Photo: Bandits forward Lenny Young had a hat-trick in Sunday's Game 1 win over Vegreville. – Robb Fenton Photo
By Robb Fenton
There’s no question the Lloydminster Bandits are ready to repeat as league champions.
A three goal first period led the Bandits to a 5-3 win over the Vegreville Rangers Sunday night and gave them a 1-0 series lead in their NEAJBHL championship series.
While it wasn’t perfect, it was the start the Bandits were looking for.
“I think winning Game 1 is the key, especially in the finals,” Bandits head coach Joe Young said.
“The game was, to me, kind of reversed a little bit. We hadn’t played in a while and I thought we would come out rusty and get better as the game went on, but we had a hell of a first period and it just seemed like we couldn’t get anything going after that.”
The opening 20 minutes was exactly the way the Bandits wanted to kick off their third straight trip to the finals.
Lenny Young scored twice and Jarrod Rau scored a highlight reel goal to build up the lead.
“The big key there was we were moving our feet and dominating on the forecheck. We talked about it and wanted a good start,” Young said of the first period. “Everybody got into the game right away.”
After a sweep in Round 2, the Bandits hadn’t played since Feb. 28, while the Rangers were coming off a hard fought six game series which ended March 4 and Young believes the series will get better as it goes along.
“I definitely think we’re going to get better as the series goes along. We’re going to have two good practices this week and get back at it Friday,” Young said. “We haven’t played in a while and they (Rangers) came off a hard series, so after this week off and some hard practices, Friday you’ll see two different teams.”
Lenny led the attack for the Bandits with the hat-trick and said being in this position before will help the team this time around.
“It’s huge because a lot of the young guys are looking to you to step up your play and they take some points of advice here and there. It takes everybody, though,” Lenny said. “Even the young guys, they are pretty calm and we have a lot of confidence in them.”
While the Bandits have their offensive threats, it’s their depth and balance that has been key all season.
“That’s what wins you championships, role players. Everybody plays their own style and their own role and you come away with the wins,” Lenny said.
Game 2 is always a key game in a series and the Bandits know what a win would mean.
“I definitely think we need a full effort Friday. They are going to be well-rested and they know Game 2 is a big game,” Joe said. “We just need an overall better effort. Friday is a huge game in this series.”
Game 2 goes at 7:30 p.m. at the Civic Centre.