Trail, BC — The Brooks Bandits earned payback for their early-season 4–3 overtime loss to the Trail Smoke Eaters, skating to a 4–2 win Friday night at Cominco Arena.
Brooks opened the scoring in the first period when Isaac Johnson was slashed on a shorthanded breakaway and awarded a penalty shot. He made it count, slipping a backhander past the Trail goaltender at 8:15.
Trail pulled even early in the second as Otto Hanson punched in a loose puck during a net-front scramble at 5:54.
Johnson struck again just 1:55 into the third, sparking the game’s busiest period. Trail answered once more when Cade De St. Hubert buried the Smoke Eaters’ second equalizer, setting the stage for a tense finish.
With just over five minutes remaining, Jack Good restored the Bandits’ lead with a post-and-in marker from the top of the crease at 14:23. Mathis Dufour sealed the victory, hitting the empty net with 21 seconds left to secure the 4–2 final.
The Bandits are back on the ice Saturday at 7:00 p.m. MT against the Cranbrook Bucks. Catch the action live on New Country 105.7 or FloHockey with Nathan Crosby and Ryan Reed on the call.
Photo Credit: Jonelle Piccolo
