QMJHL: Justin Poirier’s OT winner lifts Drakkar past Titan 5-4, complete series sweep
By The Canadian Press on April 17, 2024.
BATHURST, N.B. – Justin Poirier scored the game-winning goal at 17:06 of overtime as the Baie-Comeau Drakkar swept the Acadie-Bathurst Titan with a 5-4 victory on Wednesday in Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League playoff action. The winner was part of a three-goal, one-assist effort from Poirier. Justin Gill and Félix Gagnon also scored for Baie-Comeau, which advances to the third round for the first time in a decade. Charles-Édward Gravel made 30 saves. Robert Orr, with two goals, Milo Roelens and Philippe Collette replied for Acadie-Bathurst. Joshua Fleming stopped 35 shots. Entering the third period down 4-2, it was Orr who scored at 17:33, then 18:27 of the third period to keep the Titan alive and push the contest to overtime. However, the Drakkar outshot Acadie-Bathurst 11-1 in the extra frame, with Poirier sealing Baie-Comeau’s 4-0 second-round series sweep. — EAGLES 8 SAGUENÉENS 5 (Eagles win best-of-seven series 4-0) CHICOUTIMI, Que. — Jacob Newcombe had two goals and four assists, Cam Squires added two goals and three assists and the Cape Breton Eagles topped the Chicoutimi Saguenéens 8-5 to sweep their second-round series. Xavier Daigle, Cam MacDonald, Lucas Romeo and Angelo Fullerton provided the rest of the offence for Cape Breton, which advances to the third round for the first time since 2007. Emmanuel Vermette, Émile Guité, Jacob Lafontaine, Nathan Lecompte and Maxim Massé replied for Chicoutimi, which surrendered a run of four unanswered goals with the game tied at 3-3 early in the second period. — TIGRES 5 HUSKIES 4 (Tigres lead best-of-seven series 3-1) VICTORIAVILLE, Que. — Justin Gendron had a goal and two assists in leading the Victoriaville Tigres to a 5-4 win over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. Nikita Prishchepov, Maxime Pellerin, Mael Lavigne and Joseph Henneberry also scored for Victoriaville, which is now one win away from advancing to the third round. Bill Zonnon, Anthony Turcotte, Thomas Verdon and Samuel Savoie replied for Rouyn-Noranda. — PHOENIX 5 VOLTIGEURS 1 (Voltigeurs lead best-of-seven series 3-1) SHERBROOKE, Que. — Jacob Brochu’s 42-save effort helped the Sherbrooke Phoenix avoid elimination in emphatic fashion, defeating the Drummondville Voltigeurs 5-1. Louis-Alex Tremblay, Andrew Belchamber, Charles-Antoine Beauregard, Maxime Coté and Hugo Marcil, with an empty-net goal, scored for Sherbrooke. Ethan Gauthier had the lone goal for Drummondville, which will host Game 5 on Friday with a chance to close out the best-of-seven second-round series. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 17, 2024. 26-25
