DRAYTON VALLEY, AB (November 8, 2019) ? Brayden Krieger (Elora, ON) scored shorthanded 1:20 into overtime, completing a four-goal comeback by the Brooks Bandits (22-0) on the road Friday night, as they downed the Drayton Valley Thunder 5-4 to continue their league-record win streak to start the season.
The Bandits came back from a 4-1 deficit early in the third period to force the extra frame.
Drayton Valley notched the first two goals of the game on markers from Jeremy Klessens at the 4:22 and 6:28 marks of the first period. Randy Hernandez (Miami, FL) scored on a wrister from the slot on the power play at 9:34 to cut the deficit in half, but despite outshooting the Thunder 9-6, the Bandits found themselves trailing after one.
In the second, Drayton Valley outshot the Bandits 16-11, but only converted once, on a 2-on-1 rush on which Ty Whitford beat Pierce Charleson (Aurora, ON) on a low shot from the slot.
The Thunder appeared to take control 6:02 into the third when Whitford again beat Charleson on a breakaway shot to make it 4-1. But the comeback began soon after, with Brooks outshooting the Thunder 20-6 in the period. First, Greg Japchen (Doylestown, PA) fired home a long point shot at the 8:08 mark, beating goalie Rory Dumelie through a screen. 59 seconds later, Tim Rego (Mansfield, MA) tipped a puck in from the top of the crease to pull the team within one.
Finally, another Japchen shot was deflected in by Sean Chisholm (Caledonia, ON) at the net front with just 1:55 left in regulation to tie the game.
Brooks was awarded a late power play in the third, but saw it evaporate when Hernandez was called for roughing after pushing down a Thunder player who had blocked a shot of his. The 4-on-4 sequence continued until the overtime frame began, at which point the 3-on-3 gave way to a 4-on-3 Thunder power play. With time dwindling in the Hernandez minor, Trey Thomas (Williams Lake, BC) poked the puck ahead from his own zone to Krieger, who sped through neutral ice, carried in on a 1-on-2 rush, drove to the left side of the Thunder net, and threaded the needle short side on Dumelie to send the Bandits streaming off the bench with the dramatic comeback win.
VIDEO: Brayden Krieger scores in overtime to complete the comeback for the Brooks Bandits in a 5-4 win in Drayton Valley, extending their record to 22-0! #AJHL pic.twitter.com/BaY9uWLVaI
? Brooks Bandits (@BrooksBandits) November 9, 2019
Brooks outshot the Thunder 41-28 in the game, going 1 for 3 on the power play and a perfect 2 for 2 with a shorthanded goal on the penalty kill.
They will next put their win streak to the test Saturday night when they take on the Spruce Grove Saints, with puck drop scheduled for 7:00. Pre-game coverage starts at 6:45 on Real Country 105.7.