Brooks Bandits captain Ethan Breyer with the Interior Conference Championship Trophy. Courtesy: FloSports

By Jesse Gill

SPORTS

Brooks Bandits in BCHL finals after defeating Vees

May 12, 2025 | 11:12 PM

The Brooks Bandits are heading to the British Columbia Hockey League Finals after defeating the Penticton Vees in Game 6 of the Interior Conference Finals.

Forward Parker Lalonde sealed the victory for the Bandits with an empty net goal with 59 second remaining in the game off a pass from forward Nick Peluso.

The 3-1 victory for the Bandits secured a matchup with the Chilliwack Chiefs for the Fred Page Cup, with a 4-2 series win over the Vees.

Getting the game winner was forward Jack Good who fired a shot from the top of the circle passed goaltender Ethan Buenaventura to make it 2-1 Bandits.

Good entered the Vees zone after a stretch pass from defenseman Keith McInnis, with fellow defenseman Dante Sicilano picking up the second assist.

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The Vees only goal came just 13 seconds into the second period as Conyr Hellyer fed a pass cross ice to Caton Ryan, who drove the net shovelled it passed Bandits goaltender Zach Zahara.

Max Heise got the secondary assist as all three Vees forwards were in on the goal.

The Bandits never trailed in the game after starting the scoring on the powerplay 11:36 into the first period.

Defenseman Keith McInnis fired home a cross ice pass from forward Nick Peluso, after a back and forth passing play with defenseman Ethan Beyer.

Bandits goaltender Zach Zahara stopped 24 of 25 shots as the Bandits won in front of 1,476 fans on home ice at the Centennial Regional Arena.

The loss for the Vees ends a long history with the BCHL as one of the four original teams in the founding league, the Okanagan-Mainline Junior Hockey League, which began in 1961.

Penticton was awarded a Western Hockey League franchise for the 2025-26 season and will carry on the Vees name at the major junior level.

Leaving the Vernon Vipers, originally known as the Jr. Canadians as the last of the four original team remaining in the BCHL.

This is the Bandits first opportunity to compete for the Fred Page Cup as the champion of the BCHL after coming into the league midway through the 2023-24 season.

The Bandits defeated last years winner the Surrey Eagles in the Rocky Mountain Challenge two straight games in a best-of-three series.

The challenge was created as a way to put the BCHL winner up against the top team from a playoff of the five Alberta teams that joined the BCHL.