2022 QMJHL Playoffs | Titan vs. Islanders Preview
For the second consecutive season, the Charlottetown Islanders and Acadie-Bathurst Titan will face each other with a trip to the President Cup semifinals on the line. The two Maritime adversaries face off in their best-of-five series starting Sunday, in Charlottetown.
The Islanders carried the momentum from their formidable regular season to knock off the Moncton Wildcats in three straight games during the opening round. Patrick Guay, Xavier Simoneau and rookie Jakub Brabenec led the charge offensively, as nine different skaters wrapped up round one with at least a point per game.
Blueliners Lukas Cormier, William Trudeau and Noah Laaouan remained rock solid in all three zones while Francesco Lapenna, who notched his first career playoff shutout in Game 3, finds himself among the league leaders in GAA and save percentage heading into round two. The Isles, who outscored the Cats 16-4, will be vying for their second consecutive trip to the league semifinals and fourth since 2017.
The Titan outlasted the Halifax Mooseheads in a five-game series that literally came down to the last goal. Hendrix Lapierre led the charge with ten points while Riley Kidney was not far behind with eight, including the triple-overtime winner in Game 4, ending the fourth-longest game in QMJHL history.
Zach Biggar produced a point per game from the blueline, Miguel Tourigny remained an offensive force and Marc-Andre Gaudet ate up key minutes. Jan Bednar picked up all three wins between the pipes for Bathurst, coming out on top in a fantastic goaltending duel with Halifax’s Mathis Rousseau in Games 4 and 5. The Titan last advanced to the third round in 2018, when the club marched all the way to a Memorial Cup Championship.
The Islanders narrowly won the season series between the two clubs, capturing five of nine games. Six of these contests were decided by two goals or less. In addition to Charlottetown’s quarterfinal victory last year, these teams locked horns on two additional occasions in the post-season, with the Titan claiming first-round victories against the then-PEI Rocket in 2006 and 2007.
All eyes will be on this series as some of the biggest names in the “Q” collide in what should be an entertaining duel between the Maritime rivals.
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Team Comparison:
Charlottetown | Acadie-Bathurst | |
Record | 48-13-7-0 — 103 Pts | 40-22-3-3 — 86 Pts |
Division Rank | 1st Maritimes | 3rd Maritimes |
League Rank | 2nd | 6th |
GF | 283 | 280 |
GA | 179 | 211 |
PP (Total) | (66/252) 26.2% | (73/270) 27.0% |
PK (Total) | (46/293) 84.3% | (50/290) 82.8% |
Top Rookie | Brabenec (17-47-64) | Henneberry (14-15-29) |
Top Scorers | Guay (55-49-104) | Kidney (30-70-100) |
Simoneau (24-62-86) | Tourigny (31-49-80) | |
Cormier (33-48-81) | Lafrance (34-45-79) | |
Budgell (40-39-79) | MacArthur (42-35-77) | |
Brabenec (17-47-64) | Belgarde (21-38-59) |