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Penticton Silver Bullets clinch 1st place, will host finals in March

The senior men’s AA team hosts Powell River Regals or Rossland Warriors at Memorial Arena
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Members of the Penticton Silver Bullets before the team’s Saturday, Jan. 21, game against the Rossland Warriors at Memorial Arena. (Photo- Penticton Silver Bullets/Instagram, @silverbulletshockey)

The Penticton Silver Bullets are one step closer to having a storybook ending to their first season in 28 years.

The senior men’s AA team has advanced to the Independent Division Finals and will host either the Powell River Regals or Rossland Warriors at Memorial Arena from March 3 to 5, after officials from BC Hockey determined this year’s final playoff seeding with a spin of a wheel.

If victorious in early March’s best-of-three postseason series, the Silver Bullets will play for the prestigious Coy Cup in Quesnel from March 28 to April 1.

Although Penticton (8-2-0) officially clinched the first-place spot after a weekend split with the Warriors on Jan. 21 and 22, it took a little luck during the wheel spin afterward for the team to get confirmation that Memorial Arena would once again be home to playoff hockey.

Wheel of fortune or not, though, Penticton is hosting a playoff series later this winter and that’s what matters to Matt Fraser.

“If we could give back, help make people’s lives a little better and give another source of pride for our community, then that would be great,” the team’s captain said. “I believe the city of Penticton has a winning hockey tradition and we want to keep that going.”

Penticton Silver Bullets captain Matt Fraser during the 2022-2023 regular season at Memorial Arena. (Photo- Matt Fraser Facebook)
Penticton Silver Bullets captain Matt Fraser during the 2022-2023 regular season at Memorial Arena. (Photo- Matt Fraser Facebook)

VIDEO: Inside the Penticton Silver Bullets’ triumphant return after 28 years

The winner between the Regals and Warriors sometime in February will go to Memorial Arena and play the Silver Bullets to determine the winner of the Independent Division.

Penticton returned to senior men’s AA action in October after a 28-year hiatus. Since then, the team has hosted a trio of home series in front of enthused crowds at the historic Memorial Arena.

“It speaks to the power of playing in Penticton and at Memorial Arena,” Fraser said. “It’s surreal when I see the fans and families of our players in stands…it’s just so awesome.”

The Silver Bullets collected their eighth victory of the season Saturday night, Jan. 21, thanks to Connor Potter’s 43 saves in the crease and two-goal performances from Mitch MacMillan and Sasha Golin.

Rossland would earn a win the next day, however, downing Penticton by a margin of 6-4.

Whether it’s Potter’s stellar Saturday night performance with his parents watching in the stands, or Nick Graham’s tribute on the ice to his father Jody, who played for the Silver Bullets nearly three decades ago, Fraser says several special memories have already been made since the team’s triumphant return.

“It’s not always about the wins and losses, it’s about those memories.”

READ MORE: NHL talent on Penticton Silver Bullets roster


@lgllockhart
logan.lockhart@pentictonwesternnews.com