Fredericton Express come back to win home opener in spectacular fashion
On Oct. 10. The Fredericton Express returned to the Grant Harvey Centre to a standing only crowd to take on the Miramachi Northmen.
The excitement was pouring out the building for their season opener. Three lines of cars wrapped around the parking lot and onto the grass.
All seats in the Grant-Harvey Centre this season are sold to season ticket holders. Members of the general public are only able to attend a game by buying a standing room only ticket.
Fredericton are playing their second season in the Beausejour Senior Hockey League (BSHL). The team saw great success in their first season, reaching the finals and falling to the Dalhousie Marauders in four games.
Amongst returning stars like former Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League players Ryan Tesink and Olivier Cooper, the Express have re-tooled. They signed Brett Mclean, who has 102 points in 98 games in the BSHL.
The league has been known to go through cycles, where teams leave and teams go.
Both Fredericton and Saint John previously had Senior A hockey. Saint John returned to the league following a nearly two-decade hiatus. The return was sparked by the success of the Express in their inaugural season.
Fredericton started off their season with a win on the road against Saint John.
The home opener started with flare, smoke machines and player intros as well as a Ric Flair impersonator to hype up the crowd.
Defenceman Travis Fullerton kicked off the first shift of the game with a fight, which was immediately answered back by two Northmen goals on back-to-back shifts. The game went on to feature 169 Penalty Minutes, including five fights and a whopping 21 goals of offence between the two clubs.
In the end, the Express strutted their way to a victory. They defeated the Northmen by a score of 15-6.
Fredericton remains undefeated through their first three games of the new season.
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