Mar 12 QMJHL - Montreal Juniors Earn Point - Home Ice Advantage in 2-1 Overtime Loss To Rouyn-Noranda Huskies

While it is true, that in effect, every game of the season actually counts, this particular game between the Montreal Juniors and the visiting Rouyn-Noranda Huskies actually, really counted for something: home-ice advantage. The Montreal Juniors needed one more point, either tonight or Sunday against Val d'Or in order to remain in 2nd place in the Western Division and gain the oh so important home ice advantage over these same Huskies in the 1st round of the QMJHL playoffs. If Rouyn-Noranda could win their remaining 2 games and Montreal last their next two, it would be the Huskies who would play at home to start round 1. Yes, this game was important and both teams played like it.

The Juniors, already ravaged with a plethora of their starters on the indefinite IR, also were one man short in the goaltending department for tonight's game. Jake Allen, another of the Juniors' shining stars was not in the line-up with Jean-Francois Bérubé getting the start and Michael Codina-Lucia on back-up duty. Allen is apparently sidelined with a lower body injury and at the moment I was writing this article, the rumour was that the news was not good. More to follow as it develops.

The game had a playoff atmosphere with both teams hitting everything in sight. Everything except for the net. In the first period, while both sides were very aggressive and play was robust, there was no scoring despite both troops getting 2 cracks on the power-play. Many shots were attempted by both  sides, however almost all of them ended up hitting skates, being blocked or fanned on before making their way to the net, as perhaps nerves were also playing a factor. Total shots at the end of 1: Montreal 3, Huskies 5.

Just over 5 minutes into the second period, Sergey Ostapchuk would put the Huskies on the board when he would pounce on a rebound in the slot, potting his team leading 29th of the season and extending his point streak to 11 games. This would spark a few back to back on-ice scuffles that brought the crowd back into the game. First to face off were Matt Fillier and J-S Bérubé. While their majors were being announced, Montreal's Samuel Grenache and Alexandre Beauregard squared off, and just after their penalties were being announced, Chris Thorne gave Ben Miller a taste of Montreal hospitality. Montreal would respond only moments later when, on a delayed penalty call to the Huskies, Nick Layton skated in on the right boards and wired a shot past Huskies netminder Antoine Lafleur. Then, the madness, much to the enjoyment of the crowd, continued. Pier-Antoine Dion and Pier-Luc Champagne as well as David Foucher and Benoit Gervais would both have their dances, rendering the penalty boxes on both sides to "standing room only".

In what might yet be some more potential bad news, Nick Layton, shortly after having scored his goal, headed off to the dressing room and shortly thereafter, the team trainer came out to whisper in Coach Pascal Vincent's ear, which doesn't usualy bode well for a player's return to the ice. Layton would, however, return in the 3rd. The score, after 2 would be a 1-1 tie, all that Montreal would need to secure home ice advantage if regulation time ended with the same tally.

Montreal would really try and put this game away in the early goings of the third. A mad flurry of chances included Philippe Fontaine missing on a breakaway and then, during the same play, the puck was left to lay on the Huskies goal line before being swatted away by a defenseman. Both teams would come out as aggressively as the first period with an up tempo game with Montreal doing their best to either go ahead or maintain the tie and the Huskies going all out for the important go-ahead goal. But with time winding down, the Juniors bottled up any major Huskies attempt to score and were not even able to pull Lafleur in favour of the extra attacker until 2 seconds remained in the game with which they were unable to do anything with. Regulation time would end in a 1-1 tie as a virtually meaningless overtime was imminent.

The only thing left to play for at this point was for pride's sake as well as to perhaps send a message to the other team as both knew they would be facing off next Friday at the Verdun Auditorium for game 1 of the playoffs. The Huskies would get a golden opportunity with a 4 on 3 power-play as Nick Layton was called for slashing and would capitalize only seconds later when Nicolas Deslauriers took a shot from the blue line through a crowd and beat Jean-Francois Bérubé. The Huskies would win the game in overtime, but would have to return to Montreal next week and do it all over again in the second season.

Tags: Jake Allen \ Jean-Francois Berube \ LHJMQ \ Matt Fillier \ Montreal juniors \ Nick Layton \ Pascal Vincent \ QMJHL \ Rouyn-Noranda Huskies