MARINERS IN BATTLE FOR LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP

Games 3 and 4 in Yarmouth on Thursday and Friday

A one-goal lead going into the third period didn’t offer as much insurance as perhaps the Mariners would have wanted on Sunday night, but in the end that one goal was all it took for Yarmouth to even the MHL championship final series with the Edmundston Blizzard.

Coming off the heels of a backand-forth scoring affair in Game 1 where the Blizzard won 6-5 in double overtime, Yarmouth had a 1-0 victory in Game 2 to tie the series 1-1.

After a scoreless first period on April 15 – during which the Mariners displayed strong penalty killing on the Blizzard’s two power plays – Campbell Balk, assisted by Aaron Maillet, buried the puck behind Edmundston goalie Francis Asselin just one minute and 59 seconds into the second period, for what would turn out to be the only goal of the game.

The Mariners outshot the Blizzard 12-10 in the first period and 8-4 in second. Both teams had eight shots on net in the third period.

Edmundston pulled their goalie for the extra attacker at the end of the game. After a timeout the Mariners were able to stave off the Blizzard from scoring in the final 1: 17 of the game. Goalie Leif Hertz was named first star for the shutout and turning away 22 Blizzard shots. The Blizzard’s goalie was second star for only allowing one goal on 28 shots. Third star was Balk for scoring the only goal of the game.

To have seen just one goal scored in the game was a vast difference from when the teams combined for 11 goals in Game 1 on April 14. Edmundston won that game 6-5, scoring 51 seconds into double overtime.

The Yarmouth Mariners had outshot the Blizzards 43- 30 during the game. Throughout regulation the score had gone back and forth with neither team ever holding more than a one- goal lead over the other and for much of the game the score remained tied. The game was tied 1- 1 after the first period, 3-3 after the second and 5-5 after the third.

The goals all came in quick succession whenever a team pulled ahead of the other – with the teams usually answering with goals less than a minute and a half later.

Noah McMullin scored a hattrick for the Mariners, earning him the game’s Third Star. Also scoring for Yarmouth were Andrew Martell and Brent Broaders. Two of Yarmouth’s goals came on the power play while three of Edmundston’s goals were on the power play.

OLIVIER CHIASSON Heavy traffic in front of Mariners goalie Leif Hertz as Edmundston’s Logan Johnston (#19) fires a slap shot. Duncan McKie (#14) and Ben Chipman (#22) try to block the puck.

OLIVIER CHIASSON Noah McMullin scores his first goal of the night in Game 1 of the MHL final for the Mariners as the puck enters the net behind Edmundston Blizzards goalie Francis Asselin on the glove side. McMullin went on to score a hat-trick in this game.