The 2018-2019 KIJHL season came to a merciful end for the Creston Valley Thunder Cats on the weekend, with the team absorbing two more losses in a season to forget.
Creston’s season began on September 7 with a 4-3 overtime loss to the Dynamiters in Kimberley and the final weekend of play started with another 4-3 overtime loss to Kimberley, this time in Creston. In their final game of the season the T-Cats dropped a 5-2 decision to the Beaver Valley Nitehawks on Sunday.
The Thunder Cats finish out of the playoff picture for the first time in recent memory, and end as the KIJHL basement dweller, with only 24 total points.
Chase Gidney put Kimberley into the lead in Friday night’s game against the Dynamiters, but a power play effort from Connor Scammell (Logan Berggren and Kory Zinck) drew Creston into a short-lived 1-1 tie. Brady Daniels scored to give the Dynamiters a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes of play.
With the only second period goal, Jordan Wood sent the teams into the dressing room tied after two periods. Aiden Wong gave fans some hope for a victory by putting Creston up 3-2 early in the third period, but Daniels sent the game into overtime with a power play goal with 2:22 left in regulation. Brandt Bertoia notched the overtime winner for a team that is in a neck-and-neck battle with the Kelowna Rockets for first place overall.
Zinck (Jordan Wood) scored the only first period goal on Saturday to give the home team a lead over Beaver Valley, but a flurry of scoring in the middle frame saw the Nitehawks skate off with a 4-2 lead. Jared Stocks, with two goals, Michael Hagen and Bradley Ross scored before Logan Berggren (Connor Scammel and Wood).
Hagen notched the final goal midway through the third period.