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
Teen was doing homework at family's Mississauga, Ont. restaurant when gunman opened fire: testimony
The 13-year-old sister of a young man killed in the attack on her family’s Mississauga restaurant in 2021 took the stand in a Brampton courthouse on Monday to describe the terrifying moments of coming under fire.
'Repetitive partisan conduct': Conservatives to force vote on ousting Speaker Greg Fergus
The federal Conservatives have advanced a motion that will force MPs to vote on whether to oust Greg Fergus as House of Commons Speaker, after MPs' deputy adjudicator ruled Monday that the Liberal member's allegedly errant partisan event invite required urgent attention.
Trial for B.C. man accused of killing, dismembering wife begins
The trial for a Langley man accused of killing his wife began Monday, with the prosecutor laying out a disturbing series of facts agreed upon by both Crown and defence.
Stars roar back to win Game 3 over Oilers
Jason Robertson's hat-trick goal midway through the third period broke a deadlock and proved to be the eventual winner as the Dallas Stars beat the host Edmonton Oilers 5-3 in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final to take a 2-1 series lead.
What a CBSA strike could look like, according to an expert
Slowed or interrupted travel, the passing of goods and significantly restricted borders should be expected if Canadian border workers take upcoming strike action.
WATCH Alta. man rescues wild foal trapped on steep cliffside
A man's daring rescue of a newborn wild foal that was trapped after falling down a steep embankment was caught on video over the weekend.
Severe thunderstorms, tornado watch in some areas of Canada. Here's where
Depending on where you live, you can expect to get a mixed bag of weather this week, as local forecasts predict heavy rain, strong wind, severe thunderstorms and even snowfall across some areas of Canada.
B.C. senior prepares to move due to devastating effects of fraud
A Courtenay, B.C., senior is downsizing and packing to move as she comes to accept she can no longer afford to stay in her home, after falling victim to a scam that robbed her of her life savings worth more than $100,000.
Israel close to approving Gaza reunification program before Rafah invasion: Miller
Immigration Minister Marc Miller says Israel seemed to be on the verge of approving a program to get Palestinian relatives of Canadians out of the Gaza Strip before the country's invasion of the town of Rafah.