HOCKEY. The chilly air of Abitibi-Témiscamingue did not dampen the ardor of Riley Mercer, Thursday evening, in Val-d’Or.
The veteran goalkeeper delivered an inspired performance to help the Voltigeurs post a 5-1 victory over the Foreurs. By stopping 41 of 42 shots aimed at him, the 20-year-old Newfoundlander ended a personal three-game losing streak. He was proclaimed first star of the evening.
After a goal disallowed by both sides in the first period, the Drummondvillois took a serious chance of victory by scoring three times in the second period. The Foreurs never gave up, but Riley Mercer was brilliant whenever the situation demanded it, notably standing up to Nathan Brisson and Samuel Fiala on a few occasions.
“I think we had a good start,” commented Sylvain Favreau after the game. After the two disallowed goals, there was a sequence of seven or eight minutes where we experienced a certain relaxation. I really liked our push backthe way we got back into the match after that. I thought we did well after this little lapse of a few minutes in the first half. We adjusted to win the match.”
Having seen his team be dominated 42-24 in the shots column and 18-10 in terms of dangerous shots, the Voltigeurs pilot questioned these statistics.
“They’re a team that shoots a lot from the point and the perimeter, but at one point in the first half we were leading in shots, then two minutes later the shot count had changed. Looks like they have a quick trigger here.”
This situation nevertheless allowed Riley Mercer to improve his save percentage to 0.934%. The QMJHL record belongs to Nicola Riopel. The Moncton Wildcats goaltender posted an efficiency rate of 0.931% in 2008-2009.
“Riley made saves when necessary,” observed Sylvain Favreau. In front of him, our defense had good box out. He was able to see the throws a lot. As long as you can see the throws to make the saves, it sure helps.”
On the offensive, the Reds’ five goals were scored at even strength.
“We were trying to get a little further inside the enclave. We wanted to improve on our forecheck. I liked the way we responded in these aspects of the game,” underlined Sylvain Favreau.
The Voltigeurs head coach particularly appreciated the work of his third and fourth lines.
“They brought energy and rhythm. They were rewarded with goals. You have to play the right way. That’s what it’s like to have a team with depth where there are four lines that can play. They didn’t play equal time, but they were part of the victory as much as our top lines.
-Returning to Val-d’Or for the first time since the trade that took him to the Voltigeurs, Nathan Baril scored a goal against his former team. Sam Oliver, for his part, managed his 36e net this season, a high across the QMJHL.
“Sam has come a long way in the last two or three years. He did the job last year. He continues his momentum this year and he plays with confidence. He is capable of scoring goals with ease. He is an impact player. We need that from our 20-year-old players.”
Marc-Olivier Beaudry, Antoine Boudreau and David Bosson also made the red light sparkle. Justin Larose and Maxime-Olivier Drolet each collected two assists.
Philippe Veilleux took advantage of a numerical advantage to score the only goal for the Foreurs (17-21-3-1), who saw their winning streak end after three games. Named Defensive Player of the Year for the Vert et Or, Émile Beaunoyer made 19 saves, notably frustrating Luke Woodworth in the second period.
At the start of the match, Alix Durocher and Jesse Allecia saw a goal denied to them due to offside.
Injured during the previous match, Renaud Poulin did not face the Foreurs. “He continues to be evaluated,” said Sylvain Favreau. “It’s a lot better, but we’re not sure if he’ll return to play. It probably won’t be a long-term injury.”
The Voltigeurs (29-11-2-2) will end this excursion to Abitibi-Témiscamingue by facing the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (22-11-3-5) on Friday evening. Still sitting at the top of the standings in the Western association, Drummondville now holds a ten-point lead over Rouyn-Noranda, which has three games in hand.
“It’s match number 45 in January,” Sylvain Favreau put things into perspective when asked about this duel at the top. We remain in the process. Our goal is just to continue to improve and progress.”
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