(Shawinigan) The Charlottetown Islanders once again dominated the Shawinigan Cataractes, but this time the result turned in their favor.
Posted at 10:00 p.m.
With both feet on the brink, the Islanders crushed the Cataractes 7-0 on Thursday night to stay alive in the President Cup final.
The Islanders fired 16 more shots than their opponents in Game 2 of the series and 15 more in Game 3, but they still lost in overtime twice.
The Islanders, however, started the fourth game with a bang, throwing no less than 21 shots, and they made the Cataractes pay for their indiscipline by finishing the game with four goals in seven opportunities on the power play.
Jim Hulton’s men closed the gap to 3-1 in the final and will look to extend the show in Charlottetown on Saturday afternoon in Game 5.
The President’s Cup was on site at Center Gervais Auto, but it will also travel to Prince Edward Island with the Cataractes, who will have to wait before signing their first QMJHL championship in 53 years of history. .
The winner of this series will get their ticket to the Memorial Cup tournament, which begins in two weeks in Saint John, New Brunswick.
Brett Budgell had two goals and an assist while Jakub Brabenec had a goal and three assists for the Islanders. William Trudeau, twice, Lukas Cormier and Patrick Guay also scored in the victory while Xavier Simoneau set the table for four goals for his team.
Francesco Lapenna had a very quiet night in front of the Islanders net and only needed 16 saves to sign his second shutout of the playoffs.
The trio of Mavrik Bourque, Xavier Bourgault and Olivier Nadeau earned a total of 20 points in the first three games of the final, but they were shut out and posed very little threat on Thursday.
Even Antoine Coulombe, brilliant since the start of the playoffs, was unable to breathe some intensity into his team after stopping 20 pucks in the first period. He was substituted at the start of the third period, having allowed five goals on 34 shots.
End-to-end dominance
The Islanders suffered a heartbreaking loss Wednesday night when defenseman Noah Laaouan sent the puck into his own net in overtime, but that unfortunate play was quickly forgotten.
Visitors quickly buzzed into enemy territory, but Coulombe closed the door. Trudeau, a Montreal Canadiens prospect, however, pierced his wall midway through the first period, when his precise shot lodged in the top of the net on the short side.
The Islanders continued their momentum from the third minute of the middle period. Cormier dodged Charles Beaudoin and he sent the disc to the net. This one seemed to hit William Veillette, who was battling in the semi-circle.
The Islanders’ power play then kicked into gear. Posted alone to the left of Coulombe, Budgell completed a superb exchange with Brabenec and Xavier Simoneau. After Trudeau’s second goal of the game, Brabenec deftly redirected a pass-shot from Guay to make it 5-0.
The Cataracts’ indiscipline continued in the third period and the Islanders’ power play unit also continued its demolition work.
With the game already out of reach for the home side, Brabenec served a fine cross pass to Budgell who netted his 12e series goal. Brabenec and Simoneau again united their efforts on the power play to allow Guay to seal the outcome of the game.