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
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.