Russia Grabs 5-4 Shootout Win
Russian Captain Daniil Apalkov scored the game-winner in the sixth round of the shootout to lead Team Russia to a 5-4 win over Team QMJHL in Quebec City.
The win gives Russia a sweep over the QMJHL with a 2-0 series lead as they head east to face the OHL.
Team Russian wasted little time before opening the scoring. The game was not one minute old before Nikita Kucherov received a beautiful feed from centre-ice to break in on Team QMJHL goaltender Louis Domingue of the hometown Quebec Remparts, beating him with a shot just over his glove.
No other goals were recorded in the first frame in large part due to the play of Domingue who stoned Kucherov on a second breakaway opportunity with only 10 seconds left in the period.
Matthew Bissonnette of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan was the author of Team QMJHL’s first goal of the SUBWAY Super Series. He directed a wrist shot from the face-off circle which beat goaltender Pavel Suchkov at 2:01. The goal seemed to energize the home team. Less than four minutes later, Charles Hudon of the Chicoutimi Sagueneens entered the offensive zone with a nice burst of speed and pounced on his own rebound to put Team QMJHL up 2-1.
The Russians came out strong in the first half of the third period as Emil Galimov and fan favourite Mikhail Grigorenko of the Remparts put the visitors up 3-2 with back-to-back markers. Bissonnette then tied it up at three with his second goal of the game. Nikita Gusev broke it a short time later to give the lead back to the Russians.
The crowd erupted with 15 seconds left in the game as Bissonnette completed his hat trick with the QMJHL net empty.
Unfortunately, the sixth shooter in the shootout, Daniil Apalkov, gave the Russians their second sweep in as many years in the Subway Super Series with a 5-4 win. Nathan Beaulieu of the Saint John Sea Dogs scored the only shootout goal for the QMJHL.
Bissonnette was named the player of the game for Team QMJHL while Grigorenko got the honours for Team Russia.
The QMJHL outshot the Russians for the second straight game this time by a count of 41-36.
The 2011 SUBWAY Super Series continues tomorrow night in Ottawa with the Russians taking on Team OHL. Fans can watch the game live on Sportsnet One starting at 7 pm.