It wasn’t easy, but the Patriotes men’s hockey club from the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) became Canadian champions on Sunday evening in Nova Scotia.
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The Quebec squad defeated the Alberta Golden Bears 5-4 in the second overtime period.
It was Simon Lafrance who played the heroes in overtime. The latter benefited from a nice climb from captain Zachary Lavigne to eventually put the puck in the back of the opposing net to close the debate.
Lafrance was also the one to level the score in the third period to force overtime. The other Patriotes scorers were Loïk Léveillé, Félix Lauzon and Jordan Martel.
In front of the UQTR cage, Alexis Gravel was spectacular. The former Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League stopped 66 of his Alberta rivals’ 70 shots. He was tested 22 times in the two overtime periods. By way of comparison, his vis-à-vis was challenged eight times during these.
This is the fifth Canadian title in the history of the Patriotes and the first national championship since 2003.