Sunday 17 December 2017

The Kimberley Dynamiters sweep the weekend series against the Columbia Valley Rockies

For the second time this month, the Kimberley Dynamiters have played back-to-back games against the same divisional opponent. This past weekend, it was the Columbia Valley Rockies on the schedule.

The Kimberley Dynamiters headed into the weekend series on a four game winning streak and wanted to end the weekend on a high note heading into their Christmas break.

The Nitro's looked like they were on a mission to start the game. Matt Davies opened the scoring 63 seconds into the game. Chase Gedny followed that up with a slapshot from the slot power play goal. With those two quick goals, it looked like it was going to be all Kimberley.

Before the period ended, though, the Rockies halved the Nitro's lead. It was 2-1.

"Our first 10 minutes were excellent." Head coach and general manager Derek Stuart said. "I think the guys got a little bit too over confident thinking that it was going to be point night, or easy after that. So we struggled for the next 30 minutes."

The second period has been a sore spot for the Nitro's as of late. This game was no exception, the Rockies were able to tie the game at two, and outshot the Nitro's 12-10. It's as if the Nitro's were just trying to survive the middle period.

And has been tradition, the Nitro's excelled in the third period. Gedny scored a very identical goal to earlier in the game on the power play. Minutes later Nicholas Graham gave the Nitro's a 4-2 lead.

The Nitro's would hold on to win the game, as Adam Andersen would turn aside 23 of 25 shots for his seventh win of the season.

On Saturday, it was as if the Rockies had stolen the script from Friday's game from the Nitro's. Fifty-seven seconds into the game the Rockies scored. The Rockies held onto their 1-0 period lead, despite being out-shot 14-5.

In the second period the Nitro's were able to draw even on a very confusing play. The whistle had blown, the Rockies stopped playing, Stuart thought his team was being penalized, but the Nitro's skaters kept playing a Davies scored.

The awkward play is what began to fuel the fire for the Nitro's. James Farmer would add a goal moments later.

Then in the third the Nitro's began to pull away with Bryce McDonald and Brock Palmer scoring the third and fourth goals, to take the road game 4-1.

To earn his 15th victory of the season, Cody Campbell made 24 saves in Invermere.

"The third period, I thought was our best period of the game." Stuart said, "That was our best 60-minute effort in a long time. We were great."

Stuart also commended the team on their effort to stay focused in the game before the Christmas break.

But if there was one part of the Nitro's game that Staurt was most pleased with, it was special teams.

"Our special teams were excellent this weekend. Our penalty kill was perfect, killing all 10 penalties. The powerplay was the best it’s been all year, we were able to score five times on 11 opportunities.

"When your special teams is that good you’re going to win a lot of games."

The Nitro's now go on a 10-day break, riding a six-game win-streak to then return on December 27th for practice to prepare for the holiday classic against the Fernie Ghostriders on the 28th and 29th.

Staurt is glad that the team gets a break, but is also torn about taking a break during the teams win streak. He would like to keep the momentum going.

Because, the Dynamiters now sit first in the league, three points ahead of the Nelson Leafs, and they also have a nine point lead on the Creston Valley Thunder Cats in the division.

Sunday 10 December 2017

Kimberley Dynamiters win a defense first game against the Creston Valley Thunder Cats


The Kimberley Dynamiters had a lone game this weekend, a rematch of Tuesday's comeback overtime win against the Creston Valley Thunder Cats.

The Thunder Cats entered the game as one of four KIJHL teams with a better road record than home record. The Cats have also been explosive the past two Saturday's. Scoring eight goals against the Nitro's two Saturday's ago, and then doubled that to a walloping 16 goals against the Golden Rockets.

When the question was posed on Twitter if the Thunder Cats would continue their scoring sequence, of either adding eight more goals or doubling their goal output, the Thunder Cats Twitter account jokingly said, "how about we go easy and we make it 24."

Dynamiters captain Brett Roberts weighed in on the conversation and said "I'm thinking zero."

When the Cats rolled into Kimberley, they had come off a hard fought 7-2 win over the Fernie Ghostriders, while the Dynamiters had Friday night off.

Cam Russell, the Nitro's November Player of the Month, continued his scoring streak, now with points in six games straight, by banging in the first goal at the midway point of the first.

"I'm getting to my game where I like to play, and being comfortable with that." Russell said, "I want to keep playing good."

The middle period was scoreless as both teams were playing defense first hockey. The defensive pair of James Rota and Mason Palaga were, according to Stuart, doing a fantastic job with their task of shutting down the Cats top line.

Tempers began to flair during the end of the second and start of the third, and one couldn't help but have flashbacks to two Saturday's ago. Cooler heads did prevail, and the game resumed it's fast-skating, defense-first pace.

Russell would score his second goal of the game on the power play as he fired a shot in from the circle. He has now scored five goals and three assists in his past six games.

"Russell has been our best player going on six-weeks now." Stuart said after the game. "You can see why, he works harder than anyone else and he just wants it more."

That would be it for the entries into the boxscore, as the Nitro's would maintain the pace and hold the 2-0 lead.

Cody Campbell turned away all 27 shots earning his third shutout and 14th win of the season.

It was newcomer Ryan Keilty's first game in Kimberley, but second with the team. Stuart says Keilty has a hard shift to do from playing Nelson style hockey to Nitro's style.

"He listens well and he is smart. We just need to get the mentality of relaxing, staying back, and being passive out of his mind and be more aggressive and pressure guys. It was a much different system in Nelson. It will take time to adjust."

Looking at the whole game, Stuart was pleased with the win, but not pleased with the performance, "I thought it was pretty defensive, a lot of mistakes, and quite boring to be completely honest with you. But we will take the two points."

"Our confidence [against Creston] should be better. I really liked how we played a lot more on Tuesday then we did tonight. They were flat and we weren't much better tonight."

After the game, Roberts had a big ear to ear smile, "How about that zero?" he said, "It's a big win. Campbell played great. Everybody played hard defense. It was good for us to get a good win on home ice."

Roberts said that he and the players usually stay away from social media interactions, but said that on this occasion he had to take a stand "It is good to stand up for the boys, let them know that we are going to have that happen."

The Dynamiters now sit first in the league with a two point lead over the Nelson Leafs, having played the same amount of games. They also hold a seven point lead in the division against Creston.

Upcoming this weekend is a home-away series against the Columbia Valley Rockies.

Thursday 7 December 2017

The Kimberley Dynamiters stun the Creston Valley Thunder Cats with a 5-4 comeback OT win

On Tuesday the Kimberley Dynamiters traveled to Creston to play the Thunder Cats. Entering the game, the Nitro's trailed the season series 0-2-1.

This game was one of the more anticipated games of the season so far, due to the outcome the last time these two teams met. There was also KIJHL and BC Hockey representatives in attendance.

Both teams were still suffering from the outcomes of the penalty filled 8-1 win for the Cats over the Nitro's, as both teams had players still out due to suspension.

The first period was a fast paced draw. Adam Andersen turned aside all 13 shots he faced in the period, while the Dynamiters had no scoring success on their 14 shots.

The Nitro's have struggled in the middle period in the past, and this game was no exception. The Cats chased Andersen from the net scoring three goals on five shots in just over 10 minutes. The Cats were not done, and scored a fourth goal against Cody Campbell with just over four minutes left in the second.

"There were defensive breakdowns." Head coach and general manager Derek Stuart said. "We had a couple miscoverages, and one moment where the player went for the poke-check instead of the body."

Brandt Bertoia answered back for the Nitro's, scoring with 140 seconds left. But it felt like it was too little too late and that the Nitro's had lost the game in 40 minutes of play, trailing 4-1.


"We told the guys [in the second intermission] to stop panicking and to have some poise, and to play with some confidence. We know we are better team then we showed in the second period."

"The message was simply to relax and have some fun out there."

The Dynamiters came bursting out in the third period with Bryce McDonald and Derian Bamber scoring 66 seconds apart before two minutes had even elapsed in the third period. The comeback was on.

The period waned on and it began to look like the Cats had held on long enough. The Dynamiters pulled their goalie with just over a minute left. With the 22 seconds left the Cats called a timeout after icing the puck. There was a scramble in the corner and the Cats cleared the puck out to a waiting-in-the-slot Mason Palaga's who fired the puck nailing the water bottle to tie the game with 9 second remaining.

In the first four-on-four over-time the Nitro's got a glorious opportunity with a four-on-three power play. Several posts and close calls, and this game remained knotted at four after the four-on-four fourth period.

The second over-time period began, it was three-on-three. There was a lot of ice to work with. At times the Cats elected to go with three forwards, while the Nitro's went with two forwards and a defender.

The action was frantic. Nitro's leading scorer Brock Palmer, emerged with the puck from the corner on his forehand, reaching to wrap the puck around the goalie, hitting the post. He followed up the loose puck and scored the overtime winning goal, completing the come from behind win. Stunning all the fans, players and coaches.

"I think our depth took over." Stuart said. "There is only so many minutes James, Plunkett, and Wilkie can play, that line started running out of gas."

For the first time this season the Kimberley Dynamiters defeated the Creston Valley Thunder Cats. With the win the Nitro's hold a seven point lead on the Cats.

"I liked our first, third and overtime. We have talked about how hard it is to play a full 60 minutes, and we are striving for it.

"At this point, against these guys, just to get the win mentally was all we are looking for."

The Cats and Nitro's face off again on Saturday at the Civic Centre, the Nitro's only game this weekend. The Cats, of course, will want redemption from the over-time loss, and to reign in the Nitro's in the standings.

The game starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Kimberley Civic Centre on Saturday.

Monday 4 December 2017

The Kimberley Dynamiters add Ryan Keilty from the Nelson Leafs

The Kimberley Dynamiters announced that they had traded for '98 born forward Ryan Keilty from the Nelson Leafs early Friday morning.

Friday was a busy day in the KIJHL as it was a roster trimming deadline, teams needed to have no more than 25 player cards.

The Kimberley Dynamiters had released Austin Lawson and Tyler Van Steinburg, and then added Colby Sherlock the day prior to the deadline; leaving one spot open.

"Ryan will add to our team speed and make our penalty kill even stronger." Head coach and general manager Derek Stuart said. "Everyone I spoke to had nothing but great things to say about Ryan’s character, team first attitude and work ethic.

"He was able to contribute on a daily basis for the league’s top team and we are confident he will do the same with us."

For Keilty the trade was news to him, saying it was a pretty quick turnover of being called down to the Leafs office, being told he was traded, and then Stuart calling and welcoming him to the team.

The defensive forward is optimistic about playing with the Dynamiters, "I'm looking forward to playing with the style of play that the Nitro's have because they move the puck and play very quickly. I think my game will fit in well with their system"

This is Keilty's first season in the KIJHL, and in 23 games with the Nelson Leafs he has scored four goals and one assist.

The Summerland, BC native played for the Seattle Ravens of the U.S. Premier 3 Hockey League (Tier III) the season prior scoring 20 goals and 45 assists in 40 games.

Keilty is anticipated to be in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Creston Valley Thunder Cats.

Kimberley Dynamiters November Player of the Month: Cam Russell


Before Friday's match against the Fernie Ghostriders, the Kimberley Dynamiters named Cam Russell as their November Player of the Month.

During eight games in November, Russell scored two goals (both power play goals) and six assists, while being named the Star of the Game three times.

"Cam is starting to play his best hockey and is contributing in every area of the game." Head coach and general manager Derek Stuart said. "He was consistently our best player in those eight games."

Russell is grateful for the recognition, "Well you kind of appreciate the notice and are excited to be in a good place with your game."

He added that it is his linemates that helped contribute to his success, "I think my line mates the last couple of weeks have been outstanding and have pushed me to help the line get progressively better no matter where I’m playing and that’s huge."

Russell then went on to score two goals this past weekend, bucking the player of the month jinx.

Lead photo by Jonathan Righton

Kimberley Dynamiters maintain their lead in the division with two wins past weekend

The Kimberley Dynamiters continued their hosting of divisional opponents. They first hosted the Fernie Ghostriders on Friday, and then the Columbia Valley Rockies on Saturday.

As expected, a matchup between the Ghostriders and Dynamiters lived up to the expectations. It was a goalie duel between 'Riders Broc Merkl, who played for the Nitro's earlier this season but was cut from the team when Cody Campbell returned, and it was Campbell manning the Nitro's net.

Cam Russell, who was named the teams November player of the month, opened the scoring in the first as he chased down the rebound from Bryce McDonald's break.

In the second the Nitro's built on their lead as Nicholas Graham deflected in Matt Davies' shot. The 'Riders would respond as the second period wound down, making it a 2-1 game.

Minutes later Davies, Russell, and Brandt Bertoia combined for a beautiful tic-tac-toe play that Russell finished, giving the Nitro's a 3-1 lead going into the second intermission.

The Dynamiters would hold onto their two goals lead for 17 minutes before the 'Riders pulled their goalie and scoring, making it a one goal game. The 'Riders, as anticipated, upped their attack, but Campbell and the Nitro's would cling on to win the game 3-2.

Campbell made 33 saves in front of the 676 in attendance as he was named the Home Star of the game.

Next up was the Columbia Valley Rockies. The Rockies keeper, Joshua King was riding a three-game win streak heading into the game.

For the recently added Colby Sherlock, this was an emotional game against he former team.

"I thought tonight he was excellent. He was very effective. He showed us and the fans why we acquired him, he is physical and he can skate. He's a smart player and is happy to be here."

Russell opened the scoring again, as his line of McDonald and Bertoia started showing their potential. For Russell, he was bucking the trend of the player of the month jinx.

"It’s awesome to get the player of the month but you can’t get in your own head about it. Nothing changes you gotta go play your game." Russell said, "It’s not really something that came across my mind as I would be prepping for the two games."

The Rockies would respond five minutes later and this game was tied at one after 20 minutes.

"I really liked our first period," Head coach and general manager Derek Stuart said. "We hit three posts and crossbar. To me, that kept the Rockies in the game, and they built momentum off that."

After the midway point in the second, McDonald would score two goals three minutes apart to give the Nitro's a two goal lead. Those were McDonald's first goals with the Nitro's.

"It definitely felt really good,especially the second one being the game winner. We needed those 2 points." McDonald said after the game, adding that he is getting more comfortable with the team, linemates, and the larger ice-surface.

The Rockies would cut into the lead, 3-2, before the middle period ended.

"For whatever reason our second periods at home are not very good." Stuart said. "Their not terrible, but they are not as good as the first or third."

The Nitro's then would dig in and hold the Rockies at bay. Chase Gedny and Davies would each score to give the Dynamiters a 5-2 win.

"For some reason, in third periods, if games are close we seem to crank it up in the third."

McDonald would be named the Home Star of the game, and Campbell would make 22 saves for the win.

Campbell showed with his 55 saves on 59 shots that last weekends outing against the Cats was an outlier.

"In his KI career he has had two or three games like he had last Saturday," Staurt said, "and the next game he has been fantastic.

"We have no worries when Cody has a rough night, just like everyone else does, but he bounces back better than a lot of people."

Due to the penalty filled game against the Cats two Saturday's ago, the Nitro's had 17 skaters in the lineup against the 'Riders, and then had a full 18 against the Rockies. Filling one of those roster spots was 16 year old affiliate player Jackson Bohan.

"Bohan is very good, that is a credit to his coach in Trail. And another credit to them is they leave it up to their players if they want to come here or not."

"He did a great job stepping in, you couldn't really tell he was an affiliate. We'd love to see him in a Nitro's jersey full-time next year."

The Dynamiters now get ready to travel to Creston to play the Thunder Cats on Tuesday, a game that everyone around the league will be watching.

Stuart is hoping to build off the disappointment of the last game,"I’m hoping the guys build off the motivation Creston gave us in the last period we faced them."

Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m. at the Johnny Bucyk Arena.

Friday 1 December 2017

It's Game Day! Kimberley Dynamiters vs Fernie Ghostriders


Kimberley Dynamiters add KIJHL vet, and division rival, Colby Sherlock to the team

The Kimberley Dynamiters made a trade late Friday night acquiring forward Colby Sherlock ('98) from the Columbia Valley Rockies.

Sherlock is in his third season with the Rockies, and was surprised, if not even shocked, to be traded to a division rival.

Sherlock learned of the trade on Friday evening when the Rockies coach called him into the office. Since then it has been an emotional time for him.

"It caught me off guard that I got traded in the division, especially since I have been playing for the Rockies for three years." Sherlock said over the phone as he finished packing his billet home in Invermere. "Change is good, and I will take it as a positive.

"But there is a lot of emotions leaving a team that you have played for for three years."

The Sicamous native has played in 94 games with the Rockies scoring 16 goals and 17 assists. He has also played in four playoff games scoring one goal in 2016. He was recognized as the teams Playoff Player of the Year that season. Last season, he was recognized as the Most Dedicated player on the team.

When Sherlock tried to deduce why he was traded, he was still caught up in the emotions of being blind-sided by the trade.

"I think a chance to go deep in the playoffs had something to do with [the trade]." He said trying to understand why he was traded away, but then in optimism he said that he must have impressed the Nitro's coaching staff. "They think I can help their team because I play a fast physical game."

Sherlock was able to joke that it will be very interesting on Saturday when the Nitro's host the Rockies, adding that it will be an emotional game. But overall he is just hopeful of what the future may bring now that he is a Dynamiter.

"Have a good rest of the year, and hope to go as far was we can go in the playoffs."

Head coach and general manager Derek Stuart said "We’re very happy to welcome Colby to our team.

"He is big and strong, plays physical and is a very good skater. Being able to add a veteran of 100 KIJHL games will help us now and come playoffs"

Sherlock is expected to debut in tonight's game against the Fernie Ghostriders.