The Okotoks Oilers are facing elimination after falling 8-2 to the host Brooks Bandits in their BCHL Alberta Division semifinal on Friday night.
Jackson Rowland opened the scoring for the Oilers 40 seconds into the contest, but the Bandits responded a minute later, then scored six more goals in succession en route to a 3-2 series lead.
Sam Hall potted a power-play marker for Okotoks to make it 7-2 in the third period. Christian Green made 33 saves for the fourth-seeded Oilers.
Logan Sawyer scored a hat-trick for the top-seeded Bandits, while Nicholas DeGraves, Ethan Beyer, Parker Lalonde, Mirko Buttazzoni and Danylo Korzhyletskyi also tickled twine. Johnny Hicks turned aside 23 shots.
Game 6 of the best-of-seven goes Sunday (7 p.m.) at Okotoks Centennial Arena. A Game 7, if necessary, would be played on Tuesday in Brooks.
The Oilers will try to repeat recent history and once again even up the series, like they did in Games 2 and 4.
The series winner will face the Sherwood Park Crusaders in the Alberta final.