Too little too late for the Olympiques

Gatineau – The Olympiques received a visit from the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies on Sunday at the Slush Puppie Centre. After exchanging the lead with their opponent on several occasions, Alexis Loiseau’s men lost 6-5.

Gatineau dominates, but deadlock persists after 20 minutes

In the first period, it was the Olympiques who broke the deadlock. Halfway through the third, Jacob Kaine (1st) took advantage of a loose puck in front of the net to score his first of the campaign and give his team the lead. Gatineau then received a power-play opportunity and came close to doubling the lead on numerous occasions, but the score remained the same. However, at the end of the period, Bill Zonnon completed a pass play in the offensive zone to tie the game. That’s how the first twenty minutes end, with Gatineau leading 14-6 in shots on goal.

Huskies take the lead

In the second period, Gatineau wasted no time. Jan Golicic (1st) took advantage of the traffic in front of the visitors’ goalkeeper, Samuel Meloche, to fire a precise shot from the blue line and put his team back in front. However, Alex Carr and Antonin Verreault responded for the visitors, scoring back-to-back goals to give the Huskies their first lead of the game. That was the end of Zach Pelletier’s game, as he was replaced by Kian Hodgins in front of the Gatineau cage. The Olympiques went into the locker room trailing by one goal.

Three consecutive goals sink the Olympiques

In the third period, Jérémie Minville (11th) brought everyone back to square one in the first minute of play with a shot into the top corner. However, Alexis Lemire soon restored the visitors’ lead a few minutes later. Antonin Verreault then scored his second of the game, followed by Nathan Langlois to eliminate any hope of a comeback for the home side. Jan Golicic (2nd) then scored his second of the game with a precise shot when the Gatineau team found themselves down two men. Seconds later, Gabriel Séguin (3rd) grabbed a loose puck to cut the deficit to one goal. However, it was too little too late for the Gatinois, who lost 6-5.

Goalie Zach Pelletier was withdrawn from the game after conceding three goals on 13 shots.

“Pelletier hadn’t seen much action lately,” points out head coach Alexis Loiseau. “I would have liked him to have been more combative on the second and third goals, but he was far from solely responsible for those goals.”

Jérémie Minville scored his 11th goal of the campaign, making him the second-highest scorer in the Cecchini circuit.

“It’s fun, but I’d trade it all in for wins,” admits the Olympiques captain. “These are personal results, but it’s clear that I’d like it better if we were placed higher in the standings.”

The Olympiques will be back in action on Friday (October 25) against the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada at the Slush Puppie Centre.

*Text by Philippe Villeneuve