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Bandits take South Final lead with 2-1 victory over Okotoks

Apr 3, 2018 | 8:53 AM

BROOKS, AB – Mitch Benson stole the show with 36 saves on Monday night, as the Brooks Bandits took a 2-games-to-1 series lead over the Okotoks Oilers with a 2-1 win in Game 3 of the AJHL South Final in front of a crowd of 1,688 at the Centennial Regional Arena.

The Bandits were buoyed by the return of star rookie defenceman Brandon Scanlin to the lineup, after having taken Game 2 of the series with a three-goal comeback in the final minutes in Okotoks.

Brooks opened the scoring 12:19 into the game when Simon Boyko carried in on a 1-on-3 rush, yet fired a quick shot from the high slot that snuck in blocker side on goalie Riley Morris to put the Bandits up 1-0 for the first time in the series.

Later in the period on a power play, defenceman Nick Blankenburg beat Benson with a slapshot from the left circle, but was denied by the right post of the Brooks net.

Okotoks did break through on a power play in the second, though, when Jacob Bernard-Docker fired a long wrister through a screen to knot the game up at 1-1.

But after another Oiler power play, Nathan Plessis exited the penalty box, accepted a long stretch pass from Jakob LaPointe, sped into the left circle and fired another wrister past Morris on the blocker side to notch the 2-1 final score and game-winning goal.

Despite being outshot 8-3 in the third period and 37-20 in the game, the Bandits held on for the dramatic Game 3 win.

Game 4 of the series is Tuesday night again at the CRA with Okotoks having a chance to tie, and Brooks having the chance to put the AJHL’s number one regular season team on the brink of elimination. Tickets are available online at tickets.brooksbandits.ca.