The first one belongs to the locals
ROUYN-NORANDA – After a hard-fought first twenty minutes, the Olympiques had to give up on the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in the opening game of the first playoff round.
The Olympiques start like lions
The first twenty minutes of the game really went Alexis Loiseau’s way. Hard-hitting checks were distributed on both sides. The Gatinois even took the lead when Lukas Landry pounced on a rebound to score his first of the series. Despite several chances, the home side finally found the back of the net with only a few minutes left in the first period to go into the locker room tied.
A 2nd period to forget
Although the Olympiques got off to a good start, it was a different story in the second. The Huskies took advantage of their chances, scoring three unanswered goals. The Gatineau team was unable to take advantage of a 4-minute power play in the second period, which seemed to give the home team a run for their money. The visitors headed back to the locker room trailing 4-1.
Wintle sent away in the third
The third period was once again the home team’s game. The Huskies scored a fifth goal, putting an end to Iain Wintle’s night’s work. The Gatineau team took several penalties, which literally took the legs out from under the visitors. Despite a late surge, the Olympiques had to concede defeat in this first duel.
The Olympiques dominated the shoot-out 27-26.
The two teams will cross swords again on Saturday (tomorrow) in the second game of this first-round series, starting at 4 p.m. at Rouyn-Noranda’s Arena Glencore.
