Tied with Penticton with 80 points for first place in the British Columbia Hockey League's Interior Division, the Salmon Arm SilverBacks have assets and weaponry all over the ice.
And what they have in goal is no exception, especially American born keeper Billy Blase, a product of the US NTDP, who joined the SilverBacks back in November and has played very well ever since. In 27 games, the left catching Blase has 18 wins against eight losses and carries a 3.48 GAA, which may seem high at first glance but is still extremely respectable given the wide-open offensive nature of the BCHL.
Blase will next season join a Yale squad that so far this year is 8-15-3 and has used three netminders, including senior Josh Gartner, the son of former NHL scoring great Mike Gartner. However, it's been freshman Alec Richards (from Minnesota's Breck High School) who has carried most of the mail this season, having played in 23 of the Bulldogs' 26 games.
“Billy has played very solidly since coming to us back in November,” says SilverBacks coach/GM Garry Davidson, “he's deserving of the opportunity and I think he'll fit in well as both a student and as a hockey player at Yale.”
