Truro, N.S. – A pass skillfully deflected by Drew Keiver following a faceoff to the right of goaltender Olivier St-Onge late in the second period paved the way for a 4-3 victory by the Truro Bearcats, who tied the Metalfab MHL Cup final series at 1-1 on Tuesday night at the Rath Eastlink Community Centre in Truro.
The game was literally decided in the second period, where six of the seven goals were scored.
The Blizzard’s fourth line once again got the ball rolling thanks to Néka Jean (1st), who finished off a brilliant pass from Alex Thibault to give Edmundston a 1-0 lead at 16:33 of the first period.
Truro started the second period strong with two consecutive goals, scored by Éli Baillargeon (3rd) at 3:42 and Ben Lindsay (1st) at 5:29. The Blizzard, however, regained the lead after two goals in 45 seconds by Noah Larochelle (7th) at 12:42 and Charles-Éric Tremblay (3rd) at 13:27. However, the Bearcats regained momentum with goals by Antoine Fontaine (7th) at 15:48 and Drew Keiver (4th) at 18:49.
In the third period, the Bearcats shut the door to win the game played in front of an announced crowd of 960 spectators.
Three players recorded two points in this game: Larochelle (1G, 1A) and Thibault (2A) for the Blizzard, and Keiver (1G, 1A) for Truro.
For the second game in a row, the starting goalies were Olivier St-Onge (Blizzard) and Louca Connolly (Bearcats). For the second time, the Bearcats outshot their opponents (31-22).
Keiver (1st), Fontaine (2nd), and Thibault (3rd) were named the stars of the game.
Despite the loss, the Blizzard can take heart in the fact that they now hold what is commonly referred to as “home-ice advantage.” The next two games will be played at the Jean-Daigle Centre on Friday, April 24 (7:30 p.m.) and Saturday, April 25 (7:30 p.m.). Both games are expected to be sold out, such is the popularity of junior hockey in Edmundston over the past nine years.
Both teams will return to practice this week with plenty of video sessions, keeping in mind that each needs just three more wins to lift the Metalfab MHL Cup. A decisive weekend lies ahead in Edmundston.
NOTES – Of the seven the top 11 playoff scorers, 7 are Blizzard players. Carter Bromley of Chaleur (17 points) leads Blizzard’s William Labranche by just one point (9 goals, 7 assists). Labranche, incidentally, leads the playoffs in goals scored (9)… Noah Larochelle is on fire. In his last three playoff games, he has tallied 7 points (5 assists, 2 goals). In the finals, he is the only player to have scored two points per game… When the Bearcats won Game 7 of their series against Summerside, there were 3,778 spectators gathered at the Credit Union Place in Summerside. At the Centre Jean-Daigle, however, the Bearcats will have to contend with an even louder and more spirited crowd. According to the statistics, the Blizzard is the team that draws the largest crowds in Canada in Junior A hockey. Stay tuned…
Here is the schedule for the LHM Metalfab Cup final:
Game 1 – Monday, April 20, 7 p.m. – Blizzard 4, Truro 0
Game 2 – Tuesday, April 21, 7:00 p.m. – Blizzard 3, Truro 4
Game 3 – Friday, April 24, 7:30 p.m. – Jean-Daigle Centre
Game 4 – Saturday, April 25, 7:30 p.m. – Jean-Daigle Centre
Game 5 – Monday, April 27, 7:00 p.m. – Rath Eastlink Community Centre
Game 6 – Wednesday, April 29, 7:30 p.m. – Centre Jean-Daigle*
Game 7 – Friday, May 1, 7:00 p.m. – Rath Eastlink Community Centre *
*if necessary
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Photo
Noah Larochelle continues his excellent play in the playoffs. On Tuesday, he led the Blizzard’s offense with a goal and an assist. Photo courtesy of Percy Picard
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Contact: Hugues Chiasson, vice-president communications – The Edmundston Blizzard; (506) 740-0623 – cell phone