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By CHRIS FOX
For The Daily Gleaner

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If Brett B. MacLean's next 19 games as a Fredericton High School Black Kat are anything like his first, the defending provincial champions are in for a heck of a season.

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Stephen MacGillivray Photo

Dave Thomas, left, of the Fredericton High School Black Kats and Tyler Lyle of the Oromocto High School Blues collide during western conference boys AAA high school hockey action Friday night at the LBR. The Black Kats won their home opener, 7-3.

MacLean, the Grade 11 rookie who played with the midget AAA Caps in 2008-2009, potted two goals including the game winner last night as the Black Kats opened their western conference boys AAA hockey season with a 7-3 win over the Oromocto High School Blues at the LBR.

Ryan Murphy added three goals, while Blake Lemon turned away 27 shots for the win.

"I feel pretty lucky (to end up with two goals), but I'll take it," said MacLean. "It was a lot of fun. We kind of got away from our system a bit in the second period, but we picked it back up and found a way to win and that's what matters.

Against a team playing their third game in as many nights, the Black Kats looked the part of a squad not yet in regular season form. Five minutes in OHS defenceman Josh Blanchard made them pay, grabbing a loose puck in the crease and firing it past Lemon.

You don't win a provincial championship without learning how to deal with a little adversity, though, and 10 minutes later Murphy jammed a loose puck between OHS goalie Brandon Legacy's pads and the goal post to even the score at one. A few minutes after that MacLean picked up the puck in the corner, skated in past Legacy and scored off a hard backhand to make it 2-1 at the end of the first.

"My linemate Alex Daley forechecked hard, the ice just opened up for me and I walked it in and scored," MacLean said.

In the second period the Blues temporarily made a game of it when Blanchard beat Lemon on a hard blast from the face-off circle to make it 2-2. He nearly scored again on a one-timer in the slot minutes later.

Black Kat blueliner Ryan Meng would score the go-ahead goal late in the period, though, and the Blues would not get any closer for the rest of the night, as the Kats outscored their opponents 4-1 in the third period to seal the win.

"Nothing was really working for us offensively, our defensive systems weren't doing that great," FHS co-coach Tim Smith said. "We just wanted to keep it really simple in the third period and find a way to win and that was the biggest difference. We just simplified things and just focused on getting the win."

With the loss, the Blues dropped to 1-3.

"The boys were just tired," OHS head coach Al Pollard said. "Wednesday we got home from Carleton North at 12:30 a.m. then we had Leo Hayes (Thursday) night and it was an absolute battle and we were battling here tonight, but by the time the third period came the legs were just gone. We are going to be fine, though, and I am proud of the boys. Three games in three nights is tough."

The Lions host the Woodstock Thunder at 2:30 Sunday afternoon at Willie O'Ree Place.