After being treated to a weekend of BCHL All-Stars, Salmon Arm Silverbacks fans were given a 6-2 win at Rogers Rink.
On the heels of hosting the successful All-Stars event, the 'Backs were back in action on Friday, Jan. 24, with an away game versus the West Kelowna Warriors. This contest was bookended with first- and third-period goals by the Warriors' Sam LeDrew, who earned the 2-1 win for the home team. Salmon Arm's single was delivered late in the first period by recent Silverbacks' acquisition Grant Dillard, assisted by Ryan Philbrik and Easton Walos.
Salmon Arm goalie Andrew Ballantyne stopped 14 shots on net, while Bor Glavic, his counterpart across the ice, blocked 28.
Contributing to the 7-4 Interior Conference win in the BCHL Top Prospects game the weekend prior, the Silverbacks' Maddux Martin was first to light up the board in the team's home game versus Okotoks Oilers on Saturday, Jan. 25. Assisted by Cole Cooksey and Ben MacBeath, Martin's single was the only goal scored in the first frame.
Things became more intense in the second period, starting with a marker by the Oilers Brock Souch. A minute later, Salmon Arm's Dakota MacIndosh replied, rippling the mesh with assists by Roenick Jodoin (the fastest skater in the All-Stars Skills Competition) and Walos. With Martin in the box for tripping, the Oilers' Joseph Meredith delivered a power-play conversion at 9:18. The 2-2 tie was quickly broken by Jodoin, the tie-breaker assisted by Riley Ashe and Martin. This was followed by a power-play conversion from Jodoin, aided by MacIntosh and MacBeath.
The final frame belonged to the 'Backs, with Payton Nelson potting an early unassisted single, followed by a power-play goal by Cooksey, assisted by Martin and MacBeath, giving Salmon Arm a 6-2 win.
Ballantyne blocked 16 shots on net, and the Oilers' Simon Westling stopped 24.
Next up for the Silverbacks, a home game versus the Brooks Bandits on Jan. 31. For more information, visit sasilverbacks.net.
