The Kimberley Dynamites and Creston Valley Thunder Cats are tied 1-1 in the opening round of the KIJHL playoffs, as both teams traded wins at the Kimberley Civic Centre over the weekend, ahead of Games 3 and 4 in Creston on Monday and Tuesday.
Entering the KIJHL playoffs as the top team and the top seed in the Eddie Mountain Division, the Kimberley Dynamiters were upset 3-2 in overtime Friday in Game 1.
Kimberley would take a 2-0 lead after a first period goal from Brock Palmer and another goal from Beau Larson midway through the second. The Thunder Cats would close the gap with a tally from Benjamin Kruse later in the second period, while Connor Scammell would tie the game midway through the third. Neither team could find the game-winning goal in regulation, forcing overtime.
In the first overtime period, Corbin Cockerill would score for the Thunder Cats, stealing the 3-2 win from the Dynamiters. Kimberley outshot Creston 38-26, as Jaden Little made 36 saves for the Thunder Cats in the win, boasting a .947 SV%. In net for the Dynamiters, Adam Andersen made 23 saves in the loss.
Looking to rebound in Game 2, the top-seeded Dynamiters shutout the Thunder Cats 4-0 at the Kimberley Civic Centre on Saturday.
The Dynamiters fired 44 shots on goal in the win. Josh Makarchuk, Jed Butler, Brock Palmer, and Jett Saharchuk all scored in the win. Adam Andersen bounced back in net, making 15 saves for the shutout.
With the best-of-seven series tied 1-1, both teams will look to take a definitive lead in Game 3 and Game 4 from Creston’s Johnny Bucyk Arena. The Thunder Cats host the Dynamiters at 7:30 pm on Monday and Tuesday.
| Series | Date | Teams | Location | Time |
| Game 1 | Fri. February 28th | Dynamiters (2) vs Thunder Cats (3) | Kimberley Civic Centre | 7:00pm |
| Game 2 | Sat. February 28th | Dynamiters (4) vs Thunder Cats (0) | Kimberley Civic Centre | 7:00pm |
| Game 3 | Mon. March 2nd | Thunder Cats vs Dynamiters | Johnny Bucyk Arena | 7:30pm |
| Game 4 | Tues. March 3rd | Thunder Cats vs Dynamiters | Johnny Bucyk Arena | 7:30pm |
| Game 5 | Thurs. March 5th | Dynamiters vs Thunder Cats | Kimberley Civic Centre | 7:00pm |
| Game 6* | Fri. March 6th | Thunder Cats vs Dynamiters | Johnny Bucyk Arena | 7:30pm |
| Game 7* | Sun. March 8th | Dynamiters vs Thunder Cats | Kimberley Civic Centre | 7:00pm |
More: Playoff Preview – (#1) Kimberley Dynamiters vs (#4) Creston Valley Thunder Cats
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