Medalists return home

GATINEAU – Zach Dean (Canada) and Marcel Marcel (Czech Republic) were back at the Slush Puppie Centre with their medals from the IIHF World Junior Championship. They were opponents in the final and came home with much more than a medal. Both players mentioned after this morning’s practice that they will bring the experience they gained at the WJC to the Olympics locker room. Tomorrow’s game against the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada will also be a first game for the new medalists in front of the Olympiques fans since their return from the World Junior Championship.

Kidney arrives at the Slush Puppie Centre

This will also be the first game at the Slush Puppie Centre in an Olympics uniform for Riley Kidney. The Montreal Canadiens prospect made his debut with the Olympiques when the team was on the road to face the Quebec Remparts on January 6 and 7. Kidney gave the Gatineau’s the win with the game-winning goal in overtime on January 7.

Three games in three nights

It will be a tough challenge for the Olympiques as they begin a three game series tomorrow against the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada before hosting the Drummondville Voltigeurs on Friday and then hitting the road to face the Armada again on Saturday. Olympiques head coach and general manager Louis Robitaille said one of the objectives is to build an identity and chemistry within the group that has seen several new acquisitions added to the team in recent weeks including Alexis Gendron, Francesco Lapenna, Cam MacDonald and Riley Kidney.

The Olympiques will begin this three game sequence in three nights tomorrow at 7pm at the Slush Puppie Center.

A text by Isaac Larente-Séguin