The Kimberley Dynamiters 2024/25 season is officially underway and the Nitros started things off with a win and a very close loss.
The Dynamiters were in Creston on Friday, Sept. 20 and started the season off with a bang, defeating the Thunder Cats 5-2.
“We out-worked our opponent on Friday and created a lot of scoring chances," said head coach, general manager Derek Stuart. "If it wasn’t for Creston’s goalie the score could have been real ugly."
Australian-born Riley Langille opened the scoring in the first game of the season, assisted by Danik Reeves and Tristan Weill. Kimberley product Isaac Sommer would tack on another with under two minutes left in the first.
The Thunder Cats Sidney Brill put them on the board a little past halfway through the second, but Tristan Weill answered right back, with assists from Langille and Trey Stephenson. The Weill-Langille combination will certainly be one to watch this season.
Spender Wilkinson and Danik Reeves each got goals in the third, with Creston only able to add on one more of their own and The Dynamiters' season started out with a big win.
The home opener on Saturday, Sept. 20 would not be as successful. Fraught with penalties and highly contentious throughout, the Dynamiters out-shot their opponent by 13 but the Rockies managed to come away with a 4-3 win.
"There were some positives, we competed hard, at even strength we controlled the game and didn’t allow a goal," Stuart said, adding the contest was between, "two teams that don't like each other with some history from last season."
The game went scoreless through much of the first, then suddenly three goals were scored in under a minute late in the period. Carter Velker got one on a power play and Bryan Kim made it 2-0 for the Rockies 33 seconds later. The Dynamiters' Nick Hughes then answered back 20 second after that.
Ethan Bloomquist tied things up early in the second period, but the Rockies would score twice more as well, both goals on power plays, with their fourth of the night falling with one second left on the clock.
The Dynamiters made a good late game push, but a goal with eight seconds left from Jackson Murphy, also coming from a power play, would be too little too late and the final score was 4-3 for the Rockies.
The game saw 24 total penalties, with numerous calls of unsportsmanlike conduct and misconducts.
Stuart said there is a lot to work on before next week's games, as there always is this early in the season.
"Special teams need more attention and we will introduce our defensive zone structure," he said.
The Dynamiters have two home games next weekend, welcoming the Fernie Ghostriders on Friday, Sept. 27 and the 100 Mile House Wranglers on Sunday Sept. 29 for a 2 p.m. matinee game.
