Riendeau Player of the Week

Press Release

TORONTO, Tuesday, May 12, 2009 – The Canadian Hockey League today announced that forward Yannick Riendeau of the Drummondville Voltigeurs is the Boston Pizza CHL Player of the Week for the week ending May 10. Riendeau, now a three-time winner of this award, recorded 11 points including five goals and six assists in four games.

Riendeau and the Voltigeurs began the week Tuesday with game three of the QMJHL Finals for the President Cup against the Shawinigan Cataractes tied 1-1. He scored two goals including the game-winner and added two assists as first star of the 5-4 win. In game four on Wednesday Riendeau continued to excel offensively producing a five-point game and extending his goal-scoring streak to 10 playoff games. He scored two goals and three assists and was honoured as first star of the 9-2 win. Riendeau managed just one assist when the series shifted back to Drummondville for game five on Friday which resulted in a 4-1 win for the Cataractes. In game six back in Shawinigan on Sunday, Riendeau scored his 16th power play goal of the post-season to tie a QMJHL record for most power play goals in the playoffs held by Mathieu Melanson who played with Quebec in 2006. The Cataractes prevailed 2-1 in the game to tie the series 3-3. Game seven will be played Tuesday night in Drummondville with the winner advancing to the 2009 MasterCard Memorial Cup in Rimouski.

Riendeau, a 20-year-old from Boucherville, QC, is playing in his fifth QMJHL season. He currently has 27 goals and 22 assists for 49 points in 18 playoff games to lead the league. His 49 points rank him in the QMJHL top-10 for most points in a single playoff year while his 27 goals rank him third behind Mario Lemieux for most goals in a single playoff year.

Also considered was Taylor Hall of the Windsor Spitfires for scoring three goals and one assist for four points in three games to lead the Spitfires to an OHL Championship to claim the J. Ross Robertson Cup. Hall scored the overtime winner and added an assist as second star of the 2-1 game five win Friday over the Brampton Battalion and captured the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award as Most Valuable Player of the OHL Playoffs. Hall led the league with 16 goals and 20 assists for 36 points in 20 games. Joel Broda of the Calgary Hitmen was also considered for scoring three goals and three assists for six points in four playoff games highlighted by a two goal and one assist performance as first star of the game five 3-1 win over the Kelowna Rockets on Thursday.


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