After suffering their first loss of the season last weekend in Nelson, the Kimberley Dynamiters returned to their winning ways on Wednesday with a 3-1 victory over the visiting Columbia Valley Rockies.
Decked out in their black and pink jerseys to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Nitros suffocated the Rockies' offence and put themselves back in the win column.
The Nitros scored in the first frame and added another pair in the second period. The Rockies, in response, only put 8 shots on goal by the halfway mark of the game and managed to sneak in a powerplay marker in the third period.
Dynamiters goaltender Tyson Brouwer stopped 13 shots for the win, while Brody Nelson made 21 saves in a losing cause.
"I thought we played a really solid defensive game," said Nitro head coach Jerry Bancks. "We have been all year—I think we're probably leading the league in goals against—and I would say probably shots against as well, so to keep them to 14 shots was quite a feat.
"A hard game for the goalie to play, but I thought he did a great job. He stayed very composed and did a really good job, considering there was not a lot of action."
Nitros captain Darren Martin said the team played well against a divisional rival, which are always important games.
"We came out well prepared and our first period definitely took some wind out of their sails," Martin said.
Aaron Shubert kicked off the offence just after the halfway mark of the first period, collecting a loose puck in the slot and roofing it past Nelson.
In the second period, defenceman Tristan Pagura doubled the lead by scoring his first KIJHL goal with a slapshot from the point on the powerplay.
Alex tripled it for the Nitros late in the frame, scooping up a rebound off a breakaway from teammate Dylan Sibbald, who had a few chances all alone on goal throughout the game.
Ryan Lawson scored the lone goal for Columbia Valley, capitalizing on a rebound in front of Brouwer on a powerplay with 10 minutes remaining in the game.
Tempers flared a bit near the end of the game, with Andrew Miller and Dustin Kostiuk dropping the gloves to have a go at each other.
The Rockies had one goal in six opportunities with the man-advantage, while Kimberley scored once in eight powerplay chances.
"I though our powerplay was a little bit off, we had lots of chances, we just didn't finish," said Bancks. "It was a good win."
Kimberley climbs back up the standings ladder and sit on top of the Eddie Mountain division, one point ahead of the Creston Valley Thunder Cats with a game in hand.
The Nitros head up to Invermere for a rematch with the Rockies on Friday, but will host the Golden Rockets on Saturday.