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On Friday night, it resulted in a 3-0 victory over the Golden Rockets. On Saturday, it was a 7-1 drubbing of the Columbia Valley Rockies.
Although both wins were important victories against Eddie Mountain Division opponents, that’s not what’s most gratifying to Kevin MacKay.
“We were very convincing over both nights,” said the Kimberley head coach and general manager. “We played extremely well. We got a few breaks here and there, but I think they were convincing wins. I thought we were in control of both games, from start to finish.”
Nitros #30 Tory Caldwell
Tory Caldwell was a dynamo in net, turning aside 48 of 49 shots over the weekend for a 0.50 goals against average.
“Giving up only one goal in two games, we were pretty strong defensively for the most part. Tory was excellent on Friday night against Golden, and when he needed to make the big save he made the big save,” said MacKay.
The stellar goals-against is also a function of the players buying into their coaches’ message to get pucks out quickly and backcheck hard.
“I thought Friday night, our puck pursuit from the back check was extremely good. Guys were really coming hard back, and that really helped out in the defensive zone.”
On Saturday, they didn’t face quite the same challenge against the basement-dwelling Rockies, scoring five powerplay goals and getting 58 shots on net.
Defenceman Logan Gutfriend had three assists, setting up the opening goal from Mason Spear four minutes in.
Thierry Martine and Brennan Romanovitch scored powerplay goals on either side of Mike Vaughan’s marker for a 3-1 lead entering the second period.
The Rockies buried themselves that frame, giving up five power plays in a row during the first 11 minutes.
Kimberley scored on three of them, with Matt Foster, Taylor McDowell and Corey Allen each earning a notch. Foster closed out scoring at 12:38 with the teams skating four a side.
Of the goals scored Saturday night, MacKay said McDowell’s sticks out.
“He had a strong game for us,” said the coach. “He walked off the half wall… got in tight and he took it right over (goalie Jeff Magee’s) shoulder. It was a nice, quick rocket up top. That’s something I think Taylor would tell you he needs to do more of: shoot the puck.”
MacKay said scoring from beyond the top two lines would be important in the nine remaining regular season games, and into the playoffs.
“Teams are going to try to shut down certain lines and certain players on our team, so that third and fourth unit and hopefully our defence can generate more goals from the backend,” he said.
The Romanovitch line, with Foster and the recently acquired Kieran Spice, was Kimberley’s most potent over the weekend. Each player collected two points in each game, for 12 altogether.
#16 Kieran Spice #19 Brennan Romanovitch
Spice and Romanovitch had played together as far back as their minor hockey days in Calgary, and as recently as at Grand Forks earlier this season.
“Kieran Spice has fit in well there, with his connection to Romo. Matt and Romo have a connection going, so the three of them have really fed off quite well on one another,” said MacKay.
On Friday, Foster scored two minutes into the second period, and Brennan Foreman added another three minutes later.
Romanovitch closed out scoring mere seconds into the third, and Caldwell earned his first shutout of the year.
By beating the Rockets and Rockies, the Dynamiters pulled to within one point of Golden and one point above the Creston Thundercats.
MacKay said the Dynamiters have to be very goal-oriented and are keeping cool about their four-point weekend.
“We’re expecting to run the table as much as we can, and the guys are working hard at that,” he said. “We’re not getting too high after the weekend — it was just two wins and two wins that we needed — and I think that’s a great sign. They’re going in expecting to win these games, so the reaction after we win it is pretty even-keeled.”
Black-and blue-line
The Dynamiters played much of the weekend with just five defencemen, after Corson Johnstone had his bell rung against Golden.
Fellow blueliner Jeremy Kelso is out for the season after suffering a dislocated shoulder the previous weekend.
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