QMJHL Huskies nearing records for wins, streak

Forward Peter Abbandonato and the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies are set to make history. The Huskies beat the Val-d’Or Foreurs 4-1 on Wednesday for their 22nd win in a row, matching the 2009-10 Saint John Sea Dogs for the third-longest winning streak ever in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and bringing the club within three victories of tying a 45-year-old league record. “There was a lot of good teams. I didn’t expect us to be first in Canada,” Abbandonato said of being ranked No. 1 in the 60-team Canadian Hockey League. “I thought we were going to be a top team in our league, but we had a great first half of the season, our (general manager) made great deadline deals and really improved our team.” Rouyn-Noranda hasn’t lost a game in 2019, with its last defeat coming against the Foreurs on Dec. 31, and three more wins would tie the Huskies with the 1973-74 Sorel Eperviers for the longest win streak in league history.

“We don’t want to think about it, but it’s always in the back of your mind ... day by day, game by game, keep working hard,” said Abbandonato.

“Every day coming to the rink, we want to be better and are looking at the process, not the results or winning streak,” said Huskies head coach Mario Pouliot. “We’re really proud of our work ethic and compete level and we want to keep going the way we are playing.” Even if the Huskies can’t match or beat the 1973-74 Eperviers for the longest win streak in league history, there’s a strong possibility they can set the new standard for wins in a single season.

The QMJHL record for wins in a season is currently 58, jointly held by the Eperviers, the Sea Dogs (2010-11), Halifax Mooseheads (2012-13) and Trois-Rivieres Draveurs (1978-79).

The Huskies are 52-7-1 with eight regular-season games to go.