BROOKS, AB (September 1, 2017) – The Brooks Bandits (0-2) scored first and held their first lead of the exhibition campaign, but fell 4-2 to the visiting Penticton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) on Friday night.
The game was played in front of an announced crowd of 1,058, the second straight four-digit pre-season attendance figure for the team.
The Bandits controlled the early pace of play, outshooting Penticton 9-0 in the first half of the opening period but taking a scoreless draw into the first intermission.
In the second, the Bandits broke through when newcomer Nolan Thompson (Calgary, AB) fired a low shot through the five hole of goalie Nolan Hildebrand to make it 1-0 Brooks. But off of a faceoff, Taylor Ward wristed one home from the slot to knot the game at 1-1.
Penticton took its first lead when Ben Allen tapped home a backdoor feed, but the Bandits then tied it on a Colin McCaughey (Boxford, MA) rebound try after a Bandits point shot. The shots were tied 23-23 after the second as well.
But Penticton was the only team to score in the third – first a Lukas Sillinger backdoor tap in, then a Ryan Sandelin empty netter in the final minute to seal the 4-2 final score.
The Bandits take on Penticton in the rematch on Saturday afternoon at 4:00 PM at the CRA in a game that will mark the halfway point of the team’s exhibition schedule so far.