The Silverbacks’ number one, Angus Redmond put in two first-star performances in West Kelowna and Trail, helping his team take all four points this past weekend.
Salmon Arm led 1-0 after the first, courtesy of a Marcus Mitchell goal, but the Warriors dominated the rest of the way, outshooting the Silverbacks 35-7 over the final two periods.
Just over a minute into the second period, Colton Thibault got his stick on a Cameron Trott shot from the point, deflecting it over the Warriors Stephen Heslop, doubling their lead.
Michael Winnitoy, the Silverbacks’ newest defenceman increased the ’Backs lead with a long-range shot that beat Heslop.
The Silverbacks looked comfortable with a 3-0 lead, but the tables soon turned as West Kelowna’s Rylan Yaremko scored from the blue-line.
Soon after, the Warriors Garrett Forster beat Redmond short side to get the home team within one.
The Silverbacks’ latest signing, Chase Zieky, restored the two-goal margin on a three-on-one when he had a tap-in at the side of the net, his third as a Silverback and his fourth of the season.
The Warriors cut the deficit to one when Jonathan Desbiens scored just four seconds into the Warriors man advantage.
With 10 minutes left in regulation, Redmond stood tall down the stretch, making 42 saves in the game.
In Trail on Saturday evening, the Smokies ran into a hot goaltender, as Redmond picked up where he left off the previous night, making 30 saves for his seventh win of the season.
Only 97 seconds into the game, Elijah Barriga scored his third of the season giving the Silverbacks a 1-0 lead and a dream start on the road.
Both teams traded chances in the first period after Barriga’s marker, but were unable to change the scoreline before the end of the frame.
Less than a minute into the second period, Jake Kauppila found an equalizer beating Redmond from close range, before Trott scored on a blast from the point with less than two minutes left in the period.
The third period proved to be a wild affair as the teams combined for six goals in the final 12 minutes of the game.
’Backs assistant captain Colton Thibault scored his sixth of the season, and Carson Bolduc, Josh Blanchard and Josh Laframboise each chipped in with a goal of their own on the ’Backs way to a 6-3 win over the Smoke Eaters.
The Silverbacks now boast a 8-3-2 record and sit alone in second place in the Interior Division, six points adrift Penticton and a point ahead of Vernon, with two games in hand.
The ’Backs return to the Shaw Centre this Friday at 7 p.m. to play the Victoria Grizzlies, the Island Division’s basement dwellers.
On Sunday the Silverbacks will host the Cents’ at 2 p.m. for a matinee game. Following Sunday’s game, fans will be invited to skate with the ’Backs.