UQTR Set To Play UNB In U CUP Finals After Intense Win Over McGill
Photo: UQTR Athleics
Written by Blake Hanlin
UQTR punched their ticket to a championship finale with the UNB Reds with a roaring victory over McGill.
The booming UQTR fans and McGill marching band had many thinking that the Mattamy Athletic Centre was invaded and taken over by Québec. These two are not just OUA East rivals but were playing for the crown of their home province. A lot of history between the competitors made for a thrilling match, with UQTR advancing to the championship with a final score of 5-4.
“Both teams knew it, I told before the game it was going to be about who wants it more.” Forward Conor Frenette said.
The green, orange, and white live for the Lafrance brotherly chemistry and now it has been displayed vividly in both of their games in Nationals.
Simon Lafrance added to his case to win University Cup MVP when he put the puck past an out-of-position Alexis Shank in the first period. Assisted by his brother Felix, his goal broke the seal of the second semifinal match and helped solidify his lead in tournament points.
McGill made sure to halt the Patriotes early joy though. Once again, Xavier Fortin scored the Redbirds first goal of the game, earning his second goal of the tournament, with defenceman Mitchell Prowse getting the primary assist.
Now knotted at one, we had a great start to a semifinal U Cup hockey game.
To end the first, though, an Édouard Cournoyer howitzer from the blueline gave UQTR a pleasant lead in the final minutes of the first.
Pace of play in the middle frame gradually increased, with the first 8 minutes featuring only crunching hits and trades in puck possession. The slow start to the second was easily forgotten when a Kaylen Gauthier shot from the point knuckled in the air, with William Dumoulin eventually receiving credit for the goal. Response in an instant from the Redbirds, senior Alexandre Gagnon got the crowd back on his team’s side, finding the back of the net with ease.
With a few minutes left in the second, Gagnon put home his second of the game when goaltender Alexis Gravel let a rebound get away from him.
Complete and utter madness in a matter of 15 seconds, McGill and UQTR went back to back with goals of their own before the second period buzzer rang. Redbirds star Eric Uba snuck one past Gravel for a brief lead while Vincent Milot-Ouellet answered promptly for the Patriotes.
McGill and UQTR were playing as close of a match as possible. With the score tied 4-4 after 40 minutes of play, the teams went to their locker rooms with championship pressure resting on their shoulder pads.
Twenty more minutes of regulation, a team’s choice to play for gold or bronze, and which team would get lucky was the question.
Maybe luck wasn’t at play, but a collection of high-leverage stops from Shank prevented the Patriotes from finding any sort of success all throughout the third. You can only be good for so long; Conor Frenette finally put the game-winning goal by the stellar Shank with few to go in the final minutes.
Frenette played hero for Trois-Rivières, setting up a 1 and 2 seed championship final against the UNB Reds.
“It’s going to be one of the biggest challenges in the history of the program.” UQTR Head Coach Marc-Etienne Hubert said following the match. “This team seems to be unbeatable since the beginning of the year, so it’s a huge challenge.”
An early night of sleep and rest is on the menu for UQTR tonight. Simon Lafrance’s MVP level of play paved the way for their championship run, shutting down any possibility of an upset from their provincial rivals. The finale is set: UNB versus UQTR, and the winner will gain eternal glory on Sunday night.
