Thursday 31 December 2015

Top 10 posts from NitrosFan (Nitro's Night in Kimberley) from 2015

I thought it would be neat to share the Top 10 posts of the past year. Thank you to everyone out there, you have helped make the blog what it is.

10. October 2015 KIJHL Power Rankings - ever since starting the KIJHL Power Rankings they have been popular posts. They tend to peak during October (usually the first one of the season) and December (preparing for playoffs).

9. Setting Up the 2015 Cyclone Taylor Cup - memories with this post as fans between the three leagues prepared to support their teams as they duke it out for the gold medal.

8. The Kimberley Dynamiters Collection of '95s - Kimberley had a problem last off-season, too many 20 year olds, so it was neat to track what happened during the off-season. This was one of two moments that helped me realize that I needed to create a transactions page.

7. December 2014 KIJHL All-Star Line - when an All-Star team has players from three of the top supported fan bases (100 Mile House, Kimberley and Fernie) a post will always take off.

6. October 2015 KIJHL All-Star Line - while there was a September 2015 All-Star Line, as with the Power Rankings, the October one is always a popular one because hockey as started across all North American leagues.

5. Kimberley Dynamiters 2015 Camp Summary - the camp summary got tied into the KIJHL's camp report summary. This years camp was smaller and shorter than past camp tryouts.

4. KIJHL 2014/15 All-Star Team - Probably the funnest post of this past calendar year. Reaching out to other bloggers and social media fans from around the league and compiling a roster from their votes. While it created some controversy, it was neat to see perspective from across the league.

3. It's Game Day! Kimberley Dynamiters vs Vancouver Wolf Pack - while game day posts get views, this many was unusual. What made this game day post unique because at the time it had the accurate Cycloe Taylor Cup standings as they had tech issues, and it ran through the many scenarios for Kimberley to get into the Gold Medal Game.

2. Kimberley Dynamiters 2015 Off-Season Moves - this was the second moment that triggered the need to have a transactions page as I tracked team movements as players graduated to Jr A and other leagues, and as Kimberley signed talent.

1. Ranking Canada's Junior B Hockey Leagues - this post came as a challenge as The Junior Hockey News ranked the KIJHL very (and I mean VERY) poorly to other Jr B leagues in Canada. This attention grabbed a lot of attention in BC, but also grabbed attention elsewhere in Canada. Summary of my findings: players go to a league that meets what the player wants/needs to get out of their Jr B experience.

Thanks again to all the supporters. Have a happy and wonderful New Year!

Wednesday 30 December 2015

Kimberley Dynamiters lose emotional roller-coaster game in OT to Fernie Ghostriders

A full house in Fernie was treated to one of the best, if not the best game of the year as Kimberley and Fernie duked it out for game two of the home and home series.

Game Notes
  • Fernie was without two notable players: Keebler and Befus
  • Richter was not in the lineup
  • Traichevich started against Orser
  • 1,140 fans filled the arena
1st
The Riders were penalized early in the game, which now with foresight, was a great indicator of things to come. Kimberley, while typically dynamite on the power play, struggled on this opportunity. Kimberley then was short handed, and effectively killed the penalty. Kimberley with their speed and active sticks, made it difficult for Fernie to get set up at any time. As the period wound down, Kimberley was on the man advantage and Benson scored the first goal of the game, helper to Haase. Kimberley held onto their 1-0 lead, they also led in shots 9-4.

2nd
It may be best to forget this period, as the official was the star of the show. There was 35 PIM, one fight, and three game misconducts handed out. This period dragged on, as even the webcast admitted, that the officiating was so inconsistent that it was frustrating to keep track of, not to mention how infuriating it must have been for the coaches and players. It all started with a scrum in front of Traichevich, slashes by both happened, and then it went downhill from there. What was frustratingly inconsistent was as the period came to an end, and every "light" infraction was being called, Marchi was slashed in the back of the leg, right in front of the ref, and no call was made. - strange. Shots were 11-8 Kimberley, not sure how they had time to take shots on net.

3rd
While penalties were still being called, the pace of the game sped up as Fernie wanted to get back into the game. They tied the game shortly before the five minute mark. Then at the midway point a seeing eye shot gave Fernie a 2-1 lead. Then the panic ensued for Kimberley to get the game to OT. Kimberley had chance after chance. Then as the period wound down, and the Fernie fans counting 5, 4 - the puck was behind the net, 3, 2, puck squirts out to Busch 1, GOAL! A buzzer beater and the game was headed to OT. Now, the goal is credited with 3 seconds left, and there definitely was not that much time remaining when Busch scored. If you are Fernie fan, the buzzer went first, if you are a Kimberley fan, the shot went in first. So this game was headed to OT.

OT 4-on-4
The period did not last long as a Riders player broke in alone and scored the GWG.

Kimberley took 3/4 points during the home-and-home holiday series, which helps them maintain their division lead.

Dynamite Player of the Game
Brendon Benson - he looked flashy all night, getting Kimberley on the board first.

Honorable Mentions
Jordan Busch - GTG but also he was a force at keeping the puck hemmed in Fernie's end. I also think he played nearly, if not more than, half the game.

Extra Reading

Tuesday 29 December 2015

It's Game Day! Kimberley Dynamiters at Fernie Ghostriders


Kimberley DynamitersvsFernie Ghostriders
27-4-0-3Record19-11-0-3
57Points41
1stDivision Standing3rd
2nd (4.15)Offence (GFA)5th (3.70)
2nd (2.12)Defence (GAA)12th (2.91)
0.925Goaltending (SV%)0.917
4th (21.43%)Power Play5th (20.77%)
6th (86.36%)Penalty Kill11th (84.33%)
2ndPower Ranking9th
W2StreakL2
9-1-0-0Last 107-2-0-1
Jason Richter (25G-24A)Top ScorerCole Keebler (24G-24A)
Jared Marchi (17G-31A)2nd Top ScorerZach Befus (20G-22A)
Eric Buckley (16G-32A)3rd Top ScorerJustin Peers (13G-26A)
Eric Buckley (85)PIM LeaderAlex Cheveldave (61)

Kimberley Dynamiters score three unanswered to win 3-2 over Fernie Ghostriders

Photo by Jonathan Righton. Chabot and Langelaar hold the shoot-to-win board, the fan rattled it off the centre hole.
It is that time of the year, the Holiday rivalry series between the Fernie Ghostriders and the Kimberley Dynamiters. I've said it before, and I will say it again, it is the best rivalry in the KIJHL.

Game Notes

  • There are mixed reports about the status of captain Richter. Taylor reports that he will miss the duration of the season, while Jim who does the webcast says you could expect him in the lineup any day. Time will tell.
  • A Fernie player missed the first portion of the game due to forgetting his equipment in Fernie. Someone was brave enough to take on the roads and bring him his equipment.
  • Speaking of braving the roads, 1,019 fans were in attendance at the game. Fans, parents and alumni made it out.
  • Tyson Brouwer started off against Jeff Orser.
  • Fernie was without Cole Keebler.
1st
This game started off physical, with shots behind the play and a lot of chirping. Kimberley got the first PP chance of the game but couldn't solve Orser and the Riders PK unit. Fernie was first to get on the board, and they followed it up later with a PP goal. The riders had a commanding 2-0 lead in the first 1/6th of the game. Kimberley had their chances, but they couldn't beat Orser. That was until on the PK, Meier from the Nitro's blueline teed up a shot, Orser went into the butterfly, and the puck went through the wickets. That's a goal that nightmares are made of. The fans road him the rest of the night as Kimberley tried a couple of other times to fire shots on net from their side of centre. When I chatted with the goal-judge he said he was so surprised that he had to remind himself to hit the light. The highlight save came from a feed from Doell to Benson, and Orser flashed the pads. The period ended 2-1 for Fernie. Shots were 12 a piece.

2nd
The penalties kept coming. Buckley, imo, was on the bad end of being called and having nothing called against him. To the point where he was creamed with 19 seconds left in the period, and lay on the ice for over a minute. No penalty was called. This period had it's chances on both sides, but Orser and Brouwer kept the nets sealed. Shots were 12-8 for Kimberley as the score remained the same.

3rd
Kimberley kept pushing to level the game up. Marchi had one great chance, and then later followed it up with the game tying goal. Haase and Trevor Van Steinburg also had great chances but were unable to get the Nitro's the lead. Then the penalties started as Marchi sat for spearing, the Doell drew penalties as he drove in, SH'ed past the Fernie D. We skated 4-a-side for the second time in the game, lots of ice available. Benson fired a shot off the post, and Brouwer made a break away save, this game remained tied. Then as the period entered it's twilight, Buckley, who had taken a lot of abuse during the game, was being punished as he parked himself in front of the net, and fought his way to put in a rebound, the best revenge to score. Buckley's goal was the eventual GWG despite Fernie's attempts as they pulled the goalie with two minutes left. Shots this period were 13-7 for Kimberley.

This game sets up Tuesday's tilt between the two teams as they face-off in Fernie.

Dynamite Player of the Game
Eric Buckley - Heaps of #BecauseItsBuckley moments that he overcame to score the GWG, also had an A.

Honorable Mentions
Justin Meier - 1G 1A

Further Reading

Monday 28 December 2015

It's Game Day! Kimberley Dynamiters vs Fernie Ghostriders


Kimberley DynamitersvsFernie Ghostriders
26-4-0-3Record19-10-0-3
55Points41
1stDivision Standing3rd
2nd (4.18)Offence (GFA)5th (3.75)
2nd (2.12)Defence (GAA)12th (2.91)
0.925Goaltending (SV%)0.917
4th (22.22%)Power Play5th (21.02%)
6th (86.39%)Penalty Kill13th (83.59%)
2ndPower Ranking9th
W1StreakL1
8-1-0-1Last 108-1-0-1
Jason Richter (25G-24A)Top ScorerCole Keebler (24G-24A)
Jared Marchi (16G-31A)2nd Top ScorerZach Befus (20G-21A)
Eric Buckley (15G-31A)3rd Top ScorerJustin Peers (13G-26A)
Eric Buckley (77)PIM LeaderAlex Cheveldave (55)

Sunday 20 December 2015

The Kimberley Dynamiters blast into the holidays with an 8-0 blanking of the Golden Rockets

Photo by Jonathan Righton
The night before, the Golden Rockets lost 8-5 to the Columbia Valley Rockies. And despite the attendance of some die-hard fans from Golden, the Rockets were in for a rough game.

Game Notes

  • Rota returned to the lineup.
  • This was the last game before a week long break.
  • Doell was back playing defense
  • Brouwer started against Sikkes
  • The Rockets have two 20 years old their roster, the bulk are born in '97 and '98. So they are a young team.
  • 526 in attendance
1st
I was late getting to the game. By the time I got there, Chabot had already banged in the first goal of the game. And right when I got there, Richter scored eight seconds into the PP giving Kimberley a 2-0 lead. The Rockets leading PIM man, Ripley, and Dugdale did some extra chatting, but no gloves dropped, they both went to the box. Later, the Nitro's were on the PP again, and Benson found a rebound in the slot and scored, giving the Dynamiters a 3-0 lead that lasted til the end of the period. Shots were 18-10 Kimberley.

2nd
This period was very, very slow and choppy. There was 40 PIM with two game misconducts. Those game misconducts went to the two who chatted earlier, Dugdale and Ripley, as they both dropped the gloves, and then were escorted off the ice. There was unfortunately also a couple of fans who had Christmas cheer that needed a security guard to be the captain of their brains to leave the Rockets players in the box alone. But despite the numerous chances for the Dynamiters on the PP, the Rockets held them to one goal That one goal was a beauty by Busch, the Nitro's were SH'd because of a call against Busch, when his penalty was done, he chased down a puck in the offensive zone, got past three Rockets players before back handing it in. Kimberley was up 4-0. Shots this period were 12-5 for Kimberley.

3rd
The Rockets fell off course this period. Moser finished off Benson's amazing play, as Moser pushed the rebound in, 5-0. Then Kimberley had many swats on a scramble play that eventually to Buckley scoring, 6-0. Farmer sped into the attacking zone, his shot took a weird redirect and ended up on Richter's stick who flung the puck into the back of the net while falling on his back, 7-0 (that goal was his 100th in the KIJHL). And then lastly, Hunt scored the 8-0 goal. Kimberley had 24 shots this period alone! Compared to Golden's five. By the end of the game shots were 54-20.

While it is great to get a huge 8-0 win (or deliver a schooling), it was a really choppy game and lacked some of the intensity of previous games. But it was a great way to launch into the holidays.

Dynamite Player of the Game
Jason Richter - He scored his 99th and 100th goals of his KIJHL career. He also delivered some big hits.

Honorable Mentions
James Rota - 3A in his return to the lineup
Jordan Busch - 1G which was amazing, and 2A
Tyson Brouwer (and all the d-men) - 20 save shut out

Extra Reading

Saturday 19 December 2015

It's Game Day! Kimberley Dynamiters vs Golden Rockets


Kimberley DynamitersvsGolden Rockets
25-4-0-3Record4-26-1-2
53Points11
1stDivision Standing5th
2nd (4.06)Offence (GFA)16th (2.18)
T-2nd (2.19)Defence (GAA)20th (5.18)
0.924Goaltending (SV%)0.880
4th (21.94%)Power Play19th (10.81%)
7th (86.11%)Penalty Kill14th (83.33%)
2ndPower Ranking20th
L1StreakL2
8-1-0-1Last 103-7-0-0
Jason Richter (23G-24A)Top ScorerMathew Thiessen (9G-9A)
Jared Marchi (16G-29A)2nd Top ScorerJake Gudjonson (6G-10A)
Eric Buckley (14G-30A)3rd Top ScorerTanner Wit (6G-9A)
Eric Buckley (77)PIM LeaderSean Ripley (138)

Kimberley Dynamiters lose 5-2 to the Creston Valley Thunder Cats

This was the third meeting in 10 days between the two teams. The Dynamiters have edged out Creston by one goal in the previous two matches. This game, the Cats had boost and a greater reason to win after retiring their former captains, Jesse Collins, jersey.

I wasn't at this game, nor was I able to catch it online. So instead of pretending I'll share some thoughts and share the boxscore.

Game Notes/Thoughts:
  • Traichevich started against Lefebvre. 
  • 403 piled into the Johnny Bucyk Arena to see Collins number retired.
  • Bertoia is out due to suspension
The boxscore.


SCORING123TOTAL
Kimberley Dynamiters1102
Creston Valley Thunder Cats0325
SHOTS123TOTAL
Kimberley Dynamiters117523
Creston Valley Thunder Cats1117836
POWER PLAYS
Kimberley Dynamiters1 for 6 (16.7%)
Creston Valley Thunder Cats1 for 3 (33.3%)
GAME DETAILS
GAME DATEDec. 18, 2015
LOCATIONCreston - Johnny Bucyk Arena 
VENUE
START TIME7:30PM
REFEREE 1Chris Mottl
REFEREE 2-
LINESMAN 1Dean McCready
LINESMAN 2Colin Hardwick
SCOREKEEPER-
ATTENDANCE403
STARS OF THE GAME
 HOME STAR AWAY STAR
Creston Valley Thunder Cats
Thomas Cankovic
Kimberley Dynamiters
Korbyn Chabot
SCORING SUMMARY
PERIOD 1
Kimberley Dynamiters at 13:31 Jared Marchi from Jason Richter and Trey Doell1-0 KD
PERIOD 2
Creston Valley Thunder Cats at 17:46 Thomas Cankovic from Sebastian Kilcommons and James Severs1-1 Tie
Creston Valley Thunder Cats at 13:00 Thomas Cankovic from James Severs and Ian Desrosiers2-1 CVT
Creston Valley Thunder Cats at 11:48 Colby Livingstone from Nicholas Kovacik and Logan Styler3-1 CVT
Kimberley Dynamiters at 7:08 (PP) James Farmer from Jordan Busch3-2 CVT
PERIOD 3
Creston Valley Thunder Cats at 5:15 (PP) Ian Desrosiers from Maverick Lynes and Logan Styler4-2 CVT
Creston Valley Thunder Cats at 0:51 (EN)James Severs from Ian Desrosiers and McConnell Kimmett5-2 CVT
PENALTY SUMMARY
PERIOD 1
Creston Valley Thunder Cats at 19:01 - Colby Livingstone for Holding the stick (2 Min.)
Kimberley Dynamiters at 9:24 - Korbyn Chabot for Slashing (2 Min.)
Creston Valley Thunder Cats at 6:19 - McConnell Kimmett for Boarding (2 Min.)
PERIOD 2
Creston Valley Thunder Cats at 15:23 - Alec Wilkinson for Roughing After The Whistle (2 Min.)
Kimberley Dynamiters at 10:07 - Eric Buckley for Misconduct (10 Min.)
Creston Valley Thunder Cats at 10:07 - Grant Iles for Misconduct (10 Min.)
Kimberley Dynamiters at 10:07 - Eric Buckley for Fighting (5 Min.)
Creston Valley Thunder Cats at 10:07 - Grant Iles for Fighting (5 Min.)
Creston Valley Thunder Cats at 9:41 - Jake Livingstone for Slashing (2 Min.)
Creston Valley Thunder Cats at 7:20 - James Severs for Hooking (2 Min.)
Kimberley Dynamiters at 0:00 - Austyn Moser for Misconduct (10 Min.)
Creston Valley Thunder Cats at 0:00 - James Severs for Misconduct (10 Min.)
PERIOD 3
Creston Valley Thunder Cats at 14:10 - Carson Cartwright for Elbowing (2 Min.)
Kimberley Dynamiters at 09:00 - Devon Langelaar for Tripping (2 Min.)
Kimberley Dynamiters at 5:41 - Justin Meier for Holding (2 Min.)
KIMBERLEY DYNAMITERS PLAYER STATS
#PlayerGAPTS+/-SHPIM
3Lucas Purdy000E00
6Devon Langelaar000E02
7Brendon Benson000E00
8Trey Doell011E00
10Jordan Busch011E00
11Justin Meier000E02
12Eric Buckley000E015
15Jared Marchi101E00
17Austyn Moser000E010
18James Farmer101E00
19Graham Dugdale000E00
20Tyler Van Steinburg000E00
21Trevor Van Steinburg000E00
22Sawyer Hunt000E00
24Brodie Buhler000E00
26Korbyn Chabot000E02
27Keenan Haase000E00
40Jason Richter011E00
KIMBERLEY DYNAMITERS GOALIE STATS
#PlayerMIN.SHSV
33Mitch Traichevich (L)58:143631
1Tyson Brouwer (Backup)0:0000
CRESTON VALLEY THUNDER CATS PLAYER STATS
#PlayerGAPTS+/-SHPIM
3McConnell Kimmett011E02
6Logan Styler022E00
10Thomas Cankovic202E00
11Grant Iles000E015
12Logan Wullum000E00
13Nicholas Kovacik011E00
19Sebastian Kilcommons011E00
20Jackson Bruce-Fuoco000E00
21Tyler Severson000E00
23Jake Livingstone000E02
25Dylan Hogue000E00
27Maverick Lynes011E00
29Carson Cartwright000E02
36Liam Plunkett000E00
71Alec Wilkinson000E02
79Colby Livingstone101E02
89Ian Desrosiers123E00
91James Severs123E012
CRESTON VALLEY THUNDER CATS GOALIE STATS
#PlayerMIN.SHSV
30Brock Lefebvre (W)60:002321
31Jason Mailhiot (Backup)0:0000