2024 QMJHL Playoffs | Drakkar vs. Eagles Preview
The Baie-Comeau Drakkar and Cape Breton Eagles have been on fire during the 2024 Gilles-Courteau Trophy Playoffs. They’re also making up for lost time as this pair of teams, hungry for playoff success after long dry spells, cross paths with a trip to the league Final on the line. The action gets underway in this best-of-seven semi-final series Thursday night in Baie-Comeau.
The Drakkar has solidified its place among the league’s elite, following up its regular season championship with an 8-0 postseason record through two rounds of competition. After enjoying a first-round sweep of the Charlottetown Islanders, Jean-Francois Grégoire’s group eliminated the upstart Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the minimum four games. It was far from a decisive series victory however, as each game was decided by two goals or less, with the Titan taking the Drakkar to overtime in Game 3 and 4. Leading the charge once more was the top line of Justin Gill, Matyas Melovsky and Justin Poirier, who combined for 19 points in the quarter-final triumph. Poirier ended the series with a pair of game-winners, including the overtime marker in Game 4 that vaulted the Drakkar into the semi-final for the first time in a decade. Félix Gagnon played a pivotal role throughout the series, while Niks Fenenko enters round three leading all Q defensemen with 12 points. Between the pipes, Charles-Edward Gravel has been reliable as the competition continues to ratchet up. This is the fifth time the Drakkar has appeared in the semis, dropping decisions in 2001 and 2003 while advancing to the championship round in both 2013 and 2014.
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These are truly memorable times in Cape Breton. With a rabid reborn fanbase cheering them on, the Eagles prepare to bring the semis back to Center 200 for the first time in 17 years. The Eagles’ road to glory has run entirely through the East Division. Following a five-game triumph over the Rimouski Océanic, the club outdid itself in the quarter-final, eliminating the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in a four-game sweep. Jacob Newcombe had a series to remember against his former teammates, recording ten points, including a hat trick in Game 3 and a team-record six-point outing in Game 4. Cam Squires continued his remarkable run by recording the lone goal in a 1-0 Game 2 triumph as well as the series clincher in Game 4. Tomas Cibulka, one of five Eagles with double-digit point totals, and Xavier Daigle continue to lead the way on the backend while Nicolas Ruccia has been phenomenal between the pipes, denying the Sags a goal until the eighth period of the series. Louis Robitaille’s group will be looking to make history by bringing the QMJHL Final to Cape Breton for the first time. The Eagles fell to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan and Val-d’Or Foreurs in the 2002 and 2007 semi-finals, respectively.
The Drakkar earned a 2-0 series sweep over Cape Breton in the regular season. On November 25 in Sydney, the Drakkar enjoyed a 31-20 shots advantage in a 4-0 road victory. Baie-Comeau then defeated the Eagles 6-3 at home on February 9 thanks in part to a Julien Paillé hat trick. This is just the second meeting between the two clubs in the postseason and the first in 22 years; the Eagles winning a closely contested five-game series over the Drakkar during the first round of the 2002 playoffs.
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Team Comparison (Reg. Season):
Baie-Comeau | Cape Breton | |
Record | 53-12-2-1 — 109 Pts | 39-26-1-2 — 81 Pts |
Division Ranking | 1st East | 3rd Maritimes |
League Ranking | 1st | 7th |
GF | 290 (3rd) | 216 (10th) |
GA | 163 (1st) | 194 (5th) |
PP (Overall) | 25.7% (4th) | 20.9% (12th) |
PK (Overall) | 81.2% (T-3rd) | 81.4% (2nd) |
Leading Rookie (PTS) | R. Boilard (22-40-62) | Ricard (5-11-16 |
Leading Scorers (PTS) | Gill (40-58-98) | Squires (33-39-72) |
Poirier (51-31-82) | Houde (31-30-61) | |
R. Boilard (22-40-62) | Burbidge (14-43-57) | |
Melovsky (18-42-60) | Cibulka (10-39-49) | |
Gagnon (21-37-58) | Schmitt (8-41-49) | |