Guimond suffers first loss as Oceanic extend series
Goaltender Rudy Guimond suffered his first loss as a Moncton Wildcat as the Rimouski Oceanic prolonged the best-of-seven Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League final series with a 5-1 win Thursday in Rimouski. The Wildcats lead the series 3-1 as the teams return to Moncton’s Avenir Centre for the fifth game of the series Saturday night.
Guimond, who joined the Wildcats from the Cedar Rapids Rough Riders of the USHL in late November, carried a 24-0 won-loss record into the Thursday matchup, including 8-0 in the post season. But the Oceanic struck for three goals on eight shots in the first 7:08 of the game, chasing Guimond from the crease in favour of backup Mathis Rousseau, who gave up another first period goal and one more in the second period before Guimond returned to play the third period.
Mael Lavigne, Maxime Coursol, and Mael St.-Denis all scored before the game was eight minutes old to lift the Oceanic, who held period leads of 4-0 after one and 5-0 through two. Jonathan Fouchon and Eriks Mateiko scored the other goals for the Oceanic. The Cats gave up as many as five goals only five times in 64 regular season games in constructing a 53-9-2 record. Thursday’s loss was only their second of the playoffs.
Julius Sumpf, with his 10th of the season, scored for the Wildcats in the third to break Oceanic goaltender Mathis Langeviln’s bid for a shutout. The Oceanic outshot the Wildcats 40-30 on the night.
The Wildcats return to the Avenir Centre, where they’re unbeaten in the post season and have lost just four times all year, Saturday, hoping to clinch the Gilles Courteau Trophy for the third time in their 29-year history. Both teams advance to the Memorial Cup tournament against the champions of the Western Hockey League and the Ontario Hockey League May 22-June 1 in Rimouski.
Article by Bill Hunt
Photo: Iften Redjah
