Josh Lockhart
Kimberley Dynamiters win fifth in a row to end regular season
The Kimberley Dynamiters finished the 2016-17 season on a high note, clipping the Beaver Valley Nitehawks 6-3.
In early January, the Nitehawks embarrassed the Dynamiters 9-2 at the Cranbrook Memorial Arena. The Dynamiters players took it upon themselves to recall that memory and bring it to the forefront to show the Nitehawks who the Nitros truly are.
“We’ve got to show them that we are coming for them,” forward Brandt Bertoia said prior to the game. “We need to show them that [the 9-2 loss] wasn’t us, they don’t know the real us.”
The Nitros got on the board early, with Devon Langelaar scoring his seventh of the season prior to the three-minute mark.
The Dynamiters then dialed it up, with two more goals scored by James Farmer and Brandon Langridge.
“We came out strong [and] our guys were ready to play,” head coach and general manager Derek Stuart said of leaving the fans at the Fruitvale Arena shocked in the first intermission.
In the second, the Dynamiters kept pouring it on. Brandt Bertoia gave the Nitros a commanding 4-0 lead but the ever dangerous Nitehawks clawed their way back into the game with three power play goals.
Franco Colapaolo then scored to keep the Nitehawks at bay, as Kimberley ended the middle period with a 5-3 lead.
In the last frame, Bertoia scored his second of the game to secure a 6-3 win over the league-leading Nitehawks. It was only Beaver Valley’s fifth loss of the season and ended their 16-game winning streak.
Cody Campbell turned aside 34 of 37 shots for his 14th win of the season.
“We are really happy with how we are getting offensive contributions from a lot of different places,” Stuart said. “When you are resting players, it is comforting to know that you can get contributions from other guys. It’s really a well-balanced attack that we have going right now.
“The players did a great job of utilizing our team speed [against Beaver Valley] in all areas of the game.”
The Dynamiters now enter the playoffs hot, winning their past five in a row.
“We have confidence right now, going into Friday I assume our players will be ready to go,” Stuart said. “I’m a big believer that the playoffs are a brand-new season, anything that happens in the regular season is out the window now.”
The Dynamiters get ready to battle the Fernie Ghostriders, their arch-rivals, with game one going on Friday at the Kimberley Civic Centre at 7 p.m.
For up-to-date Kimberley Dynamiter information visit: www.kimberleydynamiters.net/blog and follow Josh on twitter @joshuaklockhart.