We mightn’t have expected anything other than a dramatic final yesterday between the Remparts and the Cataractes and that’s exactly what happened. A goal by former Red Devil Pierrick Dubé with 47.7 seconds left in the third period allowed the Cataractes to join the Charlottetown Islanders in the President Cup final.
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Dubé took advantage of a penalty imposed on Vsevolod Komarov with 1 min 9 s remaining in the game to score his second of the game and give his team a 4-3 lead. He then completed his hat trick in an empty net to cement the 5-3 victory for his team.
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The Remparts had however taken the lead 3-1 in the second period thanks in particular to two unanswered goals from Conor Frenette, but the Cataractes came back from behind thanks to a goal from Martin Has at the end of the second and another ‘Isaac Ménard at the start of the third period.
“Last year, I lost in the semi-finals here and now to win and reach the final with this group, it’s an incredible feeling, mentioned Dubé. It’s special to do it with this group. We were falling behind following two and we showed character once more. »
Head coach Daniel Renaud raised his hat to the character of his team.
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“Never, a month ago, would I have thought that we were at this stage mentally. It’s been our Achilles heel for much of the season. Our way of reacting to adversity. Our group, our leaders first, have matured and grown a lot mentally. »
bitter defeat
In the camp of the Remparts, Patrick Roy badly digested the defeat. Not because of the game of his team, but in relation to the call of the official Olivier Gouin.
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“Losing like we lost is disappointing. We worked hard all season, we worked hard and I’m proud of our players who gave themselves body and soul. There isn’t a team that deserves to lose like this.
“It’s a lack of judgment, period. It’s disappointing. I see our players with their eyes in the water and finishing a season like this when they [les officiels] had the whistle in their pockets the whole game. No one has the right to lose the same. I’ve been doing this for a long time but this one, it goes into the body very stiff. »
Ruined advance
Despite the energy of the large crowd, the Remparts had a slow start that allowed the Cataractes to take the lead through Dubé.
Patrick Roy’s men picked up their pace somewhat in the second half of the engagement and took advantage of a numerical advantage to tie the game.
Seconds following Théo Rochette hit the post, Xavier Filion seized a comeback to sow hysteria in a Videotron center that we had not heard so noisy for a long time.
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During the holiday season, Patrick Roy acquired Conor Frenette from the Victoriaville Tigres to add his experience as President’s Cup champion last year to his locker room.
Discreet so far in the playoffs, the 20-year-old forward proved his head coach right yesterday during the most important game of the season. Transferred to the center of the third line for the game, Frenette scored twice without response in the second period, the first of which was shorthanded to give the Remparts a two-goal lead, which Martin Has reduced before the end of the engagement.
Isaac Ménard then brought everyone back to square one at the start of the third, taking advantage of a defensive scramble to escape and beat William Rousseau on his right side.
Moreover, the Remparts goalkeeper was once once more sparkling yesterday, making some spectacular saves, notably on Mavrik Bourque in the second period.
Despite everything, the Trois-Rivières goalkeeper blamed himself on the Cataractes’ third goal.
“I wanted to make a difference. At 3-1, I would have liked to close the door and I know I would have been able to. The third goal, I should have come out of my net but that’s part of the game. I will learn from this. It was the first time that I found myself in an ultimate match. »
Yesterday’s loss also put an end to the career of the Remparts’ three 20-year-old players, Frenette, Louis Crevier and Fabio Iacobo.
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“I was injured for a long time when I arrived but I saw a team grow, players grow and people grow. I’m proud of them. Pat has often said that we have a special group and it was a pleasure to work with them to finish my junior career,” mentioned Frenette, who plans to join the Patriotes from the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières next season. unless there is a professional offer.
Finale Cats – Islanders
For their part, the Cataractes will face the Charlottetown Islanders in the grand final starting on Saturday. The two teams have faced each other twice this season, each winning a game.
Moreover, Charlottetown will be without forward and Montreal Canadiens prospect Xavier Simoneau for the first game of the final. The QMJHL announced yesterday that he had been suspended for one game for giving Xavier Parent tape during game no. 4 in the series once morest the Sherbrooke Phoenix, Monday night.
On the side of the Remparts, the scarcity continues. The organization has not won the President’s Cup since the 1975-1976 season, that is to say for 46 years. They have only reached the final twice in the 25 years since their revival in 1997.
