BONNYVILLE, AB (September 26, 2015) – The Brooks Bandits (4-2) allowed 5 power play goals and a shorthanded goal, as special teams led the way for the home Bonnyville Pontiacs (3-5-1) on Saturday night, as Brooks fell 7-1 to cap off a two-game North division road trip.
The Bandits, outshot 36-20, were put on the penalty kill 14 times on the night, compared to five power play opportunities.
“Credit to Bonnyville; they used their power plays well,” said Bandits head coach and GM Ryan Papaioannou. “They made us work. Our PK wasn’t great, and our guys know that, but at the end of the day we were on the PK way more times than we should have been.”
An early hooking penalty to Joe O’Connor (Hamden, CT) set up the opening goal when Bonnyville captain Steenn Pasichnuk hammered home a one timer from the blue line at 7:21. Just over three minutes later, Bobby McMann poked home a puck on a net front scramble on another power play, this from a Dylan McCrory (Kirkland, PQ) slashing penalty, to make it 2-0.
In the second, a rare Bandits power play led to a Bonnyville shorthanded goal when McMann scored his second on a close range short side wrist shot for a 3-0 lead. Brinson Pasichnuk’s long one-timer make it 4-0 at the 14:34 mark, and Ryan Symington had a puck bounce to him in the slot at 19:15 and fired it top shelf on Josh Davies (Guelph, ON) to make it 5-0.
In the third, the Bandits were outshot 11-3 and allowed two more power play goals. The first was Steenn Pasichnuk’s second at the ten minute, while just over two minutes later Charlie Gawlicki converted on a close range wrist shot for a 7-0 lead.
Jared Cockrell (Byfield, MA) got the lone Bandits goal at 14:22, jamming in a puck from the top of the crease past Olivier Charest to narrow the deficit to 6.
“We need to get back, we need to look at our video, I think our guys need some rest, and we’ve got to get passionate about the way we play,” Papaioannou added. “We were slow tonight, and if we play slow against Spruce Grove – we know the way that they play – it’ll be another long, long night.”
With the loss, the Bandits remain 2 points out of first place in the AJHL South Division. They will travel to Camrose next week for two Showcase games against the Spruce Grove Saints at 7:00 PM on Thursday, and the Lloydminster Bobcats at 3:30 PM on Friday. Coverage of both games begins fifteen minutes before puck drop on the home of the Bandits, Q105.7.