Davin Beer/Brooks Bandits

By Lisa Parent

Uncharted territory: Brooks Bandits aim for historic win against Surrey Eagles

May 30, 2024 | 5:06 PM

The Brooks Bandits will play the Surrey Eagles in the cross-border Rocky Mountain Challenge to cap off the team’s first season part of the British Columbia Hockey League.

The Eagles are uncharted territory for the Bandits as the Brooks junior hockey team deflected from the Alberta league to the BCHL earlier this year.

“It’s kind of unexpected how we’ll match up against them, but I think it’s an exciting challenge for all of us,” Bandits forward Jordan Hughesman said.

The last time the Bandits organization played the Eagles was in 2013, long before Hughesman was on the team.

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“It’ll be great for the fans to see a new team they’ve never seen before. So I expect it to be fast, competitive and yeah, [a] great series,” Hughesman said.

The Bandits have been driving in uncharted territory since they left the Alberta Junior Hockey League in February. The Brooks players booked their ticket to the Rocky Mountain Challenge by winning the league’s Alberta Cup last week.

“I guess at the beginning of it, we’re just taking it day by day,” said defenseman Ethan Beyer.

“We didn’t know when our next game was going to be and how many more we’re going to play,” he added.

Assistant coach Dakota Mason credits the players for powering through that despite the uncertainty during the transition from the AJHL to the BCHL.

“For them to be unwavering in their goals of becoming better hockey players, moving on to the next level and really being present in Brooks means a lot,” said Mason.

Video review has been the Bandit’s best friend as they prepare for Game 1, starting Friday.

So far Mason is liking how they stack up against the BC team.

“We know that we’re still the Brooks bandits. The other team, they got to come here and play us, beat us in our building twice and we know that’s going to be a challenge,” Mason said.

The winner of the best-of-three series will become the first and only Rocky Mountain Challenge Champions.

“Some of the guys that are moving on, it’s the last time I’m going to be able to play with them. So I think just to win a championship as a team is the biggest thing,” said Beyer.

Hughesman added: “It’d be really cool. It’d be the first time we’ve ever done it. So that would be a great, great milestone for me and our team.”

The Bandits will play all three games in their home rink Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Schedule

Game 1: Friday, May 31 @ 7:00 p.m.

Game 2: Saturday, June 1 @ 7:00 p.m.

Game 3: Sunday, June 2 @ 5:00 p.m. *if necessary