Salmon Arm Silverbacks goalie Liam Vanderkooi keeps an eye on West Kelowna Warriors forward Bryden Sinclair during the ‘Backs’ 5-2 B.C. Hockey League pod play victory Wednesday, April 21, at Vernon’s Kal Tire Place. (Tami Quan Photography)

Salmon Arm Silverbacks slip past West Kelowna

Simon Tassy scores twice as Gorillas dump Warriors 5-2 in B.C. Hockey League pod play in Vernon

  • Apr. 22, 2021 12:00 a.m.

Twenty-four hours earlier, the Salmon Arm Silverbacks were on the wrong end of a 5-2 decision to the Vernon Vipers.

On Wednesday, the ‘Backs were on the correct end of a 5-2 result.

Simon Tassy scored twice and Liam Vanderkooi made 26 saves as Salmon Arm defeated the West Kelowna Warriors 5-2 in B.C. Hockey League pod play at Vernon’s Kal Tire Place.

“We were able to do a lot of same things we did last game and with a lot more success tonigh,” said Silverbacks head coach Tyler Shattock. “It’s a credit to them, being able to do it with their sixth game in eight nights. It definitely didn’t look it at all tonight. That was probably our most consistent 60-minute effort of the pod…It was a total team effort and that’s what we needed.”

Tassy’s deuce staked the Silverbacks to a 2-0 lead early in the second period. The Warriors – playing a third straight game with 10 forwards and eight defencemen due to injuries – got to within a goal when Carter Wilkie scored on the powerplay at 2:34 of the middle frame.

Goals from Tucker Hartmann and Cameron Recchi before the end of the period would give Salmon Arm a 4-1 cushion heading into the final 20 minutes.

Tyler Cristall would pull West Kelowna to within a pair at 4:56 with a powerplay marker. Sullivan Mack with his eighth goal of the pod season finished the scoring for Salmon Arm at 19:28.

Johnny Derrick made 36 saves for the Warriors, who sit third in the pod at 5-4-2-1, two points behind the Vipers (6-3-1-1) and three back of Salmon Arm (6-3-2-1).

The Warriors will play Vernon Friday night and Salmon Arm will face off against the Snakes Saturday evening.

READ MORE: Just one North Okanagan-Shuswap health area sees rise in new COVID-19 cases

READ MORE: WATCH: West Kelowna firefighters make a splash in North Okanagan


@VernonNewsroger@vernonmorningstar.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Vernon Morning Star