BROOKS, AB (October 17, 2020) ? Jared Whale made 23 saves and Brayden Krieger scored the game winner as the Brooks Bandits picked up their 4th straight win on Saturday night, beating the Okotoks Oilers 3-1 at the Centennial Regional Arena.
Brooks has won all four games of the series so far, with two games remaining.
For the first time in the series, the Oilers got on the board first. Forward Nolan Flint tipped in a point shot (14:44) for the only goal of the game from the visitors. Brooks would immediately tie the game 90 seconds later as defenceman Ethan Lund (Calgary, AB) knocked in a rebound off a Sean Chisholm (Caledonia, ON) shot. Brooks outshot Okotoks 11-4 in the 1st period.
Only one goal was scored in the 2nd frame. Krieger (Elora, ON) blasted a one-timer from the left circle (5:55) on the powerplay to give Brooks a 2-1 lead. After several posts and great goaltending from Whale and Oilers starter Taylor Gauthier, the scored remained close for most of the game.
Until the final minute, when forward TJ Hughes (Hamilton, ON) scored on an empty net to seal a 3-1 victory for the Bandits. Final shots were 25-23 Brooks.
Series: Bandits lead 4 games to 0
Oct 9th: Oilers 2 @ Bandits 5
Oct10th: Bandits 4 @ Oilers 3 OT
Oct 16th: Bandits 6@ Oilers 5 OT
Oct 17th: Oilers 1 @ Bandits 3
Oct 23rd: Bandits @ Oilers
Oct 24th: Oilers @ Bandits
The Bandits and Oilers will meet again on Friday, October 23rd at Pason Centennial Arena in Okotoks. Game time is 7:00 PM, with live coverage on Real Country 105.7 FM and Hockey TV.
Photo credit: Bryan Wilson