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Salmon Arm Silverbacks counting on veteran goalie for calming influence this season

Click to play video: 'Salmon Arm Silverbacks 2019 Preview'
Salmon Arm Silverbacks 2019 Preview
Salmon Arm Silverbacks 2019 Preview – Aug 30, 2019

It’s early morning in Salmon Arm and the Silverbacks aren’t on the ice at the Shaw Centre.

They’re in a team meeting, getting ready for a Friday night preseason game against the Vernon Vipers.

The contest will be the Silverbacks’ final preseason game before they finalize their roster.

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“Obviously [we] got a big turnover on our roster, so [we’re] trying to figure out what guys have chemistry with other guys and where guys fit into our lineup,” said Silverbacks assistant coach Tanner Cochrane.
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One player who will fit into the lineup like the last piece of a puzzle is veteran goaltender Ethan Langenegger.

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“I play a really calm game, which I think settles our team down a lot,” said Langenegger.

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The 18-year-old Kamloops native has just committed to play for Lake Superior State of the NCAA next season.

“That’s the hope right now,” said Langenegger. “Obviously it’s a really good stepping stone for a junior players to go there and move on to pro from there.”

Langenegger will be expected to anchor the Silverbacks’ back end for the majority of the season.

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“We know what we are going to get from him every night,” said Cochrane. “He’s engaged. He’s calm, but he has got a real fire in him.”

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Fans will notice some big changes to the team’s defence this season; gone is Salmon Arm’s native son, Cole Nisse.

But back as a Silverback for his fourth season is Akito Hirose.

“We added a lot key pieces up front and on the back end, so I’m expecting to be a lot faster this year and a lot bigger,” Hirose said.

The Silverbacks start their season against the West Kelowna Warriors  on Sunday, Sept. 8 at the Shaw Centre in Salmon Arm.

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