Weekend Recap

FRIDAY DECEMBER 1 – The weekend began with The Blizzard, who had a record of 13-9-0-2, faced off against the Selkirk Steelers, who are 7-14-1-1, at The Roy H, in The Pas, MB on Dec.1, 2023. The Blizzard have defeated the Steelers twice this season in previous matchups and were hoping to take another on home ice.

 #35 Loic Morin in net and the line up of #2 Thomas Phillips, #10 Kieran Cooke, #19 Keenan McNeill, #9 Miguel Bouvier, and #17 Quincy Supprien were our Missinippi Airways Starting Line-up. The Steelers countered with #35 Noel Olsonawski in the net.

The FIRST PERIOD had some great exciting action, with both teams exchanging chances and hits. The Blizzard failed to capitalize on their two Power Plays. The Steelers, on the other hand, scored two goals late in the period to take a 2-0 lead. The goals were scored by #7 Preston Lundbohm at 14:12, assisted by #11 Mathieu Catellier and #19 Mathieu Moreira at 18:12, unassisted.  The Blizzard did not give up, however, and continued to pressure the Steelers in their zone.

In the SECOND PERIOD #19 Mathieu Moreira scored his second goal of the night, assisted by #2 Rocco La Cara, to give the Steelers a 3-0 lead. Near the end of the second period, at 14:17, the Blizzard scored a strong goal by #27 Marlen Edwards, assisted by #10 Kieran Cooke and #8 Adam Belzil, to cut the deficit to 3-1. The goal was a result of a great passing play and a quick shot that beat the Steelers’ goalie.

The THIRD PERIOD was a nail-biter for both teams. The Blizzard had a power play opportunity, but the Steelers just would not let them through. The Blizzard pulled their goalie in the last 9 seconds of the game, hoping to put on the pressure, but the Steelers’ defense held strong. The final score was 3-1 for the Steelers. The Blizzard gave it their all in the third period, with 14 shots on goal, while the Steelers had only 7. The total shots on net for the game were 38 for the Blizzard and 30 for the Steelers. Despite the loss, the Blizzard played an impressive game.

The Lions Dish Three Stars of the Game were awarded to Noel Olsonawski (#35) and Mathieu Moreira (#19) of the Selkirk Steelers, and Marlen Edwards (#27) of The Blizzard.

SUNDAY DECEMBER 3 – The Blizzard pulled off a stunning comeback to defeat the Virden Oil Capitals 2-1 in a shootout on Sunday night at the Tundra Oil & Gas Place. The Blizzard showed resilience and determination to overcome a one-goal deficit and force overtime, where they prevailed in the fifth round of the shootout.

The FIRST PERIOD was a strong one for the Oil Capitals, who outshot the Blizzard 16-5 and took a 1-0 lead late in the frame. Luke Robson scored his third goal of the season with just 33 seconds left, assisted by Bryce Bryant and Nolan Chastko. One power play opportunity for The Blizz but no luck at tying up the score.

The SECOND PERIOD was more evenly matched, as the Blizzard found their offensive rhythm and generated more chances. They were rewarded at the 14:20 mark when Marlen Edwards netted his fourth goal of the season, set up by Sam Zagari. The Blizzard had to kill off 4 penalties this period successfully keeping The Oil Capitals at bay. The period ended with the score tied at 1-1 with the shots favouring the Oil Capitals 35-14.

The THIRD PERIOD was a tense and thrilling affair, as both teams pushed for the go-ahead goal. The Blizzard had the edge in shots, 7-6, but the Oil Capitals had the best chance to break the deadlock. With less than three minutes left, Brett Ward was called for tripping, giving the Oil Capitals their fifth power play of the game. Anderson was especially impressive, making some spectacular saves to keep his team in the game.

OVERTIME was a goaltending duel, as Anderson and Eric Reid made some incredible stops to deny the opposing shooters. The Blizzard had three shots on goal, while the Oil Capitals had four, but neither team could find the back of the net. The game went to a shootout, where the Blizzard had the advantage of shooting first.

SHOOTOUT commenced where Marlen Edwards was sent out first and was blocked. The Oil Capitals, Josh Lehto scored on their first attempt. Supprien and Chastko both failed to score on their second tries. Sebastian Hamming got past Reid with a calculated 5 hole shot, and Ashton Gallagher restored the Blizzard’s lead with a snipe on his fourth attempt, putting the pressure on Bazin to keep the Oil Capitals alive. However, Anderson came up big and denied Bazin with a glove save, sealing the win for the Blizzard.

Splitting the weekend, ending with an outstanding win, The Blizzard will look to build on this momentum when they face the Swan Valley Stampeders on Tuesday.