Ramblers Roll Past Capitals in Game One of Strait Rivalry Series

© Paul Morrison Photography© Paul Morrison Photography

Amherst, NS — October 18, 2025

The Amherst Ramblers couldn’t have asked for a better start to the Strait Rivalry Series.

Fueled by a dominant third-period surge, the Ramblers took down the Summerside Western Capitals 4–1 on home ice Saturday night in front of a roaring Amherst Stadium crowd. The win gives Amherst a 1–0 lead in the highly anticipated best-of-series between two of the Maritime Hockey League’s fiercest rivals.

And they did it by sticking to their identity—playing fast, staying disciplined, and capitalizing when it mattered most.

From the opening faceoff, the energy was unmistakable. Both teams came out flying, and it didn’t take long for the game to tilt in Amherst’s favour. Midway through the first, Owen Aura opened the scoring with a power-play snipe at 15:53, assisted by Cooper Cormier and Anthony Gaudet.

Summerside had their answer in the second, when Alex Guy evened things up with a power-play goal of his own at 11:54. The game was deadlocked heading into the final 20 minutes—setting the stage for a Ramblers takeover.

The final frame was all Ramblers.

First, Zach Wheeler put Amherst back in front with another power-play goal at 8:28—his tally set up beautifully by Aura and Gaudet. Then, just 74 seconds later, Cormier scored to make it 3–1, with Gaudet notching his third assist of the night.

Thomas Gagnon added the exclamation point at 14:44, stripping the puck and beating the Summerside netminder unassisted to seal a 4–1 victory.

Amherst’s special teams proved crucial in the win, going 2-for-3 on the power play while limiting Summerside to just one goal on two opportunities.

While the Ramblers’ offence did their part, goaltender Lyam LeBlanc was a rock in net. He turned aside 41 of 42 shots to earn the win—keeping his team alive during a tense second period and slamming the door shut in the third.

LeBlanc’s performance was a major storyline of the night, earning him top-star honours and plenty of love from the home crowd.