The Olympiques back against the wall
GATINEAU – The Olympiques received a visit from the Huskies for Game 4 of their series, led 2-1 by Rouyn-Noranda, on Wednesday evening at the Slush Puppie Centre. Despite a fiery first period and unprecedented crowd support throughout the game, Gatineau lost 6-1 and will face elimination on Friday night.
The Olympiques in control of the first third
The Olympiques got off to a strong start in the first period. Serge Beausoleil’s men racked up the scoring chances and were constantly buzzing in the offensive zone. Finally, Danny Akkouche (1st) opened the scoring with a precise shot directly into the top corner. It’s a first for #14 in an Olympiques uniform. The shots are 12-4 in favor of Gatineau after a twenty-minute period dominated by the home side.
Huskies dominate second period
At the start of the second period, the Huskies hit back blow after blow. Samuel Rousseau took advantage of a throw-in to tie the score, and Bill Zonnon gave his team the lead moments later. Then, Zach Pelletier lost sight of the puck and Thomas Verdon scored a third consecutive goal for Rouyn-Noranda. The #40 was immediately replaced by Kian Hodgins in front of the Gatineau net. Hodgins quickly made his presence felt, jumping to the side and stretching out to rob Sam Savoie. However, Thomas Verdon found the solution and scored his team’s fourth just afterwards.
The Olympiques face elimination
In the third period, Anthony Turcotte and Antonin Verreault added to the visitors’ lead. The Olympiques seem to be running out of ways to stop their opponent’s attack, and are struggling to create scoring opportunities. A few skirmishes broke out on the ice, but the minutes ticked by and the game ended 6-1 in favor of the Huskies. Friday’s game will therefore be a one-off for the Olympiques.
Alexander Gaudio was not in the line-up on Wednesday night after suffering an injury in the previous game. Head coach Serge Beausoleil confirmed that the veteran will not be back during the first round.
Gaudio is difficult to replace,” admits head coach Serge Beausoleil. But what we saw tonight was that, ultimately, our youngsters weren’t able to play two games in two nights.
Zach Pelletier allowed three goals on nine pitches before being pulled from the game, his second game in as many days.
He wasn’t good,” says Beausoleil. When you feel the team is faltering, you have to try to preserve our guys. But I love him and he’ll be back in front of the net next game.”
Game 5 of the series will be played on Friday, April 5, at Rouyn-Noranda’s Glencore Arena.
Text by Philippe Villeneuve
