Bucks Force OT and Win Game 4 in Dramatic Fashion
The Cranbrook Bucks refused to go down quietly, earning a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory over the Salmon Arm Silverbacks in Game 4 of the BCHL Interior Division Final on Wednesday night at Western Financial Place.
In front of a raucous crowd of 1,442 fans, the Bucks rallied from a late third-period deficit to force overtime and then sealed the win with a heroics goal from Konstantin Hutzinger who picked the top glove hand corner. The victory evens the best-of-seven series at 2-2 and sends the series back to Salmon Arm with renewed momentum for Cranbrook.
Scoring Summary
- 1st Period: The Bucks jumped out to a fast 2-0 lead. Jack McMinn opened the scoring at 12:41 with an unassisted even-strength goal. Teo Pisani made it 2-0 at 15:10 on a breakaway, assisted by Adam Csabi.
- 2nd Period: Salmon Arm responded with two even-strength goals to tie the game. Brady Craik scored at 3:04 (assisted by Booker Toninato). Landon Mackie tied it at 19:58 (assisted by Aidan Shirey).
- 3rd Period: The Silverbacks took their first lead of the night when Koen Senft scored at 12:24 (assisted by Landon Mackie). The Bucks answered quickly as Teo Pisani notched his second goal of the game at 14:46 with a great toe-drag and shot that wislted passed Dirracolo (assists: Cadel Gourlay and Leyton Stewart) to tie the score at 3-3 and force overtime.
- Overtime: Konstantin Hutzinger ended the game at 12:43 of the first OT period a perfectly placed shot to the glove hand of Dirracolo, giving the Bucks the 4-3 victory.
Goaltending Battle Jason Tremblay was rock solid for the Bucks, making 27 saves on 30 shots over 72:43 of ice time. For the Silverbacks, Daniel Dirracolo turned aside 37 of 41 shots.
Key Game Stats
- Final Score: Cranbrook Bucks 4, Salmon Arm Silverbacks 3 (OT)
- Shots on Goal: Bucks 41 – Silverbacks 30
- Power Plays: Bucks 0-for-1 | Silverbacks 0-for-2
- Penalty Minutes: Cranbrook 16, Salmon Arm 29 (including multiple fighting majors and a game misconduct to Richard Wonyeneh for kneeing)
Three Stars of the Game
- Konstantin Hutzinger (Cranbrook) – Game-winning OT goal
- Teo Pisani (Cranbrook) – 2 goals
- Landon Mackie (Salmon Arm) – 1 goal, 1 assist
The game fwas physical, especially in the second period with several fights and a late third-period review on a kneeing penalty. Despite being outshot in some stretches, the Bucks dominated the shot clock overall and showed tremendous resiliance by responding every time Salmon Arm pushed ahead.
This hard-fought win proves they can beat the Silverbacks on home ice in a high-stakes environment. The series now heads back to Salmon Arm for Game 5 on Friday, April 24, before coming back to Cranbrook for Game 6 on Sunday.
