BROOKS, AB (September 18, 2015) – The Brooks Bandits (3-0) took an early lead, and held their composure through second period shenanigans by the visiting Drumheller Dragons, as the home side continued its undefeated streak with a 7-1 win on Friday night in front of a crowd of 1,457.
The Bandits scored five times in the first period before the Dragons drew the crowd’s ire with post-whistle attacks on Brooks players in the second, leading to 11 Bandit power plays total.
Fresh off a home opener hat trick, Bandits captain Derek Lodermeier (Brooklyn Center, MN) opened the scoring just 70 seconds into the game, out-waiting five Dragon defenders and goaltender Jonny Hogue and tucking a puck around the sprawling goaltender for the early 1-0 lead.
At the 5:21 mark, Austin Wright (Niagara Falls, ON) fired a puck from the left circle past Hogue’s glove hand, ringing the right post as the puck deflected into the net to make it 2-0 Brooks.
At 11:13, Kyler Nachtigall (Calgary, AB) was denied on a chance alone in front of the net, but collected his own rebound and centered the puck to a waiting Jesse Pereira (Fort Erie, ON), who one-timed the puck into an open net for a 3-0 advantage.
Reigning AJHL Player of the Week Dylan McCrory (Kirkland, PQ) then snapped a wrist shot from the left circle past Hogue to make it 4-0 on the power play, before Cale Makar (Calgary, AB) ended the first period scoring, finishing a 2-on-1 pass from Nachtigall to make it 5-0 at the 16:47 mark.
In the second period, the play degraded when Ryan Chynoweth was knocked down by a hip check from Shane Bear (Calgary, AB). After falling on top of the Bandit defenceman, the former WHLer grabbed Bear and began punching him with his gloves still on, drawing only a 4-minute roughing penalty in the process. On the ensuing power play, Hogue slashed Wright in the back of the legs after making a save, while Clint Filbrandt tackled Wright to the ice and began punching him, and Connor Duncan dropped his gloves and attacked Josh McKechney (Calgary, AB).
Wright was given a slashing penalty despite not having made contact with any other player prior to being slashed himself, while Filbrandt was not penalized. Duncan was assessed an instigator and fighting major, and Hogue a slashing minor, putting the Bandits on a 2-man advantage. Late in the period, McKechney got his revenge with a turnaround wrist shot from the right side of the net, beating Hogue for the Bandits’ sixth goal.
In the third, the Bandits extended the lead to seven after Chynoweth hauled down McCrory by the neck in the Dragons’ zone. McCrory still managed to get the puck to Makar at the blue line, who fed Pereira at the right circle for a one-timer goal and his second of the game.
The Dragons broke Josh Davies’ (Guelph, ON) shutout bid at the 16:06 mark on a low shot by Evan Rochowiak. Otherwise, Davies made 22 saves on 23 shots for his third straight win, while Hogue made 32 saves on 39 shots.
The Bandits were 4 for 11 on the power play and a perfect 6 for 6 on the penalty kill.
Next, Brooks hosts the Okotoks Oilers in the second game of the weekend home stand on Saturday night. Puck drop is 7:00 PM at the Centennial Regional Arena with pre-game coverage beginning at 6:45 on the home of the Bandits, Q105.7.