Smith, Rousseau star as Cats clinch third Cup
Third year veteran Gabe Smith scored a pair of goals and goaltender Mathis Rousseau made 24 saves to lift the Moncton Wildcats to a dramatic 3-2 victory over the Rimouski Océanic in the sixth game of the best-of-seven championship series, clinching the Wildcats first Quebec Maritimes League championship in 15 years.
Both teams will advance to the Memorial Cup tournament, being hosted by the Océanic beginning Friday.
The teams battled through a scoreless first period, the Wildcats coming within a Vincent Collard goalpost of breaking through and goaltender Mathis Rousseau denying the Océanic on 10 first period chances.
The Wildcats broke it open with three second period goals, two off the stick of the veteran Smith.
He opened the scoring at 6:30, firing the rebound of an Alex Mercier shot past Océanic goaltender Mathis Langevin.
Johansson doubled the lead just 71 seconds later, pinching in from the blue line and whipping a wrist shot past Langevin. Smith supplied the dagger at 17:46, tipping a Dylan Gill shot past Langevin.
Jonathan Fauchon spoiled Rousseau’s shutout bid, scoring off a scrambled draw at 7:11 of the third, and Jacob Mathieu, with his 17th of the post season, struck on the power play at 11:32.
Rousseau and the Cats held the Océanic at bay the rest of the way.
Centre Caleb Desnoyers, who led the league in scoring in the playoffs, with nine goals and 21 assists in 18 games, was named winner of the Guy Lafleur Trophy as the Most Valuable Player in the playoffs.
It’s the Wildcats’ first league championship since 2010 and the third in the team’s 29-year history. They’ll open play in the 105th Memorial Cup against the Ontario Hockey League champion London Knights Saturday.
Article by Bill Hunt
