2023 Eastlink North Division Semi-Finals
(1) Edmundston Blizzard vs (4) Miramichi Timberwolves
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- Game 1 – Friday, March 17th, 7:30 p.m. – Centre Jean Daigle
- Game 2 – Sunday, March 19th, 3:30 p.m. – Miramichi Civic Centre
- Game 3 – Wednesday, March 22nd, 7:30 p.m. – Centre Jean Daigle
- Game 4 – Friday, March 24th, 7 p.m. – Miramichi Civic Centre
- Game 5 – Sunday March 26th, 3 p.m. – Centre Jean Daigle*
- Game 6 – Tuesday, March 28th, 7 p.m. – Miramichi Civic Centre*
- Game 7 – Thursday, March 30th, 7:30 p.m. – Centre Jean Daigle*
*if necessary
|
Edmundston |
Miramichi |
|
|
38-13-0-1 (2nd) |
Record (MHL Rank) |
26-18-7-1 (6th) |
|
9-1-0-0 (0-1-0-0) |
Last 10 Games (current streak) |
6-3-1-0 (0-1-0-0) |
|
242 (2nd) |
Goals For (MHL Rank) |
249 (1st) |
|
165 (2nd) |
Goals Against (MHL Rank) |
249 (11th) |
|
28.9% (2nd) |
Powerplay % (MHL Rank) |
28.0% (4th) |
|
77.7% (5th) |
Penalty Kill % (MHL Rank) |
74.1% (9th) |
|
Olivier Coulombe (4th) – 52G, 30A |
Top Scorer (MHL Rank) |
Daryk Dube-Plouffe (1st) – 38G, 61A |
|
Brandon Casey – 3G, 23 A |
Top Scoring Defenseman |
Sam McKinney – 15G, 51A |
|
Thomas Boucher – 21-2-0-0, 2.51 GAA, .917 SV%, 2 SO |
Goaltenders |
Ryan Knight – 19-7-4-0, 4.21 GAA, .878 SV% |
|
6-2-0-0 |
Head to Head Record |
2-5-1-0 |
|
Alex Arsenault – 8G, 11A |
Leading Scorer in Season Series |
Jacob Santerre – 7G, 8A |
Previous Meetings
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- September 29th – Edmundston 3 Miramichi 5
- October 14th – Miramichi 5 Edmundston 9
- November 4th – Miramichi 5 Edmundston 3
- November 13th – Miramichi 1 Edmundston 8
- November 24th – Miramichi 1 Edmundston 6
- November 26th – Edmundston 7 Miramichi 6 (OT)
- February 23rd – Edmundston 7 Miramichi 4
- March 4th – Edmundston 8 Miramichi 3
Notes
-
- This is the first playoff meeting between these two teams since the Eastlink South Division Semi-Final in 2017-18, where Edmundston swept Miramichi in four straight games. The Blizzard would go on to win the league title in six games over Yarmouth in their first season after the move from Dieppe.
- Miramichi’s last playoff series victory came in 2016-17 when they marched to the league final, only to lose to Truro in seven games. The Timberwolves swept both St. Stephen (now Fredericton) and Summerside that season.
- Plenty of goals are expected as the top two scoring teams face off in this first-round series. Despite Miramichi scoring the most goals in the regular season, they had a goal differential of zero after allowing 249 goals; only one behind South Shore for the most allowed in the MHL this season.
- Miramichi had four players in the top 20 in league scoring, with Daryk-Dube Plouffe and Jacob Santerre topping the list with 99 and 94 points respectively. Edmundston had three players in the top 20, including Olivier Coulombe at 82 points and Alex Arsenault at 81 points to sit 4th and 5th. Coulombe scored 52 goals in just 37 games, becoming the first player to top the 50-goal mark in the MHL since Thomas Stavert of the Western Capitals in 2014-15.
- Staying out of the penalty box will be key for Miramichi, who had the most penalty minutes in the league this season at 1,374, compared to just 893 for Edmundston. The Timberwolves were shorthanded 255 times, well ahead of Edmundston and Yarmouth who were tied for the second-most at 215. The Blizzard had a 35.7% powerplay percentage against Miramichi this season, compared to 22.6% for the Timberwolves against Edmundston.
- Miramichi led the league in shorthanded goals with ten.