The Olympiques lose a hard-fought game
Gatineau – Friday night’s game had some emotional significance, with the return of two former Olympiques from the 2022-23 season. Alexis Gendron, in a Voltigeurs uniform, and Samuel Savoie, thrilled the Slush Puppie Centre, despite the home team’s defeat.
Spectacular plays give Gatineau the lead
It was the Olympiques who knocked on the door first on Friday night. Nathan Lévesque made Riley Mercer think he was going around the back of the net, but decided to pass the disc to Justin Boisselle (7th), who took advantage of a gaping cage to open the scoring. Next, Danny Akkouche sent the puck to his new trio-mate, Sander Wold (5th), who threaded the needle past Riley Mercer on a breakaway to add to his team’s lead.
The Olympiques still went into the locker room with a 2-0 lead.
Labranche’s return does some good
The Voltigeurs had not said their last words and reduced the lead in the second period. Vsevolod Komarov beat Pelletier with a simple wrist shot from the point, taking advantage of the Gatineau goalie’s obstructed view. However, William Labranche (9th), who hadn’t played since January 7th, restored his team’s two-goal lead. This gap was quickly reduced by Mikael Huchette, who found the back of the net in a 2-on-0 situation in front of the home net. The period ended 3-2 in Gatineau’s favor.
“He deserved to play his game. He got another big goal tonight,” says head coach Benoit Desrosiers on William Labranche.
Drummondville forces overtime
Gatineau wasted no time in doubling their lead early in the final third. Riley Mercer once again found himself out of position, and this time it was Nathan Lévesque (15th) who took advantage. Mikael Huchette then continued the sequence of alternating goals for both teams, scoring his second of the game. Sylvain Favreau pulled his goalie with less than 1:30 to go in the third period to put his team in a 5-on-4 situation, and former Olympiques member Alexis Gendron,
evens the score with a perfect slap shot. We’re heading for overtime.
The 72 gives the Voltigeurs two points
Alexis Gendron made sure his former team didn’t have a chance, scoring just 13 seconds into overtime. A powerful power-play shot got the better of Zach Pelletier for a second time tonight. The final score was 5-4 in favor of the visitors.
Alexis Gendron’s return to where he spent the second half of his 63-goal season was certainly the story of the game. The Philadelphia Flyers prospect received a standing ovation from the 3,600 fans at the Slush Puppie Center, following the presentation of a thank-you video on the big screen.
“Of course, I was a little emotional about the video. It was the best year of my life as a field hockey player last year. My finest moments as a field hockey player with the Olympiques, both off the ice and on it,” confides Gendron.
Number 72 adds, “I’ll always have the Olympiques tattooed on my heart. In 20 years, I’ll be back here listening to Olympics games.
The return of Samuel Savoie was another moving moment of the evening. Savoie made a brief appearance on the giant screen, to rapturous applause from the crowd.
The Olympiques’ next game is this Sunday (January 28) against the Saint-John Sea-Dogs at the Slush Puppie Centre.
Text by Philippe Villeneuve
