Brooks, AB (January 24, 2025)- A late goal from Parker Lalonde made it close, but ultimately the Brooks Bandits fell 2-1 to the Penticton Vees in a nail-biter at the Centennial Regional Arena on Friday night.
Despite the loss, Zach Zahara made 24 saves and was named the 3rd star of the game.
In the first and second period, both teams couldn’t find twine as the Bandit were very close on multiple occasions hitting a crossbar and having the puck cleared off the goal line. Zahara stopped a Vees breakaway chance from Callum Stone to preserve the scoreless game.
In the 3rd period, the Vees came out with some heat as they scored just under two minutes into the period with a power play slap shot from the point from Nolan Stevenson for his seventh goal of the season. Just under three minutes later, Vees forward Luke Posthumus cleaned up his 19th of the season after his wrist shot found a way through Zahara’s pad and trickled its way into the net to double up the Vees lead. With the dying moments of the game, on the ensuing delayed penalty, Parker Lalonde found open space on the right side and banks a shot off the back of goaltender Buenaventura to put the Bandits on the board. Despite emptying the net, the Bandits couldn’t tie.
The Vees held on as the Bandits were unable to comeback in this contest as they dropped tonight’s game by a score of 2-1. The Bandits stay home at the CRA as they host the Spruce Grove Saints tomorrow Saturday January 25th, at 7 pm.