Bandits win third straight Centennial Cup

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This article was published 21/05/2023 (874 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE – There’s no stopping the Brooks Bandits.

With a 4-0 win over the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Battlefords North Stars on Sunday afternoon at Stride Place, the Alberta Junior Hockey League powerhouse captured their fourth Centennial Cup and became the first team to win the tournament on three straight occasions.

The Bandits have now won 18 straight games at the event. Their last loss came in the 2017 final when they fell to the host Cobourg Cougars of the Ontario Junior Hockey League in overtime.

“I don’t know what to say,” Bandits captain Dario Beljo said. “All three years have been very special groups but this year’s team was awesome. I can’t say enough about the group of guys.”

“It’s hard to describe what makes this team special,” goaltender Ethan Barwick added. “There’s a great core of guys that have been here for a couple of years and the guys we’ve brought in through trades adapted to our systems quickly and they became huge players for us.”

Sunday’s win marked the second national title for Oak Lake’s Hunter Wallace, who lifted the trophy last spring in Estevan, Sask.

The 20-year-old forward entered the final with a shiner on his right eye after he got hit above the eyebrow by the boot of a skate during Saturday’s 3-0 semifinal win over the Ottawa Jr. Senators.

“It started swelling up overnight but I was able to ice it down, took an Advil and get lots of rest,” Wallace said. “When I woke up this morning, it opened up really nice.”

While his face looked like he had just come off of a 12-round boxing fight, Wallace showed no ill effects from the fluke injury.

He opened up the scoring with a nifty goal at the 10:08 mark of the second period and later assisted on a Hudson Malinoski marker that completed a 97-second stretch that saw the Bandits light the lamp three times.

“I think we knew that we were going to get a goal with the chances we had, but we just needed to stay composed and realize that it was going to take some extra work,” Wallace said.

“It was kind of similar to our round-robin win over Ottawa where we exploded for a few goals,” Bandits head coach and general manager Ryan Papaioannou added. “We stuck to the game plan, as it worked for us during the first period, and the guys started finishing around their net.”

Malinoski led the way for the Bandits on offence with a pair of goals, while Wallace had a goal and an assist each.

Heath Armstrong had the other goal and Barwick turned aside 30 shots to earn his third shutout of the week.

“I couldn’t do it without my teammates,” said Barwick, who earned back-to-back clean sheets in his final two junior hockey games. “They make a ton of plays to help me on every shot that our opponents bring.”

Josh Kotai made 37 saves for the North Stars, who were making their first appearance in a national final since they were formed in 1973.

“This is a whole new ball game for us,” North Stars head coach and general manager Brayden Klimosko said.

“This was the best team in our history and I think it was the chemistry in the dressing room that truly stands out. This group loved being with each other and their togetherness is something I’ve never seen. That’s the reason why it was a special year.”

ICINGS: Brandon-born and Winnipeg-raised defenceman Hughie Hooker joined Wallace in winning a second straight Centennial Cup on Sunday. He is the younger brother of former Wheat Kings forward Jonny Hooker. The Bandits lineup also featured Winnipeg products Sam Court and Jordan Hughesman, along with Ukrainian forward Mikhail Simchuk, who is the older brother of Parkland Rangers forward Havryil … Prior to Sunday, the North Stars best result at the tournament came in 2000 when they lost to the host Fort McMurray Oil Barons of the AJHL in the semifinal but won a bronze medal game in double overtime over the British Columbia Hockey League’s Chilliwack Chiefs … The last SJHL team to win the national title was the Yorkton Terriers in 2014 … The announced attendance for Sunday’s final was 1,527 … Next year’s tournament will be held in Oakville, Ont., and will feature the OJHL’s Oakville Blades as hosts.

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