GAME DAY: GM #52 Vees at Salmon Arm Silverbacks
Photo: Cherie Morgan
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Game Time: 6:00 pm PST
Location: Shaw Centre, Salmon Arm
Radio: Bounce 800 am
Webcast: Hockey TV
Penticton Vees
GM & Head Coach: Fred Harbinson
2022-23: GP 51 47-3-0-1, Clinched 1st overall in the BCHL
Home: 25-0-0-0
Away: 22-3-0-1
GF: 289
GA: 90
Power Play: 39.7% (1)
Penalty Kill: 84.6% (2)
Top Scorer: Bradly Nadeau (44-66-110)
| Last 5 Games | Remaining Schedule |
| 10-2 W vs. Merritt (Mar. 18) | Mar. 24 vs. Vernon, 7:00 pm |
| 9-2 W vs. Nanaimo (Mar. 17) | Mar. 26 vs. Salmon Arm, 4:00 pm |
| 6-3 W vs. Merritt (Mar. 11) | |
| 9-2 W vs. Langley (Mar. 10) | |
| 7-2 W @ Trail (Mar. 4) |
Last Game: Penticton won their 12th in a row last Saturday, thumping the Merritt Centennials 10-0 at the SOEC. Aydar Suniev recorded his third hat-trick of the season and Nic DeGraves and Hiroki Gojsic each scored twice. 14 Vees picked up at least a point in the win. Hank Levy earned his third shutout of the season and improved his record to 13-0, as he stopped 14 shots. The Vees finished 7-0 against Merritt and improved their home record to 25-0.
Tonight: Tonight, is the Vees final road game of the season, as they are in the final week of the regular season. Penticton is 22-3-0-1 away from the SOEC and have won four-straight on the road and haven’t lost in regulation away from home in since January 7th, when they lost 3-0 in Prince George.
Aydar Suniev and Bradly Nadeau carry lengthy point streaks into the final week of the BCHL regular season. Suniev has points in 14-straight games, a streak that started February 3. In those 14 games he has 30 points. Nadeau has points in a dozen games going back to February 10. In his last 12 games he has 36 points.
Salmon Arm Silverbacks
GM: Brooks Christensen
Head Coach: Tyler Shattock
2022-23: GP 51 27-18-4-2, 3rd in the Interior Conference
Home: 18-4-2-1
Away: 9-14-2-1
GF: 165
GA: 148
Power Play: 20.4% (10)
Penalty Kill: 77% (12)
Top Scorer: Nathan Mackie (27-22-49)
| Last 5 Games | Remaining Schedule |
| 4-0 L @ Prince George, Mar. 18 | Mar. 25 vs. West Kelowna, 6:00 pm |
| 4-3 W @ Prince George, Mar. 17 | Mar. 26 @ Penticton, 4:00 pm |
| 3-2 W vs. Wenatchee, Mar. 11 | |
| 5-2 L @ Vernon, Mar. 10 | |
| 4-3 SOL vs. Cranbrook, Mar. 4 |
Last Game: Salmon Arm split their weekend up North in Prince George after a 4-0 loss to the Spruce Kings Saturday. That setback snapped their mini two-game win streak. The Silverbacks trailed 1-0 after the first period and 2-0 after 40 minutes. PG scored two more goals in the third period. The Spruce Kings’ Aidan Feddema earned his first shutout, stopping 27 shots. A night earlier, the Silverbacks beat PG in overtime, 4-3, courtesy of an Owen Beckner OT goal.
Outlook: Salmon Arm sits third in the Interior standings, two points ahead of West Kelowna and Prince George. Only three points separate third from seventh in the Interior, with several teams jockeying for playoff positioning. The Silverbacks are looking to clinch the third seed and home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. They can do that with three points out of their three six games.
20-year-old goaltender Matthew Tovell has been a workhorse for Salmon Arm. Tovell leads BCHL goaltenders in both games played (44) and minutes played (2542). Tovell has started every Silverbacks’ game since December 31. That’s 25 games in a row and counting.