The Rogers BCHL Playoffs begin this weekend as the Brooks Bandits host the West Kelowna Warriors in a best-of-seven series.
To buy Playoff Ticket Packages and Single Game Tickets, click here.
Schedule
*Pacific Time
+if necessary
Game 1 @ Brooks – Friday, April 4 7:00 pm
Game 2 @ Brooks – Saturday, April 5 7:00 pm
Game 3 @ West Kelowna – Tuesday, April 8 7:00 pm *
Game 4 @ West Kelowna – Wednesday, April 9 7:00 pm *
+ Game 5 @ Brooks – Friday, April 11 7:00 pm
+ Game 6 @ West Kelowna – Sunday, April 13 5:00 pm *
+ Game 7 @ Brooks – Tuesday, April 15 7:00 pm
The Bandits head into the Playoffs as the 2nd seed in the Interior Conference after finishing March with a record 7-1-1, which included a five-game winning streak that began against the team they’re about to face in the opening round of the Rogers BCHL Playoffs.
The Bandits last saw the Warriors on March 8th in West Kelowna, winning 6-3. That victory started a five-game win streak, which ended last Friday with an overtime loss to the Saints on March 28th.
Nathan Free (Penn State) led the Bandits in scoring with 66 points, which was eighth most in the BCHL. Parker Lalonde (Merrimack) led the team in goals with 32, which was fourth most in the BCHL. His 9 game winners were the most in the BCHL. Forward Luke Bibby scored 17 points in 15 games since being traded back to Brooks on February 10th. He and Lalonde have played with Nick Peluso (Maine) on the top line, Peluso notched 46 points this season.
Leading the blue line scoring was Ethan Beyer (Merrimack), who’s 47 points was the third most in the BCHL for defenceman. Keith McInnis (Minnesota-Duluth) finished seventh in the BCHL defenceman scoring race with 37 points.
In net, Zach Zahara went 8-5 in 14 starts with a 2.71 goals against average and .900 save percentage. He was named 1st star of the game four times since joining Brooks in January. Chris Quizi has faced West Kelowna twice this season, and started 13 games total this season since joining after Christmas. Quizi won 10 straight games, posting a 2.38 goals against average and .913 save percentage, and received the 1st star in two starts.
The Warriors went 5-3 in March, ending the season with a 4-3 comeback win over the Trail Smoke Eaters. West Kelowna went 14-11-1-1 at home, and 9-13-4-1 on the road this season.
Leading the Warriors in scoring was forward Jackson Kyrkostas (RPI), who had 57 points, which was 17th in the BCHL. Forward Sam LeDrew (St. Lawrence) tallied 47 points, which was sixth most for BCHL first-year players.
On the Warriors blueline, Axel Lofgren (UMass) finished 11th in BCHL defenceman scoring.
In net, Édouard Gauthier has a 1.92 goals against average and .928 save percentage in 9 starts, but hasn’t faced Brooks yet. Slovenian native Bor Glavič started 16 games with an 8-6 record, and faced the Bandits twice.
The Warriors are lead by Head Coach and GM Simon Ferguson, who once was a teammate of Bandits Head Coach and GM Ryan Papaioannou when they played together in Lethbridge (WHL) from 2001-03.
Season series:
October 16: West Kelowna 0 vs Brooks 1
Parker Lalonde scored the lone goal in the game as the Bandits won 1-0 over the Warriors at the BCHL Showcase at the Chilliwack Coliseum in Chilliwack, BC. The Bandits had 10 powerplays in the game.
November 1: Brooks 4 @ West Kelowna 1
The Bandits first ever trip to Royal LePage Place in West Kelowna was nearly a shutout, if not for a Warriors goal in the final 10 seconds. Nick Peluso, Jack Rosensteel, Nathan Free, and Jace Letourneau (in his regular season debut) all scored for Brooks in a 4-1 win.
December 28: West Kelowna 4 @ Brooks 3
The Warriors lone trip to Brooks was the Bandits first game after the Christmas break. Quizi had just signed and flew to Calgary from Ontario that day, and started the game. West Kelowna jumped out to a 2-0 lead quickly before defenceman Ethan Beyer scored to cut the deficit to 2-1. The Warriors added to their lead and had a 4-1 advantage in the 3rd period until forwards Free and Letourneau both scored to make it 4-3. However, the game ended with the Bandits thinking Peluso had tied the game with 9.8 seconds left as he cleaned up a puck in the crease, but the goal was waved off.
March 8: Brooks 6 @ West Kelowna 3
The Bandits second visit to Royal LePage Place saw the team bounce back after a tough loss the night before in Trail. Brooks built a 3-1 lead in the 1st period on goals from Mathis Dufour, Cooper Pierson and Luke Bibby. Defenceman Keith McInnis scored in the 2nd period to make it 4-2, which was followed by a fight between Bandits forward Nathan Brown and Warriors defenceman Axel Lofgren. Parker Lalonde scored twice in the 3rd period to seal the 6-3 win, while Quizi made 27 saves in the crease.
Brooks record vs West Kelowna: 3-1
Goal Differential: Goals For 14, Goals Against 8
Regular Season Record
Brooks 40-10-2-2 (2nd Interior Conference)
West Kelowna 23-24-5-2 (7th Interior Conference)
Brooks Powerplay 23.6% 7th
Brooks Penalty Kill 87.2% 1st
West Kelowna Powerplay 18.2% 18th
West Kelowna Penalty Kill 74.7% 19th
Brooks Goals For 234 3rd
Brooks Goals Against 123 1st
West Kelowna Goals For 157 19th
West Kelowna Goals Against 173 6th
Leading Scorers vs West Kelowna
Nick Peluso 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists)
Nathan Free 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists)
Parker Lalonde 4 points (3 goals, 1 assists)
Ethan Beyer 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists)
Cooper Pierson 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists)
Brooks Powerplay vs West Kelowna 4/20
Brooks Penalty Kill vs West Kelowna 15/15
Chris Quizi December 28 19/23 saves, March 8 18/21 saves
Bor Glavic December 28 29/32 saves, March 8 27/32 saves
2025 Rogers BCHL Playoff 1st Round Match-ups
Interior Conference
(1) Penticton Vees vs (8) Okotoks Oilers
(2) Brooks Bandits vs (7) West Kelowna Warriors
(3) Trail Smoke Eaters vs (6) Cranbrook Bucks
(4) Salmon Arm Silverbacks vs (5) Sherwood Park Crusaders
Coastal Conference
(1) Chilliwack Chiefs vs (8) Prince George Spruce Kings
(2) Surrey Eagles vs (7) Alberni Valley Bulldogs
(3) Cowichan Valley Capitals vs (6) Nanaimo Clippers
(4) Victoria Grizzlies vs (5) Coquitlam Express
