Ramblers Finish Preseason Strong with 4–1 Win Over Bearcats
© Paul Morrison Photography
The Amherst Ramblers wrapped up their preseason in confident fashion Monday night, skating to a 4–1 victory over the Truro Bearcats at the Tantramar Veterans Memorial Civic Centre. Backed by a strong performance in goal and a two-goal effort from forward Thomas Gagnon, the Ramblers set the tone for what they hope will be a promising season ahead.
It didn’t take long for the home side to find their footing. Midway through the opening frame, Adian Silvaggio broke the ice, finishing a clean setup from Nolan Shaw at 13:35 to give Amherst a 1–0 lead. Despite a couple of penalties late in the period, the Ramblers managed to keep Truro at bay and entered the first intermission with the momentum.
Truro responded quickly in the second. With a carryover penalty from the first period, the Bearcats struck just 58 seconds in on the power play. Tristan St-Gelais converted on a crisp passing play from Jake Todd and Samuel Vachon, knotting the game at one.
But the tie didn’t last long.
Just two minutes later, Amherst answered back. Thomas Gagnon buried his first of the night at 2:37, finishing off a feed from Bailey Shortall and Zach Wheeler to restore the lead. From there, the Ramblers never looked back.
Amherst ran into a bit of penalty trouble midway through the second, but their penalty kill stood tall, stifling several Truro power play opportunities and keeping the 2–1 lead intact heading into the third.
Early in the final period, Gagnon struck again. This time it was Anthony Morin and Wheeler setting him up, and Gagnon made no mistake, slipping the puck past Truro netminder Louca Connolly at 5:10 to give Amherst some breathing room.
Truro pushed late, even pulling Connolly for the extra attacker in the dying minutes. But it was Amherst who took advantage. With just under two minutes to play, Jack O’Blenis sealed the deal with an empty-netter, assisted by Elliot Wright, capping off a well-rounded effort for the Ramblers.
In net, Hudson Bradley was rock-solid for Amherst, turning aside 35 of 36 shots in the win. Connolly, despite the loss, made 37 saves on 40 shots for Truro in a busy night between the pipes.
The Ramblers outshot the Bearcats 41–36 and held Truro to just one goal on six power plays. Amherst, meanwhile, went 0-for-3 with the man advantage, but made up for it with strong 5-on-5 play and disciplined defensive work.
With a solid win under their belts, the Ramblers will look to build off this performance as regular season on Friday night in Grand Falls. If Monday night was any indication, this Amherst team is skating with purpose—and they’re just getting started.