BROOKS, AB (November 16, 2018) – Andrew Lucas (Alexandria, VA) scored twice, including the game-winner, as the Brooks Bandits (20-2) broke a 3-3 third period tie with four consecutive goals, en route to a 7-3 win over the Spruce Grove Saints on Friday night.
The win was a measure of revenge for the Bandits after having fallen to the Saints on the road a few weeks earlier; just the team’s second loss of the year at the time.
Spruce Grove opened the scoring just 2:57 into the game on a breakaway when Nick Leyer beat Pierce Charleson (Aurora, ON) with a quick wrist shot. But Brooks tied it less than two minutes later when Tyler Campbell (Winnipeg, MB) collected a rebound at the left side of the Saints net and swept the puck by Spruce Grove goalie Liam McCloskey. Despite outshooting the Saints 12-5 in the first, the Bandits remained tied after 20.
In the second, Brooks converted on its first power play when Luke Bast (Red Deer, AB) sniped a high glove-side shot from the left circle to give the home side its first lead of the night. Jordan Biro equalized for the visitors on a rebound at the left side of the net at 9:11, before Bobby Harrison (Waterdown, ON) backhanded home a rebound goal at 14:32 to put Brooks back out in front. Again, despite a whopping 23-9 second period shot advantage, the Bandits found themselves tied after the 2nd, after Biro scored his second of the game at the 18:07 mark.
But the third period was all Bandits, with Lucas scoring the eventual game winner at 12:26 on a high wrister from the right circle, set up by Andranik Armstrong (Alexandria, VA) at the end wall.
Just over three minutes later, Lucas attempted to fire a diagonal pass from the right point to a teammate at the backdoor; but the puck ricocheted off a Spruce Grove defenceman’s skate and into the Saints net to make it 5-3 Brooks with less than five minutes left.
Just as the game entered the final minute and the Saints pulled the goalie, Mack Hancock (Kingston, ON) fired a puck home from the red line for an empty netter and a Wendy’s Cheeseburger Challenge goal, the first of the season, giving all 1,343 in attendance a free burger in addition to the entertaining game.
Harrison capped off the scoring at 19:34, sweeping home a rebound from the slot to notch the 7-3 final score. The Bandits outshot the Saints 43-19 in the game, going 1 for 3 on the power play and 1 for 1 on the penalty kill.
Brooks will attempt to carry that momentum over to a major rivalry game Saturday night in Okotoks against the Oilers. Pre-game coverage starts at 6:45 PM on Real Country 105.7.