Special teams did their jobs for the Penticton Vees but it wasn’t enough as the Salmon Arm Silverbacks managed to eke out a 4-3 B.C. Hockey League victory Wednesday in Salmon Arm.
The Vees came out of the gate on a tear in the opening frame, out shooting the hosts 8-0 early in the period and going up 2-0 just after the midway point with a pair of power play markers.
Danny Weight redirected a Steve Holtz point shot past the glove side of Silverbacks goaltender Ethan Langenegger for his 11th goal of the season and a 1-0 advantage.
Another power play doubled the Vees lead with a goalmouth scramble being pushed across the goal line at the tail end of the man advantage.
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Jackson Niedermayer took the puck to the net from the left side and had his shot stopped by Langenegger with the puck going to the right side as David Silye banged it off the post and the back of the right leg of the netminder before Silye got another whack and pushed the puck into the back of the goal for his seventh of the season and a 2-0 Vees lead at the 13:13 mark.
With just over three minutes to play in the period the Silverbacks finally got on the board and in the final minute were able to get back on even terms when Daniel Rybarik snapped a shot over the glove of Vees netminder Carl Stankowski.
Six minutes into the middle frame the hosts took their first lead of the game but Penticton drew even on their third power play goal, a highlight-reel marker by Lukas Sillinger in the slot set up by Weight’s centring pass.
The Silverbacks scored what proved to be the winner just over a minute into the third on a power play and Langenegger stood tall in net, stopping all 11 Penticton shots he faced in the period.
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The Vees outshot the home team 35 to 20 and went three for eight on the power play and killed off all but one of the four penalties they took in the game.
The Vees and Silverbacks are deadlocked atop of the Interior Division standings with identical records.
The Vees (18-5-1-0) make their way back to the South Okanagan Events Centre (SOEC) for a pair of weekend games beginning on Friday night as they host the Silverbacks (18-5-1-0) for the first time this season. Puck drop at the SOEC is slated for 7 p.m.
The following night the Wenatchee Wild will be in town for a 6 p.m. showdown.
Tickets for both games are available at the SOEC Box Office as well as online at ValleyFirstTix.com.