Home dominance setting Bandits up for tightly contested stretch drive

Victorious over the Sherwood Park Crusaders 2-1 on Saturday in a battle of Canada’s top ranked junior ‘A’ teams, the Bandits are riding another truly remarkable streak.

The Bandits have not lost at home in regular season play since February 2018 and are undefeated in 53 straight regular season games at the CRA since then.

Leading scorer Randy Hernandez admitted it’s a crazy mark to accomplish, especially with the Bandits winning a national championship over that span.

“It’s incredible what we do in this building and we got to keep that going because there’s a lot of history here,” said Hernandez. “Just got to come up big and play in big games like this.”

The man in net for the majority of those 53 straight home wins has been Pierce Charleson, who cited the Brooks supporters as a big reason for the run.

“It’s pretty crazy, that’s a lot of games obviously,” said Charleson. “I don’t know what it is, something about the building, the fans, and how it goes together.”

Brooks is no stranger to lengthy win streaks over the last few seasons, setting the single-season AJHL mark last year with 33 consecutive victories between November 30, 2018 and March 2, 2019.

Bandits head coach Ryan Papaioannou has seen an entire roster of players turn over since the start of their current streak, something that he said is a testament to the program.

“The guys that started the streak, we don’t have a single guy here that’s carrying it on,” said Papaioannou. “I think that part is pretty cool, a little bit of legacy for our players. It’s just the mentality that every game is important for us.”

Strangely the continuing streak comes at an up and down period for the Bandits, as the early stages of 2020 haven’t showcased their usual dominance.

After starting the season at 36-1-1, Brooks began January with four losses in their first six games of the new year.

Getting back to .500 for the month with Saturday’s win over the Crusaders, Papaioannou said their intangibles haven’t been entirely sharp lately.

“We were real loose in our play throughout the month,” he said. “We went into Lloydminster and lost, it was just strictly a thing of details, care, and work ethic. We correct that stuff and we’re pretty good.”

The taste of adversity to begin January has given the Bandits something to reflect on ahead of the post-season stretch drive though, a fact the team is taking in stride.

“We knew how good we were, but now we also know what we have to work on,” said Di Cicco. “It’s good for us going into playoffs, now we have something to work on and better ourselves with.”

Brooks’ recent struggles have allowed the Okotoks Oilers to make up ground on the top-ranked Bandits with just three points separating the divisional rivals.

The Bandits and Oilers are set to face off twice this week for a home-and-home set, which could set the stage for a potential south final series.

“It’s a big four points this week,” said Papaioannou. “We’re going to get a bye regardless so that’s nice, but you’re trying to position yourself for who you’re going to play in the first round.”

Just a dozen games separate the defending national champs from the playoffs and it’s looking like they’ll have a fight on their hands to win their fourth divisional crown in five years.

That’s not bothering veterans like Hernandez though, excited for the race to the finish.

“We got to treat it like it’s a playoff game every game, especially towards the end of the season,” said Hernandez. “Things are going to get harder, nothing is going to get easier, so just got to keep pushing it to the metal and just keep going.”

Brooks will try to extend their home winning streak to 54 games on Wednesday night against the Oilers before hitting the road for Okotoks on Friday evening.

by Scott Roblin

Home dominance setting Bandits up for tightly contested stretch drive

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