Before the QMJHL playoffs started on Friday, four players were handed hardware in pre-game ceremonies. Allan Carron of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies won the Kevin Lowe Trophy as best defensive defenceman. The Guy Carbonneau Trophy for best defensive forward went to Shawn Ouellette-St-Amant of Val-d’Or. The best freshmen in the league both came from the Gatineau Olympiques with Vitalii Abramov winning the Michel Bergeron trophy for offensive rookie and goalie Mathieu Bellemare taking the Raymond Lagace award for defensive rookie of the year.
It’s hard to say if collecting trophies before the game gave a boost to Abramov and Bellemare, but both players starred in Gatineau’s Game 1 win over the Quebec Remparts. Abramov—who finished the regular season with 93 points, tops among rookies and fifth overall—scored his first QMJHL playoff goal. The goal early in the third period ended up being the lone marker of the game. Bellemare turned aside all 16 shots he faced picking up his first playoff win and shutout.
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On the Remparts side, waiver-wire hero Evgeny Kiselev has kept the scores close in both games. Claimed from Baie-Comeau after the trading period, Kiselev was the second star in a 1-0 loss in Game 1. On Saturday, he was the first-star in a losing effort as the Olympiques pelted him with 51 shots. He’s getting little support up front as Quebec only generated 11 shots in the 2-1 loss. With Gatineau outshooting, outhitting and outscoring Quebec, this series could be over quickly.
Here’s how the opening weekend of the ‘Q’ playoffs went down:
First place Huskies pulverize Drummondville
The series opener between the heavyweight Rouyn-Noranda Huskies and the lowly Drummondville Voltiguers was a product of what happens in the QMJHL’s best versus worst format. By the halfway point of Game 1, Timo Meier already had a hat trick, the Huskies had a 6-0 lead and the game was out of reach. By the end of it, Drummondville had switched up its goaltending three times, 14 roughing minors were handed out and Rouyn-Noranda won 10-0. Game 2 followed the same script with the Huskies winning 6-0.
#SJSharks @MeierTimo continued his dominance over Drummondville in a 6-0 win. He now has 4 goals and 3 assists in 2 QMJHL playoff games.
— SJ Sharks Prospects (@SharksProspects) March 27, 2016
Sherbrooke shocks Shawinigan
The QMJHL’s playoff format has led to a lot of first-round sweeps in the past four years, so Sherbrooke’s 3-2 win over Shawinigan in Game 1 was a rare surprise (the 15th and 16th seeds have combined for one win in the past four years). Draft-eligible goaltender Evan Fitzpatrick stole the show with a 30-save performance for Sherbrooke, including 13 saves in the final frame while protecting the one-goal lead.
In Game 2, Sherbrooke jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but the Cataractes were relentless, firing 42 shots on net and eventually breaking through with three goals in the second period en route to evening the series with a 3-2 win. The pressure is on for the Cataractes, who went all in at the trade deadline and fired their coach while in second-place in mid-February. The tools are there, but they’ll need to do better to keep Memorial Cup dreams alive.
Sea Dogs re-enforcements contribute
Another ho-hum series. The Sea Dogs are off to a 2-0 lead against Acadie-Bathurst. Titan goalie Reilly Pickard, fresh off CHL goalie of the week recognition, faced a barrage of 78 shots in the first two games. He’s rocking a respectable .910 save percentage but the team in front of him isn’t generating enough chances to win.
Sam Povorozniouk’s second-half surge has continued in the playoffs. The former OHL forward had a hat trick in Game 1 and another marker in Game 2. He’s now scored 27 goals since Jan. 1.
The Sea Dogs are still without defenceman Luke Green and Detroit Red Wings prospect Adam Marsh. They got a major boost with power-play quarterback Thomas Chabot (Ottawa Senators), Mathieu Joseph (Tampa Bay Lightning) and Matthew Highmore all returning after missing games to close out the regular season. All three scored in Saint John’s 4-2 win in Game 2.
Foreurs off to rocky start
The Foreurs-Armada matchup took a surprising turn in Game 2 after the Armada evened the series. Despite being outshot 33-24, goalie Samuel Montembeault guided Blainville-Boisbriand to the surprise win. The small and mighty engine, Philippe Sanche, had a four-point game and looks like he’s fully recovered from the broken leg that held him out of action for almost the entire second half of the season.
Val-d’Or’s Anthony Beauregard finished the regular season with 30 goals and 93 points, but has been held in check with one assist so far. Julien Gauthier has now gone five straight games without a goal, the coldest stretch of the season for the 41-goal man. The Foreurs have lots of firepower upfront, but they’ll need it as the Armada are proving to be a tough first-round opponent.
Lots of extra time in “Cat Bowl”
Moncton has a 2-0 lead in the “Cat Bowl” in the tightest series thus far. Moncton’s up thanks to a double-OT winner from Will Smith in Game 1 and a Game 2 extra-time marker from Buffalo Sabres property Vaclav Karabacek.
Edmonton Oilers goalie prospect Keven Bouchard picked up his first playoff victory Friday night in the 5-4 win. It’s surprising considering he was on Val-d’Or when it won the league two seasons ago and last year, when the Foreurs made it to the semifinals. Both times, he lost the starting job by the time the playoffs began, so he’s spent a lot of time watching the playoffs from the bench.
WHL ex-Pat streaking
Taylor Cooper started the season with the Regina Pats in the WHL, but the 20-year-old was the hero for Chicoutimi in Game 1 with two goals in a 3-1 win. Cooper only scored six goals since joining the Sagueneens in mid-January, but three of those came in the final four games of the regular season.
Pierre-Luc Dubois returned to Cape Breton from suspension for Game 2. He was held off the scoresheet as his team leveled the series with a 5-2 win, but he’s a beast in the faceoff circle, winning 17 of 25 draws. The game finished in chaos with six players sent off with unsportsmanlike conduct misconducts and two players sent off with game misconducts for fighting and a hit from behind—all in the final two minutes. The teams only faced each other twice in the regular season, but this series is already packing lots of heat.
Islanders even series with Oceanic
The defending President Cup champions still have some wins left in the tank as Rimouski showed in the series opener against Charlottetown, a 2-1 win. The Islanders took Game 2 in overtime with Alexis Vanier potting the winner on the power play. It’s the third goal of the post-season for the defenceman who was brought in to fill the void left by David Henley. Another trade acquisition, Jake Coughler, had a pair of goals as the Coughler-Kielly-Blais line continues to roll.
That feeling when you score in overtime to tie the series! @AlexisVanier @sprong97 @IslandersHKY #PEI #CHL @QMJHL pic.twitter.com/9w5g9CIRdw
— Darcy Cudmore (@DarcyCudmore) March 27, 2016