The AJHL champion Brooks Bandits defeated the BCHL champion West Kelowna Warriors 4-2 on day two of the Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup (WCC) at Affinity Place on Sunday afternoon in a penalty-filled tilt that ended with Bandits goalie Garret Hughson and Warriors forward Kyle Marino exchanging punches.
With 10 seconds remaining in the third period, Marino hit Hughson in front of his net. A number of Bandit players including Hughson responded with every member of the Warriors on the ice, excluding goalie Keelan Williams, joining in. Marino received a two-minute penalty for slashing, a two-minute penalty for roughing, a five-minute major for fighting, a five-minute major for cross checking and a game misconduct on the play, while Hughson got a two-minute penalty for roughing, a five-minute penalty for fighting and a game misconduct.
The pleasantries between the teams began shortly after Bandits defenceman Jesse Baird opened the scoring 3:11 into the first period. Warriors defenceman Scott Allan took an interference penalty about five minutes into the game, but the Warriors' Landon Welykholowa negated their power play when he took a roughing minor less than a minute after Allan headed to the box. Less than a minute after that, Bandits defenceman Joe O'Connor made the first of three Brooks' goaltender interference infractions. Shorty after O'Connor's penalty ended, Warriors forward Brett Mennear picked up the puck in the neutral zone, skated down the wing and fired it far side on Hughson to even up the score at ones. Quin Forman put the Warriors ahead 2-1 with one minute remaining in the first on the power play by stuffing the puck under Hughson after receiving a cross-crease pass from Marino.
Bandits defenceman Tristan Thompson tied the game 2:16 into the second on a flukey point-shot goal that bounced off Warriors netminder Matthew Greenfield, hit a defenceman coming back to clear away the rebound and popped into the net. Bandits forward Derek Lodermeier received the first game misconduct penalty of the day 8:16 into the second when he smashed into Greenfield behind the Warriors net sending the goaltender's helmet flying into the corner of the rink.
The Bandits paraded a steady stream of players to the penalty box through the first forty minutes, but came out ahead on the scoreboard 3-2 thanks to a marker by Cale Makar with 31 seconds left in the frame.
Bandits' Jeff Malott put the game out of reach with a short-handed goal 1:53 into the third period when he jammed in a pass from Jared Cockrell at the top of the crease on a odd-man break. By the end of the game, Brooks would take 15 minor penalties, two major penalties, two 10-minute misconducts and two game misconducts, while West Kelowna took 10 minors, two majors, one 10-minute misconduct and one game misconduct.
The Bandits are back in action Monday night against the SJHL champion Melfort Mustangs. The Warriors will enjoy a day off before hitting the ice for a game against the MJHL champion Portage Terriers on Tuesday afternoon.
For more coverage of the Bandits-Warriors game and the WCC, please see the May 4 edition of the Estevan Mercury.
