Sherwood Park, Alberta — The Brooks Bandits dominated the Sherwood Park Crusaders on Friday night, cruising to an 8–0 blowout victory. Isaac Johnson recorded a hat trick and finished with four points, while goaltender Zach Zahara stopped all 30 shots he faced for his first shutout of the season.
Jack Rosensteel opened the scoring early, netting what would stand as the game winner just 5:30 into the first period. Johnson doubled the lead with a shorthanded goal at 13:04, and Dmitrijs Dilevka added some late-period magic with a tally at 19:06 to send the Bandits to the intermission up 3–0.
Johnson stayed hot in the second period, completing his hat trick with goals at 5:18 and 11:12. He now has six goals in four games this season.
Zachary Deleau extended his goal streak to two games with a marker at 4:27 of the third frame; a shot from the right circle that beat the Sherwood Park netminder clean to the far side. Frantisek Albrecht scored his first career BCHL goal at 4:42 of the third period, adding to the offensive outburst, and Aleksei Zhukov tipped home the Bandits’ eighth and final goal later in the frame. Excluding his brief appearance in Chilliwack (when he left early due to injury), Zhukov has now recorded points in every full game he’s played this season.
While the Bandits controlled much of the play, Zahara was sharp when called upon, especially in the first period, making several key saves that steadied the team early. His composure and timely stops helped secure the Bandits’ first shutout win of the year.
The Bandits will return home for the first time in three weeks on Saturday night when they host the Salmon Arm Silverbacks at the Centennial Regional Arena. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. MT.
