Saturday’s matchup between the Cranbrook Bucks and the Salmon Arm Silverbacks was certified epic. The Bucks wrote a happy ending for their double-header with the BCHL-leading Siverbacks, earning a 6-5 shootout win Saturday night.
The Silverbacks wasted little time finding the scoreboard. Early pressure in the Bucks zone led to a loose puck finding its way to the slot, where Salmon Arm’s Mat Bourgault tapped it in past Evan Gartner to give his team a 1-0 lead just forty-five seconds into the game. Salmon Arm struck again with a milestone goal from the BCHL’s top scorer Simon Tassy, who put the ‘Backs up 2-0 and picked up his 100th career point. The Bucks finally cracked the code on Salmon Arm goalie Owen Say late in the period. Bucks coach Ryan Donald swapped goalies midway through the period, giving way for Nathan Airey’s return to the crease after a strong performance on Friday. Later, on a Cranbrook penalty kill, Zeth Kindrachuk found Jarrod Smith with a great pass on a 2-on-1 rush to put the Bucks on the board. The score was 2-1 for Salmon Arm after twenty minutes.
There was no shortage of action on either side of the rink in the second period. Salmon Arm started things off with Noah Serdachny tallied at 4:44 to put the ‘Backs up 3-1. Cranbrook managed to even things up with quick goals from Johnny Johnson at 7:06 and again from Bauer Morrissey at 8:17. Silverback forward Serdachny picked up his second goal of the period in the later stages to restore Salmon Arm’s lead at 4-3, which is where the score stood heading into the third period.
The excitement continued to radiate throughout Western Financial Place through the third period. The Bucks tied the game in the first minute of the final frame via a Kellan Hjartarson slot-blast to square things up at 4-4. But Salmon Arm still had some gas in the tank, and they would restore their lead at 2:44 after Nathan Morin netted his 4th goal of the season on a Silverbacks rush. The ebbs and flows continued through the third period. Salmon Arm’s 5-4 lead seemed like it would hold steady, until the Bucks staged a push in the waning minutes. Airey was on the bench for an extra attacker, and the top line clicked for the tying goal from Tyson Dyck with under ninety-seconds left in regulation. Another dramatic come-from-behind win for Cranbrook would have to wait a few minutes, as the game was tied 5-5 after sixty minutes – giving way for 3-on-3 overtime.
Overtime provided an exciting five minutes of BCHL hockey, with both teams coming close to clinching the game on multiple tries. Neither team was able to tally in overtime, leaving it up to a shootout to decide the winner.
Cranbrook goalie was perfect on both Salmon Arm shootout attempts from Noah Serdachny and Simon Tassy. The Bucks were able to clinch the game and score a huge win over the Silverbacks after Liam Hansson and Noah Quinn scored in the shootout, giving Cranbrook a very impressive 6-5 victory.
The Bucks outshot Salmon Arm for the second straight night, this time at a 42-29 total. Cranbrook’s power play finished 0/2 while Salmon Arm scored once on four attempts. Cranbrook’s triumph on Saturday night improves their record to 19-14-2, they remain fifth place in the Interior Conference standings.
The Bucks will head back to Wenatchee to face the Wild on Wednesday, February 2. After Wednesday’s game, Cranbrook returns home for another double-header with the Vernon Vipers next weekend.
Buck Tracks:
- Cranbrook’s shootout record improves to 2-0. (Liam Hansson has scored on both of his attempts this season).
- Bucks lead Salmon Arm 3-1 in season series.
- 2 goals in 3 games for Jarrod Smith.
Photo Credit: Tim Matwey
