EDMUNDSTON, New Brunswick – For the first time in its history, the Edmundston Blizzard is the number one team in Canada following the national rankings unveiled today by the Canadian Junior Hockey League.
It took 2,628 days since the Blizzard’s very first game (September 15, 2017 in Woodstock) and 331 regular-season games before the team could finally say it had reached the top in the country.
According to statistics compiled by league director of communications James Faulkner, the last MHL team to occupy first place in Canada was Woodstock in the 2011-2012 season, a position it held for nine weeks!
The Blizzard (20-3-1-0) have held second place in the Canadian standings for the past five weeks. It was also ranked second on October 9, 2017.
The Trenton Golden Hawks (OJHL, 21-3-1-0) moved up from fifth to second, while the Rockland Nationals (CCHL, 19-3-1-0) lost first place and are now third.
Last week, the Blizzard won 5-3 in Grand Falls on Wednesday and they lost 4-3 in Miramichi on Sunday. Some of the teams at the top of the Canadian rankings had a difficult week, which explains the decision of the experts who establish the positions in the country.
The Summerside Western Capitals (19-3-2-0) are currently ranked 7th in Canada. The Steamers (14-6-1-0) received an honorable mention for the second week in a row.
The Blizzard will play its next two games at home on Thursday, November 28 (7:30 p.m.) against Campbellton (12-9-2-0) and on Saturday, November 30 (7:30 p.m.) versus Pictou County (8-13-3-0).
The Canadian Junior Hockey League features 118 Junior A teams in nine leagues. To view the list of the top 20 teams on the national scene: https://www.cjhlhockey.com/en/
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Photo
Jérémy Fortin reacts to his goal against West-Kent on November 17. A veteran of three seasons, Fortin is a key player with the Blizzard which has just reached the top of the national rankings for the first time since arriving in Edmundston in 2017-2018. Photo Percy Picard
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Source: Hugues Chiasson, responsable des communications – Le Blizzard d’Edmundston ; 506 740-0623 – (tél. cell.)