The Creston Valley Thunder Cats and Kimberley Dynamiters went head-to-head twice on the weekend, and each came away with a win.
The Thunder Cats won first, when the Dynamiters visited Creston on Friday. They earned a 7-5 victory, despite being down 4-1 at the end of the first period, thanks to a goal by Trevor Forward in the first 30 seconds.
The tables were turned in the second period, with goals by Jesse Collins, Tyler Akeryod, Brandon Formosa and Trevor LeBlanc giving the Thunder Cats a single-goal lead. The Dynamiters started the third period with their final goal, and Jovi Fabbri scored the game-winner at 14:30 on a power play, before Collins scored his second goal with two minutes left.
The Dynamiters fought back the following night, when the Thunder Cats visited Kimberley and lost 3-1. C.J. Caputo scored the Thunder Cats’ only goal of the night, with the Dynamiters scoring once in each period.
The win helped the Dynamiters maintain their position tied with the Fernie Ghostriders at the top of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League’s Eddie Mountain Division. Both teams have 48 points, and the Dynamiters have a game in hand. The Thunder Cats are in third place, with 37 points, and the Golden Rockets trail behind with 29. With five points, the Columbia Valley Rockies are last in the division, with only the Neil Murdoch Division’s Grand Forks Border Bruins doing worse in the KIJHL standings, with two points.
These were the final Thunder Cats games until after Christmas, when they visit the Fernie Ghostriders on Dec. 28; the Ghostriders then visit Creston on Dec. 31.