*Author, Bradley Jones. MyEastKootenayNow.com*
The playoff picture is set in the KIJHL’s Eddie Mountain Division as the Creston Valley Thunder Cats locked up the fourth and final spot on Thursday with a 4-3 victory over the Grand Forks Border Bruins, entering the second last weekend of the regular season.
Kimberley, Fernie, Columbia Valley, and Creston Valley will all meet in the playoffs in a couple of weeks, but they still have at least four games remaining on their regular season schedules.
On Friday, the Kimberley Dynamiters host the Columbia Valley Rockies at 7:00 pm MST from the Civic Centre, the Fernie Ghostriders welcome the Spokane Braves to Fernie Memorial Arena at 7:30 pm MST and the Creston Valley Thunder Cats hit the road to take on the Nelson Leafs at 7:00 pm PST.
Then on Saturday, the Rockies host the Ghostriders at Eddie Mountain Memorial Arena at 7:00 pm in Invermere, the Thunder Cats return to Creston to host the Castlegar Rebels at Johnny Bucyk Arena at 7:30 pm MST, while the Golden Rockets entertain the Spokane Braves at 7:30 pm MST.
The Kimberley Dynamiters formally close out the weekend on Sunday with a 2:00 pm matchup at the Civic Centre against the Spokane Braves.
With just four games remaining on the majority of the team’s schedules only Columbia Valley and Creston Valley have the chance of moving in the standings, as the Rockies are currently four points ahead of the Thunder Cats for third spot in the Eddie Mountain Division. Kimberley is locked into the top seed and will play the fourth-seeded team in the opening round of the playoffs while Fernie Ghostriders are second in the division and will take on the third-seeded team.
Eddie Mountain Division Standings
| TEAM | GP | W | L | T | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | DIFF | STR |
| zyx Kimberley Dynamiters | 45 | 36 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 75 | 181 | 106 | 75 | L1 |
| x Fernie Ghostriders | 45 | 29 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 63 | 191 | 135 | 56 | W1 |
| x Columbia Valley Rockies | 45 | 22 | 16 | 2 | 5 | 51 | 153 | 132 | 21 | L2 |
| x Creston Valley Thunder Cats | 44 | 20 | 17 | 1 | 6 | 47 | 149 | 172 | -23 | W1 |
| Golden Rockets | 45 | 17 | 25 | 1 | 2 | 37 | 142 | 167 | -25 | L1 |
z = Clinched Conference, y = Clinched Division, x = Clinched Playoffs