Quebec dominates Gatineau

QUEBEC CITY, P.Q. — After a controversial win Friday, Quebec left no doubt on the Saturday in a 12-1 wins against Gatineau Olympiques.

 
Quebec left no doubt of the game’s end after the first period, leading 6-0.
 
Gabriel Desjardins led Quebec offense with three goals and one assist, Anthony Duclair with two goals scores Quebec first of the night with only 1:02 gone in the opening period. Three of first six goals in the game were scored with a man advantage.
 
Beaten four times on the first six Quebec shots, Olympiques head coach Benoit Groulx decided to pull his starting netminder Francois Lacerte, sending in Alexandre Michaud.
 
Beside Desjardins’ two goals’and Duclair with two (goals) in the first period, Remparts right winger Mikhail Grigorenko at 13:03 during a penalty to Gatineau Taylor Burke for kneeing at 12:06 and defenseman Ryan Culkin who welcomed Michaud with Quebec fifth goal, scored Quebec other goals.Desjardins came back with his second goal in the period, Quebec sixth goal with less than 2:00 left in the period.
 
Usually considered Quebec third line, Desjardins (4 points), Alexandre Contois (2 assists) and Jeremie Malouin (1 assist) ended their night totaling 7 points. Earning the first stars of the game, the former Halifax Moosehead forward who had been traded for defenseman Brandon Duke was really happy.
 
“As a team we had a real good game,” Desjardins said. “It was really impressive playing in front of all these fans (14,665). We came out pretty strong in first period with six goals, we shake them and we continued in second and third to put goals on the scoreboard and that’s the way it ended.”
 
“It wasn’t my first hat trick in my career but it’s always fun to contribute offensively.” Trying to learn new system when you came from other team wasn’t easy,” the left winger said.
 
Leading by six Quebec added four in the middle frame on 11 shots, two of them in shorthanded situations against Francois Lacerte, who had been returned to the ice for the rest of the game.
 
Beside Desjardins who completed his hat trick only 58 seconds into the second period when his team tried to kill a penalty taken by Kurt Etchegary, at 19:11 of the first period, Jeremie Malouin (10:20), Michael McNamee (12:13) and Mathieu Lavalle (shorthanded situation 15:34) complete the scoring. Quebec led 10-0 after two.
 
Adam Erne and Remparts captain Mikael Tam ended the night offensively for Quebec scoring their 14^th and 9^th of the season. Francois Brassard who was almost perfect lost the shutout with 3:49 remaining when Adam Chapman scored.
 
“We came out very strong in the first period, we would like to have good start to the game. Last night in Shawinigan it was a big game for us and we would like to continued the same way,” said Quebec head coach Patrick Roy.
 
“We were very well prepared for tonight game, guys really worked well and we scored pretty good goals. I didn’t look who scores goals but honestly what I like the most is the way we worked. As an example, on the goal scored by Lavalle he blocked the shot first, on each goal you got great action,” Roy said.
 
Four other games were on schedule in QMJHL on Saturday night
Acadie-Bathurst 4 vs. Cape Breton 5
Baie-Comeau 1 vs. Moncton 2
Blainville-Boisbriand 4 vs. Prince Edward Island 2
Chicoutimi 4 vs. Rouyn-Noranda 2
  Contact the author at: serge.poulin@prohockeynews.com