Warriors drop game 3 against Silverbacks despite 43-16 shot advantage

The West Kelowna Warriors were unable to overcome a 2-0 first-period deficit against the Salmon Arm Silverbacks on Tuesday night.

It wasn’t for a lack of effort, however, as the Warriors ended up dropping game three 2-1 despite a 43-16 advantage in the shot department.

The Warriors threw 43 shots on goal in Game 3 of their Interior Conference Semi Final series against the Salmon Arm Silverbacks but fell by a 2-1 score and trail the series 2-1

HIGHLIGHTS 🎥 | https://t.co/ToQRpP0woD#BCHLPlayoffs | @NorValRentals

— West Kelowna Warriors (@BCHLWarriors) April 24, 2024

The ice was tilted from the opening puck drop, with West Kelowna firing 16 shots on Eli Pulver in the opening frame and surrendering just five at the other end.

Unfortunately, two of those five shots found their way past Matthew DellaRusso and the Silverbacks jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals from Jonah Aegerter and Cole Cooksey.

The story was very similar in the second, with the Warriors outshooting the Silverbacks 18-6 and finally getting on the board late in the period.

Projected NHL draft pick Jack Pridham finally beat Pulver on a five-on-three powerplay, ripping a shot past the Silverbacks netminder blocker side to cut the lead in half.

West Kelowna wasn’t able to match their shot totals from the first two periods in the final 20 minutes, but still outshot Salmon Arm 9-5 as they pressed for the equalizer.

Pulver continued to shine in front of the home fans, however, and the Silverbacks managed to hang on to win 2-1 and take a 2-1 series lead as well.

Game four goes tonight at the Shaw Centre in Salmon Arm, with puck drop scheduled for 6 pm as the Warriors try to even the series at two wins apiece.

No matter the outcome, the two teams will head back to West Kelowna for game five on Friday night.