Taylor Rocca
The Kimberley Dynamiters snapped a two-game losing skid in explosive fashion Saturday night, shooting down the Beaver Valley Nitehawks 7-1 at the Kimberley Civic Centre.
“It was important that we rebounded tonight,” said Dynamiters head coach Jerry Bancks following the win. “Last year, we started very similar [to how we have this season]. We won a bunch of games in a row and then we lost eight in a row. It was really important to come back and get on the winning side quickly after losing two in a row on the road.”
The win boosted the Dynamiters record to 7-2-0-0.
Nitros forward Tyson Klingspohn turned in a dominant performance, firing four pucks past Nitehawks goaltender Carson Schamerhorn. Klingspohn’s first period marker gave the home team a 2-0 lead and stood as the eventual game-winning tally. The goal came off a nice tic-tac-toe passing sequence that the 18-year-old forward cashed in on as he came cruising into Schamerhorn’s crease.
“Skating good routes and getting good bounces [made it easy for me],” Klingspohn said after the game. “My linemates hooked me up with some good passes and created lots of space for me out there.”
Saturday against Beaver Valley marked the first night Klingspohn skated alongside Tyler Garcia and Jordan Roy. Early results suggest the experiment was a success as the line accounted for five of the Dynamiters seven goals. Garcia started things off with a snap shot past the glove of Schamerhorn midway through the first period. The native of Anchorage, Alaska grabbed two helpers for a three-point night.
“It was awesome [playing with those guys],” Klingspohn added. “It was nice and fresh. Coaches told us to hit, so we went out there and created lots of space. We didn’t hesitate at all, went straight at the other end and pushed pucks forward.”
Marco Campanella kept the momentum rolling early in the second period with a great individual effort to give the Dynamiters a three-goal advantage.
From there, the third period belonged to Klingspohn.
After Jacob Boyczuk cut in the Dynamiters lead, making it 3-1 midway through the final period, Klingspohn rattled off three consecutive goals to put the Nitehawks to rest. Klingspohn’s second of the night came from a tough angle on the man advantage as he sent a low shot through the five-hole of Schamerhorn. The native of Penticton, B.C. tallied the hat-trick marker moments later before earning his fourth of the night with a breakaway-effort. The three third-period goals for Klingspohn all came within a five-minute span of one another. The shifty forward added an assist for a five-point night.
“It sends a message to the league [to beat the defending KIJHL champions],” Klingpsohn said. “It would have been nice to get a win last night [in Fruitvale] because most teams don’t win that barn, but it was really good to get this one and let Kelowna know tomorrow that, at home, we’re not going to take them lightly.”
Eric Buckley rubbed some salt in the wound with less than five minutes to play.
Tyson Brouwer was solid, as he has been all season, making 21 saves to earn his seventh win of the campaign.
The Dynamiters, who dropped a 4-3 decision in Beaver Valley Friday night, will look to win their second consecutive game Sunday afternoon as they close off this stretch of three games in three days. The Kelowna Chiefs will pay a visit to the Kimberley Civic Centre tomorrow at 2 p.m.
“The key will be to keep it simple and to know we’re going to tire…but to make sure we keep pressuring them,” Bancks said. “I thought we did a great job pressuring tonight, finishing checks, letting them know it was going to be a long night. That’s what we have to do tomorrow.”
Forward Coy Prevost was a healthy scratch Saturday night against Beaver Valley. He is expected to return to the lineup Sunday afternoon against the Chiefs. Heading into tonight’s contest, Prevost was tied with forward Jason Richter for the team lead in scoring with 10 points each.