YARMOUTH, Nova Scotia – The Edmundston Blizzard played like a team that knew the ocean depths better than their opponents, the Yarmouth Mariners. Hailing from Madawaska, the Blizzard withstood the Mariners’ challenge, securing a 7–5 victory in a hard-fought battle on Friday, September 25, at Yarmouth’s “Fish Tank.”
The Mariners wasted no time hauling in the first catches of the game. Just 59 seconds in, they opened the scoring with Will Shearer’s second goal of the season. At the 8:14 mark, the Mariners extended their lead to 2–0 thanks to Owen O’Donnell’s first goal of the campaign.
However, the Blizzard refused to sink under the tidal wave unleashed by their hosts. Forty-five seconds after the Mariners’ second goal, Darien Thomson scored his first of the season to put the Blizzard on the board. The team followed up with two more goals—the first two of the season for captain Émile Fournier (at 16:40 and 18:48).
Leading 3–2 heading into the second period, Michael Arsenault doubled the Blizzard’s advantage at 6:22. But the Mariners struck back with two consecutive goals: one at 8:12 (Ryan Small, his 2nd) and another at 17:52 (Evan Lyver, his 1st). Suddenly, the game was tied 4–4, setting the stage for a third period played before a crowd of over 1,000 spectators—including many Acadians—in Yarmouth.
Charles-Éric Tremblay (his 3rd) broke the deadlock at 4:01, and Arsenault followed up with his second goal of the night (his 5th overall) at 8:59. Trailing 6–4, the Mariners decided to pull their goaltender with less than two minutes remaining. The gamble showed promise, especially since they had a man advantage. Shearer scored his second goal of the game (his third of the season) at the 18:28 mark. The Blizzard withstood the Nova Scotia team’s attacks, and William Labranche (his third goal) sealed the win with just nine seconds left in the game.
The Blizzard fired 48 shots at the Mariners’ net, while the Mariners countered with 29 shots of their own.
William Stonehouse earned the win in goal for the Blizzard, while Brett Ruddy took the loss.
Arsenault (2 goals, 1 assist – 1st star), Émile Fournier (2 goals – 2nd star), and goaltender Ruddy (3rd star) were named the game’s three stars.
The Blizzard (3-1-0-0) climbed to first place in the MHL’s Eastlink North Division. They are tied with the West-Kent Steamers (3-4-0-0), though the Steamers have played three more games than Edmundston.
The Blizzard will wrap up their brief two-game stint in Nova Scotia by facing the Valley Wildcats (3-0-0-1) on Saturday, September 26 (7:00 p.m.) in the charming small town of Berwick (population 2,400), located in the Annapolis Valley.
NOTES: With his three-point performance, Michael Arsenault has taken over the MHL scoring lead; he has tallied five goals and five assists for 10 points. He has recorded at least three points in each of the Blizzard’s last three games… Charles-Éric Tremblay and Noah Larochelle have registered a point in all four of the Blizzard’s games so far this season… Still chasing his first career hat trick, Émile Fournier recorded his 15th multi-goal game; only Olivier Coulombe, with 16, is ahead of him in this regard.
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Photo
Émile Fournier scored two goals for the 15th time of his career. Photo: archives Percy Picard
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Contact: Hugues Chiasson, vice-president communications – The Edmundston Blizzard; (506) 253-7741 – cell phone