Brooks Bandits win RBC Cup

2013 RBC Cup Champions the Brooks Bandits
Phil MacCallum/Hockey Canada Images

• Team includes Mark Reners from Pincher Creek and Gray Marr from Twin Butte

Updated May 21

The Brooks Bandits Jr A hockey team are the 2013 RBC Cup champions after defeating host team the Summerside Western Capitals of the Maritime Hockey League 3-1.  This is a first for the Bandits, who have never made it to the RBC Cup before, and the first time an Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) team has won the cup since 2001.


Canada's National Junior A Championship prize, the RBC Cup was held in Summerside PEI.

The Bandits team includes two locals, Gray Marr from Twin Butte and Mark Reners from Pincher Creek.

20 year-old Forward Mark Reners played 60 games in the regular season, accumulating 34 goals and 39 assists for a total of 73 points.

The Bandits finished in first place in the AJHL South Division  for the 2012-2013 season.

Mark Reners

www.brooksbandits.ca

Reners was the hero of the semi-final game against  the Minnesota Wilderness on Saturday afternoon, May 18 when he scored two goals including the only goal in the first period and the game clincher in overtime.  The Bandits were behind 4-2 at one point in the game.  Behind 4-3 as the clock was running out, Dakota Mason scored for the Bandits to send it into overtime with only 18.7 seconds left.  Reners scored at 8:30 into overtime to win the game.

"It feels great after all of these years of hard work, to get the opportunity to win a national title is beyond what I could ever imagined but something I have always dreamed of doing," said Reners.   "Coming into the season we knew that was our main goal and we accomplished exactly that."

The Bandits easily defeated the Capitals in the championship game.  Anthony Petruzzelli and Dakota Mason scored in the first half of the first period for the Bandits and Cam Maclise score an empty net goal with 30 seconds left on the clock in the third to win it 3-1.

Brooks Bandits Head Coach and General Manager Ryan Papaioannou was named the 2012-2013 Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) Coach of the Year after guiding the team through a record-breaking season that included winning the Dave Duchak Trophy as the 2012-2013 AJHL Regular Season Champions for the second consecutive season after completing the regular season with a record of 53-4-3 and 109 points.  The Bandits set new AJHL records for Most Wins in a Single Season and Most Points in a Single Season and also tied the League Record for Fewest Losses in a Single Season. ~ www.brooksbandits.ca

There will be a parade in honor of the Bandits in Brooks on Tuesday, May 21 around 4:30 pm followed by a BBQ and a ceremony out at the Centennial Regional Arena (144071 Silver Sage Road, Brooks).


Links and sources:
AJHL
Brooks Bandits
RBC Cup on Facebook