It was a tough week for the Rapids who went winless in three games. They did however pick up 1 point in the standings following a 3-2 shootout loss last Wednesday night against the Edmundston Blizzard.
It leaves Grand Falls with 17 points, which is the same total as the Campbellton Tigers for a share of 5th spot in the Eastlink North division standings. However, the Rapids are 6 points behind the Fredericton Red Wings for the final playoff spot available in the division.
The two matchups against the Blizzard were well played games. The Rapids were in the lead 2-1 on Wednesday until Philippe Collette tied the score for Edmundston with under 3 minutes remaining in regulation time. The contest was decided in the 7th round of the shootout frame.
Tristan Sanchez and Tate Brenner (power play goal) scored for Grand Falls.
Then on Friday night at the Jean-Daigle Centre in Edmundston, the Rapids once again were able to take a 2-1 lead until the Blizzard scored two goals within 3 minutes of play at the end of the second period to take the lead for good. The Rapids did score twice on the power play, but they were outshot in the contest 37 to 29.
Then on Sunday night in Bouctouche, it was a game to forget for Grand Falls as they clashed for the sixth time this season against their new division rivals. With the score tied 1-1, the West Kent Steamers scored five unanswered goals as they defeated the Rapids for the 5th time this season.
Of course, all those points lost in the standings against teams within their own division has hurt the Rapids thus far.
Grand Falls has winning records this season against Campbellton and Fredericton (2 wins 1 loss for 4pts on both occasions). The Rapids do however have losing records against Miramichi (1-2 for 2pts), Edmundston (0-1-1 for 1 pt) and West Kent (1-5 for 2pts). Which means that in total against teams from the Eastlink North, the Rapids have a record this season of 6 wins, 10 losses and 1 shootout defeat for 13 points.
There is still time to gain some ground, but let’s say that Saturday night’s matchup at the Grant-Harvey Centre in Fredericton would be a huge win. The night before, the Rapids host the Campbellton Tigers while on Sunday, the Amherst Ramblers come to town for an afternoon game.
So three games in three days is what’s awaiting Greg Leland’s squad next weekend.
Three things that should be done in order to gain some points in the standings this weekend: opportunism, a good performance on special teams, and a full energetic game from beginning to end.
Let’s say that a nice little winning streak to start the month of December would be a great way to get back into the playoff race.
Patrick Thibault
TEAM NEWS AND STATS:
*The Rapids’ first line has been less productive lately, but all three players still lead the team in scoring.
Dominic Leblanc is the leader with 17 goals and 8 assists for 25 points, followed by Ethan Johnson (7g 15a 22pts) and Jérémy Boulanger (4g 18a 22pts).
Jules Delepoulle leads all defensemen in scoring with 1 goal and 14 assists for 15 points.
*Ethan Johnson is the team’s best point-getter on the power play with 3 goals and 9 assists for 12 points. Dominic LeBlanc is second on the list with 8 goals and 3 assists for 11 points. LeBlanc is currently second in the league in PP goals behind Alexis Daniel of West Kent.
*The Rapids’ power play efficiency has slightly gone up this week. It is at 22.4%, which is the same percentage as the Edmundston Blizzard.
Grand Falls’ penalty kill is at 72,6%, which is ranked 6th in the Eastlink North division.
*The Rapids’ home record is 3 wins, 5 losses and 2 shootout defeats for a total of 8 points.
On the road, their record stands at 4 wins, 6 losses and 1 shootout loss for 9 points.
*Adam Lecours is currently ranked 4th in the league in goals against average with 2.80. He is also ranked 4th in minutes played with 707 min.
*The Rapids’ organisation and fans alike would like to wish the best of luck to Stanislav Boiarchuk and Kirill Maschenko who have been traded last week to the Dryden Ice Dogs of the SIJHL. Both born in Ukraine, they will pursue their dream of playing at a high level of hockey in North America while hoping that all goes better in their native land.
NEWS FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE:
*The West Kent Steamers have a 2-point lead over the Miramichi Timberwolves in the Eastlink North division standings. The Steamers have 32 points to their credit, followed in order by: Miramichi (30pts), Edmundston (28pts), Fredericton (23pts), while the Rapids and the Campbellton Tigers are tied with 17 points each.
In the Eastlink South division, the Summerside Western Capitals lead the way with 34 points, followed by Yarmouth (28pts). They are followed by: Amherst (23pts), Pictou County and Truro (21pts each) and the Valley Wildcats with 8pts.
*Carter McCluskey (22g 21a 43pts) of the Truro Bearcats still leads this week in the MHL scoring race.
Nick Mahar of Pictou County is second with 16g 22a for 38pts, followed by Alexis Daniel of West Kent (21g 16a 37pts) and Alex Nadeau of Truro (11g 26a 37pts).
*Jack Flanagan of Miramichi is still the leader in goals-against average among goaltenders with 2.28. He is followed by Nicholas Sheehan of the Edmundston Blizzard and Olivier Dallaire of the West Kent Steamers who both have an average of 2.43.
THE RAPIDS UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
*Friday December 1st: Campbellton vs Rapids (7:00 pm)
*Saturday December 2: Rapids at Fredericton (7:00 pm)
*Sunday December 3: Amherst vs Rapids (3:00 pm)