Bandits win Western Canada Cup, off to RBC Cup
PENTICTON, B.C. – Conner Jean (Oakland, MI) had a hat trick, while Mitch Benson (Windsor, ON) stopped 29 of 30 shots, as the Brooks Bandits captured their first-ever Western Canada Cup with a 6-1 win over the Chilliwack Chiefs in the tournament championship game on Saturday night.
The win earns the Bandits a spot in the 2017 RBC Cup national championship in Cobourg, Ontario, which they will open next Saturday afternoon against the champions of the Fred Page Cup.
It was the third WCC championship game in five years for the Bandits, a game they had never won until tonight, when a four-goal second period that included an 18-4 shot advantage turned out to be the turning point.
Brooks opened the scoring 11:54 into the game when Oliver Chau (Oakville, ON) cut to the slot from behind the net and fired a turnaround shot through a crowd and past goalie Mark Sinclair to make it 1-0. But seconds later, the Chiefs were awarded a power play and after a series of sensational Benson saves, Justin Dixson knocked home a rebound goal from the left circle to tie it 1-1. The Chiefs outshot the Bandits 13-7 in the opening frame.