Brantford Bandits kicked off their 2023-24 Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) preseason by capturing the title at the Doug Burr Memorial Tournament in Pelham, Ontario from Friday, August 18 through Sunday, August 20, 2023.
The Bandits opened the round robin portion of the tournament with a 4-1 loss against the Port Colborne Sailors.
Brantford responded with a 1-1 tie versus the Pelham Panthers in their second game and followed that up with a convincing shutout victory over the Welland Canadians, winning 2-0.
The 1-1-1 record was good enough to secure a spot in the semifinal against the Fort Erie Meteors. The Bandits held on for a 2-1 victory in the tightly-contested game to advance to the championship final against the Sailors.
Both teams came out flying to start the final, combining for six goals through 60 minutes but neither team could get the advantage as the teams headed to three-on-three overtime. The extra period couldn’t solve anything so the teams headed to a shootout where the Bandits prevailed, winning the championship by a final score of 4-3.
