The Kimberley Dynamiters opened their regular season by splitting a weekend double-header with the Creston Valley Thunder Cats on back-to-back nights.
The T-Cats scored four unanswered goals in the first period to march to a 6-1 win on Friday at the Johnny Bucyk Arena, but the Nitros got a little revenge on Saturday by edging out a 3-2 win at home.
Ryan Murray, Lucas Kwasny, Brady Ward and Trevor Hanna all found the back of the net within the first twenty minutes of the 2012 KIJHL season.
Newly minted Nitro forward Dustin Long scored the lone Kimberley goal on the powerplay early in the second period. Long came into training camp as a former player for the Whitecourt Wolverines, a Jr. B team that folded in Alberta.
However, Ethan Rusnack responded for Creston and Hanna recorded his second goal of the game by the end of the period.
The two teams held each other scoreless in the third.
Justin Miller replaced Nitro goaltender Jeremy Mousseau after the first period as the T-Cats put 22 shots on goal throughout the game. The Dynamiters responded by putting 51 shots on Creston stopper Michael Hails, who earned the win.
The Nitros got a better result on Saturday due to the efforts of defenseman Isaac Schacher, a defenseman returning for his second year after getting released from the Penticton Vees' training camp.
Schacher got in on all three Nitro goals, notching a trio of points in the assists column.
Even though the Nitros won, Creston drew blood first less than a minute into the game on a goal from Ty Kronewitt. Five minutes later, Jared Marchi responded for the Dynamiters, and Connor Tetlock took the lead on a shorthanded effort with five minutes remaining in the opening frame.
The Nitros grabbed a two-goal lead near the halfway mark of the second period off a powerplay goal from Riley Hellekson, but the T-Cats answered a few minutes later with their final goal from Ethan Rusnack.
Mousseau earned some redemption with the win, stopping 37 shots, while Hails took the loss for Creston, turning away 29 pucks.
The Nitros hit the road for a game against the Columbia Valley Rockies in Invermere on Tuesday before returning for a Friday game against the Fernie Ghostriders at home.