbacks’ lead, with assists going to Maddux Martin and Ryan Philbrick.
Salmon Arm continued to gain ground in the third frame, with a marker by Patrick Raftery at 4:56, assisted by Mackie and Marcus Broberg, and another at 13:14, this time by Gillespie, assisted by Tristan Allen and Broberg.
Home-team fans were offered a flickering moment of hope when the Warriors’ Viggo Nordström managed to get the puck past Salmon Arm goalie Eli Pulver. However, the Silverbacks’ Tanner Walos replied seconds later, scoring an empty netter assisted by Raftery and Davis. With one minute remaining, Martin got the last word with a goal assisted by Cooksey, bringing the tally to 6-1 for Salmon Arm.
Game 2 at Royal LePage Place on April 20, got off to a promising start for the Silverbacks. Twenty-five seconds in to the first period, Mackie lit up the board, assisted by Broberg and Raftery. Back-and-forth action continued with neither team finding the back of the net until 4:57 in the second period, when Jackson Kyrkostas put the Warriors on the board. Five minutes later, the Warriors added a second goal.
Soon after, Salmon Arm’s JJ Monteiro tied things up, assisted by Jonah Aergert. But this was followed a minute later by a single-handed marker scored by Nordstöm, giving the Warriors the lead going into the third period.
At 7:18 in the third frame, Jack Pridham potted his second goal of the evening, putting the Warriors at 4-2. Still in the game, the Silverbacks responded a minute later with a goal by Cooksey, assisted by Martin and Cole Longacre.
Penalty trouble for the Warriors’ Jack Farrell provided a window of opportunity for JJ Monteiro, who tied things up, assisted by Mackie and Cooksey. The frame ended at 4-4, pushing the game into overtime. A goal by Carter Oakenfold brought the evening to a close, 5-1 for West Kelowna.
Round 2 continues with Games 3 and 4 at Shaw Centre in Salmon Arm on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 23 and 24.
For more, visit sasilverbacks.com.
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