The scenario of this match, however, turned out to be more positive for Lottin than for Lygitsakos as it was the Victoriavillois who won 6 to 3. Lottin put the icing on the cake with his second goal of the season in along the way.
“It was a weird feeling, but it was nice. I was able to sicken him a little on the ice. When we showed up for faceoffs, we could talk to each other. We would have liked to be together and I think it will be a great rivalry,” said Lottin.
It was unsurprisingly the first occasion that the two former representatives of Estacades de Trois-Rivières found themselves face to face in a competitive match of this scale.
“There are no friends on the ice! On the other hand, I must say that it was nice to see my boyfriend. It was good to see him back in Quebec and to face him for the first time in the QMJHL. I would have liked to have won against him, but he played well and he scored a nice goal,” said Lygitsakos.
Having met when they were only 6 years old, Lottin and Lygitsakos developed a precious friendship a little later, around age 11, when they found themselves on the same team.
“As we lived next to each other, we simply started to always be together,” said the Tigers striker.
Surpass yourself as a duo
During their years of development in minor hockey, the two teenagers both had the dream of playing in the QMJHL and they did not hesitate to encourage each other on a daily basis in order to surpass themselves to make it a reality. Now that they have arrived there, they fully intend to continue this partnership which promotes their personal improvement.
“We definitely talked about it. We would have liked to play together, but here it is one against each other and in two organizations which have a great rivalry. We will be able to face each other often. As we are two friends, we will have healthy competition which will lead us to be better on the ice,” argued Lottin.
“It’s healthy competition and we want to push each other to improve. I think we had success with this little deal that we have. I’m proud of him and I know that’s his case too,” added the Cataractes forward.
Lygitsakos did not hesitate to praise the many qualities in Lottin’s arsenal, he who was the seventh pick in the most recent QMJHL draft.
“The confidence with which he plays his games, I had the chance to see that up close for several years. People will learn to discover it. It was a real pleasure to play with, but less so to face. No, he’s not the biggest, but thanks to his intelligence and his confidence on the ice, he’s always there and he doesn’t give up. It’s impressive.”
-As for Lottin, he believes that Lygitsakos has a level of competition that will lead him to success in the world of hockey.
“He is someone who always wants to improve. In the summer, there is no one who trains as much as him. He is always ready to do anything to improve on the ice. He is intelligent and complete as a player. His level of competition really sets him apart from the others though.”
Returning from a major injury, Mathys Fernandez played his first match since March. (Sylvain Mayer/Archives, Le Nouvelliste)
Difficult outing for the Cataractes
Quickly in this game, the Tigers set the tone by scoring in the 63rd second of play through veteran Eliott Simard. The Victoriavillois then scored two very quick goals midway through the first third.
First, Simard was an accomplice in striker Samuel Vachon’s goal and a few seconds later, it was Lottin’s turn to hit the target on a breakaway.
In the second period, Jordan Tourigny and Louis-Philippe Pelletier allowed the Cataractes to get back into the match by scoring two quick goals. The Tigers, however, responded quickly thanks to Simard’s second offensive success of the game.
The Tigres finally dealt a hard blow to the Cataractes through Justin Larose, which gave them a comfortable three-goal lead. Despite Félix Lacerte’s goal at the end of the game, the Victoriavillois held on, Vachon closing the books a few minutes later with his second goal of the match.
“We had a bad start to the match. The game was played there. The good news to take away from this, because there is always a positive, is that we showed character to get back into the match. We didn’t give up. However, it’s rare that we have a bad start to a meeting. A combination of circumstances that I cannot explain,” said head coach Daniel Renaud.
Furthermore, goalkeeper Mathys Fernandez, absent since the start of the team’s camp in August, was finally able to return to action as he came in to relieve Owen Bresson very early in the match. Goalkeeper Félix Hamel took advantage of an evening off.
“For him, it’s a victory just to be there. His last game was in the playoffs last March. He had two weeks of practice and in the circumstances of this match, he did what he had to (20 saves on 23 shots).”
