QUEBEC CITY P.Q.—Stages were set in the QMJHL on Tuesday night for two game sevens in series between the Chicoutimi Sagueneens and Rimouski Oceanic and in the other series Gatineau Olympiques traveled to Montreal to play the Junior.
Both series were decided in overtime. Rimouski (first overtime) and Gatineau (in second overtime) earning the right to play in quarter-final.
In Rimouski, the second goal by Ryan Kavanagh at 10:32 of the first overtime period gave a 3-2 win to the Oceanic over Sagueneens. Rimouski will face the Drummondville Voltigeurs in the quarterfinals.
“It was a war,” Rimouski head coach Clement Jodoin said after the game. “First I would like to congratulate our opponent, they fought all series from the beginning. For us as an organization, as a young team, it’s important we made a big step forward. We learned to win, how to play, how to keep our focus, it’s hard work, you won’t get it in a day.”
“The important thing is we learned we aren’t afraid to make mistake, we want to play but kept our focus. It was certain the game could go one side or the other we have to be realistic. It was a good competition from the beginning, and tonight it was an exciting game for all fans in the building tonight,” added Jodoin.
The Oceanic opened the scoring on their first power play opportunity. Jacub Culek, left alone on Chicoutimi goaltender Christopher Gibson’s left side, took a rebound from Felix Lefrancois’s shot from the blue line and wristed the puck only 25 second into Antoine Roussel penalty.
Chicoutimi missed two excellent opportunities to tie the score when Rimouski saw two of their players sent to the penalty box. Etienne Boutet (11:39) and Casey Babineau (delay of game penalty) gave a five-on-three opportunity for 20 seconds to Chicoutimi.
Ranked seventh at 30%, Chicoutimi’s power play was unable to get good scoring chances on the five-on-three opportunities; they also missed a five-on-four and ended the opening period with 15-12 shots on goal advantage.
A penalty to Rimouski goaltender Matthew Dopud at 20:00 of the opening period gave another power play opportunity to Chicoutimi to open the second. Rimouski successfully killed Sagueneens’ fourth power play. Superb individual effort by Chicoutimi right winger Marc-Andre Levasseur beat Dopud 4:01 into second period trying the score at 1.
Ryan Kavanagh with a perfect shot finding space on Gibson glove side gave a 2-1 lead to Rimouski 11:22 into second period.
Chicoutimi replied late in the period. Rookie left winger Alexandre Roy, the young 16-year old received a great pass from Levasseur and beat the Rimouski goaltender tying the score at 2-2 with less than five minutes in the second period.
After forty minutes, the game was 2-2 both teams had 23 shots on goal fans in Rimouski can’t ask for better game.
Neither team scored in third period leaving the score to be settled in overtime.
In the other series
In Montreal, the second goal in the game by defenseman Hubert Labrie unassisted made the difference with only 1:58 gone in second period overtime winning 2-1 over the Montreal Junior. The fans in Verdun Auditorium saw a goaltending duel between Gatineau Olympiques Maxime Clermont and Jean-Francois Berube of Montreal Junior.
The game was scoreless after forty minutes, both goaltenders made great saves, Clermont made 14 saves after forty minutes, Berube made 17.
The Olympiques broke the ice scoring the first goal 2:57 into third period. Trevor Parkes, with his sixth of the playoff at 12:37, tied the score 1-1. Montreal got the best in shots on goal after sixty minutes in regulation time 30-23.
Neither team was able to score another goal the rest of the period leaving the battle to be settled in overtime.
The Olympiques will face Saint John Sea Dogs in Quarter-final beginning next Friday April 2nd.
Contact the author at: serge.poulin@prohockeynews.com
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