Truro, N.S. (December 3, 2022) – The Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL) is pleased to name the awards for November with the Top Forward, Top Defenseman, and Top Goaltender.
Top Forward – Olivier Coulombe (Edmundston Blizzard) – The 20-year-old from Montmagny, Quebec made his season debut for Edmundston on November 4th and registered at least one point in all eleven games for the Blizzard. His 23 points were second-most in the MHL for the month, behind only Campbellton’s Dawson Stairs, but Coulombe’s sixteen goals were nearly twice as many as the next best total (Stairs with nine) and he was the only player in the MHL to reach double-digits in goals for November. Six of Coulombe’s goals were on the powerplay, and he had an incredible four game-winning goals for the month.
Coulombe had a goal and an assist in a 5-3 win over Miramichi on the 4th, followed by one goal on the 6th in an 8-2 loss in Campbellton. He exploded for four goals, including one on the powerplay, in a 6-2 win over Pictou County. Coulombe tallied two goals and an assist in an 8-1 win over Amherst on the 11th and an assist in an 8-1 win on the 13th against Miramichi. He then began a stretch of scoring the game-winning goal in four consecutive games where he went on a tear of seven goals and an assist, including a hat trick on the 24th against Miramichi. Coulombe finished November with three assists in an overtime win over Miramichi on the 26th and a goal in an overtime victory on the 27th against Campbellton.
Honourable Mention – Dawson Stairs (Campbellton Tigers) – The 20-year-old from Fredericton, N.B. led all players in November with 24 points in ten games. Stairs had nine goals, which were second to Edmundston’s Olivier Coulombe, and he led all players in assists with fifteen for the month. He found the scoresheet in all ten games he played in November, including seven multi-point efforts and four powerplay goals. Stairs had five points in a 6-4 win over Summerside on the 25th and four assists in a 5-3 win over Fredericton on the 9th.
Top Defenseman – Peter Stanger (Campbellton Tigers) – The 20-year-old from Bathurst, N.B. led all defensemen in points in November with fourteen. Stanger had four goals and ten assists in ten games played, moving him into second place in overall scoring among blueliners in the MHL for the season. He’s tied with three other players for the league lead in powerplay points with 14 and is the lone defensemen to score a shorthanded goal this season.
Stanger was held off the scoresheet just once in November and had five two-point games, including a two-goal performance on the 12th in Summerside where he scored the game-winner on the powerplay and then while shorthanded in a 5-2 win. Stanger’s ten assists for the month were tied with Pictou County’s Neil MacLean for the most in November among defensemen and fourth-most among all players.
Honourable Mention – Ben Roode (Yarmouth Mariners) – The 20-year-old from Dartmouth, N.S. had two goals and seven assists in eights games in November for the Mariners. A leader among Yarmouth’s blueline for his stellar defensive play, Roode’s two big nights on the scoresheet came with a two-assist performance on the 4th in a win against Fredericton and three assists in a 5-1 win over Valley on the 18th.
Top Goaltender – Thomas Boucher (Edmundston Blizzard) – The 19-year-old from Lévis, Quebec has made an immediate impact since joining the Blizzard in November. Boucher led all goaltenders with a 1.99 goals against average to go with a perfect 8-0-0-0 record. His .934 save percentage was tops among goaltenders with at least three starts and had a shutout. Boucher played the most minutes of any goaltender in November with 483 and made the most saves with 228.
Boucher’s first game for Edmundston was on the road November 10th against the Pictou County Weeks Crushers where he made 24 saves for the 6-2 victory. He made 21 saves the following day in an 8-1 win in Amherst. Making his home debut on the 13th, Boucher made 34 saves in another 8-1 win, this time over Miramichi. After a 39-save shutout in a 3-0 win over Fredericton on the 17th, he made 29 saves in a 4-3 overtime win against Campbellton. Boucher had 28-saves in a 6-1 win over the Timberwolves on the 24th and then 23 saves in a 7-6 overtime win in Miramichi on the 26th. He finished his month with 30 saves in a 3-2 overtime win in Campbellton.
Honourable Mention – Frédéric Plourde (Grand Falls Rapids) – The 20-year-old from St-Léonard, NB went 5-1-0-0 in November with a 2.53 goals against average, fifth-best for the month, and a .913 save percentage. Frédéric Plourde also played the third-most minutes of any goaltender in the MHL last month with 379 and had the seventh-most saves with 168.
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Media Contact:
James Faulkner
Director of Communications
Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL)
jfaulkner@themhl.ca