2008 National U18 Club Championship

BLIZZARD WIN SECOND CONSECUTIVE BRONZE WITH WIN OVER BUFFALOES

For second year in a row the Séminaire Saint-François Blizzard are Canada’s number three Midget team.

Player of the game Guillaume Asselin scored twice and added an assist, and the Blizzard scored four times in the third period to break open a 3-3 tie on their way to a 7-4 win over the Calgary Buffaloes in Sunday’s bronze medal game at the 2008 TELUS Cup.

The win gave Saint-François their 13th medal in 14 trips to the National Midget Championship – they won three gold medals as the Gouverneurs de Ste-Foy – and denied Calgary their sixth medal in six trips.

It was the Blizzard who struck early for the game’s opening goal, as Asselin beat Calgary goaltender Sean Cahill just 4:49 in for his fifth goal of the tournament, but the Buffaloes netted a pair in a span of 56 seconds, chasing Blizzard netminder Jean-Phillipe Gagnon from the net.

Despite holding a 12-5 edge in shots on goal, the Blizzard found themselves heading to the dressing room down by a goal, but Tommy Giroux pulled the Quebec champions even 7:37 into the second period.

Jordan Kanygin and Justin Ducharme traded goals just 27 seconds apart late in the middle frame as the game headed to a decisive third period even at 3-3.

After almost 10 minutes of back-and-forth action to begin the final 20 minutes, it was the Blizzard who would break through, as Asselin picked up his second of the game, and Jean-Phillipe Mathieu made it a two-goal advantage just 55 seconds later with a blast from the point on a Saint-François powerplay.

The Buffaloes again came back, as Jona Szakacs forced the puck past Jean-Michel Fortier, who had come in to replace Gagnon, to cut the lead to one at 5-4.

But just as they did on Saturday in their semi-final loss to Sudbury, the Buffaloes allowed a backbreaking shorthanded goal, as Patrick Delisle-Houde made it a 6-4 game.

Tommy Déry scored into an empty net in the final seconds and the celebration was on for the Blizzard, who became the first Quebec team to win medals at back-to-back National Midget Championships since they did it themselves, winning bronze in 1995 and gold in 1996.

Brett Switzer picked up player of the game honours for Calgary, who was outshot 35-26.