The Eastlink North entered their final round robin game with an important matchup. A regulation win against the QJAAAHL Burrows team would, at minimum, give the North a chance at the wild card spot and possibly even put them atop the group.
Burrows opened the scoring in a wild 1st period just 58 seconds in as Louis-Philippe Denis beat Grand Falls Rapids goalie Andrew Rose. Charlie Risk added another for the Quebec team at 8:09 to make it 2-0. The Campbellton Tigers’ Joel Walker got one back for the Eastlink North at 10:30, with an assist to Kallum Muirhead of the Summerside Western Capitals.
Nicolas Roy restored the Burrows two-goal lead at 11:19, but the MHL answered with two goals. Sam King of the Edmundston Blizzard, assisted by to Summerside’s Brodie MacMillan, scored at 13:04 and then the Western Capitals’ Noah Massie found the back of the net at 17:38, with assists from his teammate Brodie MacArthur and King. The shots after the 1st period were 18-6 in favour of the QJAAAHL.
The teams settled in for a tough back and forth game in the 2nd and final period. Shots were 12-10 in favour of Burrows, but no goals meant the teams were off to a shootout. Derek Dicaire scored the lone goal to give the Quebec side a 4-3 victory.
Despite not reaching the semifinals, the Eastlink North and South fared very well in a tournament where more than half of the games were decided by one goal. Very little separated the twelve participants from the five leagues, and scouts from all levels were able to watch and talk to players from all teams. The MHL teams each leave Ontario with 1-1-1 records at the Eastern Canada Cup All-Star Challenge.
The MHL squads now head back to the Maritimes to prepare for the MHL’s regular season to resume on Thursday with three games.
James Faulkner
Director of Communications
Maritime Hockey League
jfaulkner@themhl.ca