J.D. POTIÉ
FORT COULONGE
Feb. 22-23, 2020
The Pontiac Senior Comets headed into their first-round playoff series against the last place Mont-Tremblant Diables with mixed results the previous weekend.
With a dominant win on . . .
Sunday afternoon, the boys from Coulonge have seemingly redeemed themselves, following a disappointing third-period collapse the night before.
After finishing first in the Outaouais Senior AA Hockey League (OSAAHL) standings with a 14-6-0 record, the Comets headed into Saturday’s tilt hoping to continue playing its same brand of high-intensity, fast-paced hockey to start the postseason.
In the first period, it showed that both teams were ready for playoff hockey, as physical play and defensive structure kept the score at a deadlock going into the intermission – despite the Comets outshooting the Diables 19 to nine.
In the second period, the Comets kept pressing offensively and just under four minutes in, Stéphane Paré opened the scoring on an assist from Stephen Blunden.
Things remained tight all period long, before captain Darcy Findlay doubled the Comets lead on an unassisted goal with less than a minute remaining.
After two periods, the shot chart marked 34 to 20 in favour of the Comets.
Going into the third period, the Comets knew that shutting down the opposition was the priority and that a few more goals would likely help them seal the win.
But the final 20 minutes saw a complete turn of the tables, as the Diables scored four unanswered goals – three in the first 10 minutes – en route to a 4-2 improbable comeback victory.
Diables goaltender Alexandre Vezina stole the show and first star honours with a 43-save performance. Paré ended up as the third star with one of his team’s two goals.
Looking back on his team’s performance, Comets’ head coach Jean-François Lavergne couldn’t resist from giving a lot of the credit to the opposing team, noting that they stuck with an effective defensive game plan.
“They closed the play, limited our scoring chances, they blocked a lot of shots,” he said. “They made sacrifices to play well defensively to stop us.”
But he emphasized that his team didn’t do enough with their opportunities to close out the game when they were up 2-0 and ultimately gave away what should’ve been a favourable result.
“We weren’t able to take the game away from them in the first two periods,” he said. “In the third, we had a moment of bewilderment. We didn’t have a good period of hockey and they profited from it to score four goals and take the game.”
Looking ahead at the next game, Lavergne said that there was no point in dwelling on what just happened and to come out with a clean slate the next day.
“You learn from it,” he added. “Good teams bounce back from games like these.”
On Sunday, the boys from Coulonge headed into the game with their backs against the wall, knowing that a loss would put them on the brink of elimination from playoff contention.
In the first period, the Comets came out of the gate with urgency and got rewarded almost instantly, as Ryan Peck put away his first of the postseason 14 seconds into the meeting.
The Diables tied things up around four minutes later. But Comets’ sniper Mitchell Gibson restored his team’s advantage just after the half-way mark of the period, with assists coming from Matthew Warren and Jeremy Picard Fiset.
Six minutes later, Picard Fiset extended the Comets’ lead with a short-handed marker, making it 3-1 heading into the first intermission.
In the second period, the Comets’ offensive exploded for six unanswered goals, including two from Hugo Petit and Blunden respectively, to make it 9-1 going into the final 20 minutes.
The Comets’ outshot the Diables 21-13 in the second period.
In the third period, the Comets didn’t relent the pressure and around eight minutes in Guillaume Gregoire made it 10-1 with help from Benoit Harris and Blunden.
Less than a minute later, the Diables scored a consolation marker. But with less than five minutes left, Donovan twisted the knife in the wound by scoring his first of the playoffs to make it 11-2.
Plus, with the game out of reach in the final minutes of the third, the Comets’ made an impromptu goalie change, giving back-up netminder and Fort Coulonge Mayor Gaston Allard a chance to suit up with the green and gold.
With a four-point night (1 goal, three helpers) Picard Fiset was named the game’s first star. Petit was the second star with two goals and an assist. Stopping every shot directed his way, Allard came home with the third star.
After the game, Lavergne said he was pleased with his team’s physical presence in a bounce-back performance, noting that robust play is an essential element of playoff success.
“In the playoffs, the game is more physical, the game is more intense,” he said. “I think we imposed our physical element at the start and we maintained it throughout the game.”
Reflecting on just how supportive of the franchise Allard has been since its inception last year, Boisvert said he was ecstatic to see the mayor take his place between the pipes in the third period.
“He really appreciated it and the fans loved it,” he said. “He helps us out so much and I thought it was a great opportunity to give him a chance to play in a senior game. He didn’t get a lot of action. But he enjoyed the experience.”
Moving forward in the series, Lavergne said he wants to essentially see a copy-pasted version of his team’s last performance, noting that they’ve been their most successful when they’ve stuck to their identity.
“Our message is to play our way and to impose our tempo,” he said. “That’s what we’re going to do Saturday night.
For their next couple of games, the Comets will travel to Mont-Tremblant to l’Arena Gilles Cadieux on Saturday and Sunday with hopes of winning the series and advancing to the OSAAHL finals.
