Looking to make history: Brooks Bandits on the hunt for a third straight national championship
After a strong regular season, the Brooks Bandits are looking to stretch their AJHL and national championship streak to three.
A third straight national championship would also be historic – it's something no Junior A team has ever done.
"We had a really good season and we had a lot of momentum coming out of the regular season, so we're really looking forward to a good playoffs. We're preparing a lot for this," said Bandits forward Heath Armstrong.
The Bandits earned a league-best 108 points this season, easily winning the south division and a first-round bye.
Leading the charge for the Bandits is the newly crowned AJHL MVP, 18-year-old Aiden Fink.
In his final year of junior hockey before joining the University of Wisconsin Badgers next season, Fink racked up 97 points in 54 games.
"Obviously, it's pretty cool to win AJHL MVP and that stuff," Fink said.
"But honestly, right now, I'm kind of focused on winning a national championship with these guys."
The Bandits have been off for a few weeks, thanks to their bye, having last played March 5 in a 5-0 win over the Olds Grizzlys.
Now, coaches are trying to ramp up their practices to make sure the team is ready to go for the playoffs.
"First week off, we took a couple days off to kind of rest and recharge after a long season. And then right back at practice last week. We did some three-on-three, little bit of competition, little bit of a tournament to kind of get the intensity up," said Bandits assistant coach Taylor Makin.
The Bandits' opponent in Round 2 of the AJHL playoffs will be the Okotoks Oilers.
The Oilers are coming off of a series sweep against the Camrose Kodiaks.
It's a matchup the Bandits players and coaches are looking forward to, as the clubs have started to develop a rivalry over the past few years.
"I'm really excited. We've got a little bit of bad blood between us. I think it'll make for a really good series," Armstrong said.
Despite all the expectation surrounding the team heading into the playoffs, the Bandits aren't feeling too much pressure.
"Obviously, we're the top team in this league and I think every night, we're going to get everyone's best. So I feel like you have a bit of pressure, but also, you can't really have those nerves all the time," Fink said.
Game 1 of the best-of-seven series between the Bandits and Oilers gets underway March 24 at 7 p.m., at the Centennial Regional Arena in Brooks.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
NEW 'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Canadian couple among tourists on sinking sailing boat tour abroad
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Accused of burglary at stepmother's home, U.S. senator says she wanted her father's ashes: charges
A Minnesota state senator and former broadcast meteorologist told police that she broke into her stepmother's home because her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father, including his ashes, according to burglary charges filed Tuesday.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.