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