The Kimberley Dynamiters know that sometimes you have to pay a price in the playoffs. Thierry Martine’s empty stall is proof that price sometimes helps put dentists’ children through college.

The winger is back home in Oliver after taking a slapshot in the face Saturday night in Creston. It pulverized a half dozen teeth and chipped several more, which are in the process of being capped.

While he won’t be corporally present when his club looks to avoid playoff elimination for the second straight game tonight, his spirit will be.

“We keep his jersey up in his stall with his name facing us, so he’s always on our minds,” said defenceman Trevor Grier, who counts Martine among his best friends on the team.

“I saw him on Sunday morning, and he was still in really good spirits and definitely on our team’s side.”

Creston holds a 3-1 advantage in the Eddie Mountain Division semi-final, but Kimberley has the momentum after winning Game 4 at home on Tuesday night.

One thing they don’t have on their side is history — at least for this season.

The Dynamiters have failed to win a single game at Johnny Bucyk Arena in six tries between the regular season and playoffs. A couple of overtime losses (including Saturday, when Martine was hurt) are as close as they’ve come so far.

Grier knows that is bound to change.

“It’s never fun to play in that arena, but I know that with this lineup right now, we’re going to have some success there eventually,” he said.

“Personally, I feel we were the better team in the first three games. We just weren’t rewarded. Coming back on home ice, I was really disappointed we didn’t get the win (Monday) night, really surprised. I guess (Tuesday’s win) makes it all worth while.”

The winner of this series will go on to face the Fernie Ghostriders, who completed their four-game sweep of the Golden Rockets on Tuesday night. They dominated, with three shutouts and an aggregate score of 19-2.

Over in the Neil Murdoch Division, the Nelson Leafs lead the Beaver Valley Nitehawks 3-1, while the Spokane Braves and Castlegar Rebels are tied 2-2. Both series resume tonight.

The first round in the Okanagan Conference has been settled, with the Sicamous Eagles sweeping the Penticton Lakers in three games.

The Chase Chiefs escorted the Kamloops Storm to an early exit, winning 3-1. Hopefully the Storm like practice, because they’ll have plenty of it by the time they host the Western Canadian junior B championship Keystone Cup April 15 to 18.

In the second round, the Chiefs will play the Revelstoke Grizzlies while Sicamous takes on the Princeton Posse. Revelstoke and Princeton each had a bye through the opening round.