CANMORE, AB (October 29, 2019) ? Randy Hernandez (Miami, FL) had two goals, while TJ Hughes (Hamilton, ON) scored once in regulation and once in extra time, as the Brooks Bandits (18-0) extended their season-opening win streak to 18 games with a 5-4 shootout win in Canmore on Tuesday night.
With the win, the Bandits tied the 1993-94 Olds Grizzlys for the second-longest season-opening win streak in Alberta Junior Hockey League history.
Canmore opened the scoring at the 15:39 mark of the first when captain Tian Rask was left open in the slot and fired a quick wrister by Bandit goalie Pierce Charleson (Aurora, ON). But Hernandez replied with two goals in the span of 41 seconds, taking a turnover at the right point, driving in front and tucking a backhander by Kadin Kilpatrick at the 18:13 mark. The second came almost identically, with Hernandez taking the puck away, driving by a Canmore defender, and again tucking the backhander by a sprawling goaltender to give Brooks its first lead of the night.
But Hernandez replied with two goals in the span of 41 seconds, taking a turnover at the right point, driving in front and tucking a backhander by Kadin Kilpatrick at the 18:13 mark. The second came almost identically, with Hernandez taking the puck away, driving by a Canmore defender, and again tucking the backhander by a sprawling goaltender to give Brooks its first lead of the night.
In the second, Hughes extended the lead at 3:59 on a short side shot from the right circle off the rush, giving the Bandits a 3-1 advantage. But Alex Young scored on wrister from the left circle at 5:40 to bring the Eagles back within one.
The Bandits outshot the Eagles 11-3 in the third, but two of the three Eagle shots ended up as goals. First, Young scored from the slot on a one-timer at 4:43 to tie the game 3-3. With the Bandits on a power play shortly thereafter, Tim Rego (Mansfield, MA) fired a shot from the slot that rang under the Canmore crossbar. Shortly after that, Trey Thomas (Williams Lake, BC) scored from the right circle on the same power play. But after an officials? discussion, Rego was ruled to have scored, and was awarded the goal at the 6:40 mark with the clock rewound to match.
But the Eagles pressed late and tied the game again with 1:07 left when a long range Connor Lyons shot deflected by Charleson.
In overtime, both Hernandez and Brayden Krieger (Elora, ON) hit crossbars, and Canmore outshot the Bandits 4-2 but couldn?t solve Charleson either, with the game going to the shootout.
Charleson stopped Brent Schuldhaus with his pad to start, and Hughes followed up by scoring on a forehand shot to give Brooks the advantage. Alex Young?s wrister was snagged by Charleson?s glove, but Kilpatrick stopped Brayden Krieger with his right pad to give Canmore a chance to force a fourth round. But Connor Lyons? backhander was flipped wide of the Brooks net, and the Bandits skated off with the lengthy win streak intact.
VIDEO: Here’s tonight’s shootout that extended the Bandits’ win streak to 18 games! #AJHL pic.twitter.com/YEoFhhIKQz
? Brooks Bandits (@BrooksBandits) October 30, 2019
The Bandits return home to host the Drumheller Dragons on Saturday night at the CRA, aiming for a 19-game win streak; tickets are available online at tickets.brooksbandits.ca.