EDMUNDSTON, New Brunswick – The Edmundston Blizzard has earned a spot among the top 20 Junior A teams in the country. Its 12 consecutive victories had the effect of placing Simon Olivier’s team in 20th place on the Canadian chessboard.
The Canadian Junior Hockey League released its weekly rankings today. The Yarmouth Mariners (21-7-1-0) remained in 17th place, while the Truro Bearcats (18-7-0-2) fell from 16th to 19th.
The Blizzard’s record is 18-10-0-1. For comparison, Edmundston finished its original season in 2017-18 with an outstanding 36-10-4-0 record that ended with the Maritime Junior Hockey League playoff championship.
Blizzard’s successes can certainly be explained by better group cohesion and a superior team spirit since the arrival of new players who helped turn the tide after a two-part start to the season. The defense has improved markedly, and the offense is hugely diverse, with the Blizzard’s leading scorer sitting in 18th place in the league scoring column.
The holders of the first three positions in the country remain the same, respectively the Battleford North Stars (SJHL, 28-0-2-1), the Terrebonne Cobras (LHJAAAQ, 28-2-0-0) and the Brooks Bandits (AJHL, 33-3-1-1).
The Canadian Junior Hockey League is a national organization comprised of nine Junior A leagues from Alberta to the Maritimes. The CJHL currently represents 118 teams and well over 2,500 players. There are also 3,000-plus CJHL alumni furthering their hockey careers at the NHL, AHL, ECHL, SPHL, NCAA, U SPORTS and CHL levels across North America as well as leagues across Europe.
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Photo
Blizzard players rally after a goal scored last Friday at the Jean-Daigle Centre against the Campbellton Tigers. (Photo Percy Picard)
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Contact: Hugues Chiasson, vice-president communications – The Edmundston Blizzard; (506) 740-0623 – cell phone