BROOKS, AB (November 10, 2012) — Dakota Mason had a five-point night, and goalie Michael Frederick shut out the Fort McMurray Oil Barons (10-11-2) for the second time this year, en route to a 5-0 Bandits win at the Centennial Regional Arena on Saturday night.
With the win, the Bandits (20-0) set yet another record for the longest winning streak to open a season in league history.
It was an inauspicious start for the MOB as a centering pass by the Bandits' Mark Reners was accidentally deflected into his own net by Barons forward Danny Gayle just over a minute into the game.
Midway through the first, Mason scored his first on the Bandits' first power play, converting a backdoor pass at the side of the net to double the Brooks lead.
In the second, the Bandits found a wide-open Shane Pilling at the left-wing faceoff circle, whose wrist shot was deflected past Tanner Jaillet (Red Deer, AB) by Reners for a 3-0 lead. Soon after, Mason was found on a shorthanded breakaway pass from captain Cam Maclise, and fired a backhander into the roof of the net to make it 4-0 through two.
In the third, the Bandits shut down the MOB offence, holding them to just one shot. With 7 seconds left, Taylor Makin received a pass in front of the net and beat Jaillet point-blank to cap off the win.
The MOB netminder kept the Barons in it for a good chunk of the game, saving 26 of 31 shots.
The Barons managed just ten shots on goal, a more than two-year low for the franchise.
Fort McMurray finishes off its road trip tomorrow afternoon in Olds against the Grizzlys, a team the Barons beat 2-1 at home earlier this year, but which is coming off a massive 8-2 win over Whitecourt tonight.
Game time is 2:00 PM with pre-game coverage on Country 93.3 starting at 1:45.
Country 93.3 3 stars:
3. Michael Frederick (10 save shutout)
2. Mark Reners (2 goals, 2 assists)
1. Dakota Mason (2 goals, 3 assists)