Breaking down the QMJHL final, plus a little draft intrigue

Anthony-John Greer scored in the final minutes to get the Huskies a 2-1 win over the Cataractes and a 3-0 series lead.

After three games of the President Cup final, the CHL’s No. 1-ranked Rouyn-Noranda Huskies have the Shawinigan Cataractes on the ropes with a 3-0 series lead. Still, it’s been a close series with two of the games decided by one goal if we don’t count empty-netters. There’s also been some on- and off-ice drama that you just can’t make up.

Here’s what’s happened in the Q final so far:

Game 1
The league’s top NHL Draft-eligible D-man Samuel Girard opens up the series with a power-play goal for Shawinigan. He scoops the puck up from the point, skates to the top of the face-off circle and fires a heat-seeking missile through a sea of legs and Chase Marchand.

The lead doesn’t last long as A.J. Greer ties up the game with his eighth goal of the playoffs. It’s a wrap-around back-hander into the net followed by a celly with Greer standing on one leg while flexing his arm and giving it a Stone Cold. Greer’s usual linemate, Timo Meier, misses the game with a suspension after a hit to the head in the final game of the Moncton Wildcats series.

With just over a minute remaining in the game, blueliner Nikolas Brouillard joins the rush and scores his fifth of the playoffs and gives Rouyn-Noranda a 3-2 lead. The Huskies paid a steep price to bring in the experienced defender from previous MasterCard Memorial Cup hosts Québec Remparts—a first-rounder as well as a second- and third-round pick along with Alexandre Sills. Gabriel Fontaine plops in an empty-netter for a final score of 4-2.

Both power plays are lethal in this game, with Shawinigan scoring twice with the extra man while going 2-for-3. Rouyn-Noranda only has two power-play opportunities but goes 50/50 with a goal from Flyers prospect Philippe Myers.

Game 2 – Part 1
San Jose Sharks first-rounder Timo Meier returns from suspension, re-joining A.J. Greer on the second line. Fourth-liner Peter Abbandonato opens up the scoring going hard to the net with the puck going off his foot as he crashed the crease, the type of goal you’d expect from a hard-working bottom-six forward. It’s his fourth of the playoffs.

New York Islanders first-rounder Anthony Beauvillier strikes back immediately, collecting a pass from behind the net and quickly releasing it into the goal. It’s Beauvillier’s 13th of the playoffs, putting him one behind Sam Povorozniouk of the now disposed of Saint John Sea Dogs.

A.J. Greer once again scores on Shawinigan to give Rouyn-Noranda a 2-1 after one period. His celebration for this one is a skate-into-the-glass double-punch.

And then all hell breaks loose. Well, to be more specific, a coolant pipe below the ice breaks, causing brown liquid to ooze all over the ice from the crease. Shop vacuums and mops can’t handle the foe from below and the game is postponed.

At first, the QMJHL sends out a press release saying the game would be played the following afternoon—if commissioner Gilles Courteau deems the ice suitable for play—and re-started, wiping out the 2-1 start by Rouyn-Noranda. A little while later, the league clarifies: the game will be resumed from where it left off. Rule 1.5.6. states a game will continue with the remaining time if 20 or more minutes have been played.

Shawinigan Cataractes look after their fans, paying for hotel rooms of fans who made the trip and only got to see 20 minutes of hockey.

Game 2 – Part 2
The Fellowship of the Rink convenes Saturday morning to examine the ice conditions. Courteau gives the thumbs up and the game resumes Saturday afternoon from the start of the second period.

After a good night’s sleep, A.J. Greer scores his second goal of the contest 20 hours later giving Rouyn-Noranda a 3-1 lead. It’s his third goal of the series and 10th of the playoffs. The Colorado Avalanche second-rounder is showing why he was drafted so high, and also proving to be a huge addition after leaving Boston University mid-season.

Shawinigan gives Cadorrette a rest for the final five minutes of the game with the team down 4-1. Of the 37 shots he faced, 30 of them came on Saturday afternoon. Rookie Mikhail Denisov comes in and stops all five shots he faces.

Saturday night after Game 2
Toronto Maple Leafs draft-steal Dmytro Timashov escapes injury after a car accident in Shawinigan. Based on photos, it looks like a pretty nasty wreck. Putting hockey aside for a moment, it’s good news he’s okay, and a bonus he’s okay to play in Game 3.

Game 3
On home ice, captain Anthony Beauvillier opens the scoring with his 14th of the post-season. The point also puts him atop playoff scoring with 28 points. It sounds like all 4,652 fans at the Centre Gervais Auto have horns as the building gets loud. Samuel Girard gets the primary assist on the goal after sneaking up and joining the 4-on-2 rush. His draft stock has to be rising after a solid playoffs. The D-man is smart, knowing exactly when to jump up and take an offensive chance without sacrificing the defensive side of his game.

The fourth line comes through again for Rouyn-Noranda in Game 3. Peter Abbandonato wins a faceoff in Shawinigan’s end, gets a shot off and then Antoine Waked knocks in the rebound.

The intensity of the game rises with more extracurricular activity after the whistles. Nikolas Brouillard seems to be in the middle off a lot of scrums as he tries to draw penalties. A.J. Greer gets busted for a slash on Cadorrette.

Early in the third period, Ottawa Senators prospect Gabriel Gagné is given a double-minor for high-sticking. Rouyn-Noranda scores a power-play goal and takes a 2-1 lead thanks to, you guessed it, A.J. Greer. He’s now scored in every game and has 11 goals in the playoffs. He finishes the game as the first star. League MVP Francis Perron gets an assist in the game, tying him with Beauvillier for the scoring lead with 28 points each.

Philippe Cadorette is the second star in the loss, facing 41 shots, making huge saves and keeping Shawinigan in the game. He’s stuck on career playoff win 50, a QMJHL record, but needs four straight wins to chase that ever-elusive President Cup. The Cataractes need to tighten up defensively to take some pressure off.

Draft stuff
For the third consecutive year, the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles will have a compensatory first-rounder in the QMJHL entry draft. Shane Bowers, selected 4th overall by Cape Breton last season, will re-enter the draft this June after playing with the Waterloo Blackhawks in the USHL. The QMJHL’s compensation rules mean Cape Breton get the ninth pick of the draft.

There’s no guarantee Bowers will abandon the college route and make the jump to the CHL, but a team could potentially sway him. A year ago, it looked like Bowers would go and play for the Saint John Sea Dogs who owned the first-overall selection. When Joe Veleno was granted exceptional-player status less than 48 hours before the draft, the Sea Dogs went ahead and picked the 15-year-old. Bowers dropped to Cape Breton but never reported to camp, opting to join Waterloo, which selected him 38th overall in the USHL futures draft. If Bowers plans to return to the QMJHL, he may be tempted by his hometown Halifax Mooseheads who hold the first, seventh and 16th selections.

Pierre-Luc Dubois, NHL Central Scouting’s top ranked North American skater, joined the Screaming Eagles with a compensatory pick in 2014. They got the pick, along with the last pick of the second round, after Nic Roy failed to report to Cape Breton. It was icing on the cake as the team already acquired three first-round picks from Chicoutimi in exchange for Roy.

Rimouski’s complaint dismissed
Rimouski shipped 20-year-old Anthony DeLuca to Drummondville for a 2017 first-rounder at the draft last year. A condition of the trade was Drummondville would get a first-round pick back if DeLuca didn’t play in the QMJHL this season. He didn’t and Rimouski filed a complaint with the league alleging Drummondville refused to play or move the overager in the second half of the season. The complaint was dismissed by the QMJHL meaning Rimouski has to send the 11th pick to Drummondville.

Here’s how the first round of the 2016 QMJHL entry draft now stands:

1. Halifax
2. Baie-Comeau
3. Drummondville
4. Sherbrooke
5. Acadie-Bathurst
6. Blainville-Boisbriand
7. Halifax (via Quebec)
8. Moncton (via Victoriaville)
9. Cape Breton (compensation)
10. Chicoutimi
11. Saint John (via Charlottetown)
12. Drummondville (via Drummondville)
13. Cape Breton
14. Baie-Comeau (via Moncton)
15. Baie-Comeau (via Saint John)
16. Halifax (via Shawinigan)
17. Victoriaville (via Gatineau)
18. Charlottetown (via Val-d’Or)
19. Rouyn-Noranda

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