AMHERST, N.S. – The Edmundston Blizzard literally tore the Amherst Ramblers apart on Friday night, scoring a crushing 11-3 victory on Nova Scotia soil.
The Ramblers suffered humiliation for the second time at the hands of the Blizzard, who had won 10-2 at the Jean-Daigle Center in the season opener. The Ramblers (19-14-1-0), one of the powerhouses of the Eastlink South Division, collapsed in the third period, allowing six straight goals to the Blizzard, who had a slim 5-3 lead.
The line of Darien Thomson, Émile Fournier, and Michael Derbidge gave the Ramblers’ two goalkeepers a headache, tallying a combined 12 points. Thomson scored three more goals (his 26th, 27th, and 28th) with an assist. Captain Fournier scored his 11th and 12th goals of the season and added four assists. Derbidge rounded out the scoring with four helpers.
William Labranche (20th and 21st and one assist), Zachary Robichaud (4th and one assist), Justin Trottier (6th), Benjamin Damphousse (1st and one assist), Charles-Éric Tremblay (10th), Noah Larochelle (2 assists) and Jack Brown (2 assists) also contributed to the scoring spree.
Anthony Gaudet (15th), Jack O’Blenis (4th), and Jacob Kaine (11th) were the only ones who managed to beat goalie Cédric Massé, who once again put in a masterful performance, facing 41 shots. The Blizzard fired 40 shots at Brandon Lavoie and Hudson Bradley.
Thomson (1st), Labranche (2nd) and Fournier (3rd) were named the game’s stars.
For the statistics lovers, Darien Thomson now ranks first in the MHL in goals (28) and has climbed to fourth in points with 28 goals and 19 assists. In addition, he registered his third hat trick of the season, a team high. William Labranche is the only regular player in the MHL with as many goals (21) as games played, and he extended his point scoring streak to nine games. He has 22 points during that span. It was an equally memorable night for defenseman Benjamin Damphousse, who scored his first goal in the MHL late in the game.
The Blizzard scored six goals in one period for the fifth time since arriving in Edmundston in 2017. Edmundston broke a team record with five goals in 4:51. The previous mark of exactly 5:00 was set on March 14, 2024 at the Jean-Daigle Centre. The Blizzard shattered the old road record of 9:15, set on January 3, 2020, in Campbellton.
The Blizzard has just played its last game against teams from the other division. Too bad, because they were really getting into it… Michael Ward’s players will return to Edmundston to prepare for their next two games at the Jean-Daigle Centre, on Thursday, January 15 (7:30 p.m.) against the Miramichi Timberwolves and on Saturday, January 17 (7:30 p.m.) against the Campbellton Tigers.
Now with a five-point lead over the Campbellton Tigers (15-15-3-1) in fourth place in the Eastlink North division, the Blizzard (18-14-1-2) is four points away from the top. The last 17 games against the five other teams in the division will therefore be crucial.
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Photos
The line of Darien Thomson, Émile Fournier, and Michael Derbidge collected 12 points on Friday night in Amherst. Photo archives Percy Picard
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Source: Hugues Chiasson, communications – Edmundston Blizzard (506) 253-7741