PETRUZZELLI SCORES TWICE, INCLUDING WINNER, TO HELP BANDITS OVER WILDERNESS

SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. – Anthony Petruzzelli had a pair of goals, including the game-winner with eight minutes left, to lead the Brooks Bandits to a 6-3 win over the Minnesota Wilderness at the 2013 RBC Cup on Sunday night.

The game was a match-up between the top two teams in the final CJHL Top 20 rankings, with No. 1 Brooks and No. 2 Minnesota combining for a 131-13-9 regular season and playoff record this season.

Cam Maclise, Mark Reners, Chris Muscoby and Anthony Paskaruk had the other goals for Brooks (2-0), which used two goals in eight seconds – from Muscoby and Petruzzelli – to finally put some distance between itself and the pesky Wilderness.

Petruzzelli added an assist for a three-point night, while Paskaruk had a goal and two helpers, and Maclise and Reners chipped in with a goal and an assist each.

Nick McCormack, Conrad Sampair and Eric Carlson scored for Minnesota (0-2), which led by a goal in the first and second periods, but ended up on the losing end for the second night in a row.

It is the first time all year the Wilderness has lost back-to-back games.

McCormack opened the scoring on a Minnesota power play just shy of the 15-minute mark of the first period, snapping a point shot past Brooks netminder Michael Fredrick, but Maclise was Johnny-on-the-spot just 15 seconds later, banging home a loose puck at the side of the Wilderness net and bringing the Bandits even.

Minnesota went ahead again 1:09 into the second period when Sampair tapped the puck past Fredrick after a bounce in front off the end boards, but again the Bandits tied it – Reners rifled a shot over the blocker of Gordy Defiel to send the teams to the intermission tied 2-2.

With overtime looming with less than eight minutes to go, the teams exploded for five goals in the final 7:55.

Muscoby got it started at 12:05, beating Defiel from the point just five seconds into a Brooks power play, and Petruzzelli doubled the lead eight seconds later, finishing a pretty passing play for a 4-2 advantage.

Carlson got one back for the Wilderness at 17:37, setting up the potential for a wild finish, but Paskaruk scored into an empty net just 20 seconds after that, clinching the Brooks victory.

Petruzzelli rounded out the scoring with 79 seconds left, driving off the right wing and sneaking a shot past Defiel.

For the first time in four games at the tournament, both starting goaltenders finished the game – Fredrick recorded the win after making 25 saves, while Defiel stopped 26 shots in the Minnesota goal.

Both teams won’t see the ice again until Tuesday. The Wilderness take on the Truro Bearcats in a battle of 0-2 teams in the early game (3 p.m. AT), while the Bandits face the host Summerside Western Capitals in the night cap (7:30 p.m. AT).