The Cranbrook Bucks welcomed the Salmon Arm Silverbacks to Western Financial Place place on Friday night, for the first of two straight contests against the BC Hockey League’s number one team.
The Silverbacks entered Friday’s game without a regulation loss in their last 10 games, going 9-0-1 in that time.
They also hadn’t lost in regulation on the road all season long, boasting a 13-0-2 record away from home heading into the first of back-to-back games in Cranbrook.
Despite the recent dominance by a strong Silverbacks squad, the Bucks seemed to be up for the challenge, especially early in the game.
Cranbrook came out flying early in the first period, carrying the edge in play and establishing shots-on-goal advantage that would not diminish at any point in the game.
However, a strong start from the home team would not be enough to tame the powerful Silverbacks long enough to find the game’s first goal.
Just past the midway point of the opening period, Salmon Arm’s fourth line went to work, and found the scoresheet first.
Silverbacks forward Aiden Lindblad was left all alone in front of the Bucks net, and his line-mate Mathieu Cobetto-Roy found him with a pass before he picked the top corner on Nathan Airey.
Lindblad’s second goal of the year made it 1-0 Salmon Arm at 11:01 of the first, assisted by Cobetto-Roy and defenseman Michael Ladyman.
The Bucks went on to outshoot the Silverbacks 20-6 in the opening stanza, but went to the dressing room down a goal after failing to find the back of the net.
The second period started with each team getting their first look on the powerplay in the first five minutes of the frame, but neither team was able to convert and it stayed a one goal game.
Following some special teams work, the contest began to open up and became a back-and-forth affair, but both goaltenders made key stops to keep the game at 1-0 until late in the second stanza.
That was when a set of coincidental roughing minors in the last five minutes of the period presented some 4-on-4 action, allowing skill to take over with the extra open ice.
The Silverbacks wasted little time putting the extra ice to good use, as Ladyman would pick up his second assist on the night by setting up forward Noah Serdachny.
After skating a lap in the Bucks zone, Ladyman fired the puck to the front of the net, where it was redirected in by Serdachny.
The goal at 15:45 of the middle frame made it 2-0 Salmon Arm, with assists going to Ladyman and Simon Tassy.
Cranbrook once again outshot the Silverbacks by a 7-6 count in the middle 20 minutes, but still went into the intermission down by a pair of goals.
It seemed as though the Bucks were outplaying the top team in the league, and the 27-12 shots count after 40 minutes supported that notion.
Unfortunately for Cranbrook, Salmon Arm’s goaltender Owen Say had been perfect to that point, and showed no signs of weakening in the final frame.
Cranbrook continued to pour it on in the third period, but could not find an answer for Say in the Silverbacks net.
He made another 12 stops in the final 20 minutes, and a late empty-net goal by Salmon Arm’s captain Daniel Panetta would put the game away.
Picking up his third shutout of the season, Say stopped all 39 shots that the Bucks fired his direction on the night.
Airey, who also has three shutouts on the season, made 24 saves on 26 shots before the Bucks allowed the empty-netter to lose 3-0.
The Bucks lead the Silverbacks by a 2-1 margin in the teams’ season series, which can by viewed below;
Five games (2-1-0)
- Nov. 13: @ Salmon Arm (4-0 W)
- Nov. 14: @ Salmon Arm (2-1 W)
- Jan. 28: vs Salmon Arm (3-0 L)
- Jan. 29: vs Salmon Arm (7pm)
- Mar. 3: vs Salmon Arm (7pm)
Cranbrook will get another shot at Salmon Arm on Saturday, when they host the Silverbacks again at 7pm.
The post-game recap from the Bucks website can be viewed here.
Bucks Network 