Brooks, Alberta – The Brooks Bandits are set to face off with the Nanaimo Clippers for the rights to the Rogers BCHL Cup. It will be the first time the teams have faced each other in the BCHL and the first meeting overall since 2013, when the Clippers won 7-2 in the Round Robin at the Western Canada Cup hosted by Nanaimo.
The Bandits swept the Saints in the first round, before defeating the Crusaders in seven in the second round. The Bandits are coming off a five-game series win over the Cranbrook Bucks, including a 4-1 victory to close out the series last Friday night in Cranbrook. That was not due to a lack of fan support, however.
“[The Bucks] have a crazy fanbase,” said forward Leon Bussmann. “It was really hard to hear [Head Coach Dakota Mason] on the bench during the timeouts.”
“You can ask our athletic trainer Taylor [Smith]. They were just blowing the horns the whole time, they were screaming at us,” added defenceman Dane Sorensen. “It was good. That is playoff hockey and that is what they are there for.”
Sorensen, who was suspended for Games 4 and 5 due to a kneeing penalty he took in Game 3, gained a new perspective watching the latter games of the series from the stands.
“It is like watching NHL games during the week. You can see the open opportunities on the ice,” said Sorensen. “It is definitely a lot more stressful when you can’t do anything about it, but it is nice getting that perspective.”
Now, it is on to the Clippers and the Bandits are anxious to get going.
“I am really looking forward to our fans and how loud the building is going to be,” added the Los Angeles native. “We have seen it a couple times already. It is going to be electric.”
Home ice has been important both on and off the ice for the Bandits so far, as they have held home-ice advantage in all three series and will once again have it in the Finals against the Nanaimo Clippers.
The Clippers only had home-ice advantage in the first round against Alberni Valley.
“It is the most important thing in the playoffs,” said Bussmann of the Bandits’ home-ice advantage. “Especially now that we are in the Finals, with the help the fans give us every home game, you just have a good feeling in the room before the game.”
Nanaimo flew somewhat under the radar in the regular season, finishing second in the Coastal West Division with 66 points. For an Alberta team comparison, they finished one win better than Sherwood Park and seven wins behind Brooks.
The Clippers flipped the script once the playoffs began.
Nanaimo beat Alberni Valley in five games in the first round before taking the top team in the conference, the Cowichan Valley Capitals, to seven games and winning Game 7. The Clippers were up 3-0 in the series before the Capitals stormed back. In the Coastal Conference Finals, they swept the Prince George Spruce Kings in four games. The Clippers won three of the four games by four goals.
“We can’t underestimate Nanaimo,” added Bussmann. “It is going to be a good series. I think it is going to be fast [as well].”
An advantage for Brooks is that Dante Siciliano, Liam Fitzpatrick, Jack Good, Isaac Johnson, Jack Rosensteel, Mathis Dufour and Zach Zahara won the BCHL Championship last year and know what it takes to reach that level.
“It just takes the stress out of the locker room and brings the pressure down a lot, even if there is still a lot of pressure,” said Sorensen of his veteran teammates. “Just knowing that these guys know exactly what to do to win is really settling.”
Siciliano is nearing the end of his first year as captain and has earned rave reviews from his teammates.
“He’s dependable, reliable, and one of my favourite captains I have ever played for,” Sorensen praised. “He is calm and cool, and that is what you need out of someone wearing the ‘C’.”
Siciliano has 12 points and five goals, including a hat trick in the first series against Spruce Grove.
Dmitrijs Dilevka still leads all Bandits with 25 points in 16 playoff games. Liam Fitzpatrick scored his team-leading ninth goal of the playoffs in the closeout game in Cranbrook, while Tanner Winegard leads all Bandits defencemen with 13 points, including four goals.
The Clippers are led by Tanner Bruender and Jack Rimmer, who both have 16 points this postseason.
Out of the eight leading points-per-game scorers in this series, three are named Jack: Rosensteel, Good and Rimmer.
The goaltending matchup will feature Zach Zahara and Eliot Seguin-Lescarbeau. Zahara has posted a .915 save percentage and a 2.17 goals-against average in 16 playoff games. He has just two regulation losses. Seguin-Lescarbeau owns a .918 save percentage along with a 2.33 goals-against average. The two goalies are tied for the BCHL lead in playoff wins with 12 each.
All games will be broadcast on New Country 105.7 and FloHockey.
The schedule is as follows:
Game 2: Saturday May 16th @ Brooks
Game 4: Wednesday May 20th @ Nanaimo
