The Olympiques get a valuable point
November 24th, 2011 – The least we can say is that the 2430 fans gathered at the Robert-Guertin center Thursday night got a game worth their money.
Even if they saw the Gatineau Olympiques (13-10-3) lose by a score of 4-3, against the Oceanic of Rimouski (16-13-0), in a shootout, they also got a chance to watch some young prospects of the organization play.
In result of the long absences of Alex MacDonald, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Rock Régimbald, Alex Soumakis, Kyle Morrison and Jacob Conrad, Tyler Morrison, Kyle’s brother, Anthony Cortese, Felix Bergeron and Karl Léveillé had the opportunity to play in reinforcement for the game.
Gatineau’s fans were also able to see the excellent performance of Francois Lacerte. As usual, the Olympiques’ goalie was on fire, allowing his team to stay in the game until the very end.
Thanks to Alexandre Tanguay (Culek and O’Brien); the visitors were the first to score. This last one scored on Lacerte with a precise shot. A few minutes later, Emile Poirier (Hyka) tied the game. Placed in front of the net, the # 27 took a loose puck that finished behind Jacob Gervais-Chouinard.
During the second period, Gatineau managed to take the lead. Tyler Gaudet (Janosik) in the slot redirected the shot from the point of Adam Janosik behind the goalie. The troupe of Serge Beausoleil didn’t let go. In a massive attack, Jérôme Gauthier-Leduc (Belzile) created an impasse, a few minutes before Peter Trainor (Boutet & Mallet) gave the lead to the Oceanic.
In the third period, Rimouski was sentenced to two consecutive penalties, and the locals took the opportunity to get some momentum going. This boost of energy allowed Felix Bergeron (Herrett) with an incredible precise shot to send everyone in overtime.
To seal the issue of the game, both teams finally resorted to a shootout. Gervais-Chouinard stopped all three attempts of the Olympiques, while Gauthier-Leduc was the only one to score on Lacerte.
Francois Lacerte finally blocked 36 shots. As for the visitors, Jacob Gervais-Chouinard finished the evening with 22 saves.
The Olympiques lost another soldier early in the game. In the first minute of play, David Weckworth was literally knocked out after receiving a hard body check by a rival. He tried to get up, but without success. He did not return to the game
Gatineau will play their next game Saturday night at the Centre Excellence Rousseau Sports, against the Armada of Blainville, Boisbriand. The team will return to play in front of their fans Sunday afternoon. They will face the Titan of Acadie-Bathurst at 4h00pm.
Simon Bédard, Gatineau Olympiques
