The final score was one-sided … 11-3.

The season-opening loss to the Drumheller Dragons wasn’t exactly what the Brooks Bandits had in mind as they began their journey towards hosting the 2019 National Junior A Championship. Luckily, they wouldn’t have to experience it all that often – they only lost two more games all season.

The Bandits ran roughshod over the AJHL, rewriting the record book with a remarkable 57-3 record, an unbeaten 30-0 mark on home ice and a season-ending 33-game win streak.

They set records for wins, home-ice wins and points in a season, scored the most goals since the turn of the century and owned the No. 1 spot in the CJHL Top 20 for 17 of 22 weeks, including the final 11 in a row.

Brooks put five players in the top 16 of AJHL scoring, and had eight who averaged at least a point per game. At the other end, Pierce Charleson won 42 of his 44 starts, and back-up Tanner Marshall was a perfect 12-0 with a 1.33 goals-against average.

So what did the AJHL learn that the rest of the nation will soon find out? The Bandits can beat you any way and every way.

A league championship was almost a foregone conclusion, although Brooks was pushed by Canmore in the quarter-finals and suffered its first two home losses to Okotoks in the semis before sweeping aside Spruce Grove to claim a fifth AJHL title in eight years.

Now it’s on to the main event, the National Junior A Championship.

The Bandits will look to continue the recent run of success by host teams; the home side has reached the championship game in each of the last four years, with three of those – Portage (2015), Cobourg (2017) and Chilliwack (2018) – taking the top prize.

HOW THEY GOT TO BROOKS

Alberta Junior Hockey League
Quarter-final: defeated Canmore 4-1 (8-2, 8-1, 2-3 OT, 4-3 OT, 4-0)
Semifinal: defeated Okotoks 4-2 (7-5, 3-6, 6-1, 6-5 OT, 2-3, 3-0)
AJHL championship: defeated Spruce Grove 4-0 (3-2, 3-2 2OT, 5-1, 2-0)

Doyle Cup
Championship: lost to Prince George 4-2 (0-2, 3-1, 4-0, 1-3, 1-4, 2-4)

REGULAR SEASON

Record (W-L-OTL): 57-3-0 (1st in AJHL)
Goals for: 334 (1st in AJHL)
Goals against: 125 (1st in AJHL)
Power play: 95 for 321 (29.6% – 1st in AJHL)
Penalty killing: 211 of 250 (84.4% – 7th in AJHL)
Longest winning streak: 33 (Nov. 30-March 2)
Top 3 scorers:
- William Lemay – 32G 58A 90P (1st in AJHL)
- Ray Christy – 16G 55A 71P (7th in AJHL)
- Simon Gravel – 33G 34A 67P (9th in AJHL)

PLAYOFFS

Record: 14-7
Goals for: 77
Goals against: 48
Power play: 19 for 88 (21.6%)
Penalty killing: 78 of 88 (88.6%)
Top 3 scorers:
- William Lemay – 11G 13A 24P
- Tyler Campbell – 7G 12A 19P
- Simon Boyko – 5G 11A 16P

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

2013 – Brooks Bandits | national champions | 5-1 | 27GF 14GA
2016 – Brooks Bandits | 4th place | 3-2 | 17GF 15GA
2017 – Brooks Bandits | 2nd place | 4-2 | 24GF 12GA

COMMITMENTS

Andranik Armstrong – University of Massachusetts-Lowell (2019-20)
Luke Bast – University of North Dakota (2019-20)
Tyler Bates – Colorado College (2021-22)
Simon Boyko – University of Vermont (2019-20)
Tyler Campbell – Dartmouth College (2019-20)
Corson Ceulemans – University of Wisconsin (2022-23)
Ray Christy – Colorado College (2020-21)
Simon Gravel – Canisius College (2019-20)
Nick Hale – College of the Holy Cross (2019-20)
Mack Hancock – University of Alaska-Anchorage (2019-20)
Jakob Lee – Canisius College (2020-21)
William Lemay – University of Vermont (2019-20)
Andrew Lucas – University of Vermont (2019-20)
Ryan Mahshie – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2019-20)
Nathan Plessis – Brown University (2019-20)
Brandon Scanlin – University of Nebraska-Omaha (2019-20)
Arnaud Vachon – Colgate University (2019-20)
Carter Wolski – Red Deer College (2019-20)

CJHL TOP 20 RANKINGS

Sept. 24 – not ranked
Oct. 1 – 13th
Oct. 8 – 3rd
Oct. 15 – 1st
Oct. 22 – 1st
Oct. 29 – 3rd
Nov. 5 – 1st
Nov. 12 – 1st
Nov. 19 – 1st
Nov. 26 – 1st
Dec. 3 – 3rd
Dec. 10 – 1st
Dec. 17 – 1st
Jan. 7 – 1st
Jan. 14 – 1st
Jan. 21 – 1st
Jan. 28 – 1st
Feb. 4 – 1st
Feb. 11 – 1st
Feb. 18 – 1st
Feb. 25 – 1st
March 4 – 1st