CAMROSE, AB (January 17, 2017) – The Brooks Bandits (34-3-4) extended their win streak to twelve games, and their streak without a regulation loss to 28 games, with a 5-2 road win over the Camrose Kodiaks at Encana Arena on Tuesday night.
The Bandits took the lead on two first period goals, and an early third period marker by Arnaud Vachon (Ajax, ON), his second of the game, stood up as the game winner.
The opening goal came on the team’s first power play of the game when Ty Mappin (Big Valley, AB) circled around the zone from the left boards all the way around to the right corner and behind the Kodiak net, before firing a quick pass to a waiting Vachon in the slot for a top shelf one-timer goal and a 1-0 Bandit lead at the 3:42 mark.
Brooks doubled the lead just over four minutes later, when a Josh McKechney (Calgary, AB) shot from the right hashmarks banked off of defenceman Charlie Marchand (Calgary, AB) and into the back of the Kodiak net for a 2-0 lead after 1.
The Bandits outshot the Kodiaks 19-5 in the first, but the second period was a different story, with Camrose narrowing the shot count to 14-13 Brooks and scoring the only goal of the middle frame, a Tate Coughlin tip of a Joseph Tambasco point shot on the power play to make it a one-goal game after two.
But Brooks pulled away in the third with two quick goals. First, Vachon registered his second of the night as he one-timed a loose puck in the slot over Camrose goalie Patrick Gora’s shoulder for a 3-1 lead just under 7 minutes into the third.
On the very next shift, Jake Theis (Chanhassen, MN) stole the puck from a Kodiak behind the net, and cut his way out in front, backhanded a point blank shot past Gora just 19 seconds after Vachon’s goal for a 4-1 lead.
Camrose clawed closer with a Nicolas Correale power play goal on a shot from the bottom of the right circle at the 13:46 mark, but Brooks responded when a long cross-ice pass by Oliver Chau (Oakville, ON) on the power play found Mappin at the right circle, whose quick shot beat Gora to notch the 5-2 final score.
The Bandits extended their division lead over Okotoks to 13 points, with 2 games in hand, while their lead over Whitecourt for first in the league remained at eight points, but with 3 games in hand on the Wolverines.
Brooks next returns home for two special home games on Friday and Saturday night with the Calgary Mustangs and Calgary Canucks, respectively. Friday night will see Calgary Flames goalie Chad Johnson return for his induction into the new Smith Group Bandits Wall of Fame, while Saturday will be the team’s annual Charity Jersey Night benefitting the Canadian Mental Health Association. Tickets for both games are available online at tickets.brooksbandits.ca.
Photo credit: Sean Mascaluk / Pro Sports Photography