The 2024/25 KIJHL season is well underway now and the Kimberley Dynamiters have started to find their form, catching fire with six straight wins.
Following a loss to the current number-one in the league, the Princeton Posse, the Nitros took a big win against the league's newest franchise, the Merritt Centennials, who withdrew from the BCHL to join the KIJHL this year.
"I think that win in Merritt was a pretty big turnaround for us,” said head coach, GM Derek Stuart. “It was a good character win and a come-from-behind win that was more of a war than a hockey game. To come out and get that win and come from behind in the fashion we did and then just carried it over."
Stuart remarked that it was a fun and challenging experience taking on their new opponent in an arena new to the team.
"It’s a small rink with very live boards, so the pucks were flying quite a bit, it was a bit of an adjustment in that regard and they have a younger team, but they’re solid and they finish their checks," Stewart said. "It wasn’t an easy opponent and the rink was not a very welcoming rink for a visiting team.
"It was neat to experience it though, it’s the only rink we haven’t been in before obviously, but it was definitely a little bit of an adjustment for our team — we couldn’t play the same way we normally do."
That away win kicked off a stretch of home games against Spokane, Beaver Valley and Creston. The Dynamiters dealt with the Spokane Braves tidily, coming away with a confidence-boosting 7-4 win.
"We gave up more goals than I would have liked on that Friday, but we scored enough to win, so I think that might have been the worst of our last four games, but we followed it up with our best game of the year by far the next night at home against Beaver Valley," Stewart said.
"We talked about trying to have a very good homestand, where we want to — not put on a show for the fans, but make them proud of us "The guys have taken it to hard and they’re playing much better than they were the last couple weeks."
Hayden Selin opened the scoring early in the first with his second goal of the season, before Beaver Valley answered back with two goals of their own.
Riley Langille quickly regained the lead for the Nitros, and then tacked on another goal a minute into the second period. Goals from Aiden MacDonald and Tristan Weill made it a 5-2 win.
They followed that up with another 5-2 win, this time against Creston Valley, on Tuesday, Oct. 15.
"I think the guys are starting to gel more, they’re starting to realize how good we can be if we’re doing the right things and some of the younger guys especially are a lot more comfortable now than they were a few weeks ago and are playing a lot better," Stewart said. "I think everyone is just on the same page, putting the team first and they’re starting to realize how good we can be."
The team also recently announced their leadership for this season, with Trey Stephenson as captain, and Tristan Weill, Tyler Lindal and Nick Hughers as assistant captains.
"We’ve got some guys in that group of captains that aren’t afraid to hold their peers accountable," Stewart said. "The captain, Trey Stephenson, he wants to win more than anything this year, and what I really like is three of the four of them were with us two years ago when we won, so they’ve been through the war, they know first-hand what it takes and I’m really excited for this leadership group.
"It’s not always fun being a captain, you need to hold guys accountable and I think this group of guys will do that."
Stewart will also look to his captains to be leaders off the ice as well and said it's refreshing to have guys who are engaged in their community and are either working or are the first to raise their hands to volunteer.
Trey Stephenson is up to the task, but unfortunately will be exclusively leading from off the ice, as he broke his finger at a practice. He's had surgery and pins installed and it will be around six weeks before he's back on the ice.
"It means the world," he said of his nomination. "This is a historic franchise in this league and to be named captain by my peers is a huge honour, it really is. For me personally, leading by example is the biggest thing, it’s easy to talk, it’s not easy to show. It’s kind of tough right now with my finger, I can’t partake, but I love our room. You see what we’re about this year."
Stephenson said he's ready to say the things the guys may not like hearing, and hold them accountable on and off the ice and focused on their goal, which is winning the championship.
"This whole group, we’ve got one goal in mind," he said. "It was said the first day of training camp, the first day of regular season — everybody knows what we’re after this season and we’re not going to be grey about it. We’re going to be blunt about it, we’re going to tell you and that’s what we’re working towards."
Tyler Lindal exemplifies the leadership role both in how he carries himself during games as well as out in the community. On ice he's a determined defender and lately has not been one to back down from a fight.
"It means the world to me, it’s awesome and I’m honoured to be made a leader of such a great group and it’s a great organization and I just want to win," Lindal said.
"We’re building toughness by committee. It’s not just certain guys that step up and are playing physical, I think it’s physicality by a whole group and we’re non-stop on our forecheck and we get quick outs and it frustrates teams to the point where they don’t want the puck as much as we do."
Next up, the Nitros welcomed their historic rivals: the Fernie Ghostriders, on Friday, Oct. 18.
Langille continued to be a force on the ice, with his two goals in the second period helping to secure the team a 3-2 win.
"Riley is very, very good at finding the open holes, kinda stays out of the radar, floats around the edge of the zone and then finds the time to dart into the middle and then he’s got a great shot, a great release," Stuart said. "He’s a very good, timely goal-scorer, but I also thought he worked very hard tonight without the puck as well."
Langille was humble about his exceptional play and expressed his confidence in this year's group.
"The puck just found me a couple times and my buried my opportunities," he said. "Playing with Weill, you’re going to get the puck.
"I think the boys in the locker room are already looking really determined. We’re already a step on the way there and we just have to keep on going. We’re on a roll."
The team, and Langille, kept the momentum going into Sunday night's game against the Kamloops Storm. Goals from him and Billy Kiray early in the first set the pace, before the Storm bounced back and tied things up.
Stewart admitted the team wasn't at its best on Sunday night and gave credit to Kamloops for playing hard and making it challenging. He also said their power play was solid, with three of the Nitros' four goals coming while they were up a man.
In the end Langille's third-period goal proved to be the one to clinch the Dynamiters' sixth straight win.
They have more at-home action coming up, with games on Friday and Saturday against Williams Lake and Creston, respectively.
