Five different scorers lead Huskies past Cataractes
ROUYN-NORANDA, Que. – Two of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s top teams went to battle Friday night at the Iamgold Arena as the Shawinigan Cataractes visited the league leading Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.
Brandon Gignac got the contest started quickly with a goal 17 seconds into the action, his 10th of the season. The opening marker came with assists to Alexis D’Aoust and Giovanni Fiore. However, the Huskies bit back with two goals before the end of the first period. Alexandre Fortin notched a powerplay goal at 6:03 and Mathieu Boucher followed with his eighth of the year at 10:24. Boucher also assisted on the first goal, while Philippe Myers picked up a pair of helpers.
In the second period, D’Aoust continued his stellar 2015-16 campaign for the Cataractes potting his 19th goal of the season to tie the game up at 2-2. Fiore and Gabriel Slight added the assists.
The third period was an eventful one with four goals, the only markers of the period, were scored within the first six minutes of the frame. First, Justin Bernier scored his first career QMJHL goal 46 seconds into the period. The 18-year-old was recalled by the Cataractes recently.
Jean-Francois Beaudin responded for the Huskies only 30 seconds later with his 16th at 1:16. Francis Perron and Bruno-Carl Denis got the helpers. Another Cataracte scored their first career goal as Jonathan Fillion made it 4-3 in just the fourth game of the his QMJHL career. The lone assist went to D’Aoust.
Jacob Neveu rounded out the scoring in regulation with a goal at 5:21 to knot the contest up 4-4 and ultimately send it into the extra frame. Gabriel Fontaine and Julien Nantel added assists on Neveu’s second of the year.
In overtime Allan Caron’s powerplay goal 2:41 into the period gave the home fans the finish they wanted and broke the Cataractes hearts. His seventh of the season gave the Huskies a 5-4 victory.
