UQTR advances in U Cup after handling Moncton
March 15, 2024
LINK: https://theeyeopener.com/2024/03/uqtr-advances-in-u-cup-after-handling-moncton/
The Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) Patriotes defeated the Moncton Aigles Bleus 5-1 in the quarterfinals of the 2024 U Sports men’s hockey national tournament on Friday afternoon at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC).
With the win, UQTR advance to the semi-finals, where they will play the winner of the last quarterfinal game between the University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds or the McGill Redbirds.
The second day of the tournament started out how the Queen’s Cup-winning Patriotes would have liked. They scored in the first minute and carried a 3-0 lead out of the opening frame, never looking back.
Moncton head coach Derek Cormier said his team was chasing from the start and though they fought back well, the bounces did not fall in their favour.
“To come back and get three goals against a team like that, a goaltender like that, it’s not going to come easy,” he said. “We had our chances and the bounces maybe didn’t go our way here and there, and that could change the game.”
The Patriotes, who defeated the Toronto Metropolitan University Bold 3-2 in double overtime in the Queen’s Cup final, carried momentum and confidence into the match, wasting no time to show they deserved a third-straight trip to the semi-finals.
They opened the scoring in a hurry, with first-year forward Charles Beaudoin burying a one-timer from the slot off a pass from fourth-year forward Simon Lafrance just 55 seconds into the game.
Lafrance said the team has been focused on how they start games since the beginning of the Ontario University Athletics playoffs.
“We try to focus on every minute at a time, not think about the result or something like that. Just think about the first period and then we’re rolling through to the win,” he said.
UQTR added another goal only a few minutes later, with Lafrance making another cross-crease pass to a teammate in the slot, this time to first-year defender Kaylen Gauthier. Lafrance then scored a goal of his own—a precise shot off the post and in—to give the Patriotes a 3-0 lead less than 12 minutes into the game.
Lafrance, the Patriotes’ leading scorer through the regular season, had four points in the game, his most in a U Cup game. After a seven-point performance during UQTR’s championship run in 2022, he had one goal in three games last year.
His younger brother, second-year forward Felix Lafrance, had two goals of his own in the game, both on the powerplay. Felix Lafrance is playing in his second U Cup tournament, after being a part of last year’s second-place Patriotes.
The Lafrance brothers’ skill and ability to create open ice proved too much for the Aigles Bleus—who Simon Lafrance said had a strong goaltender and defence corps.
The two brothers each called the other “a hell of a player.” Simon Lafrance said it’s the best feeling for a family when both brothers contribute in one game.
“When he plays like that, he gives us a chance to win too, so I couldn’t be more happy for him,” said Simon Lafrance.
Felix said the brothers’ parents texted them after the game.
“They were super happy for us,” he said. “It’s not all about points, just playing on the same line and trying to win with our team, it’s pretty special for us.”
The Aigles Bleus tried to get their offence going late in the first period as they built off of a late power play, even forcing another penalty in the dying seconds, but UQTR was not going to give anything—including momentum—away easily.
“I believe in a lot of our guys. So when we got the early [goal], it made us confident. It was easier for me knowing the score was up,” said UQTR goaltender Alexis Gravel.
Gravel made 36 saves on 37 shots in the game, swallowing up a lot of pucks early in the second and third periods when the Aigles Bleus were pressing.
The second period started out well for the Aigles Bleus as they built momentum off the power play, but from there the Patriotes shut down any hopes of a comeback.
After Felix Lafrance increased UQTR’s lead to four on the power play, first-year forward Jeremy Lapointe got Moncton on the board in a hurry with a quick shot past Gravel’s blocker. However, a five-minute game misconduct penalty to third-year forward William Basque for cross-checking gave Felix Lafrance a chance to do some more damage.
The younger Lafrance brother made a patient deke around Moncton first-year goaltender Olivier Adam and slid the puck into the empty cage to give UQTR another four-goal lead.
“My first goal was to find my brother backdoor, but when I saw the defenceman going on him, I was just wide open,” Felix Lafrance said of the goal.
Gravel, who was also on the team that won the U Cup in 2022, said the team is happy to have the Lafrance’s.
“I’m glad you guys didn’t see practice, because when they go against me, they go hard,” he said.
Felix Lafrance said when he joined the team in 2022, there was a championship mentality with the players who had already won. Now, he said that has continued with the young players at that time as the leaders this time around.
“It’s just a culture,” he said.
UQTR and McGill set to clash in ‘Battle of Québec’
March 16, 2024
LINK: https://theeyeopener.com/2024/03/uqtr-and-mcgill-set-to-clash-in-battle-of-quebec/
After two days of the national tournament, the field has been narrowed to four for the semi-finals.
The Université du Québec à Trois Rivières (UQTR) Patriotes will take on McGill Redbirds in the second matchup on Saturday night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC)—a repeat of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East final from two weeks ago where UQTR won.
Redbirds third-year goaltender Alexis Shank said it feels good to get a rematch.
“I think everybody here is a little mad that we lost in the semi-final, so there’s going to be a great opportunity to get them back,” he said.
Third-year defenceman Scott Walford said it is “pretty crazy” that the Redbirds get to play UQTR again and both teams are anticipating the matchup.
“We’re looking forward to it. They’re looking forward to it. It’s a big rivalry game,” he said.
The Queen’s Cup champion Patriotes defeated the seventh-seed Moncton Aigles Bleus 5-1 on Friday afternoon. They now seek their third-straight finals appearance, a year after losing to the University of New Brunswick Reds in the big game.
Meanwhile, the Redbirds upset the third-seed University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 3-2 in their quarterfinal. The last time McGill made the national tournament was in 2018, while the last time they won a game at the tournament prior to Friday was in 2014.
Redbirds head coach David Urquhart, who played at the U Cup as a player, said it was “really special” for his squad full of players who had never been to the national tournament to get the win and keep going in the tournament.
“You don’t know what it’s like to play at nationals until you’re here. You’re here with all the best teams in the counxtry. Every single team is good,” he said. There’s no opportunity to take your foot off the gas, and you learn that pretty fast,” he said.
The match will see the two top teams from the OUA East face off for the seventh time this season.
The Patriotes win on Friday was led by the Lafrance brothers, fourth-year forward Simon and second-year forward Felix, who combined for nine points in Friday’s win—including three goals.
Simon Lafrance led the OUA in points with 45 in 26 games in the regular season, which he followed up with six points in the OUA playoffs. Felix Lafrance had 29 points in the regular season and six in the playoffs.
The brothers played together on last year’s Patriotes, who lost in the U Cup semi-finals to the Reds. Simon Lafrance, who also won the championship with UQTR in 2022, said it is “the best feeling” for their family to have the brothers play together at another U Cup.
“Two more games with him, I’m going to enjoy it. And you know, you never know what will happen,” he said.
UQTR head coach Marc-Etienne Hubert said the brothers were up to the challenge on Friday and are important leaders for the team.
“They already won earlier in their university career, so the young group are looking for them a lot in the locker room,” he said. “They are doing a great job.”
The Redbirds’ quarterfinal win featured a committee approach, reflecting a season where five players have averaged at least a point per game. They had goals from three different sources on Friday and the team was happy with their defensive game as a unit.
First-year Redbirds forward Stephane Huard said the team has good chemistry and everyone knows their role.
“We were ready every shift and we proved it on the ice,” he said. “That’s the result that we deserve.”
Goaltending could also factor into the game, as it did in each of the two teams’ quarterfinals. UQTR third-year netminder Alexis Gravel has allowed just three goals in his last three games and is coming off of a 36-save performance against Moncton, while Shank made 35 saves in his win over UBC.
Huard said the Redbirds have confidence in their goaltender, who has played well all year long. Urquhart said Shank “came up big in the big moment” on Friday.
“He’s a guy that battles hard every single day and on nights like tonight when he’s focused, he’s amongst the best,” he said.
For UQTR, Gravel said the players on the team who have already been to the U Cup Finals are trying to share as much as they can with the team’s 12 rookies. But, he knows they are already “really good.”
Felix Lafrance said when he joined the team for the 2022-23 season, the team was coming off of a U Cup and Queen’s Cup win, so there was a championship mentality built in. Now, with the young players from that era—such as Gravel and Simon Lafrance—the team is trying to pass something similar on to their many rookies.
“You just want to win for them and for you too,” he said. “It’s just a culture.”
Gravel said the team has to take every game, and every shift—and in his case every shot—one at a time.
“The Queen’s Cup was a week ago,” said Gravel. “It was great to win the three-peat, but our mindset is we reset because we want to win.”
Walford echoed a similar sentiment for the Redbirds.
“[Friday] was about living to fight another day.”
With files from Blake Talabis