Nathan Mackie and Ryan Gillespie each recorded two points as the Salmon Arm Silverbacks topped the West Kelowna Warriors 6-1 on Friday, April 19, in the first game of the playoffs’ second round at Royal LePage Place.
Goaltender Eli Pulver made 21 saves and propelled Salmon Arm to a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Mackie and Gillespie both scored their second goal of the playoffs and each added an assist.
Riley Ashe, Patrick Raftery, Tanner Walos and Maddux Martin also found the back of the net for Salmon Arm, who scored four times in the third period. Marcus Broberg recorded two assists.
West Kelowna netminder Matthew DellaRusso made 28 saves, including 11 in a scoreless first period.
Both goaltenders were the stars of the show in the opening frame, before Mackie and Ashe got Salmon Arm on the board at 5:20 and 13:48 of the second period, respectively.
After Salmon Arm extended its lead to 4-0, courtesy of third-period markers from Raftery and Gillespie, the Warriors’ Viggo Nordström broke Pulver’s shutout bid at 16:22.
The Silverbacks replied with two more goals, including an empty-netter from Walos, shortly after.
West Kelowna, who made it to the second round after defeating the Cranbrook Bucks in seven games in round one, hosts Salmon Arm for the series’ second game on Saturday night, April 20.
Puck drop is at 7 p.m.