The Drummondville-Shawinigan series is set to be a modern QMJHL classic.
The Drummondville Voltigeurs and Shawinigan Cataractes might as well be attached at the hip.
In a season where very little separated the top two teams, it's only fitting a seven-game series for the league championship will put an end to the season-long debate. As Drummondville head coach Guy Boucher said, this matchup has the makings of an epic thriller.
"I think they deserve to be there and I think we do also," he said. "Problem is we both deserve to win. I think it's just going to be a war and probably going to finish in seven (games) and maybe in overtime in seven."
Drummondville had the edge in the regular season, winning the Telus Central Division crown by finishing with seven more points than the Cataractes. The Voltigeurs earned the top seed for the playoffs while the Cataractes, who had the second-most points, fell to fifth after the division-seeding.
Although the road was tougher for the Cataractes who lost home ice advantage after the first round, Shawinigan always felt they hadn't seen the last of their bitter-rivals.
"We knew somewhere down the road they were going to be there if we were going to keep going and here they are," Cataractes head coach Eric Veilleux said.
While the Voltigeurs have home ice in this series, the Cataractes have the advantage of winning the regular season series. Shawinigan was one of just two teams to have beaten the Voltigeurs in the season series, a stat the Voltigeurs haven't forgotten.
"We're very conscious of the fact they did get the upper-hand on us in the season," Boucher said. "We've played some very good games against them and even then we still lost."
If the Cataractes are taking any comfort in going 5-2-1-0 against Drummondville this season, it's in the fact they know they can beat the top team.
"In the playoffs you need to start all over again," Veilleux said. "We know there is a style that we play and we feel we're able to counter them and we'll see that again if it's going to work this weekend."
If there's one thing these two cities share, it's a mutual hate for the other city's team. Drummondville and Shawinigan are separated by a little more than an hour by bus, which means both teams will head home after each road game.
Their rivalry is amplified by the fact neither franchise has won a league title. Both buildings will be rocking with an intensity that will motivate the players.
"It's probably the biggest rivalry I've ever seen," Shawinigan starting goaltender Timo Pielmeier said. "Even when we played there in the regular season, the place was jammed and people were just loving it."
"It can't be bigger than this," Boucher added. "The two teams for us here, the big rivalries are Victoriaville and Shawinigan. It's just been a war for ages here. This is the biggest thing we can get in terms of a rivalry."
Pielmeier will have the task of shutting down a team that has averaged more than seven goals scored per game in the playoffs. That average is just one reason why the Voltigeurs haven't lost a game in three rounds against Lewiston, Montreal and Rimouski.
Drummondville forward Yannick Riendeau leads the playoffs in scoring with 19 goals and 35 points. Pielmeier doesn't look at the challenge of shutting down the league's top scorer any different than any other player in this series.
"I don't really care who shoots the puck on my net because I just try to stop every puck," he said.
Riendeau, likewise, won't change a thing in his game against one of the top goaltenders in the league.
"I know they will maybe check me more than Rimouski and the other teams before," he said. "If they get like that I will try to do like I did in the other series."
While Shawinigan has an advantage in terms of size, Boucher likes the overall grit on his team as well as their speed. Many teams have tried using physical intimidation to take out the league's top team, a plan that Boucher said has backfired for their opposition.
"We're not a big team but teams have been trying to run us out of the rink and that's actually helped us so I hope they want to run us out because we're quick and we can take the heat," he said.
"We can skate too," Veilleux countered. "We have some very good skaters and all year long it's been good games against them and I expect nothing but the same."
The Cataractes haven't swept all three of their opponents like the Voltigeurs have but Shawinigan has lost just twice, making for two well-rested opponents who, remarkably, haven't had a burdensome travel schedule.
Since this series between bitter rivals has been hyped and anticipated all season, both teams know they're in for a battle with a Memorial Cup berth and league championship on the line.
"You have two clubs that have very good seasons and there were some good matchups during the season and now it's just the best two teams I think in the league meeting in the finals," Veilleux said. "It should be a good matchup."
"Everybody talks about the fact we haven't lost a game yet but for us, that doesn't make a difference," Boucher added. "We know that this (series) is going to be nuts."
