EDMUNDSTON, N.B. – The return home did not prove beneficial for the Edmundston Blizzard, who lost 5-2 to the Chaleur Lightning on Friday night in a Maritime Junior A Hockey League game.
The Lightning set the pace from the opening minutes of play and built a 3-0 lead 15 minutes into the second period. The Blizzard tried to turn the tide, but each time they were stopped by goalie George Foti, who was determined not to give an inch to the home team.
Isaac Arsenault (1st) opened the scoring in the first period at 14:52. Tyson Snow (7th at 12:01 of the second) and Carter Bromley (11th at 15:20 of the second) dealt a heavy blow to the Blizzard, giving the Lightning a three-goal lead. Éliott Guenette (5th) gave the Blizzard hope at 16:57 of the middle period.
However, that surge was short-lived as the visitors regained their three-goal lead thanks to David Lebel (8th) at 5:46 of the third period. The Blizzard didn’t give up, with William Labranche scoring his 10th goal of the season at 10:33 on a power play.
Zachary Rushton (10th) put the final nail in the coffin for the Lightning with an empty-net goal at 17:37, sealing a 5-2 victory for Chaleur (14-9-0-0), which moved into a tie with the Grand Falls Rapids (13-9-2-0) for first place in the Eastlink North Division. Both teams have 28 points, but the Lightning have a game in hand.
For the Blizzard (10-9-1-2), it was their fifth consecutive loss.
Despite the defeat, Cédric Massé played solidly. He had to rise to the occasion time and time again. He faced 29 shots compared to 27 for his opponent, George Foti, who was also superb, earning the first star of the game. Labranche (2nd, 1g, 1a) and Malcolm MacDonald (3rd, 2a) received the other two stars.
The Blizzard will try to shake off their slump when they host the Campbellton Tigers (10-8-2-1) on Sunday, November 23 (3 p.m.).
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Photo
William Labranche (79) reacts after narrowing the gap to 4-2 with a goal at 10:33 of the third period. Photo Percy Picard
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Source: Hugues Chiasson, communications – Edmundston Blizzard (506) 253-7741