The Salmon Arm Silverbacks and Merritt Centennials were neck-and-neck in the playoffs following Game 2 at Shaw Centre.
Game 1 of the series on Friday, April 5, ended with a 3-2 overtime win for the home team versus their Merritt guests.
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 was 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 was Tristan Allen, who is up for the Campbell Blair Trophy (Top Defenceman) with 46 regular season points.
The teams faced off again at Shaw Centre on Saturday evening, April 6.
Ten seconds into first period, Murray lit up the board for the Cents. Teammate Charles-Thomas Larochelle potted his first goal of the night at 7:11, with a second goal delivered at 1:21 in the second frame, giving Merritt a 3-0 lead. About a minute later, the Silverbacks’ Patrick Raftery responded with a single-handed marker. The tally would remain at 3-1 until 12:40 in the final frame, when Isaac Lambert found the back of the Merritt net, assisted by Nathan Mackie and Ryan Philbrick.
The teams’ playoff series continues with games 3 and 4 at Merritt’s Nicola Valley Memorial Arena on Tuesday, April 9 and 10 (after press time). The teams will be back at Shaw Centre on April 12.
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