(1) Brooks Bandits @ (4) Okotoks Oilers (Bandits lead 3-1)
The Brooks Bandits are one win away from another trip to the Gas Drive Cup AJHL Finals after taking both games in Okotoks.
Game #3: Brooks would score five straight goals to come from behind to defeat the Oilers 6-2.
Okotoks continued their strong play from game two and were rewarded with a 1-0 lead on Jacob Bernard Docker (assists to Tanner Laderoute and Nolan Thompson @9:43) second of the postseason. Brooks would finish off the first period outshooting Okotoks 14-8.
The Bandits would then tie the game early in the second as Parker Foo (assists to Josh McKechney and Cale Makar @5:00) would get his seventh of the playoffs beating Riley Morris. The Oilers would get the lead back on the power play when Jordan Xavier (assists to Jacob Bernard-Docker and Riley Mathies @11:23) would bury his team leading seventh of the playoffs. The Bandits would dominate the play but trailed 2-1 after two periods. Shots favored Brooks 20-6 in the second and 34-14 in the game.
The Bandits were rewarded with a plethora of goals in the third. Cale Makar (assists to Tyrell Mappin and Josh McKechney @4:53) fourth of the playoffs would tie the game at two. Just over three minutes later Nick Prkusic (assists to Charlie Marchand and Kord Pankewicz @7:56) would give Brooks their first lead of the night with his fifth of the postseason. Brooks would keep coming as Josh McKechney (assists to Joe O'Connor and Conner Jean @9:10) would collect his third point of the night to double the lead to 4-2. Just 39 seconds later Nick Prkusic (assists to Dennis Cesana and Oliver Chau @9:49) would get his second of the night on the power play. Parker Foo (assist to Cale Makar @15:05) finished off the scoring with his second of the game into an empty net to make it 6-2. Riley Morris would make 51 saves for the Oilers in the loss while Mitchel Benson would face just 20 shots turning away 18 of them.
Game #4: Bandits keep the Oilers offense in check as they get all the goals in a 3-0 win to take a 3-1 series lead.
Game four wouldn't see much scoring, but the game winner came from Brooks midway through the first period as Conner Jean (unassisted @11:20) beat Riley Morris for his fourth of the playoffs. Brooks would outshoot Okotoks 14-5 in the opening period.
The goaltenders continued to stand tall in the second period with Mitchel Benson making all nine saves in the second while Morris turned away 14 shots from Brooks.
Okotoks would look for the equalizer in the third period and pull Riley Morris late in the period trying to tie the game. Unfortunately, for the home side, Parker Foo (assist to Cale Makar @18:41) and Nathan Plessis (assist to Parker Huebner @19:54) would find the back of the empty net to give Brooks a 3-0 win. Shots favored Brooks 13-10 in the third and 41-24 in the hockey game. Morris made 38 saves on the 39 shots that he faced while Mitchel Benson recorded his third shutout of the postseason by making 24 saves.
Brooks can win the South on Friday night when they return home for game five.
Story by Chris Colwell @Cjcolwell