Cranbrook, BC — The Brooks Bandits defeated the Cranbrook Bucks 4-1 to win the Interior Final in five games. They will now face the Nanaimo Clippers in the BCHL Cup Final.
Alexei Zhukov opened the scoring late in the first period, capitalizing on a feed from Isaac Johnson at 17:12.
Leon Bussmann doubled the Bandits’ lead at 6:17 of the second period with help from Nico Addy, as the puck trickled through Bucks goaltender Tremblay.
Liam Fitzpatrick made it 3-0 late in the second period, scoring on a backhand in front of the net immediately after serving a minor penalty.
Sam Lyne got the Bucks on the board at 9:22 of the third period to give the home crowd some hope, but François De Villiers sealed the victory with an empty-net goal at 18:48.
The Bandits advance to the BCHL Final for the second consecutive season and will look to defend their championship. The schedule for the series has yet to be announced.
