Sawyer Hunt provided all the offense and Mitch Traichevich was perfect at the other end of the rink Tuesday night as the Kimberley Dynamiters extended a season-high winning streak to an astounding 11 games with a 2-0 grounding of the Golden Rockets.
Hunt, the 5-foot-11 native of Nelson, opened the scoring 5:59 into the first period, sliding a loose puck through Rockets goaltender Brody Nelson. The marker stood as the eventual game-winning goal for Kimberley as the Rockets were unable to solve Traichevich all night long.
In the second period, the speedy Hunt doubled the Nitros advantage with his second of the evening and third of the season on a short-handed effort.
Hunt’s pair of goals proved more than was necessary Tuesday as the Rockets offense sputtered on home ice.
Nelson earned the start between the pipes for the Rockets, while Traichevich was back in the blue paint for the Nitros after backstopping his team to a 5-2 victory over the 100 Mile House Wranglers Saturday at the Kimberley Civic Centre.
Nelson was stellar in net for the Rockets, ultimately giving his team a fighting chance with a number of show-stopping saves Tuesday, turning aside 32 of 34 pucks sent his way.
For the Nitros, Traichevich was unbeatable, earning his first KIJHL shutout and fourth victory of the season by steering away 19 shots.
Traichevich, a KIJHL rookie and 18-year-old native of Dawson Creek, has provided a steady presence in relief of workhorse Tyson Brouwer to this point in the campaign, and that was the case once again Tuesday in Golden.
With the win, the Dynamiters improved to a KIJHL-best 14-1-0-2, while the Rockets remain winless and in the basement of the Eddie Mountain Division at 0-14-0-2.
Boosting their points total to 30, the Nitros hold a nine-point edge on the second-place Creston Valley Thunder Cats (10-3-1-0) in the competitive Eddie Mountain Division.
The Dynamiters also sit atop the KIJHL standings, four points ahead of the Beaver Valley Nitehawks (13-2-0-0).
The Dynamiters have been completely unstoppable in the month of October, winning all nine games to date. All that stands between the Nitros and a perfect month is a Halloween date with the Columbia Valley Rockies Saturday night at the Eddie Mountain Memorial Arena in Invermere.