Juniors end 2009 with a Home Win
The Montreal Juniors gave the home crowd exactly what they were looking for in their first home game since the holiday break, a win. They defeated the visiting Shawinigan Cataractes by a score of 2-1 in regulation time. Barely.
Jean-François Bérubé had to be brilliant as the Juniors allowed 17 shots against in the first period alone, prompting coach Pascal Vincent to have a “heart-to heart” with the team in the first intermission. The team would respond with more aggressiveness in the ensuing 2 frames and Bérubé would go on to earn the game’s first star.
Trevor Parkes scored the Juniors’ 2 goals including the game winner with 6 seconds remaining in the 3rd period on a play that did not appear to be a goal at all. It appeared that Shawinigan’s Gabriel Girard had smothered the puck, but in the ensuing video review that seemed to take longer than the overtime period would have, the goal was confirmed and the Juniors were triumphant.
Coach Vincent, who usually reserves his post game speeches for losses, kept the media out of the room for a few moments as regardless of the win, he was not overly satisfied with the effort. “For many players, this is their NHL” said the Juniors’ coach and GM. “Some of these guys should be grateful of every moment as a hockey player and it makes me mad when I see a guy accepting to be an average person and hockey player.”
Recent Cataractes’ acquisition Olivier Ouellet was the only player on the other side to beat Bérubé at the halfway mark of the first period on the power play despite the Juniors’ prowess of late on the penalty kill.
The Juniors, while they are the 2nd least penalized team in the Q, are tops in the league while shorthanded with a success rate of 84.7%
The Montreal Juniors will next prepare for a weekend homestand to welcome the new year. On Saturday, January 2nd, they will play against the Val D’Or Foreurs at 4:05 p.m., and the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies will be the visitors on the following day, also at 4:05 p.m.
See game stats here.
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