The Crusaders had a tough couple of games this past weekend.
The Crusaders dropped a tight 3-2 overtime loss to the Spruce Grove Saints on Saturday and would ultimately lose 7-5 to the Brooks Bandits on Sunday.
Coming into Saturday’s game, the Crusaders were looking to shake off the 2-1 loss to the Saints from the previous Saturday. The Crusaders would find the back of the net early into the first period as Max Ly’s centering feed would go off a Saint’s defender’s skate, giving Sherwood the 1-0 lead just over a minute into the game.
The Saints would end up responding four minutes into the second when Tre Peck would find the back of the net for his ninth of the season, making it a 1-1 game.
The Saints would get their first lead of the game six minutes into the third as Ben Buckley would score to put the Saints up 2-1. With just over a minute left in the game,newest-Crusader Brant Romaniuk would get first as a Guy In Green to tie the game up 2-2 and send it into overtime.
The Saints would crush any dreams of a Crusaders win as Brandon Funk would put home the one-time shot to score his eleventh of the season and to give the Saints the 3-2 victory.
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The Crusaders were looking to at least get two points out of the weekend as they hit the road on Sunday to take on the Bandits for the final game of 2025.
Much like the previous day’s game, the Crusaders would find the back of the net first as the Boy From Ottawa Kent Moors would score his seventh marker of the season to put the Cru’ up 1-0 just under five minutes into the opening frame. The Bandits would respond about ten minutes later when Luke Melnik would score his first of the season on the man-advantage to make it a 1-1 hockey game. The Bandits would eventually gain their first lead of the game in the late stages of the first when Luke Melnik would find Liam Fitzpatrick to give the Bandits the 2-1 lead going into the second.
The Crusaders would tie the game up in the second when Braeden O’Keefe would send a perfect pass to find Joseph Sinclair in front to make it a 2-2 game just five minutes into the second. The Bandits would be quick to re-take their lead three minutes later when Alexie Zhukov would score on the powerplay to make it a 3-2 game. Just three minutes after that, the Bandits would get their largest lead of the game, 4-2, when Mathis Dufour scored his fourth of the season at the halfway point of the second. The Crusaders would make it a one-goal game before the end of the second as Braeden O’Keefe would get on the score sheet in the late stages of the second to make it a 4-3 game heading into the final period.
Bandits forward Isaac Johnson would score eight minutes in to put the Bandits up 5-3. Just like a game of ping-pong, the Cru’ would come right back just a minute later when Stevie Grumley would split the Brook’s defenseman to score his team-leading 14th of the campaign to put the game 5-4, nearing the ten-minute mark of the third. Isaac Johnson would get his second of the period on the empty net in the late stages of the period to put the Bandits back up two goals, 6-4. Joseph Sinclair would end up scoring; however, it would be in vain as the Bandits would score another empty net goal to give the Bandits the 7-5 win.
The Crusaders have dropped three straight as they head into the Christmas break.
Crusaders get back into action on January 3rd as they hit the road to take on the Spruce Grove Saints.
