Brooks, Alberta – The Brooks Bandits host the Okotoks Oilers and the Vernon Vipers this weekend for their final home games of the regular season.
The Bandits enter the weekend tied for first place in the Interior East Division with the Blackfalds Bulldogs. Both teams have 71 points on the season. The remaining playoff spots in the division are still up for grabs. The Sherwood Park Crusaders sit at 57 points, while the Spruce Grove Saints have 53, with four games left for each team.
The Oilers are the other team in the division and will visit Brooks for the final time this season on Friday night. They have been eliminated from playoff contention but have remained competitive. In their most recent game, they defeated the Trail Smoke Eaters 2-1.
The Bandits are also coming off a thriller against the Smoke Eaters, winning 1-0 in overtime. It was Zach Zahara’s third shutout of the season.
Zahara currently leads the British Columbia Hockey League in wins with 27 and minutes played with 2,392.
Jack Good scored the overtime winner against Trail and is tied for fifth in league scoring with 61 points alongside Zachary Benayon and Reese Shaw.
Liam Fitzpatrick, who recently committed to Stonehill College, is tied for second in the BCHL in goals with 30. He trails Benayon by just one. Isaac Johnson is close behind with 27 goals in 42 games, tied for fifth in the league.
On Saturday, the Vipers visit Brooks for the second time this season. Bandits forward Leon Bussmann will face his former team for the first time in a Bandits jersey.
Dmitrii Kubanstev, a 2008-born rookie, leads the Vipers with 48 points in 42 games. Deagan McMillan is second on the team in scoring and has 20 goals in 37 games this season. The Vipers have won one of their last four games.
Special teams have played a major role in the Bandits’ success. Their penalty kill ranks fourth in the BCHL at 79.7 percent, while their power play leads the league at 31.5 percent.
Puck drop for both games will be at 7:00 MT.
