Brooks, Alberta – The Brooks Bandits will host the West Kelowna Warriors on Friday before traveling to Blackfalds for a matchup with the Bulldogs on Saturday. Both teams lead their respective divisions in points and sit as the top two teams in the Interior Conference of the BCHL. It is arguably the biggest weekend of the season so far for Brooks.
“We are dialed in for West Kelowna. Everyone knows how big this weekend is,” said Bandits forward Luke Melnik. “We need the four points.”
Melnik has lit up the scoresheet since joining the Bandits, recording 15 points in nine games. Ten of those points have come in his last five outings. He also had a three-point night in a losing effort against Okotoks in his most recent game.
“The season has gone pretty good so far,” he added. “I’ve enjoyed being here in Brooks.”
The coaching staff shares the same sentiment.
“He has been really good offensively,” said Assistant Coach Cole McCaig of Melnik. “He is a guy who is really dynamic, has a really good hockey IQ, a guy who can make plays and knows where to go on the ice.”
Melnik is not the only Bandit producing as of late. Harry Ahlberg has seven goals in his last five games, including three multi-goal performances. He now has 15 goals and 29 points in 35 games this season.
“It took Harry a little bit of time to get adjusted to the style of game we play and the rink size,” said McCaig. “We have always felt that Harry could be one of the top power forwards in the league.”
West Kelowna has won all three matchups against the Bandits this season, though each contest was tied heading into the third period. Warriors forward Natan Ethier has recorded hat tricks in two of the three games against Brooks.
“It’s just trying to play a full 60,” asserted McCaig. “We have proven that we can play with West Kelowna in the first 40 minutes, it is just finding a way to win those close games.”
The Warriors are coming off a 1-0 victory over the Okotoks Oilers on Wednesday night, with Angelo Zol recording a shutout in the win.
Blackfalds currently leads the Interior East Division with a 24-11-1 record. They hold a four-point advantage over the Bandits for top spot, though Brooks has a game in hand. The Bulldogs enter the matchup after suffering back-to-back losses last weekend to Trail and Cranbrook. Both contests ended 4-2, with the Cranbrook game slipping away after Blackfalds allowed four goals in the final five minutes.
“We know that Blackfalds is one of the best teams in the league,” said McCaig. “They have played us extremely well this season. I would expect them to respond [to their recent losing skid].”
Nikita Ivaschenko leads the Bulldogs with 49 points in 36 games, a total that is tied for second-highest in the BCHL. His 31 assists lead the league, edging out the Bandits’ Jack Good, who sits second with 30.
Both games will commence at 7:00 MT. Nathan Crosby will have the call on FloHockey and New Country 105.7.
