On do-or-die night in Brooks, Caelan Fitzpatrick comes up big to lead Bandits past Oilers
Facing a Tuesday night elimination game, Caelan Fitzpatrick responded with a hat trick to lead the Brooks Bandits past the Okotoks Oilers 5-1.
The victory propelled the Bandits into the next round of the BCHL playoffs while it ended the Oilers’ first BCHL season.
The Bandits struck with just under 30 seconds left in the first, when Fitzpatrick got his first.
In the second Nathan Free doubled the lead to 2-0. Rylan Brown got one back for Okotoks to make it 2-1, but shortly after that, Fitzpatrick scored his second of the night to extend the lead.
Half a minute into the third, Nick Peluso scored to make it 4-1 and at 11:59, Fitzpatrick added his third goal of the night.
After the game, Fitzpatrick said playing the deciding game in Brooks helped the teams's confidence.
"We’ve only lost once at home, so the boys were confident so we knew we just had to stick to our game," Fitzpatrick said. "Play hard – it’s been a long, hard, series against them, they’ve been working hard – and we just stuck to our game tonight and it worked out."
Okotoks was able to continually fight back in the series, winning once in Brooks and then winning a Sunday night elimination game in Game 6 to force the seventh and deciding game Tuesday.
"There’s no easy playoff games," Fitzpatrick said. "Every night’s a battle and you’ve got to be consistent as you can – I thought that was one thing we struggled with this series, just finding our game and sticking to it every night, but I think we’ve learned from that and hopefully we can carry it into the next series.”
Brooks will take on the Sherwood Park Crusaders in the Alberta Division final.
The schedule has not yet been released.
In other Brooks-adjacent news, former Bandit Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche was nominated as a finalist for the James Norris Memorial Trophy -- awarded to the NHL's best defenceman -- for the fourth time in five years.
The Avalanche also won Tuesday night, defeating the Winnipeg Jets 6-3 to advance to the next round of the NHL Playoffs.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump confronts repeated boos during raucous Libertarian convention speech
Donald Trump was booed repeatedly while addressing Saturday night’s Libertarian Party National Convention.
This type of screen time has the worst effect on kids: experts
According to some experts, there is one type of screen time that is continuously excessive, and it's having a severe effect on our children.
Family of toddler found dead at small-town Ont. daycare no closer to answers after year of investigation
A year has passed since two-year-old Vienna Irwin was found on the property of a home-based daycare in small-town Ontario, but her family says they are no closer to answers of what happened that day.
Grayson Murray, two-time PGA Tour winner, dead at 30
Two-time PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray died Saturday morning at age 30, one day after he withdrew from the Charles Schwab Cup Challenge at Colonial.
Humboldt Broncos crash victims and families react to decision to deport truck driver
The family of one of the victims of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in 2018 says they are 'thankful' for a decision by a Calgary immigration board to deport the driver of the truck involved.
Fatal plane crash reported near Squamish, B.C.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has confirmed it is working with local Mounties and the BC Coroners Service after a plane crash near Squamish, B.C. Friday night.
'God forgives but we don’t': Loud outburst from stabbing victim’s family during sentencing hearing
An emotional outburst in a London, Ont. courtroom Friday disrupted the sentencing hearing of a woman who pleaded guilty for her part in the death of 29-year-old Mohammed Abdallah.
Three dead after vehicle plunged down a 100-foot embankment in Shediac, N.B.
Three people have died after a vehicle veered off the road in Shediac N.B., Friday morning.
Appeal denied for Edmonton soldier accused of trying to kill her 3 children
An Edmonton woman found guilty of trying to kill her three children has been denied an appeal.