GRAND FALLS – Loic Nadeau made a total of 36 saves, guiding the Grand Falls Rapids to a 3-0 shutout victory over the Fredericton Red Wings in a game played Wednesday night at the E.&P. Sénéchal Centre.
The Rapids put an end to a 10-game winless streak while registering their 10th victory of the season. They now have a 5-point lead over Fredericton for 5th spot in the Eastlink North division standings.
The winning tally came from Derek Bird, his 10th of the season, with only 8 seconds remaining in the opening period. While the Rapids were on the power play, Bird took control of a rebound in front of Red Wings’netminder Zachary Bridgeo, giving Grand Falls the 1-0 lead.
Patrick Baxter, with his 8th of the season, doubled the lead for the Rapids on a shot to the top corner of the net at 8:16 of the middleframe.
Jonah Leard completed the scoring for the Rapids, an empty net goal which came at 17:47 of the third period. It was his 23rd tally of the season.
Leard would finish the game with 1 goal and 1 assist while defenseman Will Morrison also had a 2-point night with 2 assists.
Fredericton led the game 36 to 34 in the shots on goal department.
The Rapids went 1 for 4 on the power play while the Red Wings went 0 for 2.
The Rapids’ win comes at a great time for the team as they were finally rewarded for their valiant effort during the past few games. Defensive play has been key lately, which is also a positive sign for the remainder of the season.
Two more home games await the Rapids next weekend. Friday night they host the Miramichi Timberwolves (7pm) while on Sunday afternoon, the Campbellton Tigers are at the E.&P. Sénéchal Centre for a 3pm matchup.
3 STARS OF THE GAME:
1- Loic Nadeau (GFR); 2- Derek Bird (GFR); 3- Patrick Baxter (GFR)
Patrick Thibault
Scoring
|
1st |
|
|
|
|
19:52 |
GFR |
Derek Bird (10) ASST: Brayden Campbell (18), Jonah Leard (32) (PP) |
|
|
2nd |
|
|
|
|
8:16 |
GFR |
Patrick Baxter (8) ASST: Nathan Plamondon-Michaud (11), Will Morrison (16) |
|
|
3rd |
|
|
|
|
17:47 |
GFR |
Jonah Leard (23) ASST: Cole MacWilliam (6), Will Morrison (17) (EN) |