BROOKS, AB (April 8, 2022) ““ The Okotoks Oilers saw an early second period 2-0 lead dissipate on Friday night, allowing seven consecutive goals en route to a 7-2 loss at the hands of the host Brooks Bandits in Game 1 of the AJHL South Division Final.
Outshot 10-2 in the first period, the Oilers nonetheless had the only goal of the opening 20 minutes when Conyr Hellyer (Okotoks, AB) swept home a loose puck from the slot at the 11:58 mark.
On the opening shift of the second period, Brendan Boyle (Lake Country, B.C.) doubled the lead with a high wrist shot off the rush. But an Oiler tripping penalty on the following shift turned the tide, as Brooks converted with a Devin Phillips power play goal, then tied the game only 32 seconds later on a goal from Hunter Wallace. Less than two minutes after that, a T.J. Hughes goal made it 3-2 for the home side, before a Brendan Poshak marker at 8:30 gave them a 4-2 advantage.
Brooks added three more goals in the third from Brendan Mairs, a second from Hughes, and an Aiden Fink power play goal to notch the 7-2 final score, outshooting Okotoks 36-17 in the game.
The teams will meet for Game 2 on Saturday night back in Brooks at 7:00 PM. Pre-game coverage starts at 6:45 on The Eagle 100.9.