The champagne stayed in the fridge at the Videotron center yesterday. The Halifax Mooseheads spoiled the game, preventing the Remparts from winning the Gilles Courteau Trophy thanks to a 3-2 win and forcing a sixth game on Sunday in Nova Scotia.
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The Remparts still lead the last three games by two.
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In Quebec, everything was ready for celebration: hundreds of fans rushed to Place Jean-Béliveau to reach the tailgate before the game, and the Videotron center was once again filled with 18,259 spectators.
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But the Mooseheads struck early, in the second minute, through Markus Vidicek and never lost their lead thereafter, although they managed to build a two-goal lead on both occasions, the Remparts replied.
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While everyone thought they were beaten, the Mooseheads managed to save their skins once again and Patrick Roy isn’t surprised.
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“It would have been fun to win tonight and all the conditions were there for that. But they won’t give us a gift. In the last game it was 20-6 after half time and they came back strong in the second and third periods. I have no idea where they get their energy from but they are not a team that will give up. We have to win the last part. »
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Costly turnarounds
After giving Vidicek the opening goal early in the first period, the Remparts gave way early in the second period as Evan Boucher escaped, also in the second minute, before beating William Rousseau with a shot between the two spats.
Another loss of possession cost the Mooseheads their third goal, that of Zachary L’Heureux, who, like Boucher Rousseau, caught between the legs when he was alone against him.
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“It’s very simple, we can’t lose possession against them. We dropped pucks in painful places and they scored three goals in the process. We didn’t expect that they would give us a gift. Now we have to be ready on Sunday. »
“We scored them three goals,” added James Malatesta, who scored the Remparts’ first goal in the second period. These are games that you can play. »
And the Remparts had their chances to get back in the game, thanks in particular to four powerplay advantages. Although they capitalized on one of those goals, a goal by Jérémy Langlois, Roy believes his team could have been more effective in that regard.
“We try to be too perfect. You have to get pucks in the net and work on getting rebounds. We try to make games all over the world. We gotta keep it simple. They are resilient and our resilience is being tested. »
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We have to disturb Mathis Rousseau
The opening star of the game, Mooseheads goalie Mathis Rousseau, saved 35 pucks in the win.
“He timed it right to play his best game of the series,” observed James Malatesta.
For Roy, his ramparts just didn’t make life hard enough.
“He was fine but we didn’t get any good shots. We gave him an easy game and weren’t invested before the shots from the blue line. We end up putting on our paddles to deflect the pucks. He’s still a good goalkeeper and won’t be beaten like this. […] I don’t think it was played online. »
Both teams fly to Halifax on Saturday noon for the game on Sunday at 4 p.m. If a match #7 was needed, it would take place the next day, Monday evening, at the Videotron Center.