EDMUNDSTON, New Brunswick – There is no better thing to do than going out with friends and family to see a hockey game between the Summerside Western Capitals and the Edmundston Blizzard!
Sunday was no exception when it took the shootout round to determine a winner. And for another time, it’s the Western Capitals who came out with two points in the standings. The MHL leaders won 3-2 after erasing a deficit of 2-0 to start the third period. And as it is usually the case in meetings between the two teams, roughness was at the rendezvous, which complicated the work of the officials.
The game displayed the great talent of goalkeeper Antoine Lyonnais who put on a spectacular show, certainly one of the best performances by a Blizzard goaltender since the team’s transfer from Dieppe in 2017. Not one, but several miraculous saves by Lyonnais who stunned the powerful offensive of the Capitals, ranked 7th in Canada.
After many tries, however, they managed to solve Lyonnais’ mystery. Brodie MacArthur, who else, scored twice for the Capitals in the third period, first at 1:06 on the power play and at 12:47. MacArthur has 30 goals to his credit since the beginning of the season. He brought his point total to 56 just like his linemate, giant Kallum Muirhead.
The crowd of 2,718 spectators went wild when Brock McLeod found the back of the net at 8:49 of the first period to open the score. Fans flooded the ice with hundreds and hundreds of teddy bears in the plush animal promotion game. At least 15 minutes were required to pack all the teddy bears in trucks. Then, at 15:05, Ben Lightbody scored his first goal of the campaign on a shorthanded breakaway to give the Blizzard a 2-0 lead which remained intact until the beginning of the third frame.
The Blizzard had a few chances to close the books in the overtime period. Tristan Mercure came close by hitting the crossbar.
In the shootout, the Blizzard took a 1-0 lead thanks to Brock McLeod’s remarkable goal that mystified goalkeeper Alec MacVicar with some brilliant moves. But the visitors scored in the next two rounds (Marc-André LeCouffe and Kallum Muirhead) to leave Edmundston with the two precious points.
Summerside led 39-31 in shots on goal.
On their last visit at the Jean-Daigle Centre on November 17, the Western Capitals played the same trick to the Blizzard by registering a 5-4 shootout win.
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Photo
Alex Arsenault raises his arms following the goal of Brock McLeod, which caused a flood of plush animals tossed on the ice. It was the teddy bear game afternoon at the Jean-Daigle Centre. Photo Digiphoto
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Contact: Hugues Chiasson, vice-president communications – The Edmundston Blizzard; (506) 740-0623 – cell phone