EDMUNDSTON, New Brunswick – Inspired by a masterful performance from goaltender Cédric Massé, the Edmundston Blizzard defeated the Chaleur Lightning 4-2 on Thursday at the Jean-Daigle Centre, putting them in a strong position to win the Eastlink North Division title of the Metalfab MHL Cup.
The Blizzard took a 3-2 lead in the division finals and will look to knock out the Lightning on Saturday (7 p.m.) when the two teams face off at the K.C. Irving Centre in Bathurst.
Thursday night proved to be a tough task for the Blizzard, as the Lightning launched wave after wave of attacks against a Cédric Massé who was at the top of his game. Chaleur dominated the first two periods, firing 31 shots on the Blizzard’s net, while Edmundston managed only 11 shots on Jack Flanagan. Despite everything, the Blizzard held on to a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes of play.
Darien Thomson (3rd) scored the only goal of the first period on a breakaway at 5:59 to give the Blizzard a 1-0 lead.
Sam Rocca (5th) tied the score at 3:34 of the second frame, but the Blizzard scored the next two goals. Émile Fournier (5th) converted superb passes from William Labranche and Michael Arsenault to give his team the lead for good at 7:08. Michael Derbidge (3rd) scored the game-winner at 11:51 with a shot that beat Flanagan five-hole.
In the third period, Michael Arsenault (7th) broke the Lightning’s back at 10:33 to give the Blizzard a 4-1 lead. The Lightning managed to cut the deficit to two goals thanks to Mason Cook (2nd), but it was too little, too late.
With a little more luck, the Lightning could have made the game closer, as the Chaleur players hit the post three times.
At the end of the game, the Lightning outshot the Blizzard 38-25.
Massé (1st), Fournier (2nd), and Arsenault (3rd) were named the stars of the game, which was played in front of a very energetic crowd of 2,459 spectators constantly fired up by the enthusiasm of mascot Chinook.
Here is the series schedule:
Tuesday, March 31: Chaleur 3 at Edmundston 6
Thursday, April 2: Edmundston 4 at Chaleur 2
Saturday, April 4: Chaleur 5 at Edmundston 4
Tuesday, April 7: Edmundston 3 at Chaleur 4 (2nd overtime)
Thursday, April 9: Chaleur 2, Edmundston 4
Saturday, April 11 (7:00 p.m.) in Bathurst
Wednesday, April 15 (7:30 p.m.) in Edmundston (if necessary)
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Photo
Cédric Massé raises his arms after leading the Blizzard to a 4-2 victory. Photo Percy Picard
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Contact: Hugues Chiasson, vice-president communications – The Edmundston Blizzard; (506) 740-0623 – cell phone