QMJHL FINAL | GENDRON, MERCER SHINE AS VOLTS CAPTURE GAME 1
Alexis Gendron produced a hat trick and Riley Mercer stopped all 43 shots he faced as the Drummondville Voltigeurs skated into enemy territory and emerged with a 5-0 victory over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in Game 1 of the 2024 Gilles-Courteau Trophy Final on Thursday night.
Luke Woodworth and Justin Côté rounded out the scoring for the Voltigeurs, who are seeking their first QMJHL championship in 15 years. Woodworth also added a pair of assists. Goaltender Charles-Edward Gravel turned aside 25 shots in the Drakkar cage.
The road team would enter the dressing room with a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes. The Voltigeurs, after staving off an early Drakkar attack, capitalized after just four seconds on the power play when Gendron’s blast from the blue line eluded Gravel. The Volts doubled their lead when Woodworth, streaking into the slot, buried Côté’s centering pass for his seventh of the playoffs. Despite trailing on the scoreboard, Baie-Comeau earned a 14-11 first period advantage in shots.
The Volts made it a three-goal advantage when Woodworth returned the favor, dishing a silky saucer pass to Côté, who deposited the puck into a yawning cage for his eighth of the postseason at 4:28 of the middle frame. Gendron would then double down on a bizzare goal at the 18:02 mark as his high, hard shot caromed off the glass, ricocheted off Gravel’s elbow and found its way into the net. Once again, the Drakkar outshot the Voltigeurs in the second period, 18-10.
Gendron would cap off the scoring by completing his first QMJHL playoff hat trick 2:02 into the final frame, finishing off a crisp three-way passing play with Peter Repcik and Mikaël Huchette for his 11th postseason tally. Despite waves of pressure, Mercer would stand tall, notching his first career playoff shutout in the ‘Q’. Shots in the third period read Baie-Comeau 11, Drummondville nine.
The best-of-seven championship series continues tomorrow night in Baie-Comeau when the Drakkar, seeking its first title in franchise history, will look to even the series. Game time is 7pm ET/8pm AT and will be featured live on TSN and RDS.