EDMUNDSTON, N.B. – The Edmundston Blizzard kicked off the new year with boundless energy, literally tearing apart the Campbellton Tigers’ defense to win 8-3 on Saturday, January 3, in front of 2,601 spectators, the largest crowd of the season at the Jean-Daigle Centre.
The Blizzard wasted no time in putting their opponents out of contention, scoring five unanswered goals in the first period.
Acquired on January 1, Noah Larochelle took only 19 seconds to score his first goal in the Blizzard uniform (10th of the season). The Québec City forward also had two assists to mark his arrival with the team. As for the rest, the Edmundston players had a fiesta day. Darien Thomson (22nd, 23rd, and 24th), William Labranche (18th and 19th), Éliott Guenette (9th, 1a), and Nathan Crane (5th) found the back of the net against goaltender Niko Boudreau, who was bombarded with 21 shots in the first period.
Michael Derbidge (3a), Néka Jean (2a), and Émile Fournier (2a) contributed to the victory, which puts the Blizzard (16-14-1-2) one point ahead of the Tigres (15-13-3-1) in fourth place in the MHL Eastlink North Division.
Larochelle (1st), Labranche (2nd) and Thomson (3rd) earned the three stars of the game.
The Blizzard finished the night with 35 shots on Boudreau’s net. The Tigers got 21 shots against Cédric Massé, who recorded his 15th win of the season, a league high.
The Blizzard will play their next two games on the road. On Thursday, January 8 (7 p.m.), they will face the Summerside Western Capitals. The next day, Friday, January 9 (7 p.m.), they will visit the Amherst Ramblers. These will be the last two games of the season against teams from the Eastlink South Division.
NOTES – The Blizzard scored five goals in the first period for the third time in their history, each time at the Jean-Daigle Centre. They had achieved the same feat on November 28, 2024, against the same Tigers (5-2 win), then on February 1, 2025, against West Kent (10-3 win)… Darien Thomson joined teammate William Labranche with a second hat trick this season… Thomson’s 24 goals place him second in the MHL, tied with Logan Crosby of Pictou County and two behind the leader, Éli Baillargeon of the Truro Bearcats… William Labranche celebrated his return to the Blizzard uniform after a stint with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in the QMJHL. Thanks to his two goals, Labranche has now scored at least one goal in his last six games with the Blizzard… Labranche is the only regular player in the MHL to have scored as many goals (19) as he has games played (19).
– 30 –
Photo
Noah Larochelle scored one goal and added two assists in his first game wearing the Blizzard uniform. Photo Percy Picard
– 30 –
Source: Hugues Chiasson, communications – Edmundston Blizzard (506) 253-7741