There is no doubt that the Blizzard love playing in front of their large home crowds at the Centre Jean Daigle and those fans have so far loved what they have been seeing. This held true for most of the first period as the Blizzard, led by Logan Johnston and Gabriel Vanier pressured the Tigers early and then took the lead on a power play just past the twelve minute mark. The Tigers, however, dampened the spirit of the Blizzard and their fans by knotting the score with a mere twenty seconds left in the period. Coleton Perry led the charge out of the Tigers’ end by skipping a pass off the boards which speedy Pascal Valcourt gobbled up and then cut in sharply on goal. His attempt was blocked by Francis Asselin in the Blizzard’s net but Maxime Charest and Perry immediately closed in on the rebound and Perry tapped the puck to the front of the net. In the commotion it went off a defenceman’s skate and past Asselin to send the home town fans in search of their intermission snacks just slightly less pleased.
In the second period, Vanier, Edmundston’s top scorer, notched a pair on power plays to give the Blizzard a lead heading into the third. However, sandwiched between his goals was the second goal of the game for Perry who again was where he had to be – in front of the Blizzard’s net. With Campbellton on the power play, they controlled the play in the Blizzard’s end and passed the puck smoothly around the perimeter. Pierre-Luc Lurette took a hard shot from the point which produced a rebound that Valcourt got to first. He tapped the puck over to Perry who had the entire net into which to score and he didn’t miss. For his efforts, Perry was named the game’s third star.
In the third, Vanier completed his hat trick with the only goal of the period. Asselin, in the Blizzard’s net, stood his ground on all eleven of the Tigers’ attempts including a couple of good chances after Campbellton had pulled Tristan Gray out for the extra attacker. Gray played another strong game for the Tigers making thirty-one saves, some on the spectacular side.
The Tigers’ record now stands at two wins and two losses. They hope to improve on that when they head for Amherst this coming Saturday. The game at the Amherst Stadium will be the last of a long string of September road games and they hope to end that stretch on a positive note.