The third month of the season comes to an end this week as teams near the Christmas Break.
After a breather on Tuesday, we kick things off on Wednesday in Grand Falls (6-10-2-1) as the Campbellton Tigers (11-5-1-2) roll into town. The Rapids are on a roll, having picked up points in each of their last four games, including two wins, to move within one point of St. Stephen (7-12-2-0) for the fifth spot in the Eastlink North. Campbellton started the month with three straight overtime games, going 2-1 in the process, before a 3-2 regulation loss to Grand Falls on Friday and a win over Miramichi.
Thursday brings us our MHL Game of the Week, featuring the Aces in New Glasgow to play the Pictou County Weeks Crushers (5-13-3-2). The game is free to watch on HockeyTV and it’s the first time these teams have met this season. The Crushers are 3-3-1-0 in November and picked up wins over Truro (13-7-1-1) and Valley (4-14-3-0) last week. St. Stephen have dropped their last five games, but only one of those contests was decided by more than two goals.
The action picks up Friday with three games. The Valley Wildcats head to Bridgewater for another meeting against South Shore (10-8-2-0), The fourth-place Lumberjacks have rattled off four straight wins to create a bit of separation between themselves and the fifth-place Wildcats. South Shore is also now just six points back of Truro for third. Valley will be hoping a coaching change can get them on a winning track as Travis Young as replaced this week on an interim basis by General Manager Nick Greenough. Elsewhere, the Yarmouth Mariners (19-4-0-1) look to rebound from a 6-1 loss at home to Amherst (15-5-1-1) last Saturday as they travel to Campbellton. The Mariners, at least, can look at the CJHL rankings where despite that loss they moved up to 5th in the nation. Speaking of the Ramblers, they enter this week ranked 19th in the country and host Grand Falls. Amherst has just one regulation loss in seven games this month.
The calendar flips to December on Saturday, with five games scheduled. The Wildcats are home to Truro, where they beat the Bearcats 4-0 earlier this month. The Bearcats salvaged a comeback win in overtime against Grand Falls last Sunday to snap a three-game slide. The Ramblers beat Pictou County 5-2 on Monday and the teams will now change venues, with this game taking place in Amherst. The CJHL’s 7th best team takes the ice at home on Saturday as the Summerside Western Capitals (16-4-0-0) host Grand Falls. Yarmouth continues a New Brunswick road trip as they land in Miramichi (11-9-2-0). The aforementioned loss to Campbellton last weekend snapped the Timberwolves three-game winning streak. Finally, the Tigers are home to the Aces. St. Stephen won their only other matchup of the season, 2-1 on October 20th.
The week concludes on Sunday with two games. The Truro Bearcats return to the Rath Eastlink Community Centre, after only two home games last month, as they face Miramichi. The Timberwolves lost on home ice to Truro 4-3 in a shootout on October 27th. In what seems like a busy week for most teams in the league, the Edmundston Blizzard (10-8-3-0) finally hit the ice as they host Campbellton in a Sunday matinee. This will be the fourth game in five days for the Tigers, and third in a row. The Blizzard enter the week in fourth place in the Eastlink North, just two points back of the second-place Tigers, but you’d have to expect the standings to look at least a little different by the time Sunday rolls around.
All games can be viewed on HockeyTV.
| Date | Visitor | Home | Venue | Time |
| Wed, Nov 28 | Campbellton | Grand Falls | E. & P. Sénéchal Centre | 7:30 pm |
| Thu, Nov 29 | St. Stephen | Pictou County | Pictou County Wellness Centre | 7:00 pm |
| Fri, Nov 30 | Valley | South Shore | Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre | 7:00 pm |
| Fri, Nov 30 | Yarmouth | Campbellton | Campbellton Memorial Civic Centre | 7:30 pm |
| Fri, Nov 30 | Grand Falls | Amherst | Amherst Stadium | 7:30 pm |
| Sat, Dec 1 | Truro | Valley | Kings Mutual Century Centre | 7:00 pm |
| Sat, Dec 1 | Pictou County | Amherst | Amherst Stadium | 7:00 pm |
| Sat, Dec 1 | Grand Falls | Summerside | Credit Union Place | 7:00 pm |
| Sat, Dec 1 | Yarmouth | Miramichi | Miramichi Civic Centre | 7:30 pm |
| Sat, Dec 1 | St. Stephen | Campbellton | Campbellton Memorial Civic Centre | 7:30 pm |
| Sun, Dec 2 | Miramichi | Truro | Rath Eastlink Community Centre | 2:00 pm |
| Sun, Dec 2 | Campbellton | Edmundston | Centre Jean Daigle | 3:00 pm |