BROOKS, AB (October 31, 2015) – Parker Foo (Edmonton, AB) and Jared Cockrell (Byfield, MA) combined for three points each, as the Brooks Bandits (12-3-2) won their fourth straight, taking down the visiting Calgary Canucks (7-13-1) by a 6-2 score in front of 1,115 fans at the Centennial Regional Arena on Halloween Night Saturday.
With the win, the Bandits remain 1 point back of the Camrose Kodiaks for first place in the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s South division, with a game in hand.
“I thought, for the most part, we played pretty well for sixty minutes,” said Bandits assistant coach Scott Cunningham. “Parker [Foo] left off where he was last night against Camrose, played real hard, executed some plays down low, and he and Jared [Cockrell] did it again tonight.”
Cockrell and Foo hooked up for the night’s first goal only 5:27 in when Cockrell skated his way from the left corner of the Calgary zone, up to the blue line, across to the right boards, and down to the bottom of the right circle, before flinging a pass in front to Foo, who while falling got a backhand shot away that snuck past Caiden Kreitz to make it 1-0.
At the 12:55 mark, a similar play saw Foo chip a puck to Cockrell at the side of the net, who quickly tapped a pass through the crease to a waiting Charlie Marchand (Calgary, AB), who tapped it in for his second career goal and a 2-0 Bandits lead.
In the second, Brooks extended its lead only 23 seconds in when a Logan Aasman (Medicine Hat, AB) point shot off the rush was tipped into the back of the net by captain Derek Lodermeier (Brooklyn Center, MN).
Just under seven minutes later, Calgary got on the board with a Hunter Routheau backhand shot from the side of the net. But just over 90 seconds after that, a Cale Makar shot off a faceoff rang the post behind Kreitz; the rebound came to Hayden Ursulak (Calgary, AB), and his shot bounced off the body of teammate Will Conley (Strathmore, AB) and into the back of the Calgary net to make it 4-1 Bandits.
In the third, a shorthanded breakway goal by Kyler Magus made things interesting at 4-2, until Foo scored his second of the game on another perfect cross-crease setup by Cockrell to reclaim a three-goal lead. Jesse Pereiera (Fort Erie, ON) capped off the scoring with a power play goal on the rush, firing a puck in from the left circle with 1:25 left in the game to notch the 6-2 final.
Two fights also broke out in the third, with Joe O’Connor (Hamden, CT) defending himself against Greydon Robinson, while the WHL veteran Aasman was involved in a lengthy tilt with Zach McNeill of the Canucks.
The Bandits outshot Calgary 46-28 in the game, going 1 for 6 on the power play and a perfect 3 for 3 on the penalty kill. Cockrell extended his personal point streak to 6 games, with 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists) in that span with his three assist night, while Foo managed two goals and one assist, and Cale Makar (Calgary, AB) had four assists.
The Bandits finished the month of October with an 8-1-2 record.
“I think everybody should feel great,” said Cunningham of the team’s month. “The game last night against Camrose – we played pretty well, tonight we played pretty well, and with the return of Jeff Malott hopefully next week against Camrose that’ll be another confidence boost for our club.”
Brooks will return to action next Friday afternoon in Camrose for a rare weekday afternoon game, taking on the first place Kodiaks at 3:00 PM.
Pre-game coverage starts on Q105.7 at 2:45.
Shoppers Drug Mart Player of the Game: #22 Parker Foo
Boston Pizza Hardest Working Bandit: #16 Jared Cockrell