Oilers come up short in back-and-forth battle with Brooks

Written by: Scott Savard

Headline photo: Chad Goddard

Okotoks, AB (January 14, 2026) – The Okotoks Oilers came out on the wrong side of a back-and-forth tilt with the Brooks Bandits last night, falling 5-4 on the special Tuesday night clash at Viking Rentals Centre (VRC).

The Green and Gold would hold two separate leads over Brooks, but the Bandits managed to hold on late in the game to hand the Oilers the loss.

Brady Engelkes (Middleton, WI) continued to pot goals in 2026, as he has produced three goals in four games since coming back from the BCHL holiday break. Captain and BCHL All-Star Brett Wilson (Calgary, AB) collected two tallies himself as he now has accumulated five points (3G, 2A) in the last four games. Wilson is currently three goals away from tying his goal totals from last season at 15. BCHL All-Star Jordan Murray (Decker, MB) would once again find himself on the scoresheet on home ice as 12 of his 13 points on the season have come at Viking Rental Centre.

Michael Mikan, who was also named to the BCHL All-Star weekend, got back in the points column with two assists after having his six-game point streak snapped against Sherwood Park on Saturday. Mikan has produced 11 points (1G, 10A) in the last 10 games. Joey Gugino (Buffalo, NY) also got back on the scoresheet with an assist, making it his third assist in the last four games and his fourth point (1G, 3A) in the last five games.

Assistant captain Jamie Hikida (Richmond, BC), who crashed the net all night long, got rewarded with a goal in his efforts as he picked up his fourth point (3g, 1A) since the start of 2026.

Eric Young (Mill Bay, BC) made the start in net last night, stopping 27 saves during the Bandits’ first time at the VRC this season. Zach Zahara made the start in net for the Bandits for the second time against the Oilers during the 2025-2026 BCHL season.

Wilson would open the scoring in the game with a power play marker 6:50 into the first frame. Four different Oilers would touch the puck on the play as Murray passed it to Mikan along the point, who then found Oilers’ assistant captain Hunter Sawka (Cochrane, AB) at the side of the net. Sawka would then give a backdoor pass to Wilson, who was open in front of the net, and he smashed it home for the 1-0 lead. Sawka and Mikan picked up the assists on the power play marker.

The Bandits would respond twice before the period ended, with Mark Konstantinov and Harry Ahlberg making it a 2-1 hockey game.

Almost a full 20 minutes since Wilson’s tally, Engelkes would tie the game up at 2-2 with his 10th goal of the season. Gabriel Smith (Brampton, ON) picked up his first point as an Okotoks Oiler with the primary assist, and Joey Meredith (Toledo, OH) grabbed his 13th assist of the season with the secondary helper. Hikida would give the Oilers their second lead of the rivalry tilt after crashing the net and putting it past Zahara. Engelkes added his 20th point of the season with the primary helper, and Gugino would add the secondary assist.

The Bandits responded twice before the final buzzer of the second period and added another in the third period to take a 5-3 lead. Ahlberg picked up his second power play goal of the game, along with Mathis Dufour picking up the Bandits’ third power play goal of the night in the second period. Jack Good added the third-period marker nine minutes into the frame.

Wilson gave the Oilers life with 30 seconds left in the game, with his team leading 12th goal of the season and second of the night, but the Oilers weren’t able to squeak one more in before the buzzer as they fell 5-4. Mikan would pick up his second assist of the night on Wilson’s goal, along with Murray grabbing the secondary helper.

The Green and Gold will be off until January 23, as the league is hosting the BCHL All-Star festivities this weekend in Spruce Grove, which will feature Wilson, Mikan, and Murray.