SAINT HYACINTHE | The Gauls of Saint-Hyacinthe and the Séminaire Saint-François (SSF) fought a duel of titans in the final of the Canadian U18 AAA Championship on Sunday afternoon. After a furious third third, the SSF laughed at their rivals with a 3:2 victory.
At the same time, Mathieu Turcotte’s players won their franchise’s fifth Canadian championship. They joined the Notre Dame Hounds for first place in U18 AAA history, who won the same number. This is Quebec’s first title in 22 years. The governors of Ste-Foy were the last to lift the precious trophy in 2001.
Photo courtesy of Hockey Canada Images, Arianne Bergeron
With a score of 0:0 after 40 minutes, both teams kept the 3,108 spectators in their seats in the third period. All five goals of the game were scored in those 20 minutes.
Marc-Olivier Roy played heroes with two goals including the one that gave his team victory.
“We kept our game simple,” said Roy. We just wanted to keep putting shots into the net. We wanted to wear them. It’s the most exciting final I’ve ever been to.”
For this first final between two Quebec teams since 2000, we couldn’t have asked for anything better. Goalkeeper in top form, open game and emotion. Spectators get their money’s worth.
The ramparts as an example
Head coach Mathieu Turcotte and his assistant Mikael Tam were very happy with the result.
Turcotte drew an interesting parallel with the Quebec Remparts losing the 2006 President’s Cup Finals to the Moncton Wildcats.
“We had this scenario in mind,” said the head coach. After losing the finals, they wanted to win the Memorial Cup at the Wildcats’ rink. It was our goal.
“We really are a team. We don’t have any dominant players, except defender Xavier Veilleux. Everyone contributed.
“For example, Marc-Olivier Roy, who started the season on the fourth row, played heroes for us.”
Tam, a former Remparts, underscored the resilience of his training.
“Earlier this year nobody saw us there,” he said. This group is amazing.
“Our players played well to win. We didn’t have superstars, but everyone bought our plan.”
Photo courtesy of Hockey Canada Images, Arianne Bergeron
Smoking in front of the court
If it remained a 0-0 draw after two periods, it was due to the outstanding performances of the two goalkeepers.
Raphaël Précourt for the SSF and Rémi Cloutier for the Gauls performed the show.
Both athletes excelled in front of opposing attackers. The latter had chances for gold, but Précourt and Cloutier didn’t give up. When one made a big save, the other gave him the line a few minutes later. It was fascinating.
In the third period, Précourt smoked. The one who blocked 42 pucks made a steal in broad daylight when he desperately stopped a shot with his racquet.
“He was exceptional. We wouldn’t have had this result without him, Turcotte stressed, speaking of his goaltender not being drafted into the QMJHL. He made the saves at the right time.”
►The Saskatoon Blazers captured the bronze medal with a shootout win over the Toronto Jr Canadians.
Success despite 25% inflation
SAINT HYACINTHE | The LP Gaucher Arena was packed for the final on Sunday afternoon. Rarely seen since the good years of senior hockey and lasers, in the QMJHL, in the playoffs.
Jean Bédard, honcho of the organizing committee, smiled a few minutes before the final. We can understand.
His tournament will bring in a few thousand dollars in profit that will be donated to the Gauls of Saint-Hyacinthe and small hockey. And that’s despite inflation, which has increased their operating budget by 25%.
“When we shut down our organization in March 2020 [en raison de la COVID-19]”We didn’t have a lot of expenses involved,” Bédard said. However, three years later we had to deal with inflation. Everything costs more. »
Jean Bedard
President of the Organizing Committee
“Almost all of our partners have returned, but with the same amounts as when we started. We had the challenge of filling that 25% gap with the ticket office, but we succeeded. »
A dream product
The excellent courses of the Gauls and the Séminaire Saint-François gave a big boost to ticket sales.
They also met in the final of the tournament. A dream comes true for the organizing committee. We’re talking about 2,500 spectators at U18 AAA games. Rarely seen in the country in recent years.
“The Gauls’ course in the playoffs gave us a good basis,” explained Bédard. They drew crowds of over 1000 people. »
“They entered the tournament through the front door by winning the playoffs. On the ice we had a dream product. »
What about Ice Hockey Canada?
The new Leaders of Hockey Canada org chart will not receive a penny from the Maskoutain event. Bédard has noticed a change of tone in dealing with the national association.
“They asked us for a different specification. I was a little angry, he said. We made it for young people. It was a beautiful legacy for the city and the Maskoutain community. »
“On the other hand, we felt a good cooperation on the part of Hockey Canada. They were less picky than they used to be. »