The Olympiques give their fans a show
GATINEAU – Close to 4600 fans were on hand yesterday afternoon at the Slush Puppie Centre to watch the Saint John Sea Dogs take on our Olympiques.
Gatineau’s Emerik Despatie got the start in net for Louis Robitaille’s men who will be looking for their 31st win of the season.
Early in the game, Riley Kidney forced a turnover in offensive territory that was recovered by Nadeau. Nadeau passed the ball to Gendron, who made a perfect catch and release shot to open the scoring!
TIC TAC TOE it’s 2-0
At 12:23, Zach Dean, Cam MacDonald and Sam Savoie put together an incredible passing play that stunned the Sea Dogs defense. The Vegas Golden Knights first round pick finished off the scoring with his 20th of the season and doubled the Sea Dogs lead.
Less than 3 minutes later, Antoine Michaud was rewarded for his hard work when the Mont-Carmel native won a battle for the puck deep in offensive territory and then directed a shot that snuck into the net. Michaud’s 2nd of the season tripled the lead for the crowd favorite!
“He was very, very good. He made the right decisions, kept the game simple and there was a sense of urgency about him.” – Louis Robitaille, Olympiques Head Coach on Antoine Michaud
Very early in the second period, Zach Dean was still hungry! With the ‘Piques on the power play, Tristan Luneau made a perfect pass to Dean who fired a powerful shot on the rebound to make it 4-0 at only 25 seconds of the second period. Olivier Boutin then scored a 5th consecutive goal with a shot from the blue line that escaped the goalie’s grasp. The fifth goal of the night forced the Sea Dogs to make a goaltender change and Olivier Brideau from Gatineau came in front of the Saint John net.
Sam Savoie would join the offensive onslaught with back-to-back goals in the second period to extend the Sea Dogs lead to 7-1.
Two goals in 11 seconds
Early in the third period, Cole Cormier made it 8-1 with his 27th goal of the season. CSP fans would not have to wait long for another goal as 11 seconds later, Colin Ratt scored his 8th of the season to make it 9-1.
Marcel Marcel and Olivier Boutin would score their 10th and 11th goals of the night for a final score of 11-3 in favor of the hosts.
Highlights
– First two point game in the QMJHL for defenseman Antoine Michaud who collected a goal and an assist
– Cam MacDonald picked up two assists against his former team
– Second time this season the Olympiques have scored 11 goals in a game
– 5th consecutive win for Gatineau
– 4,580 fans in attendance
Three stars
1. Sam Savoie (2 goals, 3 assists)
2. Zach Dean (2 goals, 2 assists)
3. Colin Ratt (1 goal, 1 assist)
“The message we want to send Wednesday night” -Louis Robitaille
With the win, Gatineau is now just one point out of first place in the Western Conference with 68 points in 49 games. The next game will be a tough challenge for Louis Robitaille’s men as the Halifax Mooseheads visit the Slush Puppie Centre this Wednesday at 7:00 pm.
A text by Isaac Larente-Séguin
