Rivalry Week: Western Showdowns
Rivalry Week is back for its second year from October 20th to 25th. Several intra-divisional games are going to be played and the Western Division is not going to be left out of the fun.
The Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, Drummondville Voltigeurs, Gatineau Olympiques, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, Sherbrooke Phoenix, and the Val-d’Or Foreurs will all battle it out.
On October 23rd Rivalry Week will reach its climax with three regional head-to-heads. The Battle of Autoroute 50 will take place in Gatineau with a match-up between the Armada and the Olympiques. The Battle of Autoroute 55 will play out in Sherbrooke between the Voltigeurs and the Phoenix. And the always eagerly awaited rivalry of Route 117 will take place between the Huskies and the Foreurs in Val-d’Or.
While Rivalry Week lets supporters travel to see their favourite teams on the road, players also look forward to these match-ups.
Blainville-Boisbriand vs Gatineau
The rivalry between the Armada and the Olympiques dates back to 2008 when the former Montreal Junior were playing their games at the Verdun Auditorium. Now in 2015-2016, we will see if the latest playoff series left its mark on the teams. In March, the Olympiques eliminated the Armada in six games.
‘I think that our showdown in the playoffs is going to intensify our rivalry,’ Élie Bérubé underlined. ‘Both teams know each other very well and it isn’t hard for pride to enter into it. The series last year was really intense and the teams don’t care for each other.’
The 20-year-old defenseman figures that intensity is already running high between the two teams and doesn’t expect these games against the Armada to be any different. All the same, he says the mood is a bit different when he faces against the Armada, because he played for them in the past. ‘ I would say that the players’ intensity is the same before the game. But as the game progresses, the more the rivalry aspect enters into it. Losing is not an option for us.
For the Armada, this first clash against Gatineau offers the opportunity of setting right the accounts after their elimination last season.
‘We have a great group of veterans who lived through that series last year. Those were good games.’
The Armada can count on many of their fans being at the Robert-Guertin Centre. They can expect a hard-fought match with lots of emotion.
‘When you meet in the playoffs, the next season, the emotions are still there, its inevitable,’ claimed Delisle-Houde, who has more enemies than friends in the Gatineau locker room.
Rouyn-Noranda vs Val-d’Or
The Route 117 Rivalry doesn’t need any introduction. The Abitibi pays attention when the Huskies and the Foreurs clash. There are ten encounters between the two teams this season. The Foreurs knocked out the Huskies in the first round of the playoffs last year.
Veteran Shawn Ouellette-St-Amant is in his third season with the Foreurs and has played many games against the Huskies.
‘It’s always a special game against them,’ he said. ‘It’s a rivalry that’s been going on for a long time and you can feel that on the ice, that intensity.’
Ouellette-St-Amant thinks that the rivalry will be at a different level following the last playoff match-up between the two teams. The fans that travel to see these games are going to get their money’s worth, especially as there are only 100 km separating the two towns.
‘There is usually a real difference in the stands [when the Huskies are visiting]. The fans are more into it and really love the rivalry between the two teams’ he said. ‘It gives us a boost of adrenaline when the fans get behind us like that.’
For his part, the Huskies’ Charles-Olivier Ouimet will be stepping on QMJHL ice for the very first time. Before this season he had played 5 starts in the Q, all against the Foreurs. He thinks that the opening of the scoring floodgates in the elimination game (9-2) is still fresh in the players’ memories and is going to push their intensity to another level.
‘When we play against the Foreurs, a certain excitement comes over the locker room,’ said Ouimet. ‘Without anyone necessarily having to say anything, every player is more motivated to perform well for our fans.
Despite his scant experience in the QMJHL, the Huskies’ number 17 has been quick to realize that a game against Val-d’Or is like no other.
‘One thing is certain, the rivalry is going to be there,’ he swore. ‘What’s more, the ambiance in the arena is simply unbelievable. Without forgetting that the intensity is always upped when we play the Foreurs.’
Drummondville vs Sherbrooke
The rivalry between the Voltiguers and the Phoenix is still young since Sherbrooke is only in its 4th season in the Q. Despite that, let’s just say that neither side wants to give an inch to the other.
Phoenix’s Guillaume Gauthier has played for both teams. When he wore the Voltigeurs’ jersey, the team from Estrie was just taking its baby steps. All the same, it was not an easy team to beat.
‘When I was playing in Drummondville, the Phoenix were just arriving in the league, so the rivalry hadn’t really developed yet. All the same, I remember we always had a lot of trouble playing against them because they worked really hard and they were fast,’ remembered Gauthier. ‘By dint of playing 6 regular season matches against each other, you could feel the rivalry grow little by little – but it was all new.’
Even when it’s a game against the Voltigeurs, the Phoenix, prepare the very same way as against any other team. Nevertheless, the great start to the Voltigeurs’ season could motivate the two teams.
‘I think that this year the intensity is going to be there, since right now Drummondville is the team to beat. We want to see if we can compete with the best teams,’ explained Gauthier. ‘Also it’s going to be the first two match-ups between our teams this season, so we are both going to want to set the tone for the rest of the campaign.’
Some of the Voltigeurs’ rookies are experiencing a clash with the Phoenix for the very first time. Samuel is one of those players.
‘I’m expecting a very intense, emotional game,’ declared Gaumond, who is always looking for another 2 points. ‘The two teams are going to give their all to win.’
On October 25th the second of the two games will take place: Gatineau will visit Blainville-Boisbriand, Sherbrooke will be at Drummondville and Val-d’Or makes the trip to Rouyn-Noranda.
Translation: Richard Dumas
