EDMUNDSTON, New Brunswick – Thanks to an almost perfect execution and an unparalleled collective effort, the Blizzard shut out the Grand Falls Rapids 5-0 on Saturday night, to extend their winning streak to 11 games.
First star of the game, Peter Amanatidis had a performance of a goal (7th) and an assist, and his contagious energy was able to raise the best crowd of the season at the Jean-Daigle Centre.
Although he didn’t have to outdo himself, except for two key saves in quick succession in the second period, Thomas Boucher collected his second shutout of the season, a season high in the Maritime Junior A Hockey League (MHL). Named November’s player of the month in Canada, Boucher stopped all 22 pucks fired by the Rapids to reduce his goals-against-average to 1.69 and increase his save percentage to .940. He rightfully deserved the third star of the evening.
Tim Porter (5th, 2nd star), Mitchell McLeod (14th), Jérémy Fortin (3rd), Tristan Fortin (13th) scored the other goals for the Blizzard, which remains first in the Eastlink North Division with a 17-10-0-1 record, one point ahead of the Campbellton Tigers (15-7-3-1).
Although he had a few chances to put his name on the score sheet, Olivier Coulombe saw his streak with at least one point stopped at 12, all the way back to his first game with the team.
Campbellton and Edmundston will come to grips next Friday evening (7:30 p.m.) at the Jean-Daigle Centre. The next day, the Blizzard will host the Eastlink South Division leaders, the Truro Bearcats (18-6-0-2).
Mathieu Pelletier traded to Red Wings for Ryan Loveless
The Blizzard traded forward Mathieu Pelletier to the Fredericton Red Wings for forward Ryan Loveless, a 2023 MHL 2nd round draft pick and a 4th round draft pick in 2024. The Blizzard also traded to the Wings a conditional 5th round pick in the 2024 draft. Pelletier and the Blizzard parted ways following a mutual agreement.
Loveless and Pelletier are both 17 years old. Loveless is from Paradise, Newfoundland. He is currently the seventh leading scorer in the Newfoundland Midget U18 Hockey League (NLU18MHL). In 19 games with the East Coast Blizzard, he has 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points. The 5’10” and 160 lbs forward was the Red Wings’ 4th round pick (45th overall) in the last MHL Draft.
As for Pelletier, from Saint-Jacques, he had four goals and seven assists for 11 points in 23 games this season in the Blizzard uniform. Last year, the 5’8” and 172 lbs forward totaled eight goals and eight assists for 16 points in 30 games. Pelletier was a 5th round pick of the Blizzard (55th overall) in the 2021 draft. He was also a 3rd round pick of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (51st overall) in the QMJHL auction in 2021.
Blizzard management wishes good luck to both hockey players.
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Photo
Peter Amanatidis is a crowd favorite at the Jean-Daigle Centre with his boundless energy, while scoring important goals. (Photo Percy Picard)
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Contact: Hugues Chiasson, vice-president communications – The Edmundston Blizzard; (506) 740-0623 – cell phone