CHLTV GOTW preview: Titan vs. Oceanic, Nov. 19, 2022
The matchup
A pair of QMJHL Eastern Conference squads battle in the CHLTV Game of the Week as the Acadie-Bathurst Titan (8-11-2) host the Rimouski Oceanic (10-12-1).
The Titan enter tonight’s contest on the heels of back-to-back wins courtesy of a 7-1 victory over Drummondville on Nov. 13 that was followed by an impressive 7-4 win over Halifax Wednesday night.
Evidently, the Titan don’t have too many problems scoring goals; led by their all-Nova Scotian top line of Ben Allison, Riley Kidney (MTL) and Jacob Melanson (SEA), Acadie-Bathurst rank ninth in QMJHL scoring.
Ben Allison buries two dimes from Riley Kidney before a solo beauty completes the hatty! 🎩🎩🎩 @ABTitan pic.twitter.com/9yzeaUVVWa
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) October 19, 2022
However, the trio has accounted for 48 per cent of their goals this year and defensively, the Titan’s 90 goals against are the second most in the league.
Rimouski were shutout 5-0 by Quebec Friday but before that defeat had rattled off two straight wins over Cape Breton and Sherbrooke.
Despite a 2.91 goals per game average, the Oceanic sit fifth in the Eastern Conference as they seek to make the postseason for the 15th straight year.
D-man Frederic Brunet (BOS) leads the Oceanic offensively and defensively, has helped Rimouski concede the seventh fewest goals in the QMJHL.
The Oceanic own the seventh best power play at 22 per cent while the Titan’s penalty kill ranks fifth at 82.3 per cent. Rimouski’s 260 penalty minutes are the second most in the QMJHL.
Who to watch
Kidney continues to be one of the most dangerous offensive players in the QMJHL as through 20 games, the Habs prospect has 11 goals and 32 points as he sits sixth in league scoring.
After a 30 goal, 100-point season a year ago, Kidney, the 63rd overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, is focused on becoming a more complete dual threat weapon as he seeks to become just the third Titan player to register multiple 100-point seasons.
Kidney's 11th of the season.
11e de la saison pour Kidney.#GoTitanGo pic.twitter.com/Fq3ZlCOLKs
— Titan Acadie-Bathurst (@ABTitan) November 17, 2022
The 19-year-old recently surpassed the 200-point mark for his QMJHL career as he became just the eighth player in team history to achieve that feat.
Brunet’s 21 points (three goals) leads the Oceanic and ranks third among QMJHL d-men. Twelve of his 18 assists this year have come on the power play, the second most among all Q skaters.
Selected in the fifth round in the 2022 NHL Draft by the Bruins, Brunet led all Oceanic defenceman in scoring a year ago with 46 points.
Stats leaders
Kidney’s 32 points pace the Titan while Allison and Melanson each have 12 goals to lead the team in that category. The pair also have nine assists each, although Melanson has done so in seven fewer games.
Ty Higgins’ 11 points are the most among Titan defencemen while captain Cole Larkin has added 10 points from the blue line.
Star goaltender Jan Bednar (DET) remains out for the Titan and hasn’t played since Oct. 20 but rookie netminder Joshua Fleming has recently taken the reigns to the tune of a 3-0-0 record and a .922 save percentage.
In tow of Brunet’s 21 points, Alexandre Blais and Jacob Mathieu have each contributed 16 points this year.
Jan Sprynar’s six power play goals leads the team while Mael St-Denis has added seven points while on the man advantage.
Voici le but marqué par Sprynar en avantage numérique! 👀
🌊 #GoNicsGo pic.twitter.com/fXbYN4nmV9
— L'Océanic de Rimouski (@oceanicrimouski) November 9, 2022
Patrik Hamrla has played a team high 14 games in goal with a 6-6-1 record while Gabriel Robert has featured 10 times.
Where to watch
Saturday’s contest can be seen live for free on CHL TV at 6pm ET / 3pm PT.
Available to fans from coast to coast, CHL TV is accessible on the CHL mobile app, in addition to Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire, and online at watch.chl.ca. Each year, CHL TV offers access to more than 2,000 regular-season games covering the CHL’s three Member Leagues and 60 markets across Canada and the United States. Fans can download the free CHL app via the App Store and Google Play.