Photo: #13 Marcus Joughin scores his 2nd of the game which would ultimately send the game to overtime Saturday night. Joughin would finish the game with 4 points and was named the games first star.
Photo Credit: Tami Quan Photography
May 8th, 2021
Vernon, B.C. – West Kelowna comes out on top of an offensive explosion. Edging the Salmon Arm Silverbacks 7-6 in a shootout.
The Salmon Arm Silverbacks jumped out to an early 3-0 lead Saturday night. Simon Tassy opened the scoring with a short-handed marker just after the five minute marker. Salmon Arm then proceeded to add two more markers from Phillipe Jacques and Julian Recine. Those goals came just 1:49 apart. It looked like the Silverbacks had extended their lead to four, however the officials ruled the puck was knocked in by a high stick. At the media timeout the Warriors found a way to regroup. They responded with two goals of their own in 1:18. Marcus Joughin’s contribution was followed up by a power play marker from the stick of Tyson Jugnauth. The offence continued as Tassy found the back of the net for the second time in the period. His goal ended Warriors’ starter Zach Bennett’s night. The Warriors found a way to cut the lead to one before the end of the period. Carter Schmidt scored for the 2nd time in as many games to send the two teams into the first intermission 4-3 in favour of the Silverbacks.
The offence on both teams slowed down till just past the midway mark of the second frame. The Silverbacks extended their lead with seven minutes and change remaining. Drew Bennett’s seventh of the Pod season brought the score to 5-3. Once again the Warriors had an answer. This time it was Captain Evan Bar Lev Wise with this 1st of the Pod season. The 5-4 score would hold strong for all of 1:04 before Salmon Arm’s Jacques cashed in for his second of the game. In the final minute of the second, Warriors’ forward Carter Wilkie made good on a power play opportunity to once again send the Warriors into the intermission down one. This time with 6-5 on the scoreboard.
The start of the third period saw the game’s second goaltending change. The Silverbacks elected to replace starter Liam Vanderkooi with Owen Say. Say was welcomed to the game quickly as Joughin of the Warriors netted his 2nd. The power play goal brought the teams to a deadlock at six goals apiece. The score held for the remainder of regulation with Salmon Arm leading in shots 38-23.
Overtime would see chances at both ends but Say, and Johnny Derrick stood tall to force a game packed with offence into a shootout. Wilkie was the only shooter to score in the shootout. His goal propelled the Warriors to a 7-6 win.
The Warriors now turn their attention to the Vernon Vipers. That game will take place at 4:00pm on Sunday May 9th. The match-up will also wrap up West Kelowna’s 2021 Pod season. Fans can catch the action on BCHLTV (formally HockeyTV) or on the free internet radio stream on Mixlr.
