QMJHL Week in Review

January 10, 2011 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Lewiston MAINEiacs News Release


Lewiston, ME (QMJHL) - Last week, the Lewiston MAINEiacs played the middle three games of a five-game homestand, and were completely dominant in doing so. Lewiston outscored their opposition by a combined margin of 19-3, blanking Drummondville 7-0 on Tuesday, before sweeping Rouyn-Noranda 6-2 and 6-1 over the weekend. The MAINEiacs have now won seven of their last nine games, scoring at least five goals in eight of those nine contests.

Tuesday's win over the Voltigeurs was highlighted by Nicholas Champion's first shutout in a Lewiston uniform, two goals by Francis Beauvillier, and a four-point night by Matt Bissonnette. On Friday, the MAINEiacs and Huskies were tied at two in the second period, until the home team opened things up with four straight tallies. Michael Chaput and Bryce Milson both lit the lamp twice, while Jonathan Parisien chipped in with two helpers and a plus-5 rating. Chaput continued his strong play in Saturday's win, scoring two more goals, while also adding an assist.

The three victories have given the MAINEiacs a 28-14-0-2 record (58 points), which remains good for second place in the Telus East Division. The Quebec Remparts still own a nine-point lead for the top spot, while the Victoriaville Tigres are 11 points back of Lewiston for third. Overall, the MAINEiacs are tied for fifth place with Drummondville. The Voltigeurs have one game in hand, but Lewiston has more total wins.

Notable Performances Last Week

26-F-Michael Chaput (5 goals, 2 assists, 7 points)

73-F-Matt Bissonnette (1 goal, 6 assists, 7 points)

44-D-Olivier Dame-Malka (1 goal, 5 assists, 6 points)

23-F-Etienne Brodeur (2 goals, 3 assists, 5 points)

10-F-Bryce Milson (2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points)

31-G-Nicholas Champion (2-0 record, 41 saves on 42 shots)

Trade Period Recap

Acquired- Bryce Milson, Jonathan Parisien

Lost- 2nd round draft pick in 2012, 5th round draft pick in 2011

Last Week in the Telus East Division

The Quebec Remparts (32-8-1-2, 67 pts) entered last week without a regulation loss in their ten previous games. That streak continued to 11 on Tuesday, when the Remparts doubled up the Oceanic 4-2 in Rimouski. On Friday, the streak came to an end, as the Shawinigan Cataractes beat Quebec 4-1 at Centre Bionest. Looking to start a new streak on Sunday, the Remparts traveled to Baie-Comeau, where they defeated the Drakkar 4-1.

The Victoriaville Tigres (22-18-1-2, 47 pts) also had a roller coaster week, going 2-1 with a loss in the middle game. The Tigres earned their wins on Tuesday and Saturday, defeating Baie-Comeau 5-2 on the road, as well as Chicoutimi 3-2 in a shootout at home. The lone loss came to the red hot Gatineau Olympiques on Friday, who used former Victoriaville forward Philip-Michael Devos' help in a 5-1 victory.

The Rimouski Oceanic (22-21-1-1, 46 pts) had a miserable start to the week, losing each of their first three contests. Rimouski took a 4-2 loss against Quebec on Tuesday, before getting swept 4-3 and 6-2 by PEI on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, the Oceanic had their lone bright spot of the week, as they edged Moncton 2-1 in a shootout.

The Chicoutimi Sagueneens (16-18-3-5, 40 pts) were unbeaten in regulation last week, taking five out of six possible points in three games. On Tuesday, the Sagueneens faced one of the top teams in the league, and were up to the challenge, squeaking out a 2-1 win over Montreal. After a 3-2 shootout loss in Victoriaville on Saturday, Chicoutimi responded, knocking off Drummondville 3-2 in overtime on Sunday, thanks to Guillaume Asselin's power play goal.

The Baie-Comeau Drakkar (6-29-5-4, 21 pts) are mired in another slump, after losing three home games last week. On Tuesday night, the Victoriaville Tigres spoiled Baie-Comeau's party, taking a 5-2 decision. On Friday, the other "-ville" came out victorious, as Drummondville earned a 3-1 win. Finally, the Quebec Remparts visited Centre Henry Leonard on Sunday, and were on the right end of a 4-1 score against the Drakkar.

Elsewhere in the QMJHL

Nobody in the QMJHL is hotter than the Gatineau Olympiques right now. Gatineau won three road games last week, bringing their overall winning streak to nine games. Gatineau started by doubling up Shawinigan 4-2 on Tuesday, followed that by beating Victoriaville 5-1 on Friday, and finished the week by defeating division leading Montreal 5-3 on Sunday. Sunday's win brings the Olympiques within three points of the Junior for the top spot in the Telus West Division.

Last week was business as usual for the Saint John Sea Dogs, who now own a points percentage of .850 in 40 games. Saint John got pushed to the limit on Tuesday, but prevailed with a 4-3 shootout win over Acadie-Bathurst. On Saturday, the road to victory was significantly easier, as the Sea Dogs smoked the Mooseheads 9-2 at the Halifax Metro Centre.

Despite Tuesday's loss, the Titan had a strong week offensively, as they swept a two-game weekend series against the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles at the KC Irving Regional Centre. Friday's win featured a 6-2 final score, before Acadie-Bathurst throttled Cape Breton 9-3 on Saturday.

The Moncton Wildcats also put together a 2-0-1 record last week, starting with a pair of road wins in Nova Scotia. The Wildcats edged Cape Breton 3-2 on Tuesday, before a 5-1 win in Halifax on Friday. Moncton's good news came to an end on Sunday, as they fell 2-1 in a shootout to Rimouski.

The Val-d'Or Foreurs were in action for three games last week, recording one decision in each category. The Foreurs started with a 9-2 win over Rouyn-Noranda on Tuesday, fell 6-4 in Montreal on Saturday, and came up short in a 3-2 overtime loss at Shawinigan on Sunday.

One other game took place in the league last week, as Halifax beat PEI 4-2 on Tuesday.

QMJHL Three Stars of the Week

1- Christopher Gibson (Chicoutimi) - 2-0-1 record, 1.58 GAA, .950 Sv% in 3 games

2- Zach O'Brien (Acadie-Bathurst) - 4 goals, 6 assists, 10 points, +5 rating in 3 games

3- Jonathan Hazen (Val-d'Or) - 6 goals, 3 assists, 9 points, +4 rating in 3 games

Three Hottest Teams of the Week

1- Lewiston MAINEiacs (3-0 record, outscored opposition 19-3)

2- Gatineau Olympiques (3-0 record, outscored opposition 14-6)

3- Saint John Sea Dogs (2-0 record, outscored opposition 13-5)

Honorable Mention- Acadie-Bathurst Titan (2-0-1), Moncton Wildcats (2-0-1), Chicoutimi Sagueneens (2-0-1)

Three Coldest Teams of the Week

1- Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (0-3 record, outscored 21-5)

2- Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (0-3 record, outscored 18-7)

3- Baie-Comeau Drakkar (0-3 record, outscored 12-4)

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DID YOU SEE HIM

Former MAINEiacs' forward Jakub Bundil was seen in the stands on Saturday night, witnessing Lewiston's 6-1 win over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. The Trencin, Slovakia native spent three seasons with the MAINEiacs from 2005-08, scoring 19 goals, 34 assists, and 53 points in 182 games. Bundil was a member of the 2007 President's Cup Championship team.

Bundil joined the likes of Chad Denny, Adrien Lemay, Eric Bonawitz, and others who have been seen at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee this season.



Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from January 10, 2011


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