The South Shore Kings defeated the Grand Junction River Hawks in the Dineen Cup championship series Monday night at the Mountain America Center in Idaho Falls.
Both teams, along with the Idaho Falls Spud Kings, are part of the United States Premier Hockey League's National Collegiate Development Conference, or NCDC, which is the USPHS’s highest level of junior hockey, according to the league website.
After a quick Grand Junction goal less than three minutes into the game, it was all South Shore from that point on.
The Kings responded with a goal of their own toward the end of the first period, then Idaho native and Kings center Corwith Simmers scored the only goal of the second period to help his team take its first lead of the night.
With about three minutes left in the game, the River Hawks pulled their goalie in a desperate attempt to tie the game, but the Kings finished the job with an empty net goal to win the game 3-1.
Hundreds of fans gathered at the Mountain America Center to cheer on both teams and celebrate the event, despite the Spud Kings being eliminated from the tournament just days prior.
Idaho Falls resident Dan Bowman is part of a billet family, which provides a place for junior hockey players to live and stay at during the season when they are playing, traded or traveling. Bowman's family has done this for the past three years.
Grand Junction defenseman Bradley Boniface stayed with the Bowman family when he played for the Spud Kings back in 2024 and 2025.
Bowman says bringing the Dineen Cup to Idaho Falls has a big impact on the community.
"I think it's a huge thing for hockey in east Idaho," Bowman said. "The Spud Kings have great fans, but for a team like the River Hawks, as a first-year team, it just grows the sport on the west coast. The NCDC is an east coast-centric league, so it brings the sport out here and really amplifies the fan base out in the west coast."
With the win, the South Shore Kings force a winner-take-all finale tonight at 7 p.m. in the Mountain America Center. For tickets, just go to Ticketmaster.