The Salmon Arm Silverbacks scored early and often against the visiting Merritt Centennials at the Shaw Centre on Oct. 6.
The home team found the back of Merritt’s net just :17 seconds into the game and didn’t let up pressure for the full 60 minutes on their way to a 7-4 win.
After Silverbacks captain Grayson Constable opened the scoring, Tanner Campbell snuck one past ’Cents goalie Jacob Berger — his first of two goals in a first-star performance.
Early in the second frame Rhett Kingston tallied up another goal for the ‘Backs.
With Merritt’s Colten Gerlib in the box following a hooking call, Trey Thomas took advantage of a pass from Trevor Adams to make the score 4-0 Silverbacks.
Merritt’s Alex Bourhas got his team on the board late in the third.
Campbell, Marcus Mitchell and Nick Unruh added to the ‘Backs’ total in the third, leaving the score 7-1 for the home team with nine minutes to play.
The Centennials mustered a flurry of offence to finish the game, scoring a shorthanded goal with four minutes remaining and then two more in the final minute, but it was too little too late.