(Baie-Comeau) The Drummondville Voltigeurs took a 2-0 lead in the Gilles-Courteau Trophy final without conceding a single goal to the best team of the regular season in the Maritimes Quebec Junior Hockey League.
Ethan Gauthier scored in overtime and the Voltigeurs defeated the Baie-Comeau Drakkar 1-0 on Friday.
Gauthier made a perfect wrist shot in the center of the offensive zone to score his 11e net of the present playoffs.
“I would be lying if I told you that I would have believed you,” said head coach Sylvain Favreau about his club’s lead and perfect defensive play in this series. It’s such a close series on the ice. It doesn’t matter much. »
This is the first time that the Drakkar has lost two games in a row at home since the start of the 2023-24 season.
This series opposes two of the three teams who scored the most goals in the regular season, but it was the goalkeepers who stood out in this match. Riley Mercer posted his second straight shutout with a 33-save performance.
“Without saying he was overlooked, a lot of people on the outside didn’t believe in him,” Favreau commented. As soon as I arrived in Drummondville, it was clear that he was our trusted man. She is such a good person who works extremely hard. He’s been playing really good hockey for us for a long time and we’re behind him. »
Charles-Édward Gravel has nothing to be ashamed of for his performance, he who pushed back 38 pucks in front of the Drakkar net.
The series will move to Centre-du-Québec, while the third and fourth games will take place Monday and Tuesday in Drummondville.
“We are facing a very good hockey team and they will be ready on Monday,” warned Favreau.
“We came here to win games and we found a way to win,” added Gauthier. This series is far from over. »
The Drakkar is participating in the final for the third time in its history, but has never won it. The Voltigeurs are participating for the fifth time and triumphed in 2009.
A different scenario
It took less than two minutes for the Voltigeurs to open the scoring on a power play during the first game. The goal was the first of five in a row, en route to a 5-0 victory.
Friday, the Drakkar wanted to avoid a second false start in a row, obtaining the first scoring opportunities.
However, he once again received the first penalty of the game due to a high stick from Félix Gagnon. But this time, the north-coastal formation resisted.
The Drakkar was chased for a second time with a few seconds left in the first period, once again resisting the massive attack of the Voltigeurs at the start of the second period.
The Drakkar’s indiscipline nevertheless gave wings to the Voltigeurs, who led 24-11 in shots on goal midway through the match without managing to hit the target.
The Drakkar got the next two power play opportunities – including a double minor penalty for high sticking – without finding the back of the net.
“We had good chances, [mais] the goalkeeper made good saves, commented Drakkar head coach Jean-François Grégoire. We didn’t score, but it wasn’t for lack of effort. We won some games on the road this season. With a match like today, there is something to build on. »
Mercer then made a key save on a short-handed two-on-one run to keep his team in the game.
“Every night you try to stop all the pucks,” Mercer said. It doesn’t always end that way, but you have to be confident in your ability to stop all the pucks coming your way. »
In overtime, Gravel made a spectacular save at the expense of Gauthier before the latter put an end to the debate a few moments later.
“When you get into overtime, it’s the little details [qui font la différence], said Favreau. Our goal starts with good defensive action, then when we moved into the offensive zone, we had traffic in front of the net and good shooting. »