The Brooks Bandits beat the Portage Terriers 2-1 at Affinity Place on Sunday in the final game of the Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup (WCC).
The Bandits are now off to the RBC Cup in Lloydminster from May 14 to 22, joining the West Kelowna Warriors which earned the first spot in a 6-0 drubbing of Brooks in the WCC one-vs-two game. The defending RBC Cup Terriers are heading home.
Terriers forward Shawn Bowles had the first opportunity to score in the match, which pitted the winner of yesterday's three-vs-four game (Portage) against the loser of the one-vs-two game, by wiring a shot top corner from the faceoff dot that Bandits netminder Garret Hughson gloved down. Brooks carried the play in the opening 20 minutes thanks to two straight penalties on Portage including a double-minor to Ian Kackey for high sticking, but could not beat Terriers goalie Nathan Park until the final minute of play in the opening frame.
Bandits forward Josh McKechney split two defencemen on the play before deking Park and putting the puck in between the goaltender's skate and the post to give Brooks a 1-0 lead heading into the second period. The majority of play occured in the Terriers' zone during the middle frame, with Jeff Malott making it 2-0 Bandits 12:23 in when he poked the puck in five-hole from the top of the crease after receiving a pass from the corner by Nick Prkusic.
Terriers forward Braydon MacDonald got that one back with 1:37 left in the second on a tip in front off a point shot by Cody Haiskanen. The Terriers pushed back in the third period, but could not beat Hughson despite a few solid chances including on a jam attempt by Nick Henry on a five-minute power play.
