CAMROSE, AB (September 27, 2019) ? The Brooks Bandits (6-0) continued their hot start to the 2019-20 season on Friday afternoon, downing the Fort McMurray Oil Barons 3-2 in a shootout in their final game of this year?s AJHL Showcase at the Max McLean Arena.
Both teams held one-goal leads during the game, with the see-saw battle featuring stellar goaltending performances from Fort McMurray?s Evan Fradette and the Bandits? Pierce Charleson (Aurora, ON).
Fort McMurray opened the scoring just 6:48 into the game when Max Johnson jammed home a puck on a net front scramble. But a turnover at the red line gave Chris Pappas (Toronto, ON) a clearcut breakaway on Fradette, on which he converted with a forehand shot to tie the game 1-1.
Brooks broke that tie in the second when Randy Hernandez (Miami, FL) fired in a top shelf wrister from the left circle on a power play. But in the third, the Bandits were caught on a 2-man disadvantage and saw the lead evaporate on a Michael Hodge game-tying goal at the 14:06 mark.
Brooks outshot Fort McMurray 5-2 in overtime (and 32-25 overall) but couldn?t solve Fradette until the shootout. Hodge converted first for the Oil Barons, but Brayden Krieger fired home a forehand shot to tie it after the first round. Charleson made a pad stop on Alec Johnson next, and TJ Hughes (Hamilton, ON) scored for Brooks to put the Oil Barons on their heels. Charleson stayed with Ty Budai, who made a backhand to forehand move but ended up flipping the puck wide of the net, giving the Bandits the dramatic win.
Brooks returns home Friday night, hosting the Camrose Kodiaks at 7 PM and aiming for a 7-0 start to the year. Tickets are available online at tickets.brooksbandits.ca.