BLIZZARD DEFEAT RAPIDS 6-2
GRAND FALLS – Michael Arsenault broke a 2-2 in the late stages of the second period on Sunday afternoon, giving the Edmundston Blizzard a 6-2 victory against the Rapids in front of a crowd of 1146 spectators assembled at the E.&P. Sénéchal Centre in Grand Falls.
The victory propels the Blizzard into a tie for first spot in the Eastlink North division standings; both Edmundston and Chaleur are deadlocked at 45 points, followed by the Rapids and the West Kent Steamers with 44 points each.
Despite the loss, captain Jonah Leard rewrote the record books by becoming the all-time points leader in Rapids’ history. By scoring his team’s first goal in the second period, Leard broke the previous record of 137 points held by Dominic Leblanc. By adding an assist on Grand Falls’ second goal, Leard now has 47 points on the season with 16 goals and 31 assists in 38 games.
The Blizzard jumped to an early 2-0 lead on goals from Alex Thibault and Charles-Éric Tremblay scored respectively at 2:52 and 8:46 of the opening frame.
It was complete domination by the Blizzard who outshot the Rapids 16 to 2 in the period.
The Rapids came out strong in the second period by being more aggressive on the puck carrier, winning battles along the boards, and by playing a more physical game.
They were rewarded with two goals which tied the game at the mid-way point of the frame.
Jonah Leard scored on a power play at 1:02 after receiving a pass in front of the net. His shot beat Blizzard netminder Cédric Massé to the far side of the post.
Then at 9:49, Conor Ryan sent a one-timer to the back of the net, tying the game 2-2.
A costly penalty by Grand Falls late in the period resulted in Edmundston’s go-ahead goal, coming with only 4 seconds remaining. Michael Arsenault’s slapshot from the faceoff circle gave no chance to goaltender Adam Lecours as the Blizzard skated away with a 3-2 lead after forty minutes of play.
Edmundston took control of the game in the final twenty minutes of play, scoring on three occasions. Eliott Guenette tallied his 10th of the season to make it 4-2 while Darien Thompson (on the power play) and Émile Fournier (empty net) completed the scoring for the Blizzard.
The Rapids scored once on the power play in the game while Edmundston scored on three occasions.
Adam Lecours, who faced a total of 39 shots, was the main reason why the score stayed close for most of the game by making some key saves and shutting out the opponent in the second period.
The Rapids will try to get back on the winning track on Wednesday night when they host the Campbellton Tigers at 7:30 pm at the E.&P. Sénéchal Centre.
EXTRA NOTES
*Eliott Guenette was the Blizzard’s leading scorer with 1g 1a. Jonah Leard led the way offensively for Grand Falls with also 1 goal and an assist.
*In 5 games played this season between the Blizzard and the Rapids, Edmundston has the edge with 3 victories against 2 losses.
*Three stars of the game: 1- Eliott Guenette (EDM); 2- Jonah Leard (GFR); 3- Zachary Robichaud (EDM)
Patrick Thibault
Scoring
| 1st | |||
| 2:52 | EDM | Alex Thibault (7) ASST: Neka Jean (7), François-Xavier Mercier (10) | |
| 8:46 | EDM | Charles-Éric Tremblay (11) ASST: Zachary Robichaud (22), Eliott Guenette (16) (PP) | |
| 2nd | |||
| 1:02 | GFR | Jonah Leard (16) ASST: Coen Miller (24), Loic Francoeur (25) (PP) | |
| 9:49 | GFR | Conor Ryan (2) ASST: Coen Miller (25), Jonah Leard (31) | |
| 19:56 | EDM | Michael Arsenault (13) ASST: William Labranche (21), Noah Larochelle (21) (PP) | |
| 3rd | |||
| 2:34 | EDM | Eliott Guenette (10) ASST: Nathan Crane (5) | |
| 17:15 | EDM | Darien Thomson (31) ASST: Noah Larochelle (22) (PP) | |
| 18:12 | EDM | Émile Fournier (15) ASST: None |