Blackfalds Bulldogs Bonnyville Pontiacs Brooks Bandits Calgary Canucks Camrose Kodiaks Canmore Eagles Drayton Valley Thunder Drumheller Dragons Fort McMurray Oil Barons Grande Prairie Storm Lloydminster Bobcats Okotoks Oilers Olds Grizzlys Sherwood Park Crusaders Spruce Grove Saints Whitecourt Wolverines

VIDEO: Bandits win AJHL Final opener 3-2 over Spruce Grove

BROOKS, AB (April 12, 2019) – Simon Gravel (Boucherville, QC) led the way with two goals, including the game-winner, as the Brooks Bandits won Game 1 of the 2019 AJHL championship final 3-2 over the Spruce Grove Saints on Friday night in front of an announced crowd of 1,741 at the Centennial Regional Arena.

Gravel’s first opened the scoring just 3:02 into the game when a feed from Andrew Lucas (Alexandria, VA) at the right point found him at the backdoor for a tip-in goal, beating Matt Davis for the only goal of a period in which the Bandits outshot the Saints 9-8.

The Bandits nearly doubled the Saints in shots in the second 9-5, but the teams traded goals, beginning with Ryan Peckford of Spruce Grove poking in a loose puck rebound from the slot to tie the game 8:35 in.

But on a Brooks power play, Ryan Mahshie (Stoney Creek, ON) slid a low wrister between the pads of Davis and into the Saints net to reclaim a 2-1 lead for Brooks. It was the only special teams marker on the night as the Bandits went 1 for 4 on the man advantage and a perfect 5 for 5 on the penalty kill.

Brooks extended the lead just 50 seconds into the third when William Lemay (Marieville, QC) sped by a defender to create a 2-on-1 rush and fed a pass through the slot to Gravel who tapped in another backdoor feed to double the Bandit lead.

That goal would prove pivotal as the Saints got one back at 12:14 when a Logan Ganie shot ricocheted off a defender’s stick and knuckled by Pierce Charleson (Aurora, ON) to make it a one-goal game.

Spruce Grove was awarded a five minute power play late in the game when Ray Christy (St. Paul, MN) was ejected for a hit to the head major penalty, but took a penalty of their own only seconds later to negate a good portion of it. Brooks held on late, clearing it down to the Saints end when the penalty kill resumed and pinning the puck down low to secure the 3-2 win and the series lead.

The teams reconvene for Game 2 on Saturday night at the CRA with puck drop scheduled for 7 PM. Tickets are available online at tickets.brooksbandits.ca.