QUEBEC CITY, P.Q. — Quebec played an almost perfect game to open their series against Shawinigan Cataractes taking a 1-0 lead in their series with an 8-1 win. Joel Champagne and Alexandre Grenier with two goals each led the Remparts offense on Friday night in front of 11,436 happy fans.
Photo by Serge Poulin
The veteran center opened the match with the first goal in the game, during a penalty to Shawinigan number one center David Labrecque, for Tripping at 4:34. Champagne took a rebound from teammate defenseman Vincent Barnard, from the blue line, beating Cataracte starting goaltender between his pads at 6:18.
When offensive contributions come from almost everyone on a team, it’s very hard for the opponent, to do anything to turn it around. Sixteen of 19 players got points in the convincing victory. Rookie Axel Rioux gave a two goal lead to the home team when he only had to push the puck in an empty net, after taking a rebound from Mathieu Lavallee at 11:59.
Leading 2-0, Quebec saw two of their players sent in the box, giving an excellent chance to Shawinigan, to reduce Remparts lead.
Consecutive penalties to Grenier for delay of game (12:40) and to Frederick Roy for slashing (14:08) made for an excellent opportunity for the visiting team to break the ice, but they weren’t able to get a good scoring chance against Quebec netminder Louis Domingue.
Quebec came back after killing the two man disadvantage with their third goal in the opening period. Grenier (Alexandre) with his first of two goals in the game beating Gabriel Girard, with a great move from left to right at 17:51.
Champagne came back in the second period with his second goal of the night, his fifth of the postseason, beating Girard with a wrist shot from the faceoff circle at 3:00 of second period.
“We began the game like we would,” the veteran center said near the locker room, after the game. “Right from the start, we have had a good start, and we maintained it for sixty minutes. Playing for sixty minutes was also part of our game plan.”
Talking about his own performance Champagne said, “To be in front of opposing netminder is my kind of game. With the kind of physique I have, that’s where I have to be and I can say it’s my office and I did it good tonight. Guys played very well driving the net. That gave some rebounds.”
The second goal of the night by Grenier was scored with a backhanded shot at 15:19 signaled the end of the night for Girard, the Cataractes starting netminder. Shawinigan head coach Eric Veilleux pulled Girard sending back up Alex Dubeau.
Girard left the game being beaten five times on 17 shots.
With Shawinigan left winger Yannick Veilleux being sent in the box with only five seconds remaining in the second period, Quebec pulled the trigger again with a man advantage.
Ryan Bourque redirected a shot from Mikael Tam, from the blue line. It was their second power play goal in four attempts.
After being reviewed, the referee allowed Quebec sixth goal at 19:59.
Photo by Serge Poulin
Tam who seemed to drive the tempo to the game with a solid check on Cataractes left winger Peter Sakaris in the beginning of the game, ended his night with three assists.
“We would like to have a great start in this series, like we have had against Val-d’Or, and that’s what we did. We would like to play a good sixty minutes that’s what was important,” said the Remparts captain.
“Yes we won 8-1, but it wasn’t what we look at, we would like to play sixty minutes. Tomorrow will be another game, and we know they will come ready to win a game here so we will to be ready.”
When everything seems to work one night for a team, nothing seemed to stop them. Trying to kill a penalty to teammate defenseman Vincent Barnard, fourth line center Olivier Hinse completed a great tic-tac-toe play, pushing the puck in an empty net, after Domingue made a first save. The puck went on Matthew Brown’s stick, and Brown made a great pass to Hinse who only had to put the puck in an empty net 2:14 into third period.
Having been shutout in the first forty minutes, Shawinigan broke the ice with their only goal of the game 4:27 into third period. David Labrecque’s wrist shot beat Domingue high on his stick side.
Frederick Roy complete Quebec offensive for the night, with Remparts eighth goal, their third power play goals in six opportunities at 12:36.
Quebec head coach Patrick Roy was really happy about his team performance, but stay very calm knowing tomorrow might be completely different.
“We were very, very good tonight,” Roy said after seeing his team takes a 1-0 lead in that series. “It was possibly one of our best performances in regards of putting pressure in the offensive zone. It’s hard when we used our speed, when we skate.”
Roy pointed out the effort his players did, when they killed the five-on-three power play against them, when the score was 3-0, saying, “It was certainly a key moment in the game. Louis (Domingue) kept us there by making the saves. We also did very well on the three against four, in the beginning of second period.”
Photo by Serge Poulin
“After the second period, I said the guys we weren’t there to play only forty minutes but sixty. And after the game I said to the players we weren’t there to play only sixty minutes but two good games. So tomorrow, we will have to start all over again.”
On the other side, Shawinigan head coach Eric Veilleux wasn’t happy about his team performance after the first game.
The first question to Cataractes head coach was, what would you say after a game like that?
Veilleux repeated the question and said, “We will go to eat, get some rest and play tomorrow. We will have to prepare for tomorrow game that’s it. Honestly, I try to think about how many players play good game tonight, one, two, maybe, when you tried to rotate your players from one line to another, and you see nothing works, it wasn’t great news.”
Trying to review the game Veilleux said, “Bad day at the office. Don’t try to make me say bad things about my players. Simply, a bad day at the office. Our best players weren’t play like our best players, guys on third and fourth lines have usually a role to play and they didn’t.”
Both teams will face each other in game two of this quarter-final tonight before going to Shawinigan for game three and four on next Tuesday and Wednesday.
Other Quarter-Final series in QMJHL
Victoriaville 1 vs. Saint John 4 ( Saint John lead series 1-0)
Lewiston 5 vs. Montreal 6 (1st overtime, Montreal lead 1-0)
Gatineau 1 vs. Drummondville 3 ( Drummondville lead 1-0)
Contact the author at: serge.poulin@prohockeynews.com
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