The Kimberley Dynamiters continue to fly high, notching two wins against very tough opponents over the weekend.
The Nitros were on the road, first against Kamloops on Friday night, where they won 4 - 1, and then on to Revelstoke on Saturday, where they came through with a convincing 6 -1 victory.
Revelstoke is the team Kimberley has battled in the league finals the last two years, so it was a game head coach Derek Stuart hoped the team would be up for. They did not disappoint.
“It was an excellent effort,” Stuart said. “It was our best weekend effort-wise. They were very consistent.”
On Friday, Kamloops opened the scoring in the first with a goal from Josh Bishop at 5:50. The Dynamiters evened it up before the end of the period, with John Usselman scoring at 1:49, with assists from Brock Palmer and Tyler Russell. In the second, Kimberley’s Josh Makarchuk scored at 6:25, with assists from Brock Palmer and Ryan Piva. Then Cam Russell scored with Ryan Bennett and Jeff Saharchuk assisting, making it 3 -1. The Dynamiters would get one more in the third from Makarchuk, assisted by Palmer and Piva. Makarchuk was named the away star of the game.
In Revelstoke, Kimberley scored first from Sahrachuk, assisted by PIva and Palmer at 5:20 in the first. The game was tied by Revelstoke’s Matt Cadden early in the second, but just a minute later, Ryan Piva scored, putting Kimberley in the lead again. Palmer and Noah Danforth got the assists.
It was Palmer from Mitch Fargey at the beginning of the third, then Palmer again from Cam Reid and Piva to put Kimberley up 4 to 1. The was followed by goals from Beau Larson (Palmer, Piva) and a final from Carter Spring (Justin Deeks, Easton Jolie) for a 6 - 1 Dynamiter win. Brock Palmer was the away star.
Last week, the Dynamiters traded the Daniels brothers to 100 Mile House for forward Ryan Piva, and coach Stuart says that paid off immediately.
“Ryan is an elite player and he proved it in the points he scored and all the other good things he did,” Stuart said.
Also big, Stuart says, was the return of injured veterans Bennet, Spring and Danforth.
“That was huge for us,” he said.
As for goaltending, Stuart says he has a problem that any team would be lucky to have both goalies are playing at a very high level.
Blake Pilon played in Kamloops, and Adam Anderson in Revelstoke, and both allowed only one goal.
“The goaltending was outstanding,” Stuart said. “Blake was really good on Friday, and Adam Anderson helped us weather an early storm from Revelstoke in the first two minutes.
“”Both goalies are more than capable of starting in this league. Right now they both deserve to play. We’ll continue to rotate. It’s a problem a lot of teams would like to have.”
Coming up this weekend, the Nitros are on the road again, with stops in Grand Forks on Friday, and Spokane on Sunday afternoon.
“”We’re excited,” Stuart said. “The guys seem to like being on the road.”