Thursday, April 16, 2009

QMJHL Preview

Press Release

SHAWINIGAN
(2nd in the overall standings – 105 points – 2nd in the TELUS CENTRAL Division standings)

VS.

QUEBEC
(4th in the overall standings – 101 points – 1st in the TELUS EASTERN Division standings)


During the 2008-09 season:

2008/11/09 SHAWINIGAN 3 @ QUEBEC 1
2009/02/27 QUEBEC 4 @ SHAWINIGAN 7
2009/03/06 SHAWINIGAN 2 @ QUEBEC 4


SHAWINIGAN

The best performers for the Cataractes during their regular season match-ups versus the Remparts (goals-assists-points):

Matthew Pistilli: 4-1-5
Nicholas Petersen: 4-0-4
Cédric Lalonde-McNicoll: 1-3-4

The Cataractes swept the Victoriaville Tigres in the first round and disposed of the Gatineau Olympiques in five games in the second round.

Shawinigan has been excellent with the man-advantage. In 64 opportunities, they have registered 22 goals – a 34.4% success rate.

Cédric Lalonde-McNicoll leads an offence which is capable of scoring goals in bunches. Since the beginning of the playoffs, he has recorded seven goals and nine helpers.

Pierre-Alexandre Vandall (13 points) and Nicholas Petersen (11 points) will need to be watched closely.

Sophomore defenseman Charles-Olivier Roussel continues to impress. He has become the general on the Shawinigan power-play, having scored four goals with the man-advantage. Roussel has also added eight assists.

Timo Pielmeier has started every game for the Cataractes in the postseason. He has recorded eight wins, a 2.27 goals-against-average and .910 save percentage.

QUEBEC

The best performers for the Remparts during their regular season match-ups versus the Cataractes (goals-assists-points):

Dmitri Kugryshev: 1-3-4
Marc-Olivier Vallerand: 2-1-3
Jonathan Audy-Marchessault: 1-2-3

The Remparts defeated the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in five games in the first round and then won their series versus the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in seven contests.

Quebec ranks second in shorthanded situations with an 89.6% success rate. The Remparts have managed to score three goals with a man down. They can also score on the power-play (26.9%).

Dmitri Kugryshev is the Remparts’ most prolific scorer. He has six goals and eleven assists in twelve games. Mikhail Stefanovich and Marc-Olivier Vallerand have each collected twelve points.

Kelsey Tessier is enjoying his best moments of the 2008-09 season. He has eight goals, including four game-winners, as well as two assists so far in the postseason.

Goaltender Charles Lavigne has been dominant. He has an 8-4 record with a 1.93 goals-against-average and .932 save percentage. Moreover, he has two shutouts.

Press Release

RIMOUSKI
(6th in the overall standings – 89 points – 2nd in the TELUS EASTERN Division standings)

VS.

DRUMMONDVILLE
(1st in the overall standings – 112 points – 1st in the TELUS CENTRAL Division standings)

During the 2008-09 season:

2009/01/07 RIMOUSKI 2 @ DRUMMONDVILLE 5
2009/02/22 RIMOUSKI 6 @ DRUMMONDVILLE 5
2009/03/08 DRUMMONDVILLE 5 @ RIMOUSKI 4

RIMOUSKI

The best performers for the Océanic during their regular season match-ups versus the Voltigeurs (goals-assists-points):

Sébastien Piché: 1-4-5
Philippe Cornet: 4-0-4
Jordan Caron: 1-2-3

The Océanic swept the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in the first round and disposed of the Moncton Wildcats in five games in the second round.

Rimouski has been very efficient in shorthanded situations with a league-high 90.2% success rate. They have recorded one shorthanded goal so far.

The Océanic is stacked with talent up front. Keven Veilleux leads all scorers with 15 points. He has been getting plenty of help from Philippe Cornet, who has thirteen points. Logan MacMillan and Jordan Caron will need to be watched carefully. They have both scored two game-winners.

Patrice Cormier has not let up since coming back from the World Junior Championship. He has physically punished opponents, collecting 30 hits while scoring four goals.

Marc-André Bourdon, Sébastien Piché and Maxime Ouimet lead a stellar defensive squad capable of playing a lot of minutes.

Goaltender Maxim Gougeon has been brilliant, earning all eight wins while posting a 1.78 goals-against-average and .930 save percentage. Maxim has also registered a shutout.


DRUMMONDVILLE

The best performers for the Voltigeurs during their regular season match-ups versus the Océanic (goals-assists-points):

Mike Hoffman: 4-1-5
Yannick Riendeau: 3-2-5
Patrik Prokop: 2-2-4

The Voltigeurs swept the Lewiston MAINEiacs and the Montreal Juniors.

Drummondville boasts the best power-play in the QMJHL, having capitalized on 42.7% of their opportunities (32/75). In only eight games, the Voltigeurs have scored an astounding 60 goals, an average of 7.5 per game.

Drummondville's offence is led by four forwards who have collected at least twenty points: Yannick Riendeau (28), Dany Massé (25), Chris DiDomenico (25) and Mike Hoffman (20).

Dmitry Kulikov, who earned plenty of hardware at the Golden Puck Awards Gala (Émile-Bouchard Trophy, Coupe RDS, Michael-Bossy Trophy), leads a young but determined defensive unit.

Goaltenders Marco Cousineau and Antoine Tardif have split the duties in net. Collectively, they have posted a 2.09 goals-against-average and .903 save percentage.


(Nathan also is a writer for Maineiacs Post to Post and the Maine Hockey Journal. He can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)

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