Patriotes stun Axemen in 6-5 OT thriller, move on to semis

(Photo by Mona Ghiz)

HALIFAX – (CIS) Vincent Marcoux was the overtime hero as the Université de Quebec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) rallied from a 5-2 third period deficit to defeat the Acadia Axemen 6-5 in a CIS University Cup quarter-final game Friday afternoon at Scotiabank Centre.

"I just shot it as hard as I could," he added. The winning tally capped a thrilling rally by the OUA silver medalists, who rebounded from three three-goal deficits in the game.

"We did not start the way we wanted to, but we showed a lot of character," UQTR head coach Marc-Étienne Hubert said, noting his team showed a great deal of resiliency in their comebacks, much like they had done throughout the season.

"We have faced a lot of adversity. This team has believed in each other all year," he noted.

The Axemen, AUS runners-up, opened the scoring in the first period on the power play. Christopher Owens, in his final CIS game, beat Francis Desrosiers with a point shot, which deflected off a Patriotes defender. Remy Giftopoulos and Brett Thompson assisted at the 10-minute mark.

While on a five-minute power play early in the second period, the Axemen doubled their lead when Giftopoulos unleashed a one-timer off a pass from Owens. Matthew Pufahl, who provided a screen on the play, also garnered an assist.

"I thought it was the best our power play was all year. We played with urgency; it was outstanding," Axemen head coach Darren Burns said.

During a four-on-four, the Axemen extended to a 3-0 advantage just 43 seconds later. Off a broken play, Boston Leier collected a loose puck and beat Desrosiers with a backhander. Sam Fioretti chipped in the lone assist.

At 12:17 of the second period, UQTR scored their first goal when defenseman Martin Lefebvre completed a nifty give-and-go with forward Anthony Verret. Lefebvre beat Axemen goaltender Brandon Glover with a backhander from close quarters.

Just more than four minutes later, at 16:27, Taylor Makin restored the Axemen's three-goal lead. On a three-on-two breakaway, the freshman put the rebound from a Travis Gibbons shot behind Desrosiers. Leier, with his second point of the game, assisted.

After the fourth goal, Guillaume Nadeau replaced Desrosiers between the pipes for the Patriotes. "He had a really, really good season, including in the playoffs," Hubert said of Desrosiers, his freshman, goalie, when asked about the move.

Although Desrosiers had a tough game in a 4-0 OUA Queen's Cup final loss to the Guelph Gryphons, the head coach said he decided to start the freshman.

"They got a couple lucky bounces," Hubert noted of the Axemen's four tallies against Desrosiers. As for Nadeau, a fourth-year senior, the second-year bench boss said "he was ready to face the challenge and he did."

"We are really proud of him," Hubert added.

When asked who would get the start in their semi-final game Saturday, the head coach said it is something that has to be discussed, but there is a "big chance" Nadeau will get the call.

To start a five-goal third period, UQTR narrowed the Acadia lead to 4-2 at the 48-second mark. Guillaume Asselin, with his first of two, took a centering pass from Marc-Olivier Mimar, with his first shot stopped by Glover, but he made no mistake on the rebound.

At 6:41, the Axemen restored their three-goal margin when Mike Cazzola deposited the rebound of a Zachary Franko shot behind Nadeau. Alex Beaton notched the other assist.

At 9:44, Felix Plouffe scored for the Patriotes to make it 5-3, with Mathieu Tanguay-Thériault collecting the assist.

Later in the period, with two goals in 19 seconds, UQTR tied the contest 5-5. At 12:04, Billy Lacasse ripped a shot behind Glover, with Mimar and Mikaël Langlois contributing assists.

Asselin scored the equalizer when he banged in a rebound from the edge of the crease at 12:23, with the assist going to Verret, his second of the game.

"We didn't give up until the end," UQTR defenseman Olivier Hotte said of his team's comeback.

For the Axemen, Leier almost scored the winner with less than five seconds left in regulation. After beating two UQTR defenders, he was in alone on Nadeau, who made a lunging blocker save on a Leier backhander.

"What a save," Hubert said of Nadeau, who made 15 saves for the victory. Glover of the Axemen turned aside 26 shots in the loss. Acadia outshot UQTR 41-32 in the game.

"It was a tough game, a tough result. I thought we played really well for the most part," Burns said. "It is a tough pill to swallow, especially seeing the players going through it." With the loss, the Axemen are eliminated from the tournament.

The Patriotes will face the winner of the StFX X-Men and Alberta Golden Bears quarterfinal game in a CIS University Cup semi-final Saturday at 4 p.m. at Scotiabank Centre.

Source: CIS