CALGARY, Alberta – The Edmundston Blizzard came up just short on Saturday, losing to the Melfort Mustangs, 5-3, in their second game of the preliminary round of the Centennial Cup Canadian Championship.
The Blizzard trailed 3-1 in the third period and, as they’ve become accustomed to during the season in such situation, closed the gap to tie the score at 3-3 with just over eight minutes left in the third. But the Mustangs put the game beyond the Blizzard’s reach with Zac Somers’ third goal of the game at 18:16 late in the contest. The final goal was scored in an empty net.
The Mustangs were first on the scoreboard following Ashton Paul’s net at 4:22 of the opening period. However, the Blizzard evened the score through Jérémy D’Astous at 12:33.
In the second period, the Mustangs scored the only goal coming from Zac Somers’ first of the night at 14:37 during a power play.
Up 2-1, Melfort struck early in the third with Zac Somers’ second goal of the game at 2:13. But the Blizzard rallied with back-to-back goals from Noah Breau at 8:34 and Émile Fournier at 11:37 on the power play. The goal by Fournier, who was celebrating his 19th birthday, gave a boost to the Blizzard, who had taken a number of penalties during the game, some of them highly questionable.
The Mustangs dominated 31-27 in shots. Frédéric Cousineau (Blizzard) and Kristian Coombs (Mustangs) were the two goalkeepers.
Zac Somers (Mustangs) and Zachary Lessard (Blizzard) were named players of the game.
The Blizzard, who had not lost in regulation time in their last 17 games, will need to bounce back in their final two round-robin games if they are to qualify for the next round. Only the three teams in each group advance to the next round. The Blizzard already have two points in the bank following their 4-3 overtime win last Thursday.
Edmundston takes on the Valleyfield Braves on Monday at 3 p.m. (NB time). The Quebec representatives suffered two heartbreaking setbacks, 9-4 and 11-6, in two round-robin games. On Tuesday, the Blizzard will face the host Calgary Canucks, who have won both their games to date.
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Photo
Forward Jérémy D’Astous celebrates after tying the score 1-1 in the first period on Saturday. Photo Erica Perreaux
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Source: Hugues Chiasson, Communications VP for the Edmundston Blizzard