2024 QMJHL Playoffs | Drakkar vs. Titan Preview

The top team in the QMJHL prepares to take on the lone survivor from New Brunswick as the postseason enters round two. The Baie-Comeau Drakkar and Acadie-Bathurst Titan begin their best-of-seven Quarter-Final on Friday in Baie-Comeau.

The Drakkar, winner of 53 regular season contests, picked up in round one right where it left off in the regular season, outscoring the Charlottetown Islanders 20-6 in a four-game sweep. Leading the way on the scoresheet was the line of Matyas Melovsky, Justin Gill and Justin Poirier who combined for 11 goals and 20 points in the series triumph. On the backend, Alexis Bernier and Niks Fenenko saw ice in all situations and chipped in with five points each. Charles-Édward Gravel posted a solid 1.50 GAA and .929% save percentage and did not trail at any point during the first-round encounter with the Isles. On top of this came an emotional lift when blueliner Emile Chouinard returned to the lineup for Game 3 after missing two months while undergoing treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Add all of these on- and off-ice moments up and the Drakkar finds itself in the second round of the postseason for the first time since 2015.

The Titan wrote the most shocking storyline of the opening round, dispatching the Maritimes Division regular season champion Halifax Mooseheads in the minimum four games. Much like the Drakkar, the Titan’s top line did the lion’s share of the damage with Colby Huggan, Milo Roelens and former Moosehead Robert Orr posting a combined 20 points. The trio was also responsible for three of the club’s four game-winners in the series, including a crucial turning point in the form of Roelens’ overtime tally in Game 2. On the backend, Émile Perron and Igor Mburanumwe drew many tough assignments against an experienced Halifax squad with successful results while Antoine Keller, with his 1.47 GAA and .947% save percentage, was clutch, making a series of key saves in what was at times a tightly contested series. For the second time in three years, the Titan finds itself in the Quarter-Finals at the expense of its rival from Nova Scotia.

The Drakkar and Titan have faced each other twice during the regular season, both clubs earning a victory on home ice. After dropping a 3-1 decision in Baie-Comeau on December 8, the Titan won 4-3 in Bathurst on March 2. This is the second time the two clubs have battled in the postseason – back in 2001, the Titan punched its ticket to the QMJHL Final thanks to a six-game series triumph over the Drakkar.

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Team Comparison (Reg. Season):