Juniors Handle Olympiques In Pre-season Action

The Montreal Juniors were in Pointe-Claire last night where they played their 3rd pre-season game of the season against the Gatineau Olympiques. With all three Montreal goaltenders seeing some action and Guillaume Asselin potting two goals in the game, the Juniors won the game 3-2 despite a third period that saw them lose their 3-0 lead due to penalty trouble.

Please read on for the official Juniors post-game report.

It was at Pointe-Claire’s Bob Birnie Arena that Pascal Vincent’s Montreal Juniors won their third exhibition game, 3-2, against the Gatineau Olympiques.  With just a few cuts to fall before opening night, Montreal’s rookies had their opportunity to shine against their Outaouais rivals, and were able to count on the amount of veteran presence in the lineup to make their mark.

In a game that saw goaltender Jake Allen make his first 2009-2010 appearance for Montreal, the Juniors were the only team to find the back of the net in the first period.  Veteran Guillaume Asselin scored his second of the preseason while teammate Davi d Bastien scored his first, with just under three minutes separating the two goals.

Like much of the game, the second period was highlighted by physical play.  To add to the three penalties they took in the opening frame, the Juniors found themselves doubling this total in the second. 

Gatineau was unable to capitalize on these chances, however, whereas Montreal was able to make its only power play opportunity count.   It was Guillaume Asselin’s second goal of the night that brought the score to 3-0 for the Juniors.

Within the final twenty minutes, indiscipline caught up to Montreal. The Olympiques were able to profit from a 5 on 3 advantage to get on the board.  Hugo Laporte was credited with the goal.  Gatineau would then shorten Montreal’s advantage to only one goal, as Mathieu Gagnon scored at the 13:53 mark of the third period. But that was as close as they would come, as the Juniors held on for the win.

Montreal was outshot by Gatineau by a margin of 30-16. Jake Allen made a total of 17 saves while his counterpart, Étienne Marcoux, stopped 11 of 13 shots.   Maxime Clermont and Philippe Magnan shared the goaltending duties on the other side, combining for 13 saves.

The Juniors now make their way to Salaberry Arena in Valleyfield, where they will have a chance to double up on the Olympiques in a bid to sweep the home-and-home series opposing the two clubs.  Next Thursday, the action continues at Samuel Moskovitch Arena in Côte St-Luc, with a 7:35 p.m. matchup against the Val D’Or Foreurs before they take on the Baie-Comeau Drakkar the following day in Laval, at the Colisée.

pic by Amanda Stein