Written by: Scott Savard
Headline photo: Chad Goddard
Okotoks, AB (January 13, 2026) – The Okotoks Oilers will hit the ice for the third time in five nights when they host the Brooks Bandits for the first time this season, tonight at Viking Rentals Centre with a special Tuesday night game.
The Oilers and Bandits have met once this season in Brooks, back on September 20, 2025, in the Green and Gold’s second game of the season. Since then, the rosters have shifted, and each team has gained chemistry along with experience as a unit, making tonight’s matchup a fresh look at how both squads stack up against one another. The Oilers and Bandits will meet another five times this season after tonight, as the two Interior East Division rivals will both be looking to solidify playoff positions down the last half of the 2026-2026 BCHL season.
The Rivalry dates back to when the Oilers first became a franchise, and no one is more familiar with the bitter rivalry than long-term Head Coach and GM of the Oilers, Tyler Deis.
“Obviously, this year is a little bit different; we’ve only played them in one regular-season game. In the years past, we have played them a lot (in the early parts of the season), but every time that we play against this team, we’re excited about it. It’s a great rivalry between them and us. They’re going to come hard; they get excited to play against our team, too. It’s going to be a fun atmosphere here on Tuesday night, and our guys, we feel our prepared. It’s going to be a fun night,” Deis said about reiginting the Oilers and Bandits rivalry tonight at the VRC.
Tonight will see players on both sides introduced to the long-term rivalry. Deis mentioned that the group has been educated on the history between the two teams and is excited to get going.
“I think you just communicate that,” he said about getting the new players acquainted with the rivalry. “Obviously, there’s a rich history there between the two teams. Our veteran group makes sure that they let them know.”
Deis would compare the rivalry between the Oilers and Bandits to the same feeling as the rivalry that stems from the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames.
When it comes to what it will take to come away with the win tonight, Deis expects a full group effort while contributing on the scoreboard, while taking care of the small things on the ice.
“We’ve got to be pretty smart against this team. If you let your foot off the gas or don’t manage your situations or get off script, they can take advantage of you pretty quick, and then they are relentless; they won’t give up. So if they can run it up on you, they’ll run it up on you,” he said about what the team has to focus on tonight.
When it comes to the game being played on a Tuesday night, Deis said nothing has changed in terms of preparation and added that the game is being played in their home rink, so it’s business as usual.
One face who has been around for a long time during the two teams clashing was the former head coach of the Bandits, Ryan Papaioannou, who left this season to coach with the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL. Deis, who has been in the battle with Papaioannou for over a decade, feels that it won’t affect the rivalry as the story has been built over the two teams’ history.
“100 per cent,” Deis said when asked if the rivalry will still be as heated when Papaioannou was the bench boss for the Bandits. “There is a lot of backstory to it, and obviously, I’m still here, so I will make sure that the (rivalry stays hot) on our end. They know that’s the rivalry’s still here.”
As for the unpleasant words that are exchanged between the teams anytime they play against each other, Dies would like his team locked in and make them pay on the scoresheet.
“Obviously, their team can get pretty vocal, but for us, we just need to stay focused, and losing our focus doesn’t help that. It’s one of those things where when you lose, you say nothing, and when you win, you say even less. That’s kind of our mentality. We just want to play good, hard hockey and let our voice be out on the ice between whistles.”
It was only two seasons ago that the Okotoks Oilers put up the biggest fight against the Bandits, as they were the only team to push the eventual champions to seven games. Former Oilers captain Dean Spak (Calgary, AB) played hero in the game after parking himself in front of the net and putting the puck past Johnny Hicks (Bandits goaltender) for the overtime winner. Three current Oilers, captain Brett Wilson (Calgary, AB), assistant captain Ryder de Nys (Canmore, AB), and Hunter Sawka (Cochrane, AB) were a part of the squad, with Wilson leaving a lasting memory for the Green Army with his huge hit on Quinn McCall late in the third period.
“You’ve got to love the rivalry, every night you want to beat them. Obviously, we don’t have a great record against them (from last season), but every game is a new game against them. So, coming off a kind of tough weekend, this will be a big test for us for everyone to buy into that kind of hatred and take it to them,” Wilson said about tonight’s game.
“It’s a long-lasting history, I mean that one year (2023-2024 season) we played them 22 times during the year. You kind of just get to know them, and every player you go against, you know how they play, and it’s just every time you see someone that constantly, you’re enemy;s on the ice. It just builds every time. After seeing them so regularly, yoy play them so many times, and in preseason, oftentimes I’m reading up on them in the postseason, you pay them a lot, and the hatred just grows a little more each time.”
As for the new players who have yet to face the Bandits, Wilson explained they have been looped in and know how important tonight’s game against Brooks is.
“I mean, Dies was already in there giving a speech, but before the game, we’ll just reiterate that you got to go hard on these guys. You’ve got to stay out of their (crap), but just don’t give them any time or space. Make their lives a living hell, so to speak,” Wilson explained.
As for leaving it all out on the ice tonight, Wilson expects his team to come out hard, as the team will have the weekend off due to the BCHL All-Star weekend.
“We’ll just pour it all out there, as we should. You can regroup after, but we’re going to put limbs and teeth on the line here,” he added.
As for Sawka, who is in his final Junior year, he has played a ton against Brooks, along with his brother Tanner and Parker, who both suited up for the Oilers during their careers.
“Oh, definitely. They said they’re the easiest games to wake up for and they’re a lot of fun,” Sawka said about his brothers’ advice.
As for how he’s preparing before the game, nothing much changes, as he said he needs a good rest, getting hydrated, and just being ready to go. When it comes to what he expects from Brooks, he knows they will be trying to get in the team’s heads, but calm heads will prevail.
“I just know mentally that they’re gonna try to get in our heads a bit, so just kind of stay out of that and just stick to our own thoughts, and play together as a team, don’t really cave into what they’re trying to make us do,: he added.
While the Brooks team has also had a ton of changes since Sawka joined the Green and Gold, he said that Brooks’ mentality is still there and that the rivalry is one of the best in the league. The anticipation of grinding it out with the Bandits is an easy wake-up call for Sawka, as his brothers once told him.
Michael Mikan (Edina, MN) is coming off a six-game point streak where he accumulated seven assists. While he’s been a leader on the scoresheet for the Green and Gold, this marks the second time Mikan has faced Brooks in a regular season game, making the rivalry a new one for him.
“I’m really excited. Obviously, we hate these guys, so I want to go in, hit them, make their lives hell, and score a couple of goals against them,” Mikan said about playing Brooks.
The last time the Oilers faced the Bandits was on September 20, Mikan would come away with two goals on the night, but the Oilers weren’t able to claim the “W”.
When it comes to what the leadership group has done to get Mikan and the group prepared, he responded by saying, “It’s a battle, it’s going to be competitive. They’re going to finish every hit, they’re mea. It’s going to be a fun game and good atmosphere.” Mikan would add that the team will need to stick to the simple things, like blocking shots and being defensively sound.
Mikan’s response as to why the Green Army should make their way to the VRC for tonight’s game was, “Because we’re going to win.”
Puck drop for tonight’s game is set for 7:05 MST at Viking Rentals Centre.
Tickets are still available at: https://tickets.okotoksoilers.com/events/37873-brooks-bandits-vs-okotoks-oilers
The Okotoks Oilers are a not-for-profit, community-run junior hockey franchise competing in the BCHL and operating out of Viking Rentals Centre. For more information, visit okotoksoilers.com or follow the Oilers on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.
