For the first time in over a decade an Okotokian lifted Alberta’s ultimate trophy at the Junior A level.
Okotoks resident Sam Johnson and the Brooks Bandits won their first Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) Championship after completing a 4-2 series victory on the road over the Fort McMurray Oil Barons on April 14. Johnson, a rookie forward for Brooks, is the first Okotokian to win the AJHL championship in 11 years, with former Camrose Kodiaks forward Mark Robinson winning the trophy and the Royal Bank Cup championship in 2001.
“I mean just winning an AJHL championship is pretty cool even if I’m the first one from my hometown (in 11 years), ” Johnson said. “It’s a great way to start of a Junior career that’s for sure. It was a tough road, but it makes all the struggles worth it.”
On a loaded, veteran-laden Bandits’ roster featuring nine players in their final seasons of Junior eligibility and nine others with just one season left at the level, playing time was hard to come by for the 17-year-old forward. Johnson was dressed for Brooks’ first two games of its second round series with the Calgary Canucks, but had to watch the final two series.
But, Johnson’s lack of game action didn’t dampen the enthusiasm he brought to the rink.
“It’s tough, but when you’ve got a team like that in front of you and everyone wants to win for everyone you’re still a part of it,” Johnson said. “I’ve got to work hard in practice and make sure the boys are ready to go and I’ve got to stay ready because if anybody goes down, I’ve got to be ready to go and be able to take the spot.”
The Oil Barons jumped out to an early 2-1 series lead before the Bandits stole three games in a row to finish off a very game Fort McMurray squad. Johnson said Brooks’ determination was the deciding factor in the finals.
“The first two to three, even four games were pretty even, we’d beat them, and they’d beat us,” Johnson said. “It was pretty hit for hit and just as the series went on it just seemed like we wanted it more than they did and came out on top.”
Winning two of three contests at the fortress that is the Fort McMurray’s Casman Centre was also significant. Johnson said it was bittersweet to close out the series on the road in a building the Oil Barons only suffered three regulation losses in all season.
“It felt great to win up there, to go all that way and to get that championship, it felt really good,” Johnson said. “It would have been nice to win in front of the hometown fans, but it feels just as nice to win it up there, especially in a place as storied and well known as Fort McMurray.”
Their celebration in Fort McMurray was short lived as the Bandits loaded up on the team bus minutes after hoisting the trophy for the 928 km drive to Brooks where a large contingent of dedicated fans waited for over two hours to greet the team at 10 a.m. on April 15.
“It’s a huge deal, I think we had like 150 people waiting at the arena (in Brooks) for us to get back,” Johnson said. “It was pretty cool.”
Johnson, an assistant captain on the Midget AAA UFA Bisons in 2010-11, called his adjustment to the AJHL a learning experience. The Okotoks native tallied four goals and six points in 39 regular season contests for the Bandits.
“Playing with great players and a great group of guys I learned a lot,” Johnson said. “I got great coaching and hopefully it keeps on going.”
The Bandits won’t have long to rest on their laurels as they prepare for a Doyle Cup meeting with the Penticton Vees, the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) champions.
“It’s going to be a fun series, a lot of hard work, but I expect it to be nothing short of spectacular,” Johnson said. “The boys all are at the top of their confidence, but at the same time we all know Penticton is a good team and we’re going to have to work real hard to beat them.”
Johnson may be underselling a Vees team that broke the national Junior record with 42 straight wins during an absolutely dominant 2011-12 season in the BCHL. The puck drops on the Doyle Cup on April 20 when the Bandits host the Vees in Game 1 of the series.
