SANDRA M STANWAY
Brooks Bulletin
With two regular season games remaining in the BCHL, the Brooks Bandits remain in second place, four points behind the first place Penticton Vees.
Over the weekend, the Bandits defeated the Sherwood Park Crusaders 5-3 coming back from a 3-1 deficit on Friday in which Luke Bibby scored twice.
Bibby continued his goal scoring on Saturday in Cranbrook with an additional one to help the Bandits defeat the Cranbrook Bucks 4-1.
In the meantime, the first place Vees are not only making headlines as the top team in the league, but it was officially confirmed on Monday the team will move to the Western Hockey League (WHL) along with a new Chilliwack team.
A statement from the BCHL noted that the Vees ownership will retain its membership in the BCHL and will look to relocate in the near future.
The Chilliwack Chiefs organization, who had no involvement in the city’s WHL expansion process, has formally indicated they will play in the BCHL league in 2025-26.
“We thank the Vees organization for their contributions to the league and we look forward to continuing to work with them as they move forward with their relocation,” said Rich Murphy, BCHL board chair.
As a member of the BCHL, there will be no interruption to the Vees current season.
The Bandits final regular season games are Friday at home against Spruce Grove and on Saturday when they travel to Okotoks.
The Vees will host Cranbrook and Salmon Arm this weekend.
