The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League features three games Friday in the Eddie Mountain Division, including the Golden Rockets return to the Plywood Palace.
Playing out of Cranbrook for over a month due to a failing ammonia ice chiller at Golden Arena, the Rockets officially return to their home rink Friday to host the Spokane Braves at 7:30 pm. Golden Arena is eventually getting a new ice chiller, but a temporary solution has been found to allow the Rockets to return to their home rink. The failing ammonia ice chiller indefinitely closed the facility in late November but has since reopened this weekend.
Meanwhile, the Columbia Valley Rockies host the Kimberley Dynamiters at 7:30 pm Friday from Invermere’s Eddie Mountain Memorial Arena, while the Fernie Ghostriders kick off a two-game road swing in Sicamous. The Ghostriders will then battle the Revelstoke Grizzlies on Saturday before heading back to Fernie Memorial Arena on Sunday to take on the Spokane Braves at 7:30 pm.
Besides Fernie’s matchup with Revelstoke, Saturday night features three other local games.
The Kimberley Dynamiters will entertain the Golden Rockets at 7:00 pm from the Kimberley Civic Centre, the Columbia Valley Rockies host the Spokane Braves at 7:30 pm, and the Creston Valley Thunder Cats play their only game of the weekend against the Beaver Valley Nitehawks at 7:30 pm from Creston’s Johnny Bucyk Arena.
Entering the weekend, the Fernie Ghostriders are on a four-game winning streak while the Creston Valley Thunder Cats are hoping to erase their five-game slide.
Eddie Mountain Division Standings:
| TEAM | GP | W | L | T | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | DIFF | STR |
| Kimberley Dynamiters | 35 | 29 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 60 | 140 | 78 | 62 | L1 |
| Fernie Ghostriders | 35 | 21 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 46 | 143 | 108 | 35 | W4 |
| Columbia Valley Rockies | 35 | 18 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 42 | 122 | 102 | 20 | W2 |
| Creston Valley Thunder Cats | 33 | 15 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 35 | 115 | 123 | -8 | L5 |
| Golden Rockets | 32 | 12 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 26 | 102 | 120 | -18 | W1 |
