They simply aren’t able to play sixty minutes of hockey like the coach want to see his team play. So at the last trading deadline the general manager Patrick Roy (cumulating both job GM and head coach) decided to make changes. He let important players go like his captain Kelsey Tessier defenseman Samuel Grouxl, David Gilbert, Julien Corriveau and Peter Dalmas to make room to younger players and also to acquire notably a goaltender being able to make saves when that count the most. So Louis Domingue and Antoine Tardif arrived giving more confidence to the overall team.
New chemistry combine to a better effort from some other players and team seem to play much better. Now with the so called true season by experts arrive,
Ended in fifth place in the Atlantic Division the Acadie-Bathurst Titan earn their right to be in the playoff by being the team that ended with a better record than the Baie-Comeau Drakkar ended fourth in the Eastern Division.
Acadie-Bathurst Titan vs.
Leaded offensively by Dmitry Kugryshev 87 points in 66 games (29goals), new captain Marc-Olivier Vallerand (since Tessier departure) with 75 points in 66 games (34goals), Johnathan-Audy Marshessault 71 points in 68 games (30 goals) and Mikhail Stefanovich 68 points in 53 games (25goals) without forgetting Danick Paquette with his 36 goals 65 points in 64 games, Quebec will be able to count on players to score goals. With Patrick Roy at the helm fans can certainly count on
On defense the return of Mikael Tam after serious head injury (missing 16 games, following after being the victim of an elbow hit to the head by Rouyn-Noranda Huskies Patrice Cormier) will help the team tremendously. Rookie Martin Lefebvre with 28 points in 55 games (5 goals) played extremely well showing to his coach he can count on him in key moment in games. The Terrebonne QC, native got lots of ice time with Tam injury and answered the challenge up to the liking of his head coach. Patrick Cusak a veteran came last summer in a trade also became an important player on defense transmitting his knowledge to other younger teammates on defensive units.
In goal, Louis Domingue has been designate by head coach Roy to see most of the action in playoff. With a combine goaltender average of 2,65 (2,81 .902 saves percentage in 22 games with the Moncton Wildcats prior to his arrival in Quebec, and 2,54 and .910 save percentage in 25 games with the Remparts), the native of Mont St-Hilaire Quebec won’t be a problem, he earned Roy’s confidence. As usually said by coaches
But if something should happen (read injury) to Domingue, Antoine Tardif surely will do his best to fill the job between the pipes.
In
It will be interesting for Quebec fans, to see a former Remparts player David Gilbert (played mostly on third line in Quebec) who ended as the fourth best offensively with 48 points in 62 games (6 goals in 31 games in Quebec compare to 18 goals in 31 games with his new team).
Defensively Ryan McKiernan with 44 points in 69 games (21 points in 41 games in Drummondville, 23 points in 28 games with Bathurst) (9 goals, 4 with Drummondville, 5 with Bathurst), Jeremie Blain 38 points in 64 games (4goals) and Olivier Dame with 30 points in 64 games (4goals) are the offensive leaders from the blueline.
In goal,
Acadie-Bathurst faces
Prediction:
This series promise to be interesting because fans will see two teams that decided to go with young players. The Oceanic might have little more experience overall but everyone who know head coach Richard Martel knows that Sagueneens coach always find a way to motivate his team to play good hockey.
With two young goaltenders in Robin Gusse and Christopher Gibson Chicoutimi will have to play very well defensively to get a chance to win that series. Looking at the number
In almost all departments the Oceanic coach by Clement Jodoin got the advantage. But again depending to whom you talk to, you will get the usual answer “Number on paper never win games,” or “The game is play 200 by
Offensively leaded by defenseman Dominic Jalbert with 63 points in 68 games (14 goals) Chicoutimi best forwards is left winger Antoine Roussel with 47 points in 68 games (24 goals). With Jacob Lagace and Nicholas Deschamps gone elsewhere at the last trading deadline the Sagueneens looses lots of their power offensively deciding to sacrifice this year for maybe year to come.
Martel got a plan for the organization and these trades went in that direction. Now even with less power offensively all their chances to make good things happen in that series will possibly fall on goaltender’s shoulders of Gusse or Gibson. Gusse ended the 2009-10 regular season with goaltender average of 3,67 and a save percentage of .881 allowing 1330 on 1089 shots against him.
Beside Jalbert who ended as the scoring leader as defenseman with the departure of Lagace and Deschamps, Sags head coach will count on Eric Gelinas, Adam Bourque Leblanc, Mathieu Loduc, Michael Trudel, rookies Gabriel Vermette, Jeremy Barriault to do the job on defense protecting their goalie.
It will be interesting to see how
In Rimouski: Offensively leaded by Felix Lefrancois with 83 points in 66 games (39 goals), rookie Petr Straka with 64 points in 62 games (28 goals) defenseman Ryan Kavanagh with 57 points in 58 games (18 goals) and Patrick Delisle-Houde with 54 points in 67 games (19 goals) Rimouski will have to take every opportunities they will get to put the puck behind Chicoutimi goaltender and try to brake Sagueneens netminder confidence.
With the departure of Emmanuel Boudreau Rimouski loss a veteran who could helped younger defensemen on Oceanic defensive unit, so that mean other defensemen will have to play up to their very best of their abilities to make sure not to create costly turnover or any giveaway that could translate to losing game. Now Kavanagh and Gleason Fournier are he main defensemen on whom to fall the pressure of playing at their best being use mostly on whether the team is on power play or penalty killing without to forget the even strength time.
In goal: Matthew Dopud and Philippe Tremblay are the duo of goaltenders for Clement Jodoin’s team. More experience Dopud will get the nod in net for
Series Prediction:
Contact the author at: serge.poulin@prohockeynews.com
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