Brooks, AB – Despite two goals from forward Mathis Dufour, the Brooks Bandits three-game win streak was snapped following a 6-4 loss to the West Kelowna Warriors.
The (18-10-2) Bandits erased a 3-1 deficit in the 2nd period thanks to a goal from forward Luke Melnik (Lighthouse Point, FL) and Dufour (Briançon, FRA). However, the Warriors were led by Natan Éthier, who scored a hat trick.
West Kelowna jumped out to a 2-0 lead thanks to a Éthier goal from the net front at 3:57, and a breakaway goal from Dylan Krayer at 11:33
Dufour’s first goal came on the powerplay at 15:59, after centre Isaac Johnson (Fergus Falls, MN) received a puck off the glass and fed it cross-crease to Dufour, who tapped it in. However, the Warriors took a 3-1 lead on the powerplay at 18:34.
The Bandits clawed back in the 2nd period, as Melnik cleaned up a puck from the right circle at 9:11 to make it 3-2. Dufour’s second goal came at 18:15, as he fired a left circle shot through a screen to tie the game 3-3.
The Warriors took a 4-3 lead at 3:56 of the 3rd, as Éthier tipped a point shot. He then scored unassisted at 13:08 to make it 5-3. Bandits forward Harry Ahlberg (Stockholm, SWE) thought he had scored at 18:54 on a drive to the net, and while the call on the ice was a goal, it was overturned after review and said to be kicked in.
West Kelowna added an empty netter to make it 6-3, while new Bandit Leon Bussmann (Starnerg, GER) tipped a shot with two seconds left to make it 6-4.
The Bandits return to the ice on Friday, January 9th when they host the Blackfalds Bulldogs at the CRA. Tickets are on sale at brooksbandits.net.
Photo: Matt Piotrowski
