Gatineau celebrating after scoring first goal in the game by Christian Ouellet Photo taken by Serge Poulin
For Gatineau head coach Benoit Groulx, there were several key moments in the series against Quebec and one of them was certainly the fact his team was been able to win three times in le Colisee Pepsi.
“No doubt, we mentioned it to our players before the game. To be able to wins three times in Quebec played key roles in that series. We never gave up, We have had a surprising start tonight that put us on our heels little, we were little hesitant, Quebec seemed to controlled us for two periods I think, but we understood the urgency to present ourselves in the third.”
Gatineau drew first blood in game seven with only 1:08 gone the opening period. Christian Ouellet took a forty foot shot that seemed to shake Quebec goaltender Louis Domingue who saw the puck go low on his glove side.
Taking a 1-0 lead so soon in the game gave the chance to visiting team to establish their defensive system ending the first period with only four shots on goal but leading by two.
A penalty to Quebec left winger Olivier Hinse gave chance to Gatineau to add to their lead. After being beaten by a shot from forty feet in, Quebec netminder saw another shot this time, a wrist shot from the slot beating Domingue on far side exactly at 15:00 minutes in first period.
After seeing his starting goalie beaten twice on first four Gatineau shots, Quebec head coach pulled the plug on Domingue sending in Jimmy Appleby. Domingue left the game allowing two goals in four shots in 15:00 minutes. Appleby gave up two goals on 22 shots in 42:43.
Quebec had their chances in first period but Maxime Clermont answered each time he had to, closing the door and stopping all nibe shots against him.
Asked if the comments made by Gatineau head coach Groulx about Domingue after game five could have played in the Quebec netminder’s head, the
Playing key roles in Gatineau victory in game seven right winger Christian Ouellet ended his night with two goals and adds two assists Photo taken by Serge Poulin
“The big difference in game seven was in goal, I don’t think their goalie has been weak on first goal, the second one was a good screen,” continued Groulx. “But with the scored 2-2 everything was possible, Quebec had their crowd with them but I think we played a heck of a third period.”
Quebec played much better in the second period reducing the Gatineau lead in first portion of second period with Hinse making perfect pass to Mirko Hoefflin, who let a shot go, beating Clermont low on his glove side at 8:52.
Quebec spent energy trying to tie the score before the end of second period. A penalty to Olympiques captain defenseman Hubert Labrie, gave Quebec the opportunity the Remparts looked for.
After getting a great pass from Quebec captain Mikael Tam, veteran center Joel Champagne, pulled the trigger and wristed a shot, that beat Gatineau netminder to left corner, with 5:55 remaining in second period.
Everything was in place for an exciting third period. The score tied 2-2 and one last period to try, to find a winner.
But Gatineau came out in third with firmed intention of being part of QMJHL final, and play methodically taking every chances Quebec gave them. Two goal in 55 seconds by Ouellet (his second in the game), 5:25 and by veteran Philip-Michael Devos 6:20, acted like a back breaker for Patrick Roy’s team. Devos, also with his second of the night in an empty net, completed the scoring for the Olympiques.
In Quebec locker room, it was sad for lots of players, especially for veteran 20-year-old player John Audy-Marchessault who, reflected on his four-year career with the Remparts.
“I’m proud of every player in this locker room. We worked all together in same
Quebec goaltender Louis Domingus making save before being pulled out of the game after allowing two goals on first Gatineau four shots in the game Photo taken by Serge Poulin
Talking about that goal being disallowed by referee Dutil, Quebec head coach Patrick Roy said that it’s unacceptable to see a referee playing a role in the outcome of an important game like that.
“What I found very upsetting for my players was the referee performance. I found it very sad, Dutil (referee), made a difference in tonight’s game, referees didn’t have the right to be a factor in an important game like a game seven in a series like tonight. The puck never had been freeze, the puck was on pipe side. What I found regrettable was, his arrogance (referee Dutil) after the fact. He prevented us, as an organization, to take a 3-2 lead and maybe going in league final. They can’t do it.”
Talking about the game itself Roy said, “I must say we never gave up even if… You tried to guess what the first goal could be like even if you always want to take the lead but I never imagined a goal like the first one. But even after that, our players never gave up, we found a way to come back in that game in the second period.”
Contact the author at: serge.poulin@prohockeynews.com
You must be logged in to post a comment.