Last night's 4-1 Cats victory over Chicoutimi was gratifying... I say that because it's getting hard to find new ways to describe how this team operates when it's on. The fundamental recipe is quite simple. All they went out and did was use superior skill and a strong work ethic to defeat an opponent. Of course, it's about 20 times harder than I just made it sound but I'm sure you all knew that.
From about the 10 minute mark of the first on, the Cats played with a high compete level and consistently dictated the tempo of the game in general. For the entire first period, the best line was their third line of Ryan Penny, Christian Lalonde and Mark Tremaine... the latter would pot the first goal of the game on a perfect cross crease feed from Penny with 26 seconds remaining in the opening period. Over the course of the entire game, they remained the most consistent line on the ice and were rewarded with the empty netter in the dying seconds, Tremaine's shot from along the far wall in the neutral zone hitting the post and Penny converting on the second effort. Big fan of what they brought to the table tonight (as they do most nights) and even bigger fan of them getting rewarded on the scoresheet for it. With Dimirti Jaskin's imminent departure for the World Juniors looming, it's nice to be reminded that there's depth players on this squad capable of chipping in. Also, credit to Yannick Veilleux for gutting out what looked (and sounded, even up in Sec.28) like a nasty slash on the wrists from Charles Hudon (who failed to impress, by the way... he's no Phillip Daneult) to score from the slot on the PP to make it 3-0 Moncton and essentially put the game away.
Alex Dubeau played one of his best games of the season... until the 17:28 mark of the third when Sebastien Sylvestre broke the shutout by stripping the netminder of the puck behind the net and depositing it into the wide open net. Dubeau was visibly frustrated by this for the remainder of the game, even chopping the puck down the ice at the final buzzer. I guess there's two ways to look at it; on one hand, having a goalie (or any player) with that sort of competitive drive is an asset... but on the other hand, that emotional display has to be curbed in my opinion. We saw it in the game vs. Val d'Or a couple weeks back where Dubeau was scored on with a goal that many believe (myself included) should not have counted due to goaltender interference. He threw a tantrum and the Foreurs quickly put two more past him. Not saying the goals were totally his fault, but he was still visibly agitated when they went in. That doesn't help matters. I understand losing a shutout in the dying seconds is tough... and to lose it on a mistake that you orchestrated is really frustrating... but there could come a day when a similar incident occurs and there will be no time to grow frustrated over it. It could be a close game in the playoffs or a hotly contested match down the regular season stretch. At that point, you have to shake it off, ASAP. I hope that Dubeau understands this... and I also hope he understands that despite that one mistake last night, he played one hell of a game and was a key factor in the win. He's also winning me over more and more with his play as of late (because of course, my opinions are the driving force of what management will or will not do to this team. What, you didn't know that??).
Meanwhile, at the JLL, the SMU Huskies handed U de M their fourth straight defeat, this time by a 5-2 count. On the bright side, Danny Chiasson put up his first point in the AUS with an assist on Moncton's first goal of the game and was one of the few plus players for les Aigles on the night. Now, he can look forward to keeping a safe lead on the MHL scoring title this afternoon as the Commandos host the Campbellton Tigers. Tigers are seven points behind Dieppe for the final playoff spot in the Meek Division but are also coming off a huge 3-2 shootout win versus Truro at home on Friday night. Plus there's the fact Dieppe swept them in a home and home a couple weeks back. Look for the Tigers to come out hungry. As for the Commandos, they hit the ice for the first time in eight days, their longest break of the season outside the annual holiday shutdown. Will the rest do them good or will the rust hold them back? Head to the AJL today at 2:30 to watch these two teams duke it out and discover the answer for yourself.
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