It was not a good weekend for the Salmon Arm Silverbacks.
On Friday night, Dec. 14, the Silverbacks were at Cranbrook's Western Financial Place to face off against the Bucks.
Neither team would find the back of the net until 12:44 in the second period, when the Bucks' Nick Capasso managed to get the puck past Andrew Ballantyne. With a minute remaining in the frame, Caprasso added his second goal of the night, a short-handed marker.
Forty seconds into the third, Blake Cotton brought the Bucks' tally up to 3. The scoreboard remained at 3-0 until the final buzzer.
Ballantyne was kept busy throughout the night, stopping 36 shots, while Bucks' netminder Jaden Cholette blocked 27.
Things took a turn for the worse for the Silverbacks the following night at Alberta's Centennial Regional Arena, where they faced off against an unwelcoming host, the Brooks Bandits. Before the clock began counting down the first period, Salmon Arm's Aidan Willis received misconduct and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, and the Bandits Michal Linśćinsky a misconduct penalty. Over the next 10 minutes the Bandits would put two on the board. The second half of the frame was marred by a barn brawl, with both teams earning ample time in the penalty box.
The third frame saw the Bandits pick up four more goals, and the Silverbacks more time in the sin bin on nine different penalty calls. The game concluded with an 8-0 win for the Bandits.
The Silverbacks wrap up 2024 with a pair of upcoming games versus the Vernon Vipers, the first at Kal Tire Place on Dec. 28 and the second back home at Rogers Rink on Dec. 29.
For more Silverbacks, visit sasilverbacks.com.
