The Okotoks Oilers will look to make four straight wins Thursday night as they welcome the Brooks Bandits to town.

The Oilers sit 3rd in the AJHL's South Division just six points back of the Bandits for 1st.

The last time the Oilers and Bandits faced each other was September 19 in Brooks where the Oilers came away with a 4-2 victory.

Head Coach and General Manager James Poole says the Bandits won't be the same team they faced early on.

"Their depth up front is impressive," he says. "They are a typical Brooks team they've got a lot of skill and speed up front, they've got four lines that are dangerous and so I think its a different test than Camrose and we withstood that test really well in Brooks early in September, they've added some players."

Those players include Ty Mappin, Landon Welykolowa and Tristan Thompson on the December 1st cut down day along with new goaltender Jonathan Reinhart.

The Oilers also added a player at the deadline in Tanner Laderoute from the Sherwood Park Crusaders.

Poole says Thursday's tilt is another measuring stick game for his young Oiler team.

"It's going to be a test for us," he says. "After last year going 0-10 against them, this year's team I think has risen to that challenge of playing against Brooks and now its a big game where 1st and 2nd are still within sight  and we want to try and close that gap before the Christmas break."

The month of December will be an interesting one for the Oilers facing the Bandit twice more after Thursday and another game against the Kodiaks so taking care of business now would be a factor in determining where they finish in the regular season.

"We've got them three times and if we can have a solid stretch to Christmas then we can really put ourselves in a great spot going into the 2nd half and we're looking forward to this game and it should be a great one," Poole says.

Puck drop goes at 7 p.m. at Pason Centennial Arena.

The Eagle 100.9 will have tonight's broadcast with Gino De Paoli and Robbie Fisher starting with the pre-game show starting at 6:45.

Questions, comments, or story ideas? Email us at news@okotoksonline.com