By Matt Nemeth

Bandits gearing up for Western Canada Cup

Apr 24, 2017 | 6:02 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — On Saturday the best Junior ‘A’ hockey teams in western Canada will begin their march towards the RBC Cup and the Brooks Bandits are one of them.

The Bandits captured their second AJHL title in a row this year after losing just a single game in the playoffs, but success at the Western Canada Cup has been more elusive.

“I think in past years we’ve stressed being the best team the whole way through, and I don’t think that’s necessarily the case,” said Bandits Head Coach and GM Ryan Papaioannou after the team’s practice Monday. “I think we need to be the best team by the second weekend.”

The practice Monday was the third last one before the team takes off for Penticton Thursday morning.

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“I think they (practices) have importance just in our guys being sharp and being on the ice,” says Papaioannou. “In terms of us learning anything new, that’s not going to happen. We have our game, we know what we’re about.”

And what the Bandits are all about is winning, having lost only 10 games out of the 73 they’ve played all year. But winning the Western Canada Cup has been just out of reach for them. In the tournament’s four year history they’ve finished as runners up twice.

To say the Bandits have weapons would be an understatement. Linemates Ty Mappin and Oliver Chau finished third and fourth in league scoring combining for 177 points during the regular season, and both are looking forward to facing some stiffer competition.

“I think these will be the toughest games we’ve played all year for sure,” said Mappin. “It should be a good test for us.”

“I’m just looking forward to playing some better teams,” adds Chau. “When you play against the best of the best in the WCC, you know it should be a good game and a lot of fun.”

The first test for the Bandits will be the Chilliwack Chiefs Saturday then they take on the host Penticton Vees on Sunday.

For Mappin this is his second trip to the WCC after a six point tournament last year, and he says that experience should help if the Bandits come across something they haven’t dealt with much this year; adversity.

“If it comes to that I think we’ll be ready to face a little bit of adversity,” he says. “We faced some of it last year too by losing the finals of the WCC and bounced back the next game to make sure we got into the RBC Cup.”

Because in the end, as AJHL Rookie of the Year Chau says, the WCC is just one step towards achieving what they want to do this year.

“Our goal isn’t just to play in the WCC, it’s to get to the RBC just like everyone else. I think we have a pretty good shot at that.”