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SALMON ARM SILVERBACKS
Ean Somoza and Cade Littler both scored in the shootout, as the Wenatchee Wild defeated the Salmon Arm Silverbacks 5-4 in a shootout in B.C. Hockey League action Saturday, March 12, at the Shaw Centre.
Each team got a powerplay in the first period, but neither team converted. The Silverbacks opened the scoring 14 minutes into the game when Will Lavigne drove the puck to the net, and Isaac Lambert jammed a loose puck home in front of Tyler Shea for his ninth of the season.
The Wild answered 1:53 after as Anthony Cafarelli picked up a pass from Hunter Hastings, and he roofed it glove side to tie the game at one. The shots were 10-10 after 20 minutes of play.
In the second period, the Silverbacks got a chance to take the lead on the powerplay when Jakob Karpa was called for hooking. The Silverbacks directed a few pucks on goal, the best chance coming at the side of the net as the puck came right to Brandon Santa Juana but he whiffed on the opportunity, keeping the score 1-1.
The Backs had another opportunity on the powerplay and had good chances from Simon Tassy and Daniel Panetta in the duration of the man-advantage but could not solve Wild goalie Tyler Shea. Both teams traded chances before the Wild took the lead. Quinn Emerson tipped a David Hejduk point shot past Salmon Arm netminder Liam Vanderkooi with 1:52 left in the second period to give the Wild a 2-1 lead. It was Emerson’s 11th of the season.
Less than 90 seconds later, they doubled their lead. The Silverbacks had a chance in the offensive zone that was unsuccessful, and the Wild then went down on a 3-on-1 as Garrett Szydlowski, Emerson, and Littler were able to convert on a pretty passing play. Emerson dished it back to Littler, who put it in the open net for his 17th of the year, and gave the Wild a 3-1 lead. The Wild outshot the Silverbacks 13-10 in the middle frame.
It was all Silverbacks in the third period.
They peppered Shea all period, outshooting the Wild 20-6. The period began with Owen Desilets and Garrett Szydlowski going off for coincidental roughing minors. The ice opened up even more when Somoza went off for high-sticking, putting the Silverbacks on a 4-on-3 powerplay for 1:28. The Silverbacks ramped up the pressure but couldn’t solve Shea.
Littler scored his second of the night, ripping his 20th of the year glove side past Vanderkooi to make it 4-1 Wild. After the goal, the Silverbacks began their comeback.
First, while on the powerplay, Zack Smith popped his eighth of the year past Shea to cut the lead to two. The Backs got within one when Mathieu Cobetto-Roy raced on to a loose puck and beat Shea, poking it through his legs and into the net for his 12th of the year. But the Silverbacks weren’t done there. With the goalie out of the net for the extra attacker, they threw everything but the kitchen sink at Shea. Michael Ladyman tied the game at four with 13.6 seconds left, sending the game into overtime.
In overtime, the shots were 5-1. Silverbacks had the best chance of the extra frame as Nathan Mackie and Panetta had a 2-on-0, but Panetta bobbled the puck and couldn’t cash in on the opportunity. The game needed more time, so it was off to a shootout. The Silverbacks opened the shootout with a goal as Smith snapped a shot low glove. Littler and Somoza scored for the Wild, as the Silverbacks comeback fell just short.
Shea was the game’s first star, finishing with 41 saves. Vanderkooi made 25 stops.
The victory kept Wenatchee in seventh place in the Interior Conference, one point ahead of the Trail Smoke Eaters, who fell 2-1 at the Shaw Centre Friday, March 12. Trail beat Merritt 4-3 in a shootout Saturday.
Salmon Arm (35-9-4-2) remains in second place, six points behind the Penticton Vees, who have a game in hand. Penticton had the weekend off.
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