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Winless Out West

Bandits drop overtime tilt in Vernon, finish B.C. exhibition trip without a win

Sep 2, 2019 | 5:16 PM

VERNON, B.C. – A trip to British Columbia didn’t go quite as planned for the Brooks Bandits, wrapping up their three-game exhibition road swing with another loss on Sunday.

Facing the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers after a pair of losses in Penticton, the Bandits watched as Cameron MacDonald sniped the game-winning goal in a 3-2 overtime loss.

Ben Sanderson put the home side up 1-0 on the power play six minutes into the first period, tipping a shot past Brooks’ Pierce Charleson.

Brooks’ offensive firepower came alive shortly afterwards, as Taylor Makar picked up a loose puck at the right face-off dot and went top shelf to tie the game at 1-1.

Makar’s marker was followed by a late period goal by Trey Thomas, picking up a Randy Hernandez rebound to put the Bandits ahead at the intermission.

Vernon needed just four minutes in the second period to knot the score at 2-2 however, as Sanderson picked up the loose puck on a breakaway and scored an unassisted beauty for the Vipers.

That goal would be the final marker in regulation, as Charleson and Vernon’s Dawson Pelletier stopped everything they faced in the third frame.

Charleson however was unable to save MacDonald’s shot in overtime, set up on a feed by Matt Kowalski to end the exhibition game in the extra period.

Holding a 2-3 record in pre-season action, the Bandits return home to Centennial Regional Arena on Wednesday night to battle the Drumheller Dragons at 7:00 pm.

Brooks winds up the pre-season with a road game in Okotoks on Saturday, before beginning their national championship title defence in Drumheller on September 13.