EDMUNDSTON – Justin Hebert and Felix Bedard each scored three goals as the Edmundston Blizzard cruised to a 9-1 victory Thursday night over the Rapids in front of a crowd of 2289 spectators at the Jean-Daigle Centre.
It was a fourth consecutive defeat for the Rapids who despite the loss, remain 4 points behind the Campbellton Tigers for 5th spot in the Eastlink North division standings.
As for the Blizzard, their streak has now reached 12 wins in their last 13 games.
The Rapids were outshot 33 to 26 in the contest but led 9-8 in that department in the final frame. It shows at what point they were determined to fight until the very end despite a very strong opponent with superior offensive punch.
Adam Lecours played for the first two periods between the pipes for Grand Falls; Will Hodgson completed the game in the final 30 minutes of play. Nicholas Sheehan picked up the victory in goal for Edmundston, his 17th of the season.
The Blizzard came out strong in the opening period, scoring three times. Justin Hebert opened up the scoring at 8:52 with a deflection in front of the net and scored in identical fashion at 16:52 to give the Blizzard a 2-0 lead. Then at 17:17, Noah Matulu completed a great individual effort by splitting between two Rapids’ players, scoring on a breakaway.
Edmundston added four goals in the middle frame. Justin Hebert completed his hat trick at 1:11 on another deflection in front of the net. Felix Bedard would score his first of the night at 9:21, followed by Philippe Collette’s tally at 11:30. Jérémy Fortin added Edmundston’s 7th goal at 14:28 on a wrister from the slot.
Felix Bedard scored both Blizzard goals in the final period, completing the hat trick. Bedard now totals 24 goals on the season, which is 5th best in the league.
The Rapids avoided the shutout with less than 5 minutes remaining thanks to a power play goal. Zacharie Charest sent a shot from the point through traffic for his 8th goal of the season and his 2nd since coming to Grand Falls.
Only 5 minor penalties were assessed in the game, including 3 to the Blizzard.
The Rapids will be back in action on Saturday night as they travel to Miramichi to square off against the Timberwolves. Puck drop is at 7pm.
GAME NOTES:
*Nick Beatty played his first game with the Rapids on Thursday night since being traded earlier this week.
*Despite not showing anything on the scorecard, Marcellus Francis had a strong game for the Rapids, obtaining many scoring chances while battling for the puck on numerous occasions.
*Felix Bedard had the best performance offensively for the Blizzard with 3 goals and 2 assists.
*Edmundston was perfect on the power play, scoring twice on 2 PP opportunities.
The Rapids finished the game 1 for 3 with the man advantage.
*Game attendance: 2289
*Three stars of the game: 1- Justin Hebert (EDM); 2- Felix Bedard (EDM); 3- Ryan Loveless (EDM)
Patrick Thibault
Scoring
1st
8:52 EDM Justin Hebert (7) ASST: Ryan Loveless (12)
16:52 EDM Justin Hebert (8) ASST: Tim Porter (13), Felix Bedard (31) (PP)
17:17 EDM Noah Matulu (4) ASST: None
2nd
1:11 EDM Justin Hebert (9) ASST: Tim Porter (14), Philippe Collette (20) (PP)
9:21 EDM Felix Bedard (23) ASST: Ryan Loveless (13)
11:30 EDM Philippe Collette (18) ASST: Anastasios Lazaris (4), Jérémy Fortin (16)
14:28 EDM Jérémy Fortin (17) ASST: Felix Bedard (32), Philippe Collette (21)
3rd
4:30 EDM Felix Bedard (24) ASST: Jérémy Fortin (17)
7:48 EDM Felix Bedard (25) ASST: Ryan Loveless (14)
15:02 GFR Zacharie Charest (8) ASST: Will Morrison (7), Tate Brenner (7) (PP)