The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles won the battle of mind over matter in their marathon with the Québec Remparts.
Screaming Eagles forward Robert Slaney ended the second longest game in Québec Major Junior Hockey League history when he deposited a rebound late in the fourth overtime in Friday's first game with Québec. Cape Breton then won the second game Sunday, taking a commanding two-game series lead in their quarterfinal series with the Remparts.
"When we were coming off after the period we were actually making analogies to playing road hockey, with the lights going out," Cape Breton captain Chris Culligan said. "(With) your mom calling you for supper and one team has the net under the street light and stuff like that."
The analogy, Culligan said, kept the mood light in the dressing room as the team battled fatigue - and the Remparts - to gain the lead in the series. The Screaming Eagles were well equipped for the process, having gone to a third overtime period in a loss to Halifax in Game 3 of the second round a year ago.
"(Being) 'used' to it is a big word," head coach and general manager Mario Durocher said. "It was pretty warm at the (Pepsi) Colisée. When you get (12,331) people, the ice was a little softer. It was not an easy task for both teams."
Winning the first game on the road can provide the visiting team with a great boost in morale. After having lost a similar game a year ago, Culligan and his teammates knew the result would give them both a lead in the series and a huge swing of momentum.
"When you look at it for either team to lose that game would be a heartbreaker," Culligan said. "It gave us a little bit more energy, maybe mentally, for the second game."
"Everyone is tired so when you're winning it's a little easier to recover," Durocher added.
Cape Breton won the second game 5-3 on Sunday, giving the sixth-ranked Screaming Eagles a huge advantage as the next three games are at home, beginning Tuesday.
The team dipped into their post-game snacks during the long overtime, eating granola bars, muffins and other various snacks while also drinking plenty of fluids to remain hydrated.
The Screaming Eagles' support staff was also working overtime, particularly with forward Culligan, who found himself unable to continue for part of the second and third overtime periods.
"My legs just locked right up on me with cramps and I couldn't even bend my legs," he said. "I had to sit out almost a full period."
One of the players affected most by the marathon game was goaltender Olivier Roy. After giving up the winning goal in the similar game to Halifax a year ago, Roy needed to maintain his level of concentration to avoid a potentially deflating loss for his team.
"I said to myself to stay focused and take each shot at a time," Roy said. "All the guys are tired so you don't want to give up any bad goals."
Durocher acknowledged the team's goal heading to Québec for the first two games was to earn a split. With the series being a 2-3-2 format, the Screaming Eagles have a stranglehold and the advantage of closing it out at home but aren't looking beyond their opponents.
"The thing is we have to play like it's Game 7 (every night)," Durocher said. "In playoffs - it's pretty cliché - but you need four wins and now we have only two. In major junior everything can turn pretty quick."
"You can never assume that they're down, especially in the playoffs, they're very well coached too," Culligan added. "We just have to make sure it's four games we need to win and not two to move on past this series."
Cape Breton is expecting the Remparts' best when the series picks back up on Tuesday. Québec can not afford to lose the third game if they're going to have a chance to claw back into this series.
As far as Durocher is concerned, his team saw that same desperation from Québec in Sunday's second game.
"I think they had desperation in the last game so we're going to see the same thing," he said. "They're in a bad situation so they're going to give everything."
Unlike between overtime periods where his team was encouraged to eat to maintain energy, Durocher might be sending his players the opposite message - metaphorically speaking - so his team keeps the same motivation and hunger. The Screaming Eagles would like nothing more than to close the series out at home, avoiding having to head back to Québec.
"We're happy now but we're not satisfied," he said. "We need to win that third one then after the third, the fourth one."
