Finals tonight

The QMJHL finals began on May 1st. Today they will end. The Shawinigan Cataractes pushed for a game seven with an overtime goal in Sunday's game against Drummondville to even the series at three apiece. The Q is the only league which does not know its Memorial cup contenders yet; with the Windsor Spitfires repping the OHL and the irrationally Dragon logoed Kelowna Rockets taking the W by storm.

This year's contenders for the President's cup are perennial losers: the Drummondville Voltigeurs and the Shawinigan Cataractes. This season marked Shawinigan's 40th anniversary, and despite the fact that they are the longest running team in the league they have yet to win a single President's cup. They really put Cape Breton (11 Y.O.), Halifax (15 Y.O.), Saint John (4 Y.O.) and P.E.I. (5 Y.O.) to shame. In the loser category we Atlantic teams have absolutely nothing on Shawinigan...or Drummondville for that matter. The Voltigeurs are a whopping 26 years old and are also Cupless.

The losing streak will be over tonight for at least on of these teams.

I was not shocked when the Memorial cup hosting Rimouski Oceanic were swept by the Volts. I was not shocked that Maxim Gougeon allowed 23 goals in 137 shots (a 0.83 sv %) during the 4 game series. It was the Gouge!!! Do we all have a short memory or do we remember the guy allowing a shitload of goals in the semifinals against Saint John last year, despite the sweep, as well another bucket full of goals as in the finals against Gatineau. That is what Rimouski get for trading for Gougeon (and then sticking with Gougeon) when any of Pielmeier, Nadeau and Lavigne were available for low, low prices at last year's draft.

Anyway, this is not a post to make Gougeon feel bad. He will still get his chance to play in the Memorial cup. It is a post to say oh he look at all the Anaheim Duck's goalie prospects...or at least it was when I started writing it two weeks ago. Since then, star Q netminder Timo Pielmeier has been benched in favour of newcomer Gabriel Girard... and Shawinigan has come back from a 3-1 deficit to force a game 7.

So it is these goalies:

vs. these goalies:
...but when the tuque de Bison gets onto a boy (or a couple dozen boys) doesn't everybody win.

_______________________
Images from the TuqueDeBison Picassa web albums.

meeeehhhhhhh

The Mooseheads played the Shawinigan Cataractes and lost by a score of 7-3*. This is generally what happens when the worst team in the league, with a 0.281 win % (ze Moose), face a team with a 0.78 win % (Shawinigan) who are second overall in the league.

I was going to give myself cookies because I am self loathing today and I feel the need to gorge. It is a damn good thing I have a pound of cinnamon hearts to munch on since someone on the team actually deserves props. I also crave garlic fingers. Why is there a pizza place next door? Expect me to do something incredibly stupid within the next few days... something that has nothing to do with eating garlic fingers, or telling myself I am fat, ugly or annoying.

I don't want to talk about hockey. I'll give some simple stats n' facts:

• Shawinigan had 49 shots on net, Halifax - 22 shots on net
• Girard was in nets for the Cataractes, Yetman was in for the Moose
• Shawinigan were 3/5 on the power play. Moose were 1/2.
• Yuri Cheremetiev had a good little rush
• I saw Dunn in a suit. Why do boys in suits look so good? Had I seen Jessyko I probably would have approached him and coooed.
  
• Two boys in front of the net on a PP. This is craziness. Is this my team?
• I forget everything already.
• The game program was amusing. It had team surveys.
• He looked up. No, not there -too high; or there - too straight ahead. arrrrgggghh.
  

The game program:

• Yetman and Boland will be on Harv's Sportsland this Monday
• The Moose will be at the Lion's Head Tavern on Robie St this Wednesday night Feb 25th between 7-8pm to sign autographs. A pub! Can I buy them a beer? Can I get my boobs signed?
• Travis Randel has the biggest skates and most hair growth. Great, the manliest man on the team just turned 18!
  
• Matt Boland is the worst dancer.
• Justin Pender is the funniest, but can also not dance. He may also involved in a bromance with Boland. This way Boland and Pender can dance badly together.
  
• Why must guys always make 'big pimpin' faces when a camera turns on them? You know, chin up + trout lips... it looks stupid.
  

Moose goals were by: Gerrad Grant (from Amyot)
Tomas Knotek (from Stransky)
Pascal Amyot (from Knotek)

Three stars were:
1-SHA - Lalonde-McNicoll, Cédric
2-SHA - Pistilli, Matthew
3-HAL - Amyot, Pascal

*doh - I originally messed up the score. I am clearly kinda fucked up right now.

A simple prop, to occupy my time...

Oh kittehs,
Sorry but you just could not hold my attention today. I watched bits and pieces. I still like Linden Bahm's hustle, I always like his hustle. I wish I could give him cookies every day just because he exists.... but alas.

The Halifax Mooseheads lost to the Shawinigan Cataractes by a score of 6-2. Mathieu Corbeil got the start in nets and made 26 saves on 32 shots, 20 of which were dangerous. Cookies go to Travis Randell for a power play goal and for an assist on Charles Bety's marker. I love when guys make me eat my words. A couple of posts ago I said Randell does not belong on the power play, and now he has proven me (temporarily) wrong.

The Moose had 24 shots on net but were held to 8 dangerous shots, despite having 7 (yes 7) power play opportunities, and one power play goal. Discipline was the name of the game again today as the Moose tried to stay out of the box. Shawinigan only had three power play opportunities, and were still able to capitalize on one.

Tomas Knotek dominated faceoffs, winning 16 of 20
Gab O'Connor was rocking bodies into the boards - 7 hits

Shawinigan swept the stars and their goal scorers include:
Vandall(x2) - 2nd star
Macenaeur
Lalonde-McNicoll - 1st star
Petersen(x2) - 3rd star

PS. Cam was sooooooo wrong on having said that he reasonably expected 6 points this weekend.