Brooks, AB (April 11, 2025)- Nick Peluso scored the overtime winner which was also his hat trick goal in an exhilarating game five that sent the Bandits on to the next round of the BCHL playoffs after they knocked out the West Kelowna Warriors in five games.
In the opening frame the Bandits fell behind early as Elias Callgren received the back door feed and tapped it in for a 1-0 lead. Nick Peluso answered back with his 2nd of the playoffs as he tied the game at one. Later in the period, Peluso netted his 2nd of the game as the Bandits took a 2-1 lead.
In the middle frame, the lone goal scorer was Axel Lofgren as the Warriors had the edge in shots in the period and they leveled the game at two.
In the third period, it took just over one minute as Keith McInnis regained the lead for the Bandits as he scored his 2nd of the playoffs. Dante Siciliano extended the lead only two minutes later to pull the Bandits ahead by two. Just before the midway point of the period, Jackson Kyrkostas scored on a breakaway chance to cut the deficit in half. With just less than two minutes to play in the period, the Warriors tied the game up with a shot from Axel Lofgren as they had the net empty to send the game into overtime.
In the overtime, just after the halfway point Nick Peluso fired the point shot as it found its way past Gauthier as he scored a hat trick and sent the Warriors packing as the Bandits defeated the Warriors four games to one.
The Bandits are back in action in round two on April 18, where they will take on the Sherwood Park Crusaders or the Trail Smoke Eaters.
