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Bandits cap off home schedule with 5-1 win over Camrose

Mar 3, 2018 | 11:25 AM

BROOKS, AB – The Brooks Bandits (45-13-1) capped off their regular season home schedule with a win Friday night, downing the visiting Camrose Kodiaks 5-1 in front of an announced crowd of 1,544 at the Centennial Regional Arena.

Brooks got 3 points from captain Dennis Cesana (Providence, RI), two goals from Nathan Plessis (Salmon Arm, B.C.), and a 22-save win from Mitch Benson (Windsor, ON), who notched his league-leading 43rd win of the season.

Brooks outshot Camrose by a whopping 25-6 margin in the first period, but only managed to solve Kodiak goalie Luke Lush once, when Cesana blasted home a slapshot post-and-in on a powerplay just 2:27 into the game.

In the second, Brooks outshot the Kodiaks 19-7 but allowed the tying goal just 1:42 in on a Colson Gengenbach rebound shot from the side of the net.

But just under halfway through the game, Cesana set up the go-ahead goal on a power play point shot that was tipped in by Will Garin (Mound, MN) to make it 2-1 at the 9:46 mark. With just under four minutes left, a Luke Bast (Red Deer, AB) point shot deflected off Nic Hamre (Ottawa, ON) at the left side of the net, and bounced through the crease to Plessis at the right side of the net, who jammed it in to make it 3-1.

Carter Wolski (Sexsmith, AB) extended the lead just 1:41 into the third when his right point shot off a faceoff caromed off a Kodiak defender and up in the air, arcing into the net behind Lush for a 4-1 Brooks lead. With 1:05 left, Cesana centered a puck from behind the net to Plessis in the slot for a quick wrister and a 5-1 lead.

Cesana’s assist gave him 74 points on the season, putting him just one point back of Cale Makar’s team record for points by a defenceman.

Brooks outshot Camrose 12-10 in the third for a 56-23 three-period advantage, going 2 for 7 on the power play and a perfect 5 for 5 on the penalty kill.

The Bandits will end their regular season Saturday night with a road game in Drumheller against the Dragons. Puck drop is set for 7:30 PM with pre-game coverage starting at 7:15 on Real Country 105.7.