Brooks, AB (March 15, 2025) – Zach Zahara earned his first BCHL shutout and forward Parker Lalonde tied the longest goal streak of the season to eight games as the Bandits defeated the Trail Smoke Eaters 1-0 at the CRA on Saturday night.
Zahara got the nod in goal and stopped all 13 shots he faced as the Bandits improved to a 37-10-3 record on the season and increased their lead on Trail for 2nd place by eight points.
In the first period, the Bandits outshot Trail 10-4 in the first period and there was no scoring. Jack Good had a breakaway chance in the opening seconds, but was denied by Smoke Eaters goaltender Ryan Parker.
In the 2nd period, following a major penalty against Trail defenceman Carter Matthews for a hit to the head on Bandits forward Mathis Dufour, forward Nick Peluso zipped a back door pass to Lalonde as he scored his 32nd goal of the season on the powerplay. Zahara made a big save on Smoke Eaters forward Brayden Sinclair to preserve the lead.
In the final period, the Bandits had the edge on Trail with 7 to 5 shots as they closed out the game with a 1-0 shutout win.
The Bandits are back at home next friday, March 21 as they take on the Sherwood Park Crusaders at 7:00 pm.
