Brooks Bandits look to eliminate Sherwood Park Crusaders at home this weekend

Bandits captain Nicholas DeGraves said their opponents are very offensively skilled, and can create dangerous scoring chances.

He was happy to see the Bandits take the first two games on the road from the Crusaders.

“They were the results we wanted, a couple bounces go differently in those games, and they’re completely different,” DeGraves said.

“We’re not getting too far ahead of ourselves. We’re still in the series here, the next game is very important,” he added.

“We expect their best this weekend, and we’re prepared for it too, because it’s going to have to be our best as well.”

Bandits defenseman Hughie Hooker said he expect the Crusaders to bring their best this weekend and the Bandits are prepared.

“They have got a lot of offensive firepower. I think the biggest thing for us is just trying to limit that as much as we can,” Hooker said.

“I think we’ve done a pretty good job so far, obviously, with a lot of help from our goalie, Johnny [Hicks]. We know we’re going to get offensive chances. We can bank on that and just focus on playing defense as best as we can.”

Bandits assistant coach Dakota Mason said the first two games of the series were closer than the scores.

“I think the first game, that first period, it could have gone either way. We had four consecutive penalty kills. I think we spent three straight minutes on a five-on-three. So, if our goalie isn’t really good in the first period, that first game could have gone either way,” Mason said.

“I think they kind of understand that both games are really, really tight. Just kind of one goalie’s been better than the other goalie. It’s not like we’re completely dominating them or anything like that,” he said.

“It’s definitely two good teams going at it. Lots of offensive firepower. I think they’re going to be ready to go, and I think it’s going to be a really tight weekend.”

Mason said the Bandits are a tight-knit group that have each others back.

“They really set themselves up for any hurdles that may come. Obviously, they’re a highly skilled group just like we were. I think the similarities are definitely there,” Mason said.

“Each group has its own unique situations within it. think our group is definitely a special group. I think that we can definitely pull out a championship here.”

Being from the Edmonton area, DeGraves has some extra motivation to get the job done against the Crusaders.

“I know a couple of those guys, there are teams always around Edmonton, they know a lot of the same people I know, so there’s definitely a bit of a healthy competitive spirit going on,” DeGraves said.

“I hope we can come up on top on this one.”

The Bandits feel the challenge of the seven-game series with the Okotoks Oilers helped get them ready for the Crusaders.

“I think,we weren’t very urgent at the beginning of that series, playoff hockey is a whole different animal, and for the new guys coming in, I think that was something that was kind of unexpected. For us to get that series under our belt really helps us,” DeGraves said.

“Going to seven with Okotoks was definitely a lesson for us that we had to learn, and you know, I also think that the two-and-a-half-week layoff for them was something that was pretty challenging, but you know, they don’t have that anymore, so we kind of expect them to have their feet back under them and to give us a good show this weekend.”

Mason said the last team the Bandits faced prepared them for their next opponent.

“It was huge for us. I think we kind of thought it was going to be like the regular season again where things were just going to happen for us. But, it’s not like that in playoff hockey,” Mason said.

“You have to earn every inch out there, and Okotoks really made us fight for everything that we got. Luckily for us, we were able to pull out that game in game seven and then move on,” he added.

“I think it really just tested us and showed the guys what it was really like in playoff hockey and what exactly it takes to win a championship.”

A weekend sweep of the Crusaders would put the Bandits as the host of the Rocky Mountain Challenge a best-of-three series against the BCHL champions May 31 to June 2.

Something the Bandits are shooting for as the oppenent for the Alberta winner will come of of the best-of-seven BCHL final that begins on Friday between the Penticton Vees and Surrey Eagles.

by Jesse Gill

Brooks Bandits look to eliminate Sherwood Park Crusaders at home this weekend

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