FREDERICTON, N.B. – The Edmundston Blizzard fell short on Sunday afternoon in the provincial capital when they suffered an embarrassing 8-1 loss to the Fredericton Red Wings.
On top of that, the Blizzard saw the Red Wings catch them up in the standings, meaning that Edmundston, Campbellton and Fredericton are now tied for second place in the Eastlink North section with 28 points each.
The Wings imposed their rhythm from the first period at the end of which they were already leading 4 to 1. It was not the number of shots granted to the Wings (36 against 30) that made the big difference, but the quality of these and the chances offered on a silver platter by the Blizzard’s defense, often leaving goalkeeper Raphaël Audet distraught. Afflicted by numerous injuries, the defensive unit will certainly have to regroup during the last three games of December.
Gabriel Bernier (3g, 1a), Alex Pellerin (2g, 2a), Andrew Gweon, Zach Alchorn and Salem Johnson scored the goals for Fredericton. Slava Melikov also treat himself with three assists. Only Mitchell McLeod, with his 10th goal of the campaign, managed to beat Christian Sbaraglia.
The last time the Blizzard allowed eight goals to the opponent was on January 16, 2020, when they lost 8-2 in Summerside.
The Blizzard will need to get back to the drawing board soon as they return to action on Thursday, December 16 (vs. Miramichi) and Saturday, December 18 (vs. Campbellton). These two games will start at 7:30 p.m. at the Jean-Daigle Centre.
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Photo
Mitchell McLeod scored the only goal for the Blizzard on Sunday in Fredericton. Photo archives Percy Picard
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Contact: Hugues Chiasson, vice-president communications – The Edmundston Blizzard; (506) 740-0623 – cell phone