HOW SWEEP IT IS! VOLTIGEURS CLAIM 2024 GILLES-COURTEAU TROPHY
It may have been foggy at Drummondville’s Centre Marcel-Dionne this evening, but the shine of the Gilles-Courteau Trophy was impossible to miss.
Thanks to a 4-3 triumph over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in Game 4 of the 2024 Gilles-Courteau Trophy Final, the Voltigeurs captured their first title since 2009. This also marks the first championship series sweep since the Saint John Sea Dogs defeated the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in the minimum number of games in 2017 and the 16th overall in league history.
Sam Oliver, with a pair, Ethan Gautier and Matteo Rotondi scored for the Voltigeurs, who complete the postseason with a 16-3 record. Riley Mercer stopped 23 shots in net for the win. Niks Fenenko, Justin Gill and Matyas Melovsky countered for the Drakkar, who received a 26-save effort from netminder Charles-Edward Gravel.
Voltigeurs defenseman Vsevolod Komarov won the Guy-Lafleur Trophy as Playoff MVP. The 20-year-old, who captured the Memorial Cup last Spring with the Quebec Remparts, earned the award thanks to a 15-point performance over 19 games in the 2024 postseason.
Once again in Game 4, the Voltigeurs got on the board first, taking a 1-0 lead into the dressing room after an evenly played opening period. Gauthier continued his torrid pace by opening the scoring on the power play at 5:28, working a give-and-go with Luke Woodworth before depositing a hard one-timer past Gravel for his 14th playoff tally. The Drakkar held an 11-10 shots advantage in the frame.
Drummondville would put on the pressure in the middle frame, holding a 13-2 lead in shots but only a 2-1 advantage on the scoreboard after 40 minutes. The home side doubled its lead at the 9:30 mark when Woodworth toe dragged his way into the slot before quickly feeding Oliver, who fired home a slapper from close range. The Drakkar would pull to within one at 16:25 when Fenenko would intercept a telegraphed Voltigeurs pass in their own zone, walk in and unleash a perfectly placed wrist shot past Mercer for his fifth of the playoffs.
The Volts would retake a two-goal advantage just 1:36 into the third period when, after a pair of point-blank opportunities in the blue paint, the puck found its way back to Rotondi at the line, who made no mistake on a top corner wrister for his first goal of the postseason. Drummondville would strike again just as a Drakkar penalty was expiring at 8:20. Mikaël Huchette drove down the middle in the offensive zone before teeing up Oliver who buried a wrist shot for his second of the game. Gill would then cut into the lead once again by directing a point shot from Angus Booth for his 11th of the playoffs at the 18:37 mark. Melovsky would deposit a feed at the side of the net for his fifth of the postseason with 22 seconds remaining to make for some dramatic final moments.
The Voltigeurs now move on to the 2024 Memorial Cup Presented by Dow in Saginaw, Michigan. Their tournament opens Saturday, May 25, when they take on the Ontario Hockey League Champions. All tournament games will be available live on TSN and RDS.
