Ramblers Fall 2-1 To West Kent In Shootout

BOUCTOUCHE, N.B. — The Amherst Ramblers battled back from an early deficit but ultimately fell 2-1 in a shootout to the West Kent Steamers on Thursday night at the J.K. Irving Centre.

West Kent opened the scoring at 12:02 of the first period when Austin Sanchez converted on the power play, with Tyler Wood and Mathys Panneton picking up the assists. The Steamers carried the 1-0 lead into the first intermission.

After a scoreless second period, the Ramblers continued to push for the equalizer and were finally rewarded late in the third. Coen Miller and Zach Wheeler set up Evan Nicholson, who scored at 19:06 to tie the game and force overtime.

Neither team could find the winner during the five-minute overtime period, sending the game to a shootout. After West Kent’s Samuel Fontaine opened the scoring in the shootout, Elliott Duval and Brock Lyons found the back of the net for Amherst. Noah Breau and Zachary Paulhus responded for the Steamers, giving West Kent the 3-2 shootout edge and the 2-1 victory.

Brandon Lavoie turned in a strong performance between the pipes for Amherst, stopping 28 of 29 shots through regulation and overtime. West Kent goaltender Niko Boudreau made 32 saves on 33 shots.

The Ramblers finished the night 0-for-4 on the power play, while West Kent went 1-for-4 with the man advantage. Both teams were assessed 22 minutes in penalties.

With the loss, Amherst now turns its attention to Saturday night when the Ramblers return home to face the Miramichi Timberwolves at Amherst Stadium.