EDMUNDSTON, New Brunswick – The Edmundston Blizzard scored five unanswered goals in the first period to stun the West Kent Steamers 10-3 on Saturday evening at the Jean-Daigle Centre in front of a nice crowd of 2,701.
Eight Blizzard players found the back of the net in a victory that surprised many against an opponent that had already given them a tougher time. Émile Fournier (32nd and 33rd, 1a), William Labranche (7th and 8th), Darien Thomson (7th, 1a), Justin Trottier (10th, 1a), Mathieu Boucher (2nd, 1a), Carl-Anthony Massé (20th, 1a), Mathieu Pigeon (7th) and Jérémie D’Astous (22nd) all beat goalkeepers Olivier Dallaire and Victor Régis.
For the fourth game in a row, Massé scored the winning goal for the Blizzard, a feat achieved only by Olivier Coulombe in the 2022-2023 season.
Philippe Collette’s three assists put him alone at the top of the MHL scoring race. He totals 72 points (24g, 48a), 3 more than Lucas Canning of Pictou County. Jérémy Fortin and Zachary Lessard picked up two assists each in the win.
Xavier Roy (10th, 1a), Spencer Caines (5th, 1a) and Michael Arsenault (1st, 1a) replied for the Steamers (22-12-4-1).
The Blizzard outshot the Steamers 48-31. Goalie Frédéric Cousineau had another excellent night in front of the Edmundston net.
Fournier (1st), Boucher (2nd) and Fortin (3rd) earned the game’s stars.
This is the first time in a regular season since arriving in Edmundston in 2017 that the Blizzard has scored 10 goals. They also reached this mark in the last playoffs against Fredericton (10-2 win, March 14, 2024). The record for most goals in a game by Edmundston is 12, achieved at Miramichi (12-1 win) on February 11, 2022.
With five first-period goals, the Blizzard equals a mark set earlier this season (November 28, 2024) against the Campbellton Tigers.
The Blizzard (35-6-1-1) are on a seven-game winning streak, and the magic number to secure first place in the Eastlink North division is 4. They lead the Miramichi Timberwolves by 19 points.
With a few hours’ sleep, the Blizzard will head back to Restigouche county to take on the Campbellton Tigers (22-15-4-1) on Sunday at 3 p.m.
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Photo
Émile Fournier scored his tenth two-goal game of the season. The 18-year-old rookie totals 33 goals this season. Photo Percy Picard
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Source: Hugues Chiasson, communications co-ordinator – Edmundston Blizzard – 506 740-0623 – (cell.)