We get a look at two of the four Mastercard Memorial Cup teams on the CHL on Sportsnet this week. The Quebec Remparts play host to the Rimouski Oceanic in Game 3 of the President’s Cup final.
Rimouski was widely anticipated to be playing for a league title by many QMJHL prognosticators at the start of the season. The Oceanic finds itself in a 0-2 hole after having dropped the first two games of the series on home ice.
Despite leading all QMJHL playoff teams allowing just over 2 goals per game against, Rimouski’s goaltending has not been strong to this point. In fact, both goalies have played in both games of the series. Louis-Philip Guindon, a mid-season acquisition from Drummondville, was riding a 7 game win streak heading into the series but lasted just over 24 minutes in game one, allowing 4 goals on 19 shots. Philippe Desrosiers started game two, but he allowed 4 goals on 7 shots. Those numbers will have to improve if Rimouski hopes to get back into the series.
Team defence has also been a hallmark of the Oceanic this season, yet 11 goals allowed over the first two games is way out of character. First rounder Samuel Morin has yet to register a point and has a minus-four rating. Jan Kostalek has an assist, but is minus-two. Overall, the likes of Charles-David Beaudoin, Simon Bourque, Andrew Picco, Guillaume McSween, Morin and Kostalek have to get back to what made the group successful during the regular season.
Up front, the Oceanic is dangerous. Michael Joly and Christopher Clapperton have been good in the series. Anthony DeLuca and Alexis Loiseau are always dangerous and combined for 187 points during the regular season. Frederik Gauthier is a faceoff and penalty-kill specialist but has been held pointless in four of his last six playoff games. Deven St-Hilaire, Anthony Chapados and Tyler Boland all have played above their regular season norms.
For Quebec, it took a few games, but there’s not doubt Zach Fucale has regained top spot in net. He did not start any of the first three playoff games for the Remparts, but hasn’t been the back-up since. Fucale has won 11 straight and is starting to look like the goalie that won the Mastercard Memorial Cup with Halifax in 2013.
Defensively, the Remparts possess a fine top four with Ryan Graves, Matt Murphy, Nikolas Brouillard and Raphael Maheux. The key has been finding a solid third pairing. Ross MacDougall has cemented himself as the five-guy while Aaron Dutra and Brian Lovell have moved in and out of the six-hole. Murphy has raised his game once again to the point where scouts are talking about him for the 2015 draft, which is a rarity for a a player in his last year of draft eligibility.
Up front, Quebec’s top line of Adam Erne, Kurt Etchegary and Anthony Duclair has been unstoppable in the series. The trio has combined for 7 goals and 16 points through two games. This has taken the pressure of Guillaume Gauthier, Dmytro Timashov, Vladimir Tkachev and Jerome Verrier. Head coach Philippe Boucher gets a lot of mileage out of Massimo Carozza, and Giancarlo Fiori. Marcus Cuomo is expected to return to the lineup adding a big body to the group.
Rimouski Oceanic 12-3-0, (7-0-0 Road) 2L, def VIC 4-0 in round 1, def GAT 4-1 in round 2, defeated VDO 4-0 in round 3, down 0-2 to QUE, #6 BMO Top 10
Individual Stats
In Goal
Team Stats
NHL Drafted/Signed Players
Samuel Morin (PHI 11th 2013)
Frederik Gauthier (TOR 21st 2013)
Philippe Desrosiers (DAL 54th 2013)
Jan Kostalek WPG (WPG 114th 2013)
Christopher Clapperton (FLA 122nd 2013)
Vincent Dunn (OTT 138th 2013)
NHL Central Scouting
Simon Bourque #76
Samuel Laberge #119
Under The Radar
Guillaume McSween consistently matched up against the opposition’s best, he continues to go unheralded because of limited point production.
Quebec Remparts 14-3-0 (6-2-0 Home) 11W, def CAP 4-3 in round 1, def CHA in 4-0 in round 2, def MON 4-0 in round 3, lead RIM 2-0
Individual Stats
In Goal
Team Stats
NHL Drafted/Signed Players
Zachary Fucale (MTL 36th 2013)
Marc-Olivier-Roy (EDM 56th 2013)
#Anthonly Duclair (NYR 80th 2013)
Adam Erne (TB 33rd 2013)
Ryan Graves (NYR 110th 2013)
*Cody Donaghey (TOR signed FA)
* – Injured
# – Traded to ARI
NHL Central Scouting
Dmytro Timashov #92
Matt Murphy #138
Vladimir Tkachev #159
Callum Booth- goalies #2
Under the Radar
Jerome Verrier plays with grit and passion, gets under the opponents skin and produces points to make matters worse.