EDMUNDSTON, New Brunswick – Ryan Loveless scored two masterful goals to lead the Edmundston Blizzard to a 3-0 shutout over the West Kent Steamers on Thursday evening at the Jean-Daigle Centre.
The rookie forward from Paradise, Newfoundland, first converted a superb pass from Noah Breau to score the game’s first goal on a one-timer at 15:04 of the first period.
His second goal of the night, making it 3-0 at 15:16 of the third period, was just as spectacular when he weaved his way through the defence to fool goalkeeper Xavier Fisk with a nice move.
Félix Bédard (3rd star) gave the Steamers a crushing blow at 10:42 of the third period as the visitors’ only minor penalty of the game came to an end. Positioned well to the right of the goalkeeper, he seized on a rebound from behind the net to make it 2-0 with his 18th goal of the season.
With his 7th and 8th goals of the campaign, Loveless earned the match’s first star.
Goaltender Nicholas Sheehan (2nd star) tied a Blizzard record with his third shutout of the season. He faced 24 shots, as did his opponent Fisk. Francis Asselin, twice (2017-2018 and 2018-2019) and Ewan MacDonald (2018-2019) also blanked opponents three times in a single season. MacDonald had completed all three shutouts in 20 games. Sheehan did it faster, in 17 games.
The Blizzard (15-8-0-0 = 30 points) have just won their fifth game in a row. They are two points behind the Steamers (15-7-2-0 = 32 points) who sits first in the Eastlink North division. The Blizzard have played one fewer game than their Southeast rivals. The Miramichi Timberwolves (14-6-1-1) also have 30 points in this tight Northern division battle.
The Blizzard will be looking to keep the momentum going when they host the Amherst Ramblers (11-9-0-1) on Saturday at 7:30pm.
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Photo
Ryan Loveless reacts after his first goal of the evening, which became the winning goal. Photo Percy Picard
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Contact: Hugues Chiasson, vice-president communications – The Edmundston Blizzard; (506) 740-0623 – cell phone