The Salmon Arm Silverbacks opened the first round of the playoffs with a 3-2 overtime win after consistently out-shooting the Merritt Centennials.
The Silverbacks hosted the series opener in the first round of the B.C. Hockey League playoffs at the Shaw Centre on Friday, April 5, where they made 47 shots on goal, almost double that of the 29 from the Centennials.
Despite those efforts, the first period was a shutout, broken early in the second by Merritt with double-header from Michael Felsing off a feed from Jaxson Murray, with the duo then scoring again just over the halfway mark.
The Shuswap’s Maddux Martin then put the ‘Backs on the board late in the frame with his first of back-to-back goals, before scoring the only goal of the third to tie the game. Adam Boatter secured the win just under three minutes into overtime with his first career playoff goal. He also added an earlier assist, with Riley Ashe, Cole Cooksey, Cole Longacre, Casy Laylin and Tanner Walos also adding points.
The Silverbacks’ win is a playoff first for goalie Eli Pulver who, with three regular season shutouts and a save percentage of 0.924, is a finalist for the league’s Michael Garteig Trophy (Top Goaltender). Also nominated for an award is Tristan Allen, who is up for the Campbell Blair Trophy (Top Defenceman) with 46 regular season points.
The two teams face off again on Saturday, April 6 in Salmon Arm at 6 p.m., before the series heads to Merritt for the next two games.
Read more: Salmon Arm Silverbacks dominate weekend, extend win streak to six