PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE, MB – The Brooks Bandits have clinched 1st overall at the 2023 Centennial Cup and will play in the National Semifinal following a 6-1 win over the Terrebonne Cobras at Stride Place.
The Bandits (4-0-0-0) wrap up their round robin schedule with 12 points, clinching both Group A and 1st overall, meaning they will have last change for the rest of the tournament and will pick the Semifinal time. Brooks earns a bye through the Friday quarterfinals.
Brooks tied the Centennial Cup record for fewest goals against in a round robin, one year, with just four goals against in four games. Bandits goaltender Ethan Barwick (St. Albert, AB) made 20 saves and was named Player of the Game. The Bandits outscored their opponents 27-4 in the round robin, and their 27 goals for is fourth most all-time in the Preliminary Round.
Forward Elliot Dutil (Montreal, QC) opened the scoring at 6:01 of the 1st period, one-timing a Fink (Calgary, AB) pass from the right circle on the powerplay to make it 1-0. The Bandits made the Cobras pay again on the powerplay, as Fink tapped in a Caelan Fitzpatrick (Moose Jaw, SK) net front pass to make it 2-0 at 14:56. With eight seconds left in the period, forward Heath Armstrong (Calgary, AB) scored on a backhander, negating a delayed call against Terrebonne to make it 3-0. Shots were 15-4 Brooks in the 1st.
Terrebonne got one back on the powerplay at 6:54 of the 2nd period, the first goal Brooks surrendered in the tournament in five periods. Brooks made it 4-1 at 10:46 on the powerplay as Caelan Fitzpatrick (Moose Jaw, SK) tipped a Hudson Malinoski (Saskatoon, SK) left circle shot past Cobras starter Alexandre Marchand. Then, Fink made it 5-1 at 11:42, scoring from the left circle.
Barwick made a difficult paddle save on Cobras forward Andrew Doucet’s breakaway chance in the 3rd. With two minutes left in the 3rd, defenceman Ethan Beyer (Centennial, CO) cleaned up a loose puck on the side of the net and scored to make it 6-1.
Final shots were 35-21 Brooks, while the powerplay went 3/5 and penalty kill only surrendered one goal against in the entire round robin.