Arena: Shaw Centre, Salmon Arm
Game Time: 7pm
Radio: EZ ROCK AM 800
Watch: Fasthockey Pay-Per-View
The Penticton Vees (29-12-2-4) look for their first win against the Salmon Arm Silverbacks (24-17-1-5) tonight, in the back half of a weekend home-and-home set. So far, the Silverbacks have won the first four meetings of the eight-game season series, including squeaking out a 2-1 win Friday at the SOEC.
Bryden Marsh and Landon Smith scored second period goals for the visitors Friday and Angus Redmond stopped 21 of 22 shots to preserve the win for Salmon Arm.
Brad McClure scored in the third period for the Vees to cut the deficit to one, but the Vees couldn't manufacture an equalizer in the final minutes of the third with the extra skater.
Controversy arose in the second, when Max Coatta appeared to scoring a tying goal four-minute into the frame. Down 1-0, Coatta rifled a shot from the slot that hit one post, looked to flutter across the goal-line, before hitting the other post and jetting out of the net. The goal light went on but the referee deemed the puck never did cross the goal-line.
A few changes to the Vees line-up ahead of the rematch with Salmon Arm. Nic Pierog returns to the line-up after sitting out Friday's game with strep throat. Cam Amantea also returns after he served a three-game suspension for a hit on Salmon Arm's Evan Anderson back on January 18th. Coming out of the line-up is Josh Blanchard and Ben Dalpe, who suffered a lower-body injury in Friday's loss.
Hunter Miska gets the nod between the pipes and is 14-5-2-4 on the season, with a 2.26 goals-against average, while maintaining a .915 save-percentage; he's 9-5-1-2 against the Interior Division this season.
The Vees come into tonight's match up with a 16-8-1-2 record against their own division and their road record sits at 14-7-2-1. The Vees lead atop of the Interior shrunk to two points on the West Kelowna Warriors, after they picked up a point in an overtime loss in Merritt Friday; West-K does have a game in hand.
Salmon Arm has won four in a row and have beaten the Vees twice now in the last two weeks. Friday must of felt good for the visitors as they were just 1-4 in their last five road games and 3-5-0-2 in the last 10 away from home.
Landon Smith padded his lead atop of the BCHL scoring race, as he picked up his league-leading 39th goal and 71st point; six up on the Vees Brad McClure. Interesting fact, when Smith scores, the Silverbacks are 18-7-1-3.Smith also extended his point streak to four games in the win (3-2-5).
Salmon Arm was without Evan Anderson, Alex Gillies, Colton Thibault and Adam Clark on Friday; the status of all four won't be known until game time.
Salmon Arm comes into tonight's game one point up on the Merritt Centennials for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Interior Division. Salmon Arm has 54 points to Merritt's 53 and both have played 47 games.
After tonight, these two reconvene at the SOEC next Friday, February 7th. The Vees final visit to Salmon Arm is later this month, Friday, February 28th. The season series wraps up on the final day of the BCHL regular season, Saturday, March 1st.
