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Cape Breton Eagles

Eagles Fall 4-3 as Océanic Extend the Series

April 3, 2024 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Cape Breton Eagles News Release


The opening period was a back-and-forth affair with the Eagles striking first. Cape Breton defenseman Xavier Daigle snapped a shot through traffic and by Lacelle to make it 1-0, before Paré countered with a point shot of his own- the first goal of his QMJHL career.

Squires tied the record, and helped his team take the lead, when he won a faceoff back to Brayden Schmitt, whose shot was redirected by MacDonald past Lacelle to put the Eagles in front. But the lead only lasted 36 seconds as Alexandre Blais, who led Rimouski in scoring in the regular season, scored his first goal of the post-season.

Savoie's goal came with 2:03 left in the period, cashing in on a minor to Daigle. It was the first power play for either team on the night.

The Eagles couldn't cash in on their first man advantage in the second period, but Rimouski did find more success with the extra man, with St-Denis finding the back of the net. St-Denis is the only player on either team to have a goal in each game in the series. It was 4-2 at the end of 40 minutes.

St-Denis had a golden opportunity for his first two goal night in the post-season as he was awarded a penalty shot in the third period. His shot rung off the post and stayed out. The call for a penalty shot ended up working in the Eagles's favour, as in the next two minutes, Houde ripped the puck by Lacelle to cut the lead to one.

With under two minutes to play, Ruccia was lifted for an extra attacker, but the Eagles were unable to find the back of the net and Rimouski skated away with their first win of the series.

The Eagles will have another chance to close out the series before returning home as game five is Friday night in Rimouski. Puck drop is 8 PM AST. The game is available for purchase on https://shorturl.at/oxDJ5 and you can also hear all the action on 1270 AM CJCB or online at www.cjcbradio.com.

NOTES FROM THE GAME

- A power play goal from Charles Savoie gave Rimouski a 3-2 lead late in the first period and they held on for a 4-3 victory over the Cape Breton Eagles to extend their first round playoff series. Cape Breton now leads the series 3-1.

- Alexandre Blais helped paced the Rimouski attack with a goal and two assists, while Anthony Paré added a goal & assist. Maël St-Denis also scored for Rimouski, while Eagles goals came from Xavier Daigle, Cam MacDonald, and Olivier Houde.

- By assisting on the MacDonald goal, Cam Squires tied an Eagles club record for most points in a playoff series (11, previously solely held by David Cloutier in round one against Baie-Comeau in 2002).

- William Lacelle stopped 30 of 33 shots in the win, while Nicolas Ruccia turned aside 21 of 25 shots in the loss.

- The loss for the Eagles snapped a club record combined regular season/playoff winning streak of 12 games.

- With series victories completed by Baie-Comeau, Chicoutimi, and Acadie-Bathurst tonight, it's confirmed that the Chicoutimi Saguenéens will be the second round opponent for whomever wins the Cape Breton/Rimouski series. Whomever wins the Eagles/Océanic series will also begin the second round on home ice.

THREE STARS OF THE GAME

1. Anthony Paré (Rimouski) 1 goal, 1 assist

2. Alexandre Blais (Rimouski) 1 goal, 2 assists

3. Maël St-Denis (Rimouski) 1 goal, 14/24 on faceoffs

Scratches For Cape Breton: Jude Campbell (injury), Noah Larochelle, Etienne Desjardins

Scratches For Rimouski: Luke Coughlin (injury), Quentin Miller (injury), Ben Cross, Pierre-Marc Minville, Brett Arsenault

Final Shots On Goal: 33-25 in favour of Cape Breton

Cape Breton Power Play: 0/2

Rimouski Power Play: 2/3

Check out the Cape Breton Eagles Statistics

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Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from April 3, 2024


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