Podcast: KIJHL College Showcase - Game Two

Story: The Kimberley Dynamiters will be appealing Kennedy's six-game suspension

At the KIJHL College Showcase the Kimberley Dynamiters are without Spencer Kennedy, who has been suspended six games.

Kennedy will miss out on both Showcase games, which he says sucks, but he will also miss out on the Holiday Classic between Fernie and Kimberley, plus two more games.

The suspension comes from the December 18 game against the Fernie Ghostriders. There were shenanigans that happened at the conclusion of the second, however, many of those penalties have been rescinded, except Kennedy's.

"I know for a fact that referee or the linesmen did not see what Kennedy did or didn't do." Head coach and general manager Derek Stuart said. "They clearly made up a penalty on Fernie's player Green. Myself and Fernie's head coach received game misconducts, when those should have been bench minors.

"For me, if I am betting man, I would bet that he didn't see what happened and made something up."

An automatic three game suspension was given for the spearing penalty, which means Kennedy would have return January 5th. However, there was an additional three game suspension for 'deliberate intent, causing injury'.

"The biggest issue is that Kennedy got an additional three games for injuring a player, when that player played less than 72 hours later and scored two goals." Stuart said. "I don't know who deemed him to be injured, but he clearly wasn't injured."

"I don't know how you can call him injured if he is not missing any game time."

The additional suspension, and all but Kennedy's penalty being rescinded has been frustrating.

"We have tried to talk to the league and BC Hockey. There is no video of the incident. There are only a few people that saw what happened, and they say it wasn't a spear, that it was something else.

"It's frustrating that a call was made up, twice on the same play. [Fernie's] got rescinded and ours didn't. We are going to try and get the extra three rescinded."

The Dynamiters will now wait and see, while Kennedy, as of right now, is watching the KIJHL College Showcase and the Holiday Classic, plus two more games, from the stands.

While both of Fernie's players will be playing all the above games.

Story: Kimberley Dynamiters shut out 100 Mile House Wranglers in KIJHL Showcase Opener

The Kimberley Dynamiters had a great start to the KIJHL College Showcase, as they shut out the 100 Mile House Wranglers.

This was the first meeting between the Wranglers and Nitros since the 2016 KIJHL Finals, where the Wranglers went on to win the series and then capture gold at the Cyclone Taylor Cup.

The Dynamiters arrived late on the bus, travelling straight from Kimberley to Kamloops Friday, and their bus legs showed on the Olympic sized ice rink in the first period.

Head coach and general manager Derek Stuart said that the team had to make some minor adjustments to the wider ice surface, and added, "our team is fit for this ice. Our speed and puck movement took over."

Despite playing a larger ice surface and the bus legs, the Nitros were able to score the lone goal in the first period, as Keegan McDowell scored on a breakaway.

In the second, the Nitros came to play. Fifty-six seconds into the period Chase Gedny gave the Nitros a 2-0 lead. Brock Palmer would then score back-to-back goals, 10 minutes apart. The Nitros had a commanding lead, 4-0, as the second finished.

In the third Erik Delaire would add one more tally, and Adam Andersen would stop three more shots to earn his first shut this season, and of his KIJHL career.

"It's nice obviously. It was fairly easy." Andersen said. "It was a great night, all the guys were going. They made it easy for me."

Delaire's successes has been overshadowed by the performance of other players, but he was able to score a goal at the showcase, but downplayed the importance of game.

"I tried not to worry about it as a showcase, it was just a regular season game, and tried to play it as every day." Delaire said, "I don't think the showcase got to anyone, we just played Nitros hockey."

Palmer, with five points in the game, was named the Home Star of the Game.

After the game, as was the goal of the KIJHL College Showcase, both head coach and assistant coach met with scouts from several different colleges/universities.

"For us, we made it clear that we are here to showcase our team, not any individuals. But by doing that they will get individual accolades and attention," Stuart said. "Tonight was a perfect job of that.

"They have talked to some players that they are interested in, whether it be for next year or for two years down the road. I'm sure we will have more scouts talking to our guys tomorrow."

It's a quick turn around for the Nitros, as they have a 1pm (Kamloops local time) game against the Osoyoos Coyotes.

MATCH STICKS: Kole Halvorson made an animated debut with the team, and Stuart was impressed with his play. The Nitros dressed seven defencemen and 11 forwards due to Ryan Bennett being injured, Spencer Kennedy is suspended, and Brandt Bertoia is with his family.

Podcast: KIJHL College Showcase - Game One

The Full Face Mask Debate: Looking at penalties from last season to this season

There has been a lot of debate about the reasoning and then the subsequent impact of BC Hockey making full face masks mandatory for Junior B hockey.

The cited reason behind the change was for player safety and lowering insurance costs.

At the end of the December 18th game between the Kimberley Dynamiters and Fernie Ghostriders, head coach and general manager Derek Stuart had this to say: "There was probably 10-15 head shots tonight between both teams. Each team had a spearing penalty and there were numerous questionable hits into the boards. And it’s happening almost every game.

"This is a direct result of BC Hockey’s mandatory face-mask ruling. To them saving a few teeth, a few dollars and preventing the occasional facial laceration is far more important than protecting players heads, necks and spines.

"Their uneducated decision has put hundreds of young men in a very dangerous environment."

Now, I trust what Stuart says, but do the numbers back him up, or is this just a clash of the past, present, and future of hockey.

So here's what I did. I went through the first 30 games of the 2017-18 season, and the first 30 games of the 2018-19 season. I then counted each two minute stick infraction, four minute stick infraction, spearing, elbowing, head contact, boarding, checking from behind, and fighting penalty called.

Here's what the totals show:

• In 2017
• 2 min: 182
• 4 min: 2
• Spearing: 4
• Elbowing: 7
• Head contact: 10
• Boarding: 7
• Checks from behind: 7
• Fights: 24
• In 2018 (get ready for this)
• 2 min: 177
• 4 min: 4
• Spearing: 5
• Elbowing: 10
• Head contact: 24
• Boarding: 24
• Checks from behind: 4
• Fighting: 5

Did you see that? The over 200-300% increase in head contact and boarding calls this season?

By game nine this year there were as many boarding penalties called as last season.

By 11 games this season there were as many head contact penalties as last year.

There were 16 games last year that didn't have a head contact OR boarding penalty called. This year, five.

Sure sounds like the goal have player safety has been met (sarcasm).

Of course there are conspiracy theories, and potentially valid ones, as to the true reason BC Hockey mandated full cages.

But when Stuart says: "To them saving a few teeth, a few dollars and preventing the occasional facial laceration is far more important than protecting players heads, necks and spines."

I have to agree with him.

Podcast: Tuesday Game vs Ghostriders Review; New Nitro Halvorson

Story: Kimberley Dynamiters win penalty filled game against Fernie Ghostriders

After Tuesday nights game between the Fernie Ghostriders and Kimberley Dynamiters, it is fair to say that the rivalry has been renewed. The game was penalty filled, with 118 minutes worth of penalties.

More on that later.

Cam Russell opened the scoring 1:15 into the game, and it felt like the Nitros were going to satisfy their desire for revenge.

After the midway point of the first, he Nitros fell flat after being penalized. The Ghostriders would score on the power play just as their 5-on-3 concluded to tie the game.

"Sometimes with young kids, they get a great start and they think it is going to be an easy first period, or lopsided first period like we have had in the past month of so," head coach and general manager Derek Stuart said. "Credit to Fernie they worked hard and took advantage of our lulls."

In the second, Nitros Keegan McDowell scored on the power play.

To tie the game again, the 'Riders needed the weirdest goal of the year to beat Adam Andersen. The puck deflected skyward, and no one knew where the puck was. It then bounced in the crease and into the net. Just like that, the game was tied at two.

The second period ended tied. The buzzer sounded. The players from both teams started leaving the bench to go to their dressing room. Then all hell broke loose, and the second period wasn't done yet. Spencer Kennedy was called for spearing, and then 'Riders Derek Green came to help his injured teammate. As much of a brawl that can happen with cages, happened.

Both coaches were ejected from the game for dismissing their players prior to officials saying that they could. Kennedy was given a game misconduct, as well as Green. However, the officials threw the book at Green, resulting in a Nitros eight minute power play to start the third.

"One of our guys, Kromm, got speared in not a very comfortable spot," Ghostriders head coach and general manager Jeff Wagner said. "We had one of our players on the ice, Green, who defended our guy. The officials said that Green jumped from our bench, I'm going with what my assistant is telling me that Green was already on the ice.

"So, it wasn't a matter that we didn't hold our bench, it was that Green came to defend his teammate. He did it admirably. For us to be short eight minutes after our guy gets attacked is pretty unreasonable."

Brock Palmer was able to score a goal on the lengthy power play to put the Nitros up by one.

And then as has been tradition for McDowell, if he scores one, he will score a second. That's just what he did in a gritty way.

"I was just sticking to my role, I have to put the puck in the net." McDowell said after the game.

The Nitros would win this game 4-2. Andersen made 28 saves in the win.

"It was one of the harder fought games right before Christmas that I have been a part of. The execution wasn't very good, it was very sloppy." Stuart said.

"Where we struggled tonight was our best players were not our best players tonight. Everyone else worked hard and got the job done."

McDowell was named the Home Star of the game. For Stuart though, MciLwain was the teams best player.

"We gotta work hard until bounces go our way. That's exactly what we did tonight." MciLwain said. "My role has been to move my feet and be physical. I am giving the guys energy."

At this point, suspensions are expected but have not been posted on the KIJHL website.

For Stuart though, this was his final thoughts on the game, "There was probably 10-15 head shots tonight between both teams. Each team had a spearing penalty and there were numerous questionable hits into the boards. And it’s happening almost every game.

"This is a direct result of BC Hockey’s mandatory face-mask ruling. To them saving a few teeth, a few dollars and preventing the occasional facial laceration is far more important than protecting players heads, necks and spines.

"Their uneducated decision has put hundreds of young men in a very dangerous environment."

The Ghostriders have one game this Friday before going on a holiday break, while the Dynamiters now start their nine-day holiday break.

McDowell and MciLwain are both looking forward to the break so that they can spend time with family and friends.

Lead photo by Jonathan Righton