The Silverbacks took their fourth loss in a row to the Merritt Centennials on Feb. 22 at the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena.
Coming into the second of a stretch of five back-to-back games, the Silverbacks are struggling to keep their momentum leading up to the BCHL Fred Page Cup playoffs on Mar. 2.
The first period saw six shots apiece for both teams, with Michael Van Unen and Mathieu Gosselin of the Centennials scoring assisted goals, both during a power play.
In the second Merritt made 12 shots on goal to Salmon Arm’s 10. Michael Van Unen, Jackson Munro and Matthew Kopperud of Merritt landed assisted goals during the second period, two out of three going in on a power play.
The third period saw Silverbacks’ forward Nick Unruh landing the team’s solitary goal of the game off an assist from Ryan Hogg. Brendan Schneider of Merritt scored the final goal of the game on a power play late in the third, making it 6-1 for Merritt by the end of 60 minutes of play.
The Feb. 22 game against Merritt saw a heavy swathe of penalties called on both sides of the ice, though the Silverbacks suffered the majority of time spent in the box. Out of 28 total penalties called over the course of the game Salmon Arm took 17, with four of the goals scored against them coming off of a power play.
The Silverbacks face off against the Trail Smoke Eaters tonight at the Cominco Arena in Trail. They have three back-to-back games left to finish the season before heading to the BCHL Fred Page Cup on Mar. 2.
@Jodi_Brak117
jodi.brak@saobserver.net
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.