Written by: Scott Savard
Headline photo: Chad Goddard
Okotoks, AB (February 1, 2026) – The Okotoks Oilers got an impressive performance from goaltender Eric Young (Mill Bay, BC), while also producing 36 shots on net, but came up short in a 3-0 game against the Silverbacks in Salmon Arm last night.
With the loss, everything is now dead even between the two teams in the season series as they each have a win and have scored exactly five goals apiece in the two meetings during the 2025-2026 season.
The Oilers have shown resilience on the four-game road trip as they were down at least one player in each of the games played. One focus for the team was to get goals against down, which they have shown while going 2-2-0 on the road trip. The Green and Gold’s two wins would come from breaking the curse against the Brooks Bandits, with Michael Kowalski (Chicago, IL) playing hero with a between-the-legs overtime goal, and coming away with a 4-3 win while taking the season series against the Vernon Vipers.
Young, who made his second straight start over the weekend, only allowed two goals on 40 shots as the Silverbacks collected their final goal on an empty-netter earned the third star of the game as he held his team in it, making 38 saves.
The Silverbacks opened the scoring just over two minutes into the game with Anthony Cardilli getting on the scoresheet. Salmon Arm picked up its second goal of the evening 11 minutes into the second frame, with Landon Mackie getting on the board. Mackie collected his second goal of the night with three seconds left in the game with an empty-netter.
The Green and Gold will be back at home this weekend as they have six home games in the month of February. They will host Brooks on Friday, with Saturday’s game coming against Spruce Grove as they chase the Saints for the final playoff spot in the BCHL Interior East Division.
Tickets are still available for this coming weekend’s games at: https://tickets.okotoksoilers.com/
The Okotoks Oilers are a not-for-profit, community-run junior hockey franchise competing in the BCHL and operating out of Viking Rentals Centre. For more information, visit okotoksoilers.com or follow the Oilers on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.
