Oct 23 Jake Allen Shines Again, Aubry Scores 2 and Juniors Outlast Gatineau 3-2

The Gatineau Olympiques were back in Montreal and were seeking redemption. Montreal was at the ready to face this team which, although it ddominated the Juniors in the pre-season, lost the first regular season match-up convincingly. The welcoming committee for Montreal would have a slightly different look as Centre Angelo Esposito would not dress due to injury. Defenseman Demitri Kostromitin, on the other hand, who had not been able to dress since joining the team due to red tape issues with his old Russian hockey team would finally be allowed to suit up forthe first time since opening day. Put all these elements to play as well as another great performance by Juniors goaltender Jake Allen and the Montreal Junior go on to defeat the Olympiques 3-2.

Both teams had their reason's for wanting the win tonight.

Gatineau, presently below .500 was looking to move up in the western division, the division they share with Montreal who was currently ahead of them in second place. Gatineau also came into town, no doubt, with memories of the last time these two teams met, where Montreal shut them out 5-0.

Montreal, with a win tonight could move into 1st place in the western division. Although they would be tied in points with Rouyn-Noranda, they would have more wins in as many games. Montreal also had to answer the calling out of certain players by coach Pascal Vincent last week after back to back, relatively poor 3-2 performances that, in the coach's opinion, his team did not show up for in the 2nd and 3rd periods. Among other reproaches by Vincent were that players were going to have to play with or without Montreal's famous off-season acquisition Angelo Esposito, who was ejected from the Junior's last game when he was assessed an instigator penalty fighting against Jan Piskacek of Cape Breton. Montreal would not only have the opportunity to respond to their coach, but, as fate would have it, would do so without Esposito in the lineup. Number 7 for Montreal, in fact, suffered a cracked knuckle in the skirmish that saw nhim leave the Cape Breton game early. He is slated at 2 weeks on the IR.     

Montreal got on the board first at 4:36 of the first when Guillaume Asselin corralled a puck that took a friendly bounce off the back boards behind the Olympique's net off a Pat O'Keefe slap-shot and deftly put it past Maxime Clermont who couldn't swing to his left in time. The play was created when team captain Matt Fillier knocked Gatineau's Paul Byron down in the Olympique's defensive zone, causing a turnover which allowed Louis-Marc Aubry to find O'Keefe. The period would end 1-0 in Montreal's favor, but the Olympiques would leave the ice with a net advantage in shots on goal, 11-6 despite Montreal being a man up 3 times with nothing to show for it.

Montreal must have had some talking to during that first intermission. they came out of the gates looking  like a team that wanted to win this game. they completely dominated play and scored on their first power-play of the period. Again Pat O'Keefe let a shot rip from the point, but this time it was on net and the rebound was slapped betweenClermont's pads and in the net. Montreal also managed to get the lion's share of shots on net bringing the total to 15-14 in Montreal's favor. Gatineau, clearly did not know how to keep up with this version of the Montreal Juniors.

Welcome to the "Q". Demitri Kostromitin who had made his presence felt, most notably on the man-advantage where he was able to display his wicked slap-shot as the quarterback of the power-play. Kostromitin, however was given a special inaugural welcome in the third period when he was caught with a high stick that belonged to Nicolas Valliere-Mayer who received 4 minutes for having drawn Kostromitin's blood while in the Juniors end of the ice. No sooner had Valliere-Mayer sat down when Alex Lamontagne was called for the same infraction. Montreal would score on the ensuing 5 on 3 when Aubry potted his second of the night, top shelf from the hash-marks as he got another feeder from O'Keefe. 

Jake Allen was, as usual, solid in nets, facing a total of 32 shotsbefore the night was through. His playoff bid would end on a perhaps, cocontroversial goal that he had initially stopped, but as the puck dribbled past him and rested gingerly on the goal line, his attempt to dive across with his stick could not stop Alexandre Touchette who beat him to it. The play was considered controversial because it was general consensus on Montreal's side that the puck had initially been passed with a glove. PatO'Keefe wasted no time letting the refs know this and although they convened behind Jake Allen for minutes after the play, they eventually emerged and called the goal good.With less than a minute to play and the goalie pulled, Gatineu pulled to within 1 when Hugo Laporte let a laser sail past a screened Jake Allen. Allen would have to be sharp and would unquestionably earn the game's second star when he would be called upon once again to make a spectacular kick save with only 5 seconds left in the game.

Montreal would finish the game with a 3-2 victory, the third time in as many games with the same score, however coach Vincent while not overly excited about the performance, did say he saw some improvements. " Alot of what I was talking about last week, I saw tonight. Matt made some great hits, the kid line (Asselin, Aubry and Dion) had a great night. Jake was Jake, what more can you say, but we have to learn to play with the lead, not be scared to lose that lead." Vincent when asked if there were any other aspects he would like to see improved, said "I've been talking about consistency, so tonight's win is good, but they will get a chance to show me they can do it again on Sunday."

Sunday being an afternoon game against the Victoriaville Tigres. If consistency holds it's course, the Juniors won the last contest against the Tigres by a score of 8-4.

pic by Amanda Stein.

Tags: Gatineau Olympiques \ hockey \ Jake Allen \ LHJMQ \ Louis-Marc Aubry \ Matt Fillier \ Montreal juniors \ QMJHL