The Fernie Ghostriders won both of their games to ignite a winning streak, while the Kimberley Dynamiters had their five-game streak snapped in what was a winning weekend for most teams in the KIJHL’s Eddie Mountain Division.
Kimberley Dynamiters (13-2-0-1)
Continuing their string of road games over the weekend, the Kimberley Dynamiters suffered just their third loss of the season, erasing their five-game winning streak. Following 4-1 and 6-1 wins last weekend over Kamloops and Revelstoke, Kimberley had their winning streak snapped Saturday night in Grand Forks. The Border Bruins edged the Dynamiters 2-1 as Liam Stalwick scored both goals for Grand Forks early in the first period and again late in the second period. Adam Andersen made 27 saves, posting a .931 SV% in the losing effort while Daniel Alton scored Kimberley’s only goal. Kimberley bounced back on Sunday, however, travelling to Spokane to beat the Braves 3-2 in overtime. Ryan Piva scored the game-winning goal, ending the night with 3 points (2G, 1A), while Brock Palmer (1G, 2A) also led the team with 3 points. Blake Pilon was strong between the pipes, turning aside 24 shots for his fifth win of the season. The Dynamiters retain the best record in the KIJHL despite Saturday’s loss as they have now won 13 of their first 16 games to start the season, leading the league with 27 points. Kimberley has just one game this upcoming weekend, hosting the Castlegar Rebels at the Civic Centre at 7:00 pm on Friday.
Creston Valley Thunder Cats (9-3-0-3)
Similar to the Kimberley Dynamiters, the Creston Valley Thunder Cats also had their winning streak snapped over the weekend, as they dropped both of their games on home ice. Riding a three-game winning streak heading into the start of a six-game homestand, the Thunder Cats would fall 5-4 in overtime to the Fernie Ghostriders on Friday. Facing a 3-1 deficit in the second period, the Thunder Cats would claw their way back into the game to force overtime with just 16 seconds remaining but would surrender the game-winning goal in the extra frame. Logan Berggren led the Thunder Cats with 3 points (2G, 1A) in the loss. Saturday’s contest with the Columbia Valley Rockies wouldn’t fair much better as Creston would stumble 5-1. The Thunder Cats held on to a 1-0 lead for the majority of the game until the Rockies exploded to score five unanswered goals in the third period to steal the win. Creston continues their six-game homestand this weekend as they get set to host the Beaver Valley Nitehawks and Golden Rockets at 7:30 pm Friday and Saturday at Johnny Bucyk Arena.
Fernie Ghostriders (9-5-0-2)
The Fernie Ghostriders ignited a two-game winning streak this past weekend following back-to-back wins over the Creston Valley Thunder Cats and Beaver Valley Nitehawks, the two teams the Ghostriders lost to the following weekend. Shaking off their pair of losses to Beaver Valley (8-3) and Creston Valley (4-3), the Ghostriders first enacted their revenge in Creston Friday night. Dylan Defosse (1G, 2A) would lead Fernie with 3 points in the 5-4 overtime win while Sawan Gill would score the game-winner after Creston tied the game in the closing seconds of the third period. Picking up momentum, Fernie would roll in Elkford on Saturday to host Beaver Valley and win 4-2. The Ghostriders would take the 3-2 lead with 42 seconds remaining and tack on the empty-net goal to secure their second straight win. Greg Susinski had a goal and an assist to lead the club while Chance Griffith made 34 saves to earn his sixth win in nine appearances. Fernie splits their upcoming weekend with Friday’s contest in Invermere at 7:30 pm against the Columbia Valley Rockies before Saturday’s match at Fernie Memorial Arena against the Nelson Leafs at 7:30 pm.
Columbia Valley Rockies (6-6-0-2)
Getting set to play 9 of their next 11 games at Invermere’s Eddie Mountain Memorial Arena, the Rockies returned from their recent road trip with mixed results. Travelling south of the border Friday night, the Rockies went toe-to-toe with the Spokane Braves, narrowly losing 4-3 in overtime. Down 3-1, the Rockies would close the gap in the second and score the equalizer in the third only to fall with 36 seconds remaining in the opening overtime period. Nikolas Scheiwiller (2G) and Gareth Nicholas (2A) were the team leaders for the Rockies in the loss. However, Columbia Valley would recover with a huge 5-1 win on Saturday over the Creston Valley Thunder Cats. Facing another deficit entering the third period, the Rockies would pile on five unanswered goals in the third period to steal the victory as Scheiwiller (2G, 2A), Caileb Berge (2G, 2A) and Khale Skinner (1G, 3A) all exploded for four points in the final frame. In net, Bretton Park was lights out, stopping 30 of 31 shots and posting a .968 SV% for his third win of the season. Following their momentum-building win in Creston, the Rockies return home this weekend to entertain the Fernie Ghostriders Friday night at 7:30 pm and the Summerland Steam at 7:00 pm on Saturday.
Golden Rockets (6-8-1-0)
Winless in their last six games, the Golden Rockets got back in the win column on Saturday on a short weekend trip to Castlegar. Losing their last four games after their 3-3 tie with Beaver Valley in mid-October, the Rockets snapped the losing skid against the Rebels with a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory. Down 2-0 after the opening period, the Rockets would score back-to-back goals in the second to even the score. Both teams would then trade goals in the third period, forcing overtime and setting up for the dramatic finish where Parker Laughton would score on the power play with just 2 seconds remaining in the first overtime. Dylan Ford (1G, 1A) and Jaden Callan (1G, 1A) were Golden’s team leaders in their only matchup of the weekend. Golden will now split their upcoming schedule, hosting the Summerland Steam at Golden Arena at 7:30 pm on Friday before heading to Creston on Saturday to battle the Thunder Cats at Johnny Bucyk Arena at 7:30 pm.
Eddie Mountain Division Standings:
| TEAM | GP | W | L | T | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | DIFF | STR |
| Kimberley Dynamiters | 16 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 63 | 40 | 23 | W1 |
| Creston Valley Thunder Cats | 15 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 59 | 51 | 8 | L2 |
| Fernie Ghostriders | 16 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 62 | 50 | 12 | W2 |
| Columbia Valley Rockies | 14 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 45 | 44 | 1 | W1 |
| Golden Rockets | 15 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 48 | 53 | -5 | W1 |