FEBRUARY 16 – Blizzard back and forth with Nighthawks

In the FIRST PERIOD the Nighthawks put on the pressure, scoring 1 and keeping the Blizzard at bay. Despite having three power plays, the Blizzard failed to capitalize on their opportunities.

The SECOND PERIOD has The Blizzard broke the deadlock early. Supprien found the net at 4:02, assisted by See and Zagari. The Nighthawks responded with a goal of their own later in the period. The Blizzard had the edge in shots on goal in the second with 11-7.

During the THIRD PERIOD the Blizzard came out strong, scoring a quick goal just 20 seconds in. This came from Supprien, who netted his second of the night, with See and Zagari setting him up. The Nighthawks answered back with a goal shortly after. See added another Blizzard goal at 3:33, with Cooke and Zagari as the helpers. with the game now tied up at 3-3, the rest of the period was scoreless and penalty-free.

OVERTIME was tense but goalless.

The SHOOTOUT was a nail-biter, going to eight rounds. Both teams being blanked by the other for the first 4 rounds.  Niverville was the first to net one in the fifth but Bibeau scores for the Blizzard to answer. Hamming sealed the win for the Blizzard in the eighth round, beating the Nighthawks’ goalie.

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FEBRUARY 17 – Blizzard edge out Selkirk Steelers in Shootout

The FIRST PERIOD was scoreless, but not without action. Both teams had several power play opportunities, as the referees handed out eight penalties in total. The Blizzard had four chances to score on the man advantage, but none were successful. Anderson also faced four PP but was able to keep the puck out of the net.The shots on goal were 14-6 in favor of the Blizzard after the first 20 minutes.

The SECOND PERIOD saw only one goal, but it was a beauty. The Blizzard’s See scored his 17th goal of the season at 15:19, with assists from Zagari and Supprien. The period ended with the Blizzard leading 1-0 and outshooting the Steelers 28-13.

THIRD PERIOD has the Steelers scoring a power play goal at 1:49. However, the Blizzard did not let the Steelers’ goal affect them. They regained the lead just two minutes later, as Belzil scored his 12th goal of the season at 3:51, with an assist from Gallagher. The game remained 2-1 for the Blizzard until the final minutes of the period, when the Steelers pulled their goalie for an extra attacker. They tied the game and forced OT.

OVERTIME saw The Blizzard with three shots on goal, while the Steelers had two. Both goalies made some spectacular saves to keep their teams alive, forcing a shootout.

The SHOOTOUT was a nail-biter with both goalies Anderson and Olsonawski making some great stops. The Blizzards Hamming and Suppriren both scored on their attempts winning the shootout, giving us a final score of 3-2.

The OCN Blizzard showed their resilience and determination in this game, as they overcame a late goal by the Steelers and won the game in a shootout. The Blizzard’s goalie, Anderson, was the star of the game, as he made 27 saves on 29 shots, and stopped four out of five shooters in the shootout. The Blizzard’s shooters, Hamming and Supprien, also came up big in the shootout, as they scored the deciding goals. The Blizzard improved their record to 21-8-1-1.

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FEBRUARY 18 – Morin Shuts down the Freeze

The Blizzard showed their strength and skill as they defeated the Winnipeg Freeze 2-0 on Sunday,  February 18, 2024. The Blizzard improved their record to 29-14-1-3 and extended their winning streak to four games.

During the FIRST PERIOD both teams struggled to find the back of the net. The Blizzard had the edge in shots, 11-2, but could not beat Nicolas Rempel, the Freeze goalie. The Freeze had few chances, but Loic Morin, the Blizzard goalie, was alert and ready. The period ended with no goals and three penalties, two for the Blizzard and one for the Freeze.

The SECOND PERIOD saw the Blizzard break the deadlock and take control of the game. Ethan Bibeau opened the scoring at 8:41 with his fourth goal of the season, assisted by Cale Strasky. Adam Belzil doubled the lead at 9:59 with his 13th goal of the season, assisted by Ashton Gallagher and Sebastian Hamming. The Blizzard outshot the Freeze 15-10 in the period and did not take any penalties.

The THIRD PERIOD was a defensive battle, as the Blizzard protected their lead and the Freeze tried to mount a comeback. The Freeze had more shots, 8-3, but could not solve Morin, who made some key saves. The Blizzard played smart and disciplined hockey, avoiding penalties and turnovers. The period ended with no goals and no penalties, giving the Blizzard a 2-0 win.

Blizzard take on the Wolverines in their next battle on Saturday Feb 24, 2024 at The Roy H Johnston Arena in The Pas, MB.