Tigres end Phoenix win streak in Tuesday night showdown
Sherbrooke falls in OT 4-3 after outshooting Victoriaville 54-32
The Sherbrooke Phoenix were looking for their sixth straight victory on Tuesday night. However, Victoriaville Tigres goalie Tristan Côtécazenave had other thoughts putting on a stellar 51-save performance, helping the Tigres to a 4-3 overtime victory at the Palais des Sports Léopold-drolet.
The first goal of the game was scored by former Phoenix power-forward Chase Harwell on a quick snapshot from the top of the left circle at 5:27 of the first period. Ten minutes later Sherbrooke evened the game when Benjamin Tardif hopped on a rebound – from a Vincent Lampron point-shot that was initially tipped by Félix Robert – just outside the crease at 15:56.
Despite outshooting the Tigres, mistakes late in the first period and early in the second saw Sherbrooke fall behind 31. Victoriaville forward Jimmy Huntignton, with an assist from Vitalli Abramov behind the net, scored at 19:41. After the intermission Maxime Comtois netted his 15th goal of the season with assists from Harwell and Huntington just 55 seconds into the second.
The two-goal lead for the Tigres was short-lived because – Phoenix assistant captain and reigning QMJHL player of the week – Thomas Grégoire ripped a wrist shot top-shelf coming through the middle on a 3-on-2 rush at 2:11. With the goal, the QMJHL’S top scoring defenceman now has a seven-game point streak with 12 points (4G, 8A) over that stretch.
Entering the third period, Sherbrooke was down a goal, 3-2, despite having a lopsided shot total in their favour, 35-19. Late in third for Sherbrooke, Tardif scored his second goal of the game after finishing off a beautiful tic-tac-toe passing play with Robert and Evan Mackinnon.
At the end of regulation, tied 3-3, Sherbrooke had registered 51 shots on Côté-cazenave. In the 3-on-3 period – Russian superstar and Columbus Bluejackets third-round pick – Vitalli Abramov ended the game when he crossed through the slot with the puck and picked the corner with a quick snapshot on Evan Fitzpatrick. The OT game winner was Abramov’s first goal as a member of the Tigres. In six games with Victoriaville, the former Gatineau Olympiques has 9 points already (1G, 8A).
Sherbrooke’s special teams were unable Victoriaville goalie Tristan Côté-cazenave kept the Tigres ahead of the Birds after facing 54 shots Tuesday night, the most he's ever faced in a single game over his QMJHL career.
to score on the power play going 0for4 against Victoriaville but the penalty killing unit was a perfect 2-for-2. Fitzpatrick stopped 28-of-32 shots in Sherbrooke’s – league leading – fifth
overtime loss this season.
Up next Sherbrooke (12-9-5-2) will hit the road to play the Baie-comeau Drakkar (12-12-1-1) and the Chicoutimi Saguenéens (10-13-3-0).