Luke Bast and the Brooks Bandits are red hot at the RBC Cup.
They rolled to an undefeated 4-0 record on home ice in round-robin play at the 2019 National Junior A Hockey Championship and are two wins away from a title.
The Bandits are just the sixth host team since the start of the five-team format in 1990 to win all four prelim games, joining the 1994 Olds Grizzlys, 1996 Melfort Mustangs, 2002 Halifax Oland Exports, 2010 Dauphin Kings and 2012 Humboldt Broncos.
On top of the team success, Bast, 18, who is eligible for the 2019 NHL Draft, has had a strong tournament so far.
TOP DEFENCEMAN:@bast_luke (@BrooksBandits)#NJAC @cjhlhockey @TheAJHL pic.twitter.com/AqCeJ5tFo8
— National Junior A Championship (@HC_NJAC) May 17, 2019
He had two goals and an assist in their opening game, a 7-3 win over the Oakville Blades of Ontario. He finished round robin with four points in four games and was named the top defenceman for his efforts.
The Bandits finished off round robin with a 3-1 win over the Prince George Spruce Kings of B.C. to clinch first place overall. Brooks outscored opponents 17-8 in round robin and will play the Ottawa Jr. Senators in the semifinal Saturday at 2 p.m.
The RBC Cup final is set for 3 p.m. Sunday.
Email sports tips to Byron Hackett
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