The Silverbacks played a five-game marathon stretch this past week, coming out with two wins and three losses in their last regular season games before the BCHL Fred Page Cup playoffs begin March 2.
The first game of the week was at home against the league-leading Penticton Vees on Feb. 21, ending in an 8-1 victory for Penticton.
The second matchup was against the Merritt Centennials at the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena. The game saw 17 penalties called on the Silverbacks, leaving them shorthanded for much of the game and taking a 6-1 loss against the Centennials.
The third game of the five-game stretch saw the Silverbacks in Trail against the Smoke Eaters, picking up the momentum a bit and putting five goals on the board throughout the course of the game. It wasn’t enough to topple Trail, though, as the ‘Backs took a third loss with the final score sitting at 8-5 in favour of the Smoke Eaters.
After three straight losses in the long run of games, the home team hit the ice with renewed vigour on Feb. 24 and skated to a solid 8-3 victory against the West Kelowna Warriors. The matchup at the Shaw Centre was the Silverbacks’ last home game before the playoffs and featured a turnout of nearly 1,300 spectators.
Hockey legend Marty McSorley was on location at the Shaw Centre during the game, meeting fans, signing autographs and conducting a ceremonial face-off between captains Grayson Constable of the Silverbacks and Jared Marino of the Warriors.
Riding the momentum generated by the win against the Warriors, the Silverbacks hit the road for their final game of the season, a rematch against the Penticton Vees. In stark contrast to the harsh 8-1 loss in their last matchup with the Vees, Salmon Arm was determined to put up a fight and walked out of the rink with their heads held high after two periods of overtime and a 5-4 victory.
The win against the Vees, who are currently first-place in the division, comes at almost perfect timing for the Silverbacks who can head into the upcoming Fred Page Cup playoffs knowing they can hold their own against the top-standing skaters in the league.
The ‘Backs first playoff set will be on March 2 against the Vernon Vipers at the Kal Tire Place. Much like the Stanley Cup, each playoff matchup comes down to the best of seven games with the winner advancing to the next round and the loser packing up their gear for the season.
The 2017 playoffs saw Salmon Arm knocked out by the Trail Smoke Eaters in the first round, going down four games to one.