Friday 28 November 2014

The Ghostriders pull out all their tricks and hand the Dynamiters a tough 4-1 loss.


It's always a great game and turn out when Fernie comes to town. This game, even though it's November, had playoff intensity.

Game Notes
Brouwer got the start.
Scratches/Injuries: Kinnon, Roy, Klingspohn (but we now know why he was scratched)

1st
The shot total for the period, 7-1 for the Ghostriders, is really misleading. There were several times when the Nitro's had the Riders pinned in their own end, and not just for one shift, but for multiple shifts in a row. Either a stick or a Rider player would get in the way. The Rider's scored the first goal of the game with just under a minute left on a random backhander that knuckled Brouwer.

2nd
Kimberley fought back, they tried wrap arounds, dekes, one-timers, but Orser was up to the task, or the Nitro's would lose control of the puck at a convenient time for the Ghostriders. There was even a chance by Prevost where he killed the post with the puck, but the goal judge turned on the light. Haase scored on the PP. But the Ghostriders showed why they are tops in the division, and why they have won 17 games this season, they scored two goals within 26 seconds. Things, of course, got personal at the end of the period and penalties were handed out. The Dynamiters outshot Fernie 12-8.

3rd
Oh the officiating. Marchi was obviously taken down on a breakaway, the net is dislocated, and then there is an offensive zone face-off. That was it. I saw Prevost get a stick to the face. Someone tried popping Van Steinbur's head off. No calls of course. But fair enough, the ref wanted the teams to play five-a-side. On another broken play, the Riders put another past Brouwer, and it was 4-1. The Dynamiters were called for a penalty with just over 2 minutes left and that sealed the W for the Riders, despite Coach Bancks attempts at cherry picking.

Nitro's Player of the Game
Coy Prevost. Many chances, was rewarded with more ice-time. 1A. KIJHL star of the game.

Honorable Mentions
James Jowsey - usually a laid back D-man, really got into the middle of some scrums.
Keenan Haase - 1G
Tyson Brouwer - 17 saves. He made some stellar saves to keep the Dynamiters in it.

Further Reading
Boxscore
The team tweeted and shared a picture on FB a "selfie" of the arena. I do believe it will be a contest, where sharing, tagging, or RTing gets your name entered in a draw, winner to be announced during the holiday games.



We Have A Trade To Announce: Tyson Klingspohn goes to Summerland

The Kimberley Dynamiters have sent team leading scorer, Tyson Klingspohn, to the Summerland Steam, in exchange for Braden Saretsky.


Klingspohn, a Penticton native, matched his KIJHL career point total (33) in 26 games. He was named the Kimberley Dynamiters Player of the Month last month after an electric October, especially on Saturday's. He has played his entire KIJHL life in Kimberley. We will miss you in Kimberley. Summerland you land yourself a streaky point producer who has a nose for clutch performances.


Saretsky, a West Kelowna native, is third on the Summerland Steam in scoring, 5G and 8A in 19GP. This is his second full year in the KIJHL. He appears to score his points in bunches. Welcome to Nitro Nation Braden, and I hope you enjoy your stay.

It's Game Day! Kimberley Dynamiters vs Fernie Ghostriders


Kimberley DynamitersvsFernie Ghostriders
13-10-1-2Record17-4-1-1
29Points36
3rdDivision Standing1st
3rd (4.19)Offence (GFA)2nd (4.61)
11th (3.42)Defence (GAA)5th (2.70)
18th (0.883)Goaltending (SV%)3rd (0.905)
6th (20.66%)Power Play10th (16.92%)
4th (87.13%)Penalty Kill1st (92.86%)
8thPower Ranking1st
T1StreakT1
2-7-1-0Last 107-2-1-0
Tyson Klingspohn (21G-12A)Top ScorerJosh McCulloch (22G-9A)
Jason Richter (21G-11A)2nd Top ScorerSam Plaquin (8G-18A)
Coy Prevost (8G-15A)3rd Top ScorerCole Keebler (14G-11A)
Eric Buckley (60)PIM LeaderDylan Robertson (56)

Thursday 27 November 2014

Top 25 KIJHL Clutch Scorers - November 27, 2014

Here we go with another edition of the KIJHL Clutch Scorers

For a breakdown, please see the previous post.

Last time I bragged that there were three Dynamiters in the Top 10 (there still are three on the list), this time there are 2 in the Top 3. But also, notice that there are three Osoyoos players in the Top 10.

Also, this is the first time that a defenseman has climbed to the top of the list, so congrats Robson Cramer!

# PLAYER TEAM PPGx2 PPA SHGx2 SHA GW TTL
1 Robson Cramer Nelson Leafs 14 8 0 1 2 27
2 Jason Richter Kimberley Dynamiters 18 2 4 0 1 26
3 Tyson Klingspohn Kimberley Dynamiters 8 7 6 0 2 25
4 Kaleb Boyle Chase Heat 16 6 0 0 1 24
5 Rainer Glimpel Osoyoos Coyotes 6 8 4 1 2 23
6 Troy Maclise Osoyoos Coyotes 12 6 2 1 1 23
7 Aaron Azevedo  Osoyoos Coyotes 10 9 0 2 1 23
8 Austin Turner  100 Mile House Wranglers 12 4 0 0 2 20
9 Bryan Lubin Castlegar Rebels 12 4 2 0 1 20
10 Felix Larouche Kamloops Storm 12 6 0 0 1 20
11 Ross Armour  Beaver Valley Nitehawks 12 6 0 0 1 20
12 Devan Suidy 100 Mile House Wranglers 10 4 0 0 2 18
13 Tyler Chavez Leech  Revelstoke Grizzlies 12 6 0 0 0 18
14 Jordan Busch Kimberley Dynamiters 4 13 0 1 0 18
15 Brett Jewell  Osoyoos Coyotes 8 3 0 0 3 17
16 Braeden Allkins Golden Rockets 8 3 2 0 2 17
17 Jordan Passmore North Okanagan Knights 12 3 0 0 1 17
18 Josh McCulloch  Fernie Ghostriders 12 3 0 0 1 17
19 Ian Chrystal Kamloops Storm 10 5 0 0 1 17
20 Colten Braid Osoyoos Coyotes 6 0 2 0 4 16
21 Cameron Trott  Kamloops Storm 4 10 0 0 1 16
22 Cody Hodges Chase Heat 0 12 2 0 1 16
23 Steven Fiust  Revelstoke Grizzlies 12 4 0 0 0 16
24 Paulsen Lautard  Summerland Steam 6 3 2 0 2 15
25 Max Newton  Grand Forks Border Bruins 4 7 0 0 2 15

Sunday 23 November 2014

A Stellar game between the Dynamiters and Ghostriders ends in a draw

Earlier this week I had to do something against the grains, and that was acknowledge that the Nitro's division rival, the Fernie Ghostriders were #1 in the Power Rankings. And then we had to play them later! And as always, regardless of Power Ranking or division standing, the Fernie and Kimberley rivalry is great, and this game lived up to the hype.

Game Notes
Tyson Brouwer started the game.
Coy Prevost hasn't scored a goal since October 12, but has been consistently been adding assists to his point total.
Jared Marchi hasn't scored a goal since October 26, and had an 8-game pointless drought before getting a couple of helpers the past couple of games.
Scratches/Injuries: Tyler Kinnon, Jordan Roy, Alex Rosolowsky

1st
Prevost scored on an individual effort, ending his scoreless drought, which I admit I may have jinxed because I told him (in a joking way) to stop scoring goals so we can keep him, and he took that very seriously. Moments later Marchi who also was on a frustrating pointless streak got one past the calm and collected Orser. Buckley and Tilsley got under each others skin and dropped the gloves resulting in both being ejected from the game. Shots were even this period, 9 apiece.

2nd
The Ghostriders came storming back, They scored two goals, close together, and out shot Kimberley 14-12.

3rd
The Ghostriders got their first PP chance of the game, and just when they had a steam of momentum, Richter broke in with Marchi, and threw the puck at the net and somehow a tangled up Marchi got his stick on the puck and scored his second goal of the game. The Riders had an answer and scored a minute later. Then in another 57 seconds the Riders scored again. The Riders had their first lead of the game with just over 5 minutes left. The Dynamiters got desperate and pulled their goalie, and with 13 seconds left on the clock Richter scored! The Nitro's outshot the Riders 14-9 this period, with a bulk of those shots coming in the last 5 minutes.

OT
During the first four on four OT, which was end to end action, there was a moment when there was 1.3 seconds left on the clock, and then the ref came over and jacked up the time to 8.0 seconds. Which didn't impress Kimberley because they were in the defensive zone, and to add 6.7 seconds is a little ridiculous, I understand 2-3, but 5+ there is no way a score keeper omitted their duty for that long.

Anyway, the 3-on-3 started. You could feel the tension, and you could see it with the players as they got after each other. But no one was able to best the goalies in OT and this game ended in a draw, which was anticlimactic but also a well deserved point for each of the teams.

Nitro's Player of the Game
Jared Marchi. Two goals and an assist.

Honorable Mentions
Coy Prevost - 1G 1A
Jason Richter - Game tying goal heroics.
James Jowsey - 2A
Jordan Busch - 2A
Charlie Dagostin - the webcast crew hated and loved your hits at the same time.

Further Reading
Boxscore

Saturday 22 November 2014

It's Game Day! Kimberley Dynamiters at Fernie Ghostriders


Kimberley DynamitersvsFernie Ghostriders
13-10-0-2Record17-4-0-1
28Points35
3rdDivision Standing1st
4th (4.20)Offence (GFA)2nd (4.64)
12th (3.40)Defence (GAA)4th (2.64)
18th (0.883)Goaltending (SV%)3rd (0.905)
6th (20.83%)Power Play11th (17.19%)
3rd (86.87%)Penalty Kill2nd (92.78%)
8thPower Ranking1st
L1StreakW2
2-7-0-1Last 108-2-0-0
Tyson Klingspohn (21G-12A)Top ScorerJosh McCulloch (22G-9A)
Jason Richter (20G-11A)2nd Top ScorerCole Keebler (14G-11A)
Coy Prevost (7G-14A)3rd Top ScorerSam Plaquin (8G-17A)
Eric Buckley (55)PIM LeaderDylan Robertson (56)

The Rockets blow past the Dynamiters for a 5-3 win

The Golden Rockets have sure had the Dynamiters game plan figured out this year, and proved it again last night as they swarmed offensively and clogged the neutral zone.

Game Notes
Liam McBain got the start.
James Rota, a Kimberley native, dressed in his first game of the year. (Currently leads Cranbrook Knights in scoring 4G-12A)

1st
Campanella was quick to get the Nitro's on the board and give the team an early lead. The lead didn't last long as the Rockets evened the game up. In probably the most comical moment of the game, Revie went into the offensive zone to chase a Rockets defender, but he lost control of his skates, went down and took out the net for a stoppage in play. Hancherow wrap around goal gave the Nitro's a leading goal, that lasted about 45 seconds. Despite the Nitro's controlling the play and outshooting the Rockets that period 10-8, the teams were tied.

2nd
The Rockets scored a deflating SH goal. The Dynamiters kept fighting back, and firing pucks on the net, but it was to no avail. The Rockets scored again, spelling the end of the night for McBain, as Brouwer came in for relief. Again the Nitro's outshot the Rockets, 12-7.

3rd
The Rockets excessive defensive effort began. Four men on their blue line and one chaser. It was frustrating to watch, and I am sure even more frustrating to play in. Gordon did break through their ranks and snuck it past the Rockets goalie. But of course, the Rockets got a breakaway chance, which Brouwer stopped, but then the crease was swarmed and the puck slid past Brouwer. The Nitro's gave it one last shot pulling the goalie in the dying seconds, but the Rockets blocked their way out of it. The Rockets outshot the Nitro's this period, 10-9.

Nitro's Player of the Game
Austin Hancherow - scored a beauty of a goal, and was constantly flustering the Rockets D.

Honorable Mentions
Marco Campanella - KIJHL star of the game, 1G.
Jonas Gordon - This guy is such an offensive d-man, but his chances are so often stolen from him, so it is exciting to see him get rewarded for his offensive efforts.

Further Readings
Boxscore

Friday 21 November 2014

It's Game Day! Kimberley Dynamiters at Golden Rockets


Kimberley DynamitersvsGolden Rockets
13-9-0-2Record12-10-0-3
28Points27
2ndDivision Standing3rd
3rd (4.25)Offence (GFA)7th (3.60)
11th (3.33)Defence (GAA)17th (4.32)
18th (0.883)Goaltending (SV%)19th (0.880)
6th (21.74%)Power Play18th (10.83%)
4th (87.23%)Penalty Kill17th (80.00%)
8thPower Ranking17th
W1StreakL1
3-6-0-1Last 104-4-0-2
Tyson Klingspohn (21G-12A)Top ScorerIan Desrosier
(17G-13A)
Jason Richter (20G-10A)2nd Top Scorer Cole Mckechney (7G-21A)
Coy Prevost (7G-14A)3rd Top ScorerTanner Watt (12G-9A)
Eric Buckley (55)PIM LeaderSean Ripley (88)

Dynamiters grind out a 2-1 victory over the Spokane Braves

Photo by Jonathan Righton
The Dynamiters put a plug in their deflating losing streak by out defensively dueling the Spokane Braves.

Game Notes
Alex Rosolowsky and Tyler Kinnon were not in the lineup. Jordan Roy is still sidelined. The Nitro's dressed enough d-men so that Marchi could be a forward.
Korbyn Chabot, a Cranbrook native, played in his first KIJHL game, he just turned 15 and was drafted by the Tri-City Americans this past bantam draft.
Tyson Brouwer got the start

1st
The play was fast and furious to start. Richter scored early on the PP to give the Nitro's a 1-0 lead. Marchi then got a chance when a he got to a clearing attempt before the Braves, but in a game of millimeters he hacked at the puck and it fluttered in the air while Dilauro nicked it, and the puck went wide. Nightmare #1 for the Dynamiters. Richter capitalized again. Within two minutes the Braves scored an individual effort goal. And this period ended 2-1 for Kimberley, with the Nitro's outshooting the Braves 14-9.

2nd
Both teams locked up defensively. Checks were tight, and hits were followed through. During an attack for the Nitro's, Richter was fed beautifully across the crease, when he one-timed the puck he had a yawning cage, but then that Braves goalie made another desperation save which created Nightmare #2 for the Nitro's. Brouwer put up a wall as well and was frustrating the Braves. And then in a play that everyone is trying to figure out, Revie was ejected from the game. No explanation, no minor or major penalty, just a "Game Misconduct". The score stayed locked, but the Nitro's outshot the Braves 16-6.

3rd
There was this spectacular moment when Busch snapped a shot from the point, Campanella tipped it to Wallace, and Wallace flicked the puck at the net... and there was that darn glove again. Nightmare #3. It was at this point that the goalies and cemented their nets closed, nothing was getting by any of them. Braves tried to get back in it pulling their goalie with over a minute left, but in those final moments when both timeouts were used the Dynamiters held on for the win!

This is one of the few games I have seen where the score in the first period holds out for the entire game. I was also impressed that neither me or my little ones shouted "Go Zags" despite wearing some Gonzaga gear.

Nitro's Player of the Game
Jason Richter - The Captain does it again. Scored both goals and blocked some heavy shots in the final minutes.

Honorable Mentions
Trevor Van Steinburg - Had assists on both goals.
Charlie Dagostin - Really leveled some Braves (not to mention he is my children's favourite player because my daughters name is Charlie, every time he is on the ice, my kids shout "There's Charlie!")
Marco Campanella - Had some wonderful eye hand coordination, on several times he knocked the puck down to create an opportunity.
Tyson Brouwer - 20 save performance.

Further Reading
Boxscore

Thursday 20 November 2014

It's Game Day! Kimberley Dynamiters vs Spokane Braves


Kimberley DynamitersvsSpokane Braves
12-9-0-2Record12-9-0-3
26Points27
3rdDivision Standing4th
3rd (4.35)Offence (GFA)11th (3.33)
12th (3.43)Defence (GAA)10th (3.33)
18th (0.883)Goaltending (SV%)2nd (0.911)
5th (21.82%)Power Play10th (16.91%)
5th (86.81%)Penalty Kill8th (85.21%)
6thPower Ranking8th
L5StreakL1
3-6-0-1Last 106-4-0-0
Tyson Klingspohn
(21G-12A)
Top ScorerJohnny Marzec
(9G-14A)
Jason Richter (18G-10A)2nd Top ScorerDillon Bogart (8G-13A)
Coy Prevost (7G-14A)3rd Top ScorerTanner Stolz (14G-6A)
Eric Buckley (55)PIM LeaderJohnny Marzec (74)

I have to admit, my two worlds collide... I'll be cheering for the Dynamiters and I'll be cheering for Spokane because I went to Gonzaga... So if you hear any "Go Zags" chants, I apologize.

Tuesday 18 November 2014

KIJHL Power Rankings - November 18, 2014

Well, well, well. Is there such thing as a Power Rankings curse? Spokane Braves rose to the top of last times Power Rankings, and have since plummeted. But not as bad as my Kimberley Dynamiters (insert sad face).

Both Spokane and Kimberley are the coldest teams in the KI right now.

The hottest team is the Beaver Valley Nitehawks, with 100 Mile House Wranglers behind them.

This week we also crown a new top team (and this is going to hurt to say it, because they are division rivalry team) the Fernie Ghostriders.

Please note the stats are as of November 17th, and does not include the game on November 18th.


Monday 17 November 2014

Nitro's 5th loss in a row comes at the hands of the Summerland Steam

The Nitro's are on a descent and have lost five in a row. They lost their third game of the weekend against the Summerland Steam, 6-3. This was the third game in a row that the Dynamiters were doubled up.

Game Notes
Liam McBain got the start.
The Dynamiters started 16 players as several were out.

1st
It was a back and forth period. Richter opened the scoring on the PP. The Steam responded quickly with two of their own. Richter scored again to level the scores at 2. And then the Steam scored again. They outshot the Dynamiters 15-6 in the period.

2nd
In a pretty tame period, the Steam scored their fourth goal of the game. The Dynamiters outshot Summerland 11-6 but couldn't capitalize.

3rd
Buckley got the Dynamiters closer, and the Nitro's got desperate and pulled their goalie with over a minute left. And then the Steam rubbed in their victory. They scored an EN goal, and then a buzzer beater (but failed to celebrate like Matthew Dellavedova).

Nitro's Player of the Game
Jason Richter - 2G in an attempt two pull his team out of a slump

Honorable Mentions
Jordan Busch - Named Home Star of the Game by the KIJHL.
Tyson Klingspohn - 2A (different from scoring 2G's but we'll take it)

Further Reading
Trolley Talk (Summerland Steam Blog)
Boxscore

Sunday 16 November 2014

It's Game Day! Kimberley Dynamiters at Summerland Steam


Kimberley DynamitersvsSummerland Steam
12-8-0-2Record11-7-0-1
26Points23
2ndDivision Standing3rd
3rd (4.41)Offence (GFA)10th (3.42)
9th (3.32)Defence (GAA)1st (2.53)
13th (0.889)Goaltending (SV%)9th (0.898)
5th (21.50%)Power Play12th (15.56%)
4th (88.51%)Penalty Kill6th (86.55%)
3rdPower Ranking6th
L4StreakW1
3-6-0-1Last 105-4-0-1
Tyson Klingspohn
(21G-10A)
Top ScorerJack Mills
(6G-12A)
Jason Richter (16G-10A)2nd Top ScorerCole Woodliffe (9G-7A)
Coy Prevost (7G-13A)3rd Top ScorerBraden Saretsky (5G-8A)
Eric Buckley (55)PIM LeaderNelson Hurry (53)

The Nitro's are doubled up by the Princeton Posse 6-3

In a game where I was hoping the Dynamiters would seek revenge for their home ice defeat last week, didn't quite go as planned. Whether it is the bus legs, or as Coach Bancks as noted over working the team to the point of exhaustion, I don't know. But the Nitro's were doubled up by the Princeton Posse 6-3.

Game Notes
Brett Reader got the start.

1st
The Posse opened the scoring early, and controlled the play holding onto their 1-0 lead. The Dynamiters however, outshot the Posse 9-7.

2nd
Again the Posse scored early in the period, and then scored again moments later for 3-0 lead. Haase capitalized on the PP, cutting into the Posse lead. The Posse peppered Reader though for 15 shots this period.

There were a couple of injuries, Kinnon was helped off the ice. And a Posse player went forehead first into the cross bar, and heads sure do bleed (hope he is Ok). As a result of this injury and the blood on the ice, the period ended 25 seconds early so that the Zamboni could go to work.

3rd
The third started with the 25 seconds, and then play stopped and we switched sides. And once again the Posse took it to the Nitro's in the first five minutes, scoring their 5th and 6th goals of the game. The Nitro's tried to comeback with Gordon and Richter scoring, but it was too little too late. The Nitro's outshot the Posse this period 9-2.

Nitro's Player of the Game
Jonas Gordon - It was about time that this d-man scored, he has been rifling shots all season and has joined the rush so many times, eager to score a goal. And it finally happened!!

Honorable Mentions
Keenan Haase - Scored the first goal for the Nitro's on the PP.
Eric Buckley - KIJHL Player of the game

Further Reading
Boxscore

Saturday 15 November 2014

It's Game Day! Kimberley Dynamiters at Princeton Posse



Kimberley DynamitersvsPrinceton Posse
12-7-0-2Record11-6-2-2
26Points22
2ndDivision Standing2nd
2nd (4.48)Offence (GFA)10th (3.43)
9th (3.19)Defence (GAA)10th (3.19)
13th (0.889)Goaltending (SV%)4th (0.909)
6th (21.00%)Power Play9th (16.35%)
3rd (89.16%)Penalty Kill15th (81.16%)
3rdPower Ranking8th
L3StreakW1
3-5-0-2Last 106-3-1-0
Tyson Klingspohn (21G-9A)Top ScorerColton St. John (9G-12A)
Jason Richter (15G-10A)2nd Top ScorerKurtis Klinger (12G-8A)
Coy Prevost (7G-13A)3rd Top ScorerTrevor Pereverzoff (5G-12A)
Eric Buckley (49)PIM LeaderKurtis Klinger (32)

The Dynamiters are downed by the Chiefs, 4-2

In what was a closely contested match, the Nitro's fell to the Kelowna Chiefs 4-2 on the road.

Game Notes
Tyson Brouwer returned from injury to start his first game.

1st
The commentators made note of this several times that the Dynamiters legs seemed to be spinning because they showed up 60-90 minutes prior to the face-off. It seemed the Nitro's were suffering from the bus trip and that their legs were stiff as they went short handed six times in the first period. And in my opinion, were lucky to leave the period tied 0-0, with both goalies putting on a show. Kelowna outshot Kimberley 17-16.

2nd
The Dynamiters were shorthanded for a 7th and 8th time. And just when you thought Kelowna would finally capitalize on their advantage, Klingspohn breaks in alone and tucks the first goal of the game in. Kinnon dropped the gloves with Kelowna captain Ruggiero. As the period drew to a close, the Chiefs capitalized on some sloppy play (those bus legs) and scored two goals, taking a 2-1 lead with an 11-10 edge in shots.

3rd
Kelowna got revenge for the short handed goal and went up 3-1. Moments later Buckley helped the Nitro's inch closer to the Chiefs. The Dynamiters even pulled their goalie, which turned more into a four man goalie effort as the Dynamiters struggled to take advantage of their extra man. Eventually that plan backfired and the Chiefs iced their cake with an empty net goal and a 4-2 victory.

Nitro's Player of the Game
Eric Buckley. Had a helper on the opener, and had a goal of his own.

Honorable Mentions
Tyson Klingspohn - Beauty short handed goal, now has 21 for the year.
Tyler Kinnon - Wouldn't step down.
Tyson Brouwer - 35 saves in his return.

Further Reading
Boxscore.
Okanagan Sports

Friday 14 November 2014

It's Game Day! Kimberley Dynamiters at Kelowna Chiefs


Kimberley DynamitersvsKelowna Chiefs
12-6-0-2Record7-12-2-1
26Points17
2ndDivision Standing4th
2nd (4.60)Offence (GFA)18th (2.82)
9th (3.15)Defence (GAA)13th (3.73)
13th (0.889)Goaltending (SV%)13th (0.888)
3rd (22.58%)Power Play14th (12.77%)
5th (87.84%)Penalty Kill15th (81.60%)
3rdPower Ranking17th
L2StreakL2
4-4-0-2Last 103-6-1-0
Tyson Klingspohn (20G-9A)Top ScorerJonathan Lee (13G-17A)
Jason Richter (15G-10A)2nd Top ScorerEthan Rusnack (9G-13A)
Coy Prevost (7G-13A)3rd Top ScorerKevin Roth (4G-13A)
Eric Buckley (47)PIM LeaderBraeden Cyra (70)

Thursday 13 November 2014

Which KIJHL Teams depend on their top, or top 3 scorers?

Since we are approaching the midway point in the season, I was interested in which teams depend on their top line the most for their point production, and which teams have a more balanced offensive attack.

I should note an assumption, I am assuming that the top three scorers are on the same offensive line (which is not always the case). And therefore if a team is top line heavy, and you can shut them down, odds of winning against them are good.

But I was also curious which teams rely on their #1 scorer, again from a defensive standpoint if you can shut him down, the odds of defeating them increase.

While I have debated how to present this data, I have just sorted it by the % of the team points that the top three scorers get. The data is up for interpretation, I have provided some of my observations at the bottom. (Stats are as of November 13)

The fields are:

  • Top 3 TTL - Total combined points by the teams top three point getters
  • TTL Team - Total combined points by all the players on the team
  • % of Pts - The % of the team combined points that the top three account for
  • Top 1 % - The % of the team combined points that the teams top scorer accounts for
Team Top 3 TTL Team TTL % of Pts Top 1 %
Columbia Valley Rockies 60 126 47.62% 20.63%
Grand Forks Border Bruins 77 172 44.77% 19.77%
Summerland Steam 66 154 42.86% 20.78%
North Okanagan Knights 43 102 42.16% 16.67%
Kelowna Chiefs 69 172 40.12% 17.44%
Chase Heat 68 183 37.16% 14.21%
Castlegar Rebels 69 188 36.70% 19.15%
Kimberley Dynamiters 74 215 34.42% 13.49%
Beaver Valley Nitehawks 61 179 34.08% 12.85%
Golden Rockets 65 191 34.03% 12.57%
Fernie Ghostriders 68 201 33.83% 13.43%
Osoyoos Coyotes 99 296 33.45% 11.82%
Kamloops Storm 74 223 33.18% 12.56%
100 Mile House Wranglers 55 168 32.74% 11.90%
Spokane Braves 60 184 32.61% 11.41%
Princeton Posse 58 183 31.69% 11.48%
Nelson Leafs 71 228 31.14% 10.96%
Revelstoke Grizzlies 47 152 30.92% 12.50%
Creston Valley Thunder Cats 50 162 30.86% 11.11%
Sicamous Eagles 48 179 26.82% 9.50%

A couple of observations:
  • Columbia Valley Rockies have nearly 50% of their points scored by their top three, also 20% of their teams points is scored by their top scorer.
  • Summerland Steam is the only other team to have their top scorer account for 20% of their points; Grand Forks Border Bruins and Castlegar Rebels are close to the 20% though.
  • Four other teams besides the Rockies have 40% of their points scored by their top three: Kelowna, North Okanagan, Summerland, and Grand Forks.
  • The Sicamous Eagles were the only team to have less than 30% of their points scored by their top three, and also less than 10% scored by their top point player. This suggests that it doesn't matter what line the Eagles throw out there, they all have a balanced chance of scoring.

Sunday 9 November 2014

The Nitro's lose a difficult game on home ice to the Princeton Posse

In what some of the Princeton Posse are calling their most complete game of the year, they took the Dynamiters through the spin cycle, and embarrassed the Nitro's on home ice, winning 5-1.

1st
The Posse opened the scoring, but the Nitro's responded back quickly. A ricochet off the back boards landed on Richter's stick and he chipped it in. The Nitro's were outshot 6-4.

2nd
In the second, Prevost blocked a shot and was limping around the ice, and couldn't get off to the bench. I almost thought he was going to have a Lukas Kaspar moment to get play to stop. The Posse scored three goals this period off of 12 shots. The Dynamiters took 18 shots and just couldn't squeeze one in.

3rd
The Posse security vaulted the game. The Dynamiters couldn't get much space or time with the puck to create an opportunity. The Posse sucked the energy right out of the arena.

This showed that the Dynamiters are a team to take down when a team shows up like this with their A++ game to take us down. The Dynamiters, as the play-by-play said, need to get back and play their style of hockey.

The Dynamiters will get their revenge this coming Saturday, November 15, when they play the Posse on their ice.

Nitro's Player of the Game
Rory Mallard. Named KIJHL star of the game, and played solidly in his end delivering some good hits.

Honorable Mention
Jason Richter - capitalized on the lone goal.

Further Reading
Boxscore

Saturday 8 November 2014

It's Game Day! Kimberley Dynamiters vs Princeton Posse


Kimberley DynamitersvsPrinceton Posse
12-5-0-2Record9-5-2-2
26Points22
2ndDivision Standing2nd
2nd (4.79)Offence (GFA)10th (3.44)
7th (3.05)Defence (GAA)8th (3.33)
13th (0.889)Goaltending (SV%)4th (0.909)
2nd (23.33%)Power Play10th (15.96%)
7th (87.32%)Penalty Kill16th (80.90%)
3rdPower Ranking8th
L1StreakT1
5-3-0-2Last 107-2-1-0
Tyson Klingspohn (20G-9A)Top ScorerColton St. John (9G-9A)
Jason Richter (14G-10A)2nd Top ScorerKurtis Klinger (7G-8A)
Coy Prevost (7G-13A)3rd Top ScorerThomas Cankovic (4G-11A)
Eric Buckley (47)PIM LeaderKurtis Klinger (32)

The Dynamiters lose a close and intense game to the Fernie Ghostriders

The first meeting of the season between the division rivals, the Nitro's and the Ghostriders, was as good as anticipated. There were so many tweets looking forward to the matchup. This defensively intense game allowed the Ghostriders to maintain their undefeated streak at home.

Game Notes
Tyler Garcia started his first game in 100 Mile House.
Liam McBain got the start.

1st
Even though it was a defensive game, it was not short on action or shots. The Ghostriders outshot Kimberley this period 13-9, but Klingspohn had the only goal of the period and the Dynamiters were up 1-0.

2nd
The Ghostriders powerplay, that was ranked 13th coming into the game, caught fire. They scored two goals, and the Riders had 18 shots this period, compared to the Nitro's 9. But there was a point in the game, maybe even the turning point where Prevost attracted the attention of the Riders defencemen, leaving Rosolowsky open, and when the pass came to him, Rosolowsky's onetime shot hit the outside of the net. If that went in, it would have been a different game. Nonetheless, the Riders took a 2-1 lead into the third.

3rd
The Dynamiters had three powerplay opportunities this period, the Riders were just a buzzing on the PK and the Nitro's couldn't maintain possession of the puck. They tried pulling the goalie with 1:25 left, but again the play was choppy and the Nitro's couldn't maintain control in the offensive zone. The Dynamiters leveled the shooting this period, with 11 shots each.

Nitro's Player of the Game
Liam McBain - he faced a brigade of shots stopping 40 of them. He kept the Nitro's in it.

Further Reading
Boxscore