The Nelson Leafs have clinched the Kootenay Conference finals and are headed to the KIJHL Championship, as the Kimberley Dynamiters came up just short in a 2-1 loss in the second period of overtime in game six. The Dynamiters started round three of the playoffs strong, winning first two games, but a series of injuries and a ferocious battle back from Nelson saw Kimberley defeated four games in a row for the first time this season.
“I’m very, very proud of what we did,” head coach, general manager Derek Stuart told the Bulletin. “Before Christmas I wasn’t totally sure if we had a chance to challenge for the championship. We had to go 16-2 after Christmas just to win our division.
“Our guys did a heck of a job from Christmas on and really got extremely better as a team and as a group and I think the unfortunate finish is something they can still be proud of. Especially with the way things ended in game 5, it was very impressive how they reacted last night.”
They certainly did not go down without a fight, with Nelson having to beat them in overtime in games five and six.
Stuart said he felt the Dynamiters controlled the majority of game five, and it wasn’t until the final five minutes when Nelson pulled their goalie, put in two goals and forced a playoff where they continued to press hard and got a late goal to win.
Game six on Tuesday, the Leafs outshot the Dynamiters by a significant margin, but Stuart said the Nitros had numerous scoring chances and he didn’t feel Nelson outworked them.
It was another sensational performance from goalie Trystan Self, who made 46 saves in his final game of the year.
“I think anyone who saw the game last night saw why he’s the best goalie in this league,” Stuart said. “He was fantastic last night and everyone was. Everyone’s effort was admirable and very rewarding to see.
“We did everything we could. Every single one of those guys committed their bodies to sacrifice for the team last night. It’s a loss and it really sucks, but they should be extremely proud of how they played last night.”
Their performance throughout the series is all the more impressive given how many injuries have plagued the team in the post season.
“I’m not going to lie and say that injuries didn’t have an effect on us during that series, they had a major effect. It’s not an excuse because we still had the team to win, but when you have six guys who would be playing significant roles all injured it definitely decreases your chances of winning. But we were 2 shots away from preparing for Revelstoke right now so we still had an opportunity to win. In the end we lost to an elite team who is very hard to play against.”
When Stuart first signed on with the organization back in 2016, and a new era of Dynamiters Hockey began, he told the Bulletin that he didn’t believe in rebuild years, and that if the team gets the right recruits, he saw no reason why they couldn’t have success each and every year.
Since then the Kimberley Dynamiters have been a consistent force to be reckoned with, playing in four of the last five Teck Cups and winning two. The past two years saw COVID throw a colossal wrench in the spokes of the KIJHL as a whole and there was nothing else to do but pick up the pieces this year.
“For us COVID forced a restart for everyone basically,” Stuart said. “We were a little unsure how we were going to be at the start but I’m very happy where the program and the team is now. We’re right back to being a legitimate contender.”
Stuart, whose contract with the team goes until the 2024/25 season, added that the support of the fans has also been huge throughout this season and he and his team appreciate it tremendously.
“Once the restrictions lifted that was right back to where it was before COVID as well so that was good to see. I just hope all the fans know how hard those guys worked last night, they should be very proud of the team for their efforts.”
The Kimberley Dynamiters will have their awards banquet this coming Sunday, a chance to get together as a team again, have some fun and reflect on an incredible season.
paul.rodgers@kimberleybulletin
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