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Salmon Arm Silverbacks win over Penticton Vees, lose to Prince George

Junior A squad faces Merritt, Alberni Valley and Vernon this week
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Silverbacks forward Nick Unruh ended his 10-game scoring drought with a goal against the Penticton Vees Friday night, followed by another in the shootout to seal the game for Salmon Arm. Pictured here, Unruh looks to get around a Merritt Centennials defender during the Sept. 15 match at the Shaw Centre in Salmon Arm. (Jodi Brak/Salmon Arm Observer)

The Salmon Arm Silverbacks played a pair of games over the weekend, bringing back the momentum in a losing match against Penticton to win in the shootout one night and falling in a 5-0 shutout loss to Prince George the next.

Kicking off the match against the Penticton, Vees’ leading scorer Ryan Sandelin fired one into the Silverbacks’ net less than 30 seconds into the game. Salmon Arm was not about to let the early goal go without a response of their own, with Matthew Verboon tying up the scoring just three minutes later off of a rebound.

In the second period, Penticton dominated the offence, tripling Salmon Arm’s shots on goal and putting another point on the board off the stick of rookie defenceman Jack Lagerstrom to make it a 2-1 game.

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In the third period, the Silverbacks had to really step up their offence as the Vees’ turned their play to defensive, time-killing measures in hopes to ride out their one-goal lead. Nick Unruh took a pass from Noah Wakeford who chased the puck behind the Vees’ net, firing one in to tie the game early in the third.

The remainder of the third saw no goals for either side, sending the match into an extra period full of scoring chances for both sides but ending on a draw that sent the game to a shootout.

Nick Unruh, Akito Hirose and Matthew Verboon would all score for Salmon Arm in the shootout, while the Vees’ would only land two of their three shots, deciding the game in favour of Salmon Arm.

The following night in Prince George against the Spruce Kings was not so kind to the Silverbacks, seeing the penalty kill come down on the team like a hammer. When all was said and done the Salmon Arm squad would end up playing 25 minutes of shorthanded hockey throughout the game.

The Spruce Kings opened the scoring halfway through the first, just as the Silverbacks’ first penalty was finishing up, with Corey Cunningham taking a pass from Dustin Manz before firing in a goal. Their lead would be doubled early in the second as Manz improved on his assist with a tip-in goal off of a point shot from Layton Ahac.

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The penalty kill really caught up to the Silverbacks in the third period, with penalties including a five minute major for captain Sol Seibel allowing Prince George to seriously press the attack. The Spruce Kings’ offence fired off three goals in just over three minutes — all on the power play — from the sticks of Nick Bochen, Max Coyle and Ben Poisson.

The remainder of the third was scoreless on both sides, ending in the Silverbacks’ first shutout loss of the season. The ’Backs travel to Merritt to take on the Centennials Oct. 17 before a pair of home games Friday, Oct. 19 and Sunday, Oct. 21 against Alberni Valley and Vernon, respectively.

Following the match against Vernon, which begins early at 3 p.m., the Silverbacks welcome the public to bring out their skates and hit the ice for a public skate session with the team.