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KIJHL: Creston Valley Thunder Cats third in division after three wins

Creston Valley Thunder Cats beat Kimberley Dynamiters 4-2, Golden Rockets 4-3 and Columbia Valley Rockies 9-3...
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Alec Wilkinson in Friday's game against the Kimberley Dynamiters.

With five points earned on the weekend, the Creston Valley Thunder Cats have reclaimed third place in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League’s Eddie Mountain Division, a position in which they were tied with the Golden Rockets earlier in the season.

This came about after they won three weekend games — the first time they’ve done that this season — beating the Kimberley Dynamiters, Golden Rockets and Columbia Valley Rockies.

Head coach Jeff Dubois said he expected the team to be capable of that around now, although Friday’s 4-2 win over Kimberley started out a bit slow against the faster Dynamiters.

Kyle Richter — in his second weekend with the team — scored the first goal at 9:10 in the first period, eventually earning 12 points in five games by the end of Sunday’s game.

“He’s provided everything we hoped for offensively,” said Dubois.

The second period was scoreless, but goals were added by Carson Cartwright, Marcel Fuchs and Dylan Hogue in the third period before the Dynamiter responded with two goals of their own.

“We got stronger as the game went along,” said Dubois.

The long bus trip to Golden got Saturday’s 4-3 win off to a slow start, as well, with Richter scoring once in the first period, for a 2-1 Rockets lead after the second. Connor Ward and Lien Miller-Jeannotte (power play) scored in the third period, maintaining the lead until Nic Noseworthy tied the score on a power play, with nine seconds remaining.

The game went into a scoreless overtime, and Tyler Podgorenko scored the game-winner in the second overtime period.

“It was a game we had circled as wanting to make up some ground on them, and show them we were able to compete with them,” said Dubois.

Ward’s third-period goal was a big one, he said, helping the Thunder Cats stay in the game.

“He’s been one of our best guys, I think, from the start of the season,” said Dubois. “He’s playing his best hockey right now.”

On Sunday, the Thunder Cats hosted the bottom-of-the-division Columbia Valley Rockies, resulting in a 9-3 win. Although the score appears lopsided, “it wasn’t like it was a blowout from start to finish,” Dubois said. “It was competitive.”

Fuchs scored Creston’s first goal on a first-period power play, with the Rockies responding late in the period. Cartwright scored at 15:36 in the second, followed by two Rockies goals before Jack Berger and Ward’s goal gave them a 4-3 lead. Richter scored the first Thunder Cats goal just over two minutes into the third period. Goals by Alec Wilkinson (power play), Richter, Justin Post and Jackson Bruce-Fuoco (power play) followed.

Richter’s second third-period goal was assisted by Podgorenko and affiliated player Jake Livingstone, the 15-year-old younger brother of Colby Livingstone, a Creston native who played with the Thunder Cats in the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons.

“He was setting up plays all afternoon,” said Dubois. “He’s a real promising prospect and I’m sure he’s going to be playing here one day full-time.”

The Thunder Cats keep adding to their roster, with forward Ryley Bosman dropping down a level from the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. He was one of the top prospects at the Thunder Cats’ summer camp in Calgary.

“He’s a real big body and he skates real well,” said Dubois.

The Thunder Cats play once this weekend, visiting the Rockies on Friday. With 34 points, the Thunder Cats are 20 ahead of the Rockies, and have had three really close games, said Dubois, in the last four.

“You try to be cautious, and try not to read too much into the score on Sunday,” he said. “It’s the kind of situation where you let your guard down and end up regretting it.”

On Tuesday, the Thunder Cats will host the Dynamiters, who currently sit one point behind them in the division standings. The Fernie Ghostriders and Golden Rockets currently top the division, with 46 and 30 points, respectively.

“We’ve beaten them twice at home and we want to keep it going in terms of our home ice being a place where it’s real difficult for teams to come in and get wins,” said Dubois.