The reigning champion Lloydminster Bandits opened their North Eastern Alberta Junior B Hockey League season in style Saturday night, shutting out the Wainwright Bisons 4-0 at the Cenovus Energy Hub.
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Ryan Stepanick turned aside all 27 shots he faced to earn the shutout, while four different Bandits found the back of the net to secure the victory.
Jace Schmidt opened the scoring at 16:11 of the first period, converting on passes from Jake Redden and Cash Parkin to give the home side an early lead.
The Bandits extended their margin in the second frame. Tyson Ziegler made it 2-0 at 11:11, set up by Cayden Wildeman and Aidan Martens. Martens then added a goal of his own just under 10 minutes later, beating Bisons goaltender Carson Tourand at 1:40 off feeds from Ziegler and Logan Flewell.
Bronson Parker capped off the scoring midway through the third period, capitalizing on a power play at 14:03 with assists from Flewell and Adryan Bugiera.
Special teams and discipline proved crucial throughout the physical contest. Lloydminster’s penalty kill held the Bisons scoreless on six power-play opportunities, while the Bandits converted 1-for-13 with the man advantage. Wainwright racked up 62 penalty minutes on the night, including game misconducts assessed to Ryker Singer and Hadi Khaddage in a boisterous third period.
Tourand made 35 saves on 39 shots in a losing effort for the Bisons.
With the victory, the Bandits move to 1-0 on the young season, while Wainwright drops to 0-2. Lloydminster next takes the ice on Wednesday when they host the Vermilion Tigers at the Hub.
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