The Calgary Canucks (30-16-3) scored three times in the span of 29 seconds in the second period, pulling away for a 6-2 win over the visiting Brooks Bandits (39-4-4) on Wednesday night at the Max Bell Centre, ending the team’s 17-game winning streak.
It was the most goals allowed by the Bandits this season and only the second time the team has lost a game by more than 1 goal this season.
The Canucks opened the scoring on a two-on-one rush with a Mark Drohan goal at 8:51, before doubling the lead less than a minute later when Kyler Magus jammed a bouncing puck past goalie Mitch Benson (Windsor, ON) from the front of the net.
In the second, Oliver Chau (Oakville, ON) got the Bandits on the board with a wrist shot from the left circle that flew over the shoulder of Calgary goalie Logan Drackett. But Calgary again scored in a bunch, beginning with a Josh Giacomin goal at 7:22, followed up by a Dylan Williamson breakaway goal 15 seconds later, then a Ben Assad goal from the right circle 14 seconds after that.
The third period featured less scoring, and far more penalties. First, Brett Van Os scored on a banked shot from the left corner to give Calgary a commanding 6-1 lead in the dying seconds of an early power play.
Just over halfway through the period, Ty Mappin (Big Valley, AB) was assessed a match penalty for allegedly spearing a Calgary player. The Bandits killed off the five minutes, and soon after received a major power play of their own when Calgary defenceman Allan Macpherson pushed Bandit forward Tyler Carangelo (Hamden, CT) into the end boards of the Calgary zone.
Barely a minute after that, more neutral zone scrums broke out, with Nathan Plessis (Salmon Arm, BC) dropping his gloves in a quick tilt with the Canucks’ Jordan McConnell.
Brooks got one back on the man advantage as Nic Vlahos (Mississauga, ON) tapped a rebound goal past Drackett, but it would be as close as the Bandits would get, with Calgary holding onto the 6-2 margin, while being outshot on the official tally 48-30.
The Bandits remain in first place in the AJHL, 10 points ahead of Whitecourt with 1 game in hand, and 12 points up on Fort McMurray with one extra game played.
The Bandits will attempt to bounce back into the win column on Friday night when the team hosts the Drumheller Dragons in their only game of the weekend. Puck drop is at 7:00 PM at the Centennial Regional Arena with tickets available online at tickets.brooksbandits.ca.