The Islanders stunned the Phoenix with four goals in the first six minutes of Wednesday’s game as the Courteau Series semi-final kicked off with Charlottetown winning 7-2 over Sherbrooke.
Posted yesterday at 10:24 p.m.
Zachary Roy got the ball rolling 42 seconds after the initial puck drop. During a three against two following a turnover, his wrist shot went narrowly between the pads of Jakob Robillard.
Lukas Cormier followed up at 2:35 from the right mouthpiece, following a short pass from Roy. In the regular season, Cormier led defensemen in the league with 81 points, including 33 goals.
Drew Elliott added a lead at 3:54 from the left circle. That meant the exit for Robillard, who stopped just two of five shots. He gave way to Ivan Zhigalov.
Hit the target with a powerful one-timer shot, Patrick Guay made the visitors’ miseries worse with his seventh goal of the playoffs, at 5:55.
In the middle of the first period, it was Xavier Simoneau who turned the sword in the wound, bringing the score to 5-0.
Zhigalov blocked 24 shots.
Francesco Lapenna made 32 saves in a winning cause, yielding only to Xavier Parent and Israel Mianscum.
Brett Budgell and Ben Boyd also scored for the Islanders, who will host again on Thursday.
Shawinigan 2 Quebec 3
Vsevolod Komarov broke the deadlock at 19:07 in the third period and the Remparts defeated the Cataractes 3-2, as the semi-final between Shawinigan and Quebec began.
Komarov took advantage of a scramble in front of goal to collect his first goal of the playoffs.
James Malatesta of the Remparts earned a penalty shot, with 1:10 remaining in the third period, but missed to the left of the net.
Olivier Nadeau of the Cataractes had touched the post halfway through the engagement.
Left alone in the enclave, Mikael Huchette of the Remparts scored with a high shot late in the second period, leveling the score at 2-2.
The second game will also take place on Thursday, at the Videotron Centre.