CALGARY, Alberta – Will Allen was on fire Monday afternoon in Calgary when he scored two goals and two assists to guide the Edmundston Blizzard to an important 7-2 win over the Valleyfield Braves in the third game of the round-robin tournament for the two French city teams at the Centennial Cup Canadian Championship.
In front of a few members of his Moncton family, Allen even scored the winning goal that gave Simon Olivier’s squad an unequivocal victory, cheered on by the presence of the head coach’s son, Columbus Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier.
The victory was crucial for the Blizzard, who wanted to maintain their chances of remaining among the top three teams in Group B. Edmundston now occupies third place, with the final game of the preliminary round to come on Tuesday night against the host Calgary Canucks.
The Blizzard started the game like wild animals, scoring three unanswered goals in the first period. Carl-Anthony Massé (at 3:58), Jérémy Fortin (at 5:02) and Will Allen (at 18:39) took turns scoring.
In the second period, the Braves came back to life with James Swan’s 8th goal of the tournament at 8:38. But Allen quickly shut them down with a second goal at 10:13. Then, on a breakaway, Jérémy D’Astous made it 5-1 Blizzard at 17:59.
In the third period, Valleyfield tried to get back into the game, but the Blizzard defense and the brilliance of goalkeeper Austin Caley were up to the task. Charlie Hawthornthwaite revived Valleyfield’s hopes at 5:37, but it was short-lived. Mathieu Pigeon scored a superb goal at 14:21 for a 6-2 lead and, with three seconds left, William Labranche closed the books on another Allen pass.
The Blizzard unleashed 37 shots against Kyle Hagen, who made a few miraculous saves. As for Austin Caley, he’s still doing what’s expected of him: racking up wins in front of the Blizzard cage. He’s never lost in the blue and white jersey. He has 18 consecutive wins, combining the regular season (10), the playoffs (6) and the Centennial Cup (2).
With a third setback in regulation time, the Braves were excluded from the next round.
There is an exceptional parity in this year’s Canadian championship, with all teams in both groups losing at least one game, either in regulation time or overtime. Tuesday’s game will determine whether the Blizzard (1w, 1otw 1l) continue on their way. They face the Calgary Canucks (2w, 1l) at 10:30 p.m. (NB time). A regulation-time win would automatically guarantee the Blizzard a place in the next round.
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Photo
Forward Will Allen raises his arms after scoring his second goal of the game and the Blizzard’s fourth on Monday at the Canadian Championship. Photo Erica Perreaux
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Source: Hugues Chiasson, Communications VP for the Edmundston Blizzard