The final event on the Canadian professional tennis calendar wrapped on Sunday with the ninth edition of the Challenger Banque Nationale de Drummondville
It was an American sweep as Aidan Mayo claimed a surprise singles title
while compatriots James Tracy and Robert Cash secured the doubles trophy
21-year-old Mayo delivered a career-best performance in Quebec
capturing his first-ever ATP Challenger title with a hard-fought victory over Chris Rodesch in the final
Read more: Monday Digest - Team Canada wrapping up 2024 in Malaga
The championship featured two unseeded players who had upset top seeds early in the tournament
defeated last year’s runner-up and top seed James Duckworth in the round of 32 with a 7-6(5)
Mayo’s path to the title was equally impressive
The young American opened his campaign by upsetting second seed Aleksander Kovacevic followed by a gritty 6-2
6-4 win over Laval-native Alexis Galarneau to reach the quarter-finals
He then defeated Austria’s Joel Schwaerzler in straight sets and overcame a one-set deficit to beat Germany’s Patrick Zahraj 3-6
Mayo has risen 103 spots in the ATP rankings to reach a career-high No
Second-seeded James Tracy and Robert Cash completed the American sweep in Quebec
cruising to the doubles title without dropping a set
who also reached the finals at the ATP 250 Hall of Fame Tennis Open in July
defeated Canadians Liam Draxl and Cleeve Harper 6-2
6-4 in the championship match to claim their third title of 2024
See: Magic runs out in Malaga for Canada at Billie Jean King Cup
also put in a strong showing throughout the tournament
they overcame fellow Canadians Justin Boulais and Juan Carlos Aguilar 4-6
10-5 in the semifinals before falling in the final
The duo had previously captured titles at the M25 Edmonton National Bank Challenger last month and the Dobrich Challenger in Bulgaria in September
Markham hosted the first Canadian ITF Wheelchair event of 2025 earlier in April
Following a strong 2024 season on the ITF Women’s World Tennis Tour
Carson Branstine has picked up where she left..
Team Canada may have been edged out in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers by Japan
MontrealNewsBig mystery: Giant chair vanishes from furniture store near Drummondville By Marisela AmadorPublished: April 26, 2025 at 1:15PM EDT
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The Halifax Mooseheads made history in Drummondville on Tuesday night
Their 2-0 win over the Voltigeurs in Game 7 of their first round best-of-seven clinched a 4-3 victory
16 seed in the QMJHL’s long existence to win a playoff series
The massive upset moves the Mooseheads into the second round
where they’ll face the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
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“It was just a really fun series,” Mooseheads head coach Andrew Lord said
“We had a lot of belief and we could see improvement all through the regular season
… We had a lot of close games and lost a few one-goal games that we probably should’ve won but we really found our consistency in the playoffs
They all played hard and we got great leadership from our three 20-year-olds – Jacob Steinman
This has been such a fun couple of weeks.”
In what’s become typical Mooseheads fashion
committed to tight team defence and then waited patiently for scoring opportunities
That chance finally came after more than 38 minutes of scoreless hockey when defenceman Carlos Handel threaded a wrist shot through a crowd from the point and into the Drummondville net
it was nearly an entire third period of tension as the Mooseheads desperately hung on to that slim lead
finally exhaling when Liam Kilfoil clinched it with an empty-netter in the final minute
“That was obviously a huge goal and it was nice to see him put it in and give us that cushion,” Lord said
They push themselves every day and they show up ready to get better
There’s great camaraderie in our group and we have a lot of character
Those are things that make a difference in the playoffs.”
The other familiar element in the script was incredible goaltending from Steinman
It’s impossible to overstate just how good he’s been since coming to the Mooseheads in a January 6 trade from the Moncton Wildcats and this was another demonstration of perfection
He turned aside 38 shots for the shutout to earn the game’s first star
“He made a bunch of highlight-reel saves and he’s our rock back there
And he’s just an awesome guy to have around
The guys also defended really well tonight in front of him
They had good sticks and blocked a lot of shots so that part of our game was also really good.”
The Mooseheads managed to pull off the improbable victory without four of their regulars and now face the No
6 overall Huskies in a series that will start on the road on Friday
That doesn’t give the Mooseheads much time to reset but they already proved they can do that after they rebounded from a 6-0 loss to the Voltigeurs in Game 6 on Monday
“We’ll have a couple of days so we want to get some rest and it would be nice to get healthy and maybe get a couple of guys back,” Lord said
“We’re going to enjoy this right now and then we’ll get right back to it.”
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It just wasn’t the Halifax Mooseheads’ night on Monday in Drummondville
With their backs against the wall and faced with an unforeseen series upset
the Voltigeurs came out and dominated on home ice in Game 6 with a 6-0 shutout victory over the Herd
The win evened the best-of-seven-series at three games apiece to force a seventh and deciding game to be played on Tuesday night at the Marcel Dionne Centre
Sam Olivier and Jess Allecia both scored twice while Bridgewater’s Luke Woodworth had another big game offensively for the Volts with four assists and fellow star forward Ethan Gauthier had a trio of helpers in the must-win game for the #1 seed in the Western Conference
Box Score
Halifax travelled to Drummondville knowing they had two chances to finish off what would be the first series victory by a #16 seed in QMJHL history and faced a desperate club that stepped up with the performance they needed in front of a spirited crowd of 2,660
The Mooseheads appeared to be a step behind on most plays throughout the contest and couldn’t match the drive of the Volts
a 180 degree flip from Friday’s electric Moose win on Scotiabank Centre ice where they controlled the tempo and physicality
Drummondville took a page out of Halifax’s book in Game 6 to set up one final battle for all the marbles
Goaltender Jacob Steinman was pulled in the third period in favour of resting him for Tuesday’s matchup after the Voltigeurs put the game out of reach with their fifth goal
Rookie Nick Cirka played the final 14:07 of regulation for Halifax and allowed one goal on 11 shots
Steinman stopped 24-of-29 before his night ended
Louis-Felix Charrois stopped all 23 shots he faced from the Herd to earn the shutout
including a game-high nine from forward David Bosson
Defenceman Simon-Pier Brunet also had a big night for the home team with a goal to go along with a rating of +5 and he had six hits
Adam Cavallin had the other Drummondville goal as they scored once in the first period
twice in the second and three times in the third period
The Herd got into a bit of penalty trouble in the defeat by giving the Volts six power plays thanks to 16 minutes of infractions called against Halifax
Shawn Carrier made three separate trips to the sin bin
The Mooseheads had just one power play in the game and it came early in the second period after Renaud Poulin was sent to the box for delay of game
General Manager Cam Russell continued to dip into his prospect pool by calling up 16-year-old Cole MacLeod to fill in for the recently injured Caylen Blake
Blake was knocked out of Friday’s Game 5 with an upper body injury and joined Eddy Doyle
Affiliate defenceman Ryan Fletcher suited up for the fourth straight game
the Canadian Fall swing has one final stop in La Belle Province
the calendar shifts to the ninth edition of the Challenger Banque Nationale Drummondville
featuring a 32-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw
Fresh off his M25 Saint-Augustin title
Liam Draxl is one of several Canadians poised to make a deep run
should receive strong support from the Quebecois crowd
Veteran James Duckworth returns to Drummondville for the second consecutive year
the 32-year-old finished runner-up last year in Drummondville
falling in the final to Belgium’s Zizou Bergs
capturing the Hangzhou Challenger title last month and reaching the quarter-finals in Stuttgart earlier this summer on grass
Read more: Dabrowski makes more history with WTA Finals victory
Newmarket-native Draxl is set to compete in his opening-round match against Germany’s Michael Geerts
The 22-year-old has been on an impressive run lately
winning 13 of his last 14 matches since mid-October
while collecting singles titles in Edmonton and Saint-Augustin
who reached the semifinals last week before falling to Draxl
4 seed James Kent Trotter of Japan in his first match
Juan Carlos Aguilar faces Brazil’s Karue Sell in his opening round
Veteran Vasek Pospisil already suffered a tough first-round loss to No
while 17-year-old Nicholas Arseneault lost in his first-round match on Monday to Denmark’s Joel Schwaerzler
Arseneault will team up with his brother Mikael in doubles
with the duo receiving a wildcard into the tournament
will partner with countryman Cleeve Harper
The two have won three titles together this season
including the Sioux Falls Challenger last month
Read: Canada’s Billie Jean king Cup and Davis Cup Teams Each Eyeing Second Title
Justin Boulais will pair with Aguilar for the fourth time this season
They reached the quarter-finals last week in Saint-Augustin
Benjamin Thomas George and Alvin Nicholas Tudorica are set to compete
coming off a runner-up finish at the M25 Edmonton
No matter the stockpile of talent the teams that accompany the upper echelon of the QMJHL standings possess
they can’t boast the one element the Voltigeurs have earned: a vast array of championship experience
The organization which captured the 2024 Gilles-Courteau Trophy returns with another potent lineup this season
Among the returnees are 2023 Tampa Bay Lightning draftee Ethan Gauthier
sniper Sam Oliver and captain Luke Woodworth
Joining this core is free agent pickup Adam Cavallin
picking up Justin Larose from the Victoriaville Tigres and Nathan Baril from the Val-d’Or Foreurs to reinforce their depth up front
The back end features a pair of veteran Volts in Marc-Olivier Beaudry and Buffalo Sabres prospect Simon-Pier Brunet
Teo Toubans Besnier made his way from France after being chosen by Drummondville during the 2024 CHL Import Draft and has adjusted well in his first North American season
when it came time to bolster the lineup over the holidays
the organization focused on depth on the blue line
The end result was the pickup of Samuel Kingsley via yet another deal with Victoriaville
As efficient as the defensive structure of the club is in general
what few leaks the Voltigeurs may spring among its skaters are more than capably corrected with the sensational netminding of Riley Mercer
After putting on a clinic during last year’s Final
the overage goaltender has picked up right where he left off
The last time the Memorial Cup was held in Rimouski
earning the second QMJHL berth at that year’s tournament
This year’s edition hopes history repeats itself
and it has firmly placed itself in a position to control that fate
which of these skaters has had the best playoffs so far
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Nova ScotiaNewsQMJHL: Mooseheads oust Voltigeurs with 2-0 in Game 7 of first-round seriesBy The Canadian PressPublished: April 09, 2025 at 6:07AM EDT
It will all come down to a one-game showdown between the Halifax Mooseheads and Drummondville Voltigeurs now
The Voltigeurs had to win Game 6 in Drummondville on Monday to stay alive in the first-round series and they responded with authority
They beat the Mooseheads 6-0 to even the best-of-seven at 3-3 and set the stage for Game 7 on Tuesday at the Marcel Dionne Centre
“We’ll just look at that one now and see what we did well and see what we need to do better in the next one,” Mooseheads head coach Andrew Lord said
“We just have to be better for tomorrow and a Game 7 is what it is
It was apparent early on the Voltigeurs had no intention of letting their season end on Monday
They opened the scoring 96 seconds into the first period and then stretched their lead to 3-0 in the second period
They really opened it up during a three-minute stretch in the third period when they scored three times
including back-to-back goals during an 11-second span
“We didn’t have the start we wanted but give credit to them
they came out of the gate really well and got that first goal,” Lord said
“I liked our claw-back the last 10 minutes of the first
I thought we generated and came close to tying it up
We had a power play and didn’t get one but then they got one right after that
And the third (goal) off the rush really hurt us
“But I think it’s been a great series so far and it’s one game
winner take all now so we’re in a great spot.”
It was the first game in the series that wasn’t close so the Mooseheads will need to hit the reset button to put it behind them as quickly as possible
The Voltigeurs also managed to chase star Halifax goalie Jacob Steinman from the net for the first time and kept up the physical play even after they got the score to 6-0
they also wanted to send a message leading up to Game 7
the Mooseheads still have a chance to win the series and make QMJHL history
No 16th seed has ever won a playoff series
“There are a couple of things about that,” Lord said
is we don’t talk about things like that and it doesn’t mean a whole lot to me personally
But we also don’t see ourselves as a 16 seed
I think we had some growing pains during the regular season and probably should’ve finished higher than where we did
for a young group to be tied with the league defending champs
We scratched and clawed our way to a Game 7 here and we’ve got a shot at it still.”
Bridgewater’s Luke Woodworth powered the Drummondville offence once again
setting up four goals to take over the league scoring lead with 13 points
Jesse Allecia and Sam Oliver each scored two of Drummondville’s goals and Simon-Pier Brunet and Adam Cavallin had one each
Louis-Felix Charrois finished with 23 saves for Drummondville and Steinman and Nick Cirka combined to stop 34 shots for Halifax
Cape Breton 1: The Drakkar regrouped after losing a five-overtime game in Sydney on Friday to eliminate the Eagles in six games
Louis-Charles Plourde scored twice and Alexis Michaud
Olivier Samson and Justin Gendron all had one for the Drakkar
Aiden McCullough scored the goal for the Eagles
Justin Chiras and Will Bent missed the game for Halifax because of injuries
… Ryan Fletcher and Cole MacLeod drew into the Mooseheads lineup
The Halifax Mooseheads’ wild playoff ride continues
Liam Kilfoil redirected a perfect power-play pass from Quinn Kennedy 16:40 into the extra period to shock the Voltigeurs 3-2 again in Drummondville on Saturday and take an improbable 2-0 series lead
“That was a fun win,” Mooseheads head coach Andrew Lord said
“The guys showed a lot of resiliency again
We gave one up late and their building was rocking but give credit to the boys
they really regrouped and you’ve got to like how we came out in OT and found a way.”
The upset outcome was only half of the unbelievable drama in Game 2
It took a crazy sequence to send it to overtime in the first place
The Voltigeurs pulled their goalie with more than two minutes remaining to try to tie it and Sam Oliver put the puck in the net about a minute later
the officials waved it off and the Voltigeurs remained behind 2-1 with just 57 seconds left
Oliver scored again and it was ruled a good goal this time
“We’ve got some great leaders with (Jacob Steinman
Braeden MacPhee and Brady Schultz),” Lord said
“They’ve been through things like this before and Brae-Mac and Schultzy have been to the league finals so they’re great in those scenarios
And we’ve been through a lot of tight games this season so I think we learned a lot of lessons and the boys were good.”
MacPhee and Shawn Carrier were the scorers for Halifax in regulation time and Ethan Gauthier had the other Drummondville goal
Steinman was spectacular in the Mooseheads net once again
He was the second star in Game 1 after making 33 saves and he turned aside 45 shots in Game 2 to earn first star honours
“What a trade for us and our organization to bring him in,” Lord said
but he’s just an unreal guy to have around
Attrition is always a factor in the playoffs but it shot to the forefront earlier than usual in this series
The Mooseheads lost defenceman Justin Chiras and winger Will Bent in Game 1 and neither player was in the lineup for Game 2
With defenceman Eddie Doyle already on the sidelines
affiliate player Cole Bent drew in on the blueline and Cade Moser slid into the opening up front
The losses were even more pronounced for the Voltigeurs
who were without star goalie Dawson Mercer and top defenceman Marc-Olivier Beaudry for Game 2
Backup goalie Louis-Felix Charrois got the start for Drummondville and he finished with 24 saves
The series now shifts to Halifax for Games 3
Games 6 and 7 will be back in Drummondville
Notes: The Cape Breton Eagles are down 2-0 the Baie-Comeau Drakkar after losing both road games to open the series
The next three games are scheduled for Sydney
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“[Without the terrace] for the summer my business won’t continue,” said Jean-Yves Mas
co-owner of Psy bar in Montreal’s Quartier Latin
Rhianne Campbell speaks to advocates on this year’s theme,
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The Cape Breton Eagles kicked off their three-game Quebec road swing with a victory on Thursday night
Cape Breton defeated the Drummondville Voltigeurs 3-1 in Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League action at Centre Marcel Dionne in Drummondville
It was the second time in less than a week that the Eagles defeated the Western Conference-leading and defending QMJHL champion Voltigeurs
Cape Breton also beat Drummondville 5-2 last Saturday in Sydney
The Eagles won the season series with the Voltigeurs 2-0
The teams won’t meet again this season unless it’s during the playoffs
Cam Squires and Luke Patterson netted goals for the Eagles (20-15-4-1)
Ethan Gauthier had the lone goal for the Voltigeurs (27-9-2-2)
Drummondville’s Riley Mercer stopped 35 of 38 shots
The Eagles opened the scoring late in the first period with Romeo netting his 12th goal of the season at the 19:32 mark
Squires and Andrew Brown picked up the assists
Cape Breton added to their lead just past the midway mark of the second period with Squires scoring his 15th goal of the season at 11:39
The Voltigeurs would respond shortly after with Gauthier finding the back of the net for his 16th goal of the season at 15:43
Patterson gave the Eagles an insurance goal at 8:01 of the third period with his seventh goal of the season
The Voltigeurs outshot the Eagles 39-38 while going 0-for-4 on the power play
Cape Breton was 0-for-3 with the man-advantage
Cape Breton will continued its road trip on Friday night against the Sherbrooke Phoenix
The score was not available prior to publication time
Bryannah James/Titan Director of Communications
The Titan lost to Drummondville Sunday afternoon in Bathurst
The Voltigeurs pulled away with a 7-1 victory over the home side at the K.C
Drummondville netted two goals in the first
two in the second and three in the final frame
Colby Huggan scored the lone goal for Bathurst at 11:55 in the first period
with assists from Mathieu St-Onge and Alexandre Lallier
Oliver had two points and was named third Star of the Game and Woodworth finished the afternoon with two assists and a goal and named second star
Don’t forget the Two Grand in Hand Contest
When 2,000 or more fans attend any 2024-25 Acadie-Bathurst Titan regular season home game
Bathurst will host Charlottetown on Friday
Tickets can be purchased at the Titan Box Office
The Cape Breton Eagles fended off a second-period rally from the visiting Drummondville Voltigeurs to go on to a 5-2 win in Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League action Saturday night at Centre 200
Jacob Newcombe and Tomas Lavoie each scored for the Eagles (19-14-4-1)
while Nathan Baril and Adam Cavallin replied for the Voltigeurs (27-9-2-2)
It was Brown’s first QMJHL goal after Cape Breton signed the 19-year-old defenceman from the Nanaimo Clippers of the British Columbia Hockey League last month
Eagles goalie Jakub Milota fended off 34 of 36 shots
while Voltigeurs counterpart Riley Mercer made 40 saves
Looking to avenge a 5-4 overtime loss on Thursday night in Charlottetown
the Eagles were slated to face off against the visiting Islanders (16-9-2-1) on Sunday at Centre 200
It was quite the eventful opening night of the QMJHL playoffs in Drummondville on Friday
The headline was the Halifax Mooseheads’ shocking come-from-behind 3-2 win in Game 1 of the first-round best-of-seven but that was only part of the story
Injuries on both sides played a huge part in the way the game played out and could be a significant factor the rest of the way
The Mooseheads were the first team to lose players
with defenceman Justin Chiras and winger Will Bent leaving in the first half of the game
Forward Callum Aucoin also missed some time in the third period but managed to come back to keep Halifax from going down three players
But the big injury was to Drummondville goalie Riley Mercer
He left in the third period after a teammate shoved a streaking Caylen Blake into him in the crease on a breakaway
knocking the veteran netminder out of the game with what looked like a knee or leg injury
He needed assistance from two teammates just to get to the bench and backup Louis-Felix Charrois had to take over in pressure-packed circumstances
The Mooseheads trailed 2-0 at the time but scored three straight goals in less than four and a half minutes to turn a 2-0 deficit into a stunning 3-2 win
I thought we’d been playing a good game the whole night and we hit four posts before that so we were a little snakebitten,” Mooseheads head coach Andrew Lord said
“I think our guys were really feeling like we were close and we had a good push at one point and then we hit a crossbar on the power play so we were getting chances
“But I just really liked the guys’ resiliency
We just kept going and then it was obviously a bit of a turning point when we have a breakaway and we don’t score but the goalie gets injured
It was kind of a crazy last 10 minutes after that but I think our guys have shown fight-back all year and today was no different.”
Antoine Fontaine started the rally 10:37 into the third period and Blake notched the equalizer 2:41 later
Quinn Kennedy delivered the winner with less than five minutes left to play and then the Mooseheads held on through a furious push by the Voltigeurs
Drummondville had a six-on-four advantage for the final 64 seconds but Halifax’s penalty killers threw themselves in front of every shot attempt in an impressive stand
“(Goalie Jacob Steinman) was obviously huge for us during that but we probably had five blocks,” Lord said
“(Braeden MacPhee) made some and (Mathieu) Taillefer had a couple
I thought the guys really did a great job to close it out
It is only one win but it’s a good start.”
Game 2 is in Drummondville on Saturday and there’s a reasonable chance affiliate defenceman Cole Bent will draw into the Mooseheads rotation if Chiras isn’t able to play
Eddie Doyle didn’t dress for Game 1 because of an injury
Forward Cade Moser was scratched on Friday so he’s available if Bent is out
“The guys are still cooling down right now so we don’t know much yet,” Lord said
“I’m sure it’ll be one of those situations where we see in the morning how they respond to some rest and some sleep.”
Bridgewater’s Luke Woodworth and Ethan Gauthier staked the Voltigeurs to a 2-0 lead and Steinman finished with 33 saves in the Halifax net
4 and 5 (if necessary) will be played in Halifax on Tuesday
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The Halifax Mooseheads-Drummondville Voltigeurs playoff matchup paints a pretty clear picture on paper
The Voltigeurs finished third overall during the regular season with 86 points and the 16th-place Mooseheads barely qualified for the post-season
clinching the final spot with just a few days left on the schedule
Drummondville’s stats on offence and defence were also both far superior to Halifax’s
the theme is consistent across other categories
But considering it’s well-known the Mooseheads are the youngest team in the league and in the first phase of a rebuild
none of this should catch anyone who follows the QMJHL off guard
But here’s the other thing: the results from the head-to-head series during the regular season tell a slightly different story
The teams faced each other twice and the Voltigeurs won both games
they were tight one-goal games that were both played after the trade deadline when the teams had their final rosters
The Voltigeurs won 4-3 in Halifax on January 9 and then took the rematch 4-2 in their rink on Feb
17 but needed an empty-net goal to put the game away
the breakdowns on paper create some context but all that really matters now is what happens when the puck drops in real life
The first two games of the first-round best-of-seven are on Friday and Saturday in Drummondville
4 and 5 (if necessary) at the Scotiabank Centre next week
The marquee talent in the series is Bridgewater’s Luke Woodworth
The overage centre is in his second year as the Voltigeurs captain and he led them in scoring with 84 points
which put him in a tie for fifth in the league
With 278 points in 293 career regulars season games
Woodworth averaged close to a point-per-game during his five years in the Q
The skilled playmaker also helped elevate New Brunswick’s Sam Oliver to a breakout 50-goal year
The Saint John native was the only player in the league to hit that plateau
The talented duo will continue their careers in the NCAA next season
with Woodworth heading to the University of Nebraska-Omaha and Oliver on his way to the University of New Hampshire
1 overall QMJHL pick Ethan Gauthier is the other big name to watch on offence and Newfoundlander Riley Mercer will graduate out of major junior at the end of the year with some significant franchise records
his .925 save percentage this season was the best in Voltigeurs history and he set a new team mark with 174 consecutive shutout minutes during last year’s playoffs
The shutout record came in the league championship series
the goalie with the second-best save percentage in the Q this season was Halifax’s Jacob Steinman at .923
He also finished with a 2.41 goals against average
which was second in the league and lower than Mercer’s 2.53
It should go without saying Steinman will play a central role for the Mooseheads in the series
Because the Mooseheads are such a young team
But this will be Steinman’s third playoff run and fellow overagers Brady Schultz and Braeden MacPhee were both regulars on the 2022-23 Halifax team that went to the league final
Third-year centre Quinn Kennedy also played in the previous two post-seasons with the Rimouski Oceanic
The matchup on the bench also has an element of intrigue
Andrew Lord is in his first year with the Mooseheads and has earned rave reviews across the board for his culture-building
attention to detail and motivational skills
His players play hard for him and are never overwhelmed by an opponent
Drummondville’s Sylvain Favreau is no stranger to the Mooseheads after spending his first six years as a QMJHL coach in Halifax
He was an assistant from 2017 to 2021 before being promoted to head coach prior to the 2021-22 season
Favreau compiled an 88-48 record over two seasons at the Mooseheads helm and took them to the league final just two years ago
where they lost in six games to the Quebec Remparts
He resigned a few weeks later and took the job in Drummondville
where he won the Q championship the very next year
His path is strikingly similar to Dominique Ducharme
who thrived during his five years in Halifax (2011 to 2016) and then stepped down to take the job in Drummondville
He coached the Voltigeurs for two seasons before making the jump to the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens
He’s now an assistant coach with the Vegas Golden Knights
Favreau has an 85-40 combined record in his first two seasons guiding the Voltigeurs
making him an impressive 173-88 in his time as a Quebec league head coach
Owen Phillips and Antoine Fontaine (one game) are the only Mooseheads who were coached by Favreau
The Cape Breton Eagles drew the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in the first round
The Eagles finished two points behind the Drakkar in the regular season so they are the road team in the series
Baie-Comeau swept the regular season head-to-head 2-0
The other first-round matchups are: Moncton vs
It’s all squared up between the Halifax Mooseheads and Drummondville Voltigeurs
After the Mooseheads surprised everyone by taking a 2-0 series lead in Drummondville on the weekend
the Voltigeurs have now returned the favour
A hat trick from Ethan Gauthier gave Drummondville a 3-1 win in Game 4 at the Scotiabank Centre on Wednesday to even the best-of-seven at 2-2
“We’re battling and we know we can keep up with them
We proved that in the first two games,” Mooseheads forward Amelio Santini said
“We just have to keep the game simple and play our way
There’s no better place to play than a Friday night in Halifax so we’re already looking forward to the next game.”
it felt like the Voltigeurs had the game under their control
They put pressure on the Mooseheads right from the opening face-off
outshooting them 17-5 the first period and 18-6 in the second
The sustained push gave them a 2-0 lead that Halifax cut to one goal midway through the third period on a terrific scoring play by Owen Phillips
But Gauthier’s third goal of the night with 7:21 left to play was too much of a setback to overcome
“They played a good system and they were doing well keeping us stuck in our zone a little bit,” Santini said
“But that’s part of the game – you’ve got to play both sides of the ice and sometimes it might not work and sometimes it does
We know we’re in this and we know we could take two more games from them.”
the Mooseheads deserve endless credit for pushing the Voltigeurs so hard to begin with
They entered the series as huge underdogs and every game has been exceptionally tight
they shot a lot of pucks and crashed the net a lot so we had to play really good defence,” Mooseheads defenceman Mathieu Taillefer said
“I think we held them pretty good right up until the end.”
“Everyone’s down after a loss but that’s normal and in reality it’s 2-2 and the next game is at home,” he added
“I think we’re still in a pretty good spot.”
And not enough can be said of the determination and commitment on defence from the Mooseheads
They’re staring down an explosive Drummondville team and holding strong
The shot-blocking has been excellent all series
and the Mooseheads are doing it all without two of their regular defencemen – Justin Chiras and Eddy Doyle
“That’s a big part of our game,” said Taillefer
who was particularly effective getting in the way of Drummondville shots
“We’ve got a great goalie and obviously we trust him but we have to help him as much as we can
You definitely have to sacrifice the body a little bit.”
The backbone of it all remains Jacob Steinman
The overage goalie was under fire all night and turned aside all but three of the 54 shots directed his way to earn the first star
“He’s the one that gives us a chance every single game
He makes every game close and puts us in a position where we can maybe get out with a win so we’re really appreciative of him.”
The teams will get a day of rest on Thursday before going back at it on Friday
Games 6 and 7 are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday in Drummondville
“That day off is nice but this is playoff hockey so you don’t get much of a break and your body’s always hurting but you’ve got to manage it as much as you can,” Taillefer said
Notes: Winger Will Bent was also out of the lineup again for Halifax and goalie Riley Mercer has been ruled out for the remainder of the series for Drummondville
… Louis-Felix Charrois made 16 saves for the Voltigeurs
… Baie-Comeau beat Cape Breton 4-0 in Sydney on Wednesday to put the Drakkar ahead 3-1 in the series
… The Rimouski Oceanic completed a sweep of the Charlottetown Islanders
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coming off splitting two road games against the Halifax Mooseheads and Cape Breton Eagles
entertain the Western Conference-leading Drummondville Voltigeurs on March 1
and it’s a crucial test for the vastly-improved Islanders
the Islanders played like Eastern Conference cellar-dwellers with only a slight chance of making the playoffs
Now they have a shot at fourth or fifth in their conference and are confident of getting past the opening round
the Islanders have beaten the top four clubs in the Eastern Conference – Moncton
Chicoutimi and Baie-Comeau – with a longtime recipe for hockey success: great goaltending
Goaltenders Nicolas Ruccia and Don Hickey have been sharp and the defensive corps solid with Owen Conrad
an OHL refugee who has posted solid numbers (three goals
and the Islanders have three all rescued from the hockey refugee bin
Nathan Leek was a first-round OHL pick and now has 19 goals and is playing with new-found confidence
has shown flashes of talent while Kyle Powers has 11 goals
who was a first-round pick by Cape Breton and has 13 tallies so far
Toss these guys into the mix with Campbell
Canada 4 Nations Face-Off final last week was a thriller and one of the best in recent years
It was end-to-end action with one penalty in the entire game
Binnington robbed natural-born sniper Auston Matthews on a couple of occasions and let’s stop knocking Mitch Marner – he was outstanding for Canada in this game
The refereeing in this game was the best I’ve seen since the year our own Jamie Kennedy went to UNB for the CIAU championship (I believe in the early 1980s) where University of Toronto head coach Mike Keenan said afterwards
“Jamie’s the best referee I’ve seen all year.”
the Toronto Blue Jays’ pitching has looked good in the early going
If Max Scherzer stays healthy and wins 12-15 games
the Blue Jays could be competitive in the Eastern Conference
Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles are better on paper than the Jays but there are question marks with all four clubs
Tampa Bay will be going with many of their own farm-grown youngsters
and they always have a budding star in their line-up to make things interesting
There are a great many Boston Red Sox fans on the Island
and many have relatives in the Boston area
Boston has strengthened themselves with pitching and hitting but one has to wonder about the strange Bo-Sox happenings in recent years
the Red Sox gave away lefty pitcher Chris Sale
with Rafael Devers at third base after 28 home runs in 2024 and signed to a huge eight-year contract
the Red Sox went out and signed free-agent all-star third baseman Alex Bregman
or the possibility of his moving from third
There’s nothing like starting the season with clubhouse chaos
Red Shores Charlottetown was a beehive of activity as I checked in mid-week and counted 25 horses on the track getting ready for the May 3 opening
Saul Lanigan’s Saulsbrook Abbey was second in 1:57:4 (purse $11,000)
Betterdealmein was third in 1:56 (purse $19,000) for driver Travis Cullen and co-owners Wayne MacRae and Dan Ross of Pinette
Robin Burke’s Pendleton Rodeo was sixth in the same race beaten
Tobins Chester charged home late to win in 1:54.4 (purse $18,000) for Travis Cullen and owner Don MacRae
Batterup Hanover was second for trainer Ben Hollingsworth
American History was second in 1:54:1 (purse $24,000) for James MacDonald on the same card
Saulsbrook Victor was third in 1:48:2 (purse $17,500) at The Meadowlands on Feb
Maritime stars Merigo Magic and Tobins Chester leave from Posts 3 and 8 in Race 3 at Mohawk on March 1 in a slight step up in class ($23,000 purse)
Don MacRae’s Bee Two Bee and Eliot Moose are in to go Monday and both can win
OttawaNewsVia Rail trains between Quebec City, Ottawa cancelled due to Drummondville, Que. flooding By William EltheringtonPublished: March 17, 2025 at 3:16PM EDT
Due to a flood on the tracks blocking rail traffic in the Drummondville area
the following trains have been cancelled between Quebec and Montreal: 24
A new-look and extremely young Mooseheads lineup put a scare into the Western Conference leading Drummondville Voltigeurs on Thursday night at Scotiabank Centre before eventually falling 4-3 to the powerhouse team
Halifax played for the first time this season with no 19-year-old players on the roster and 11 skaters aged between 16-and-17-years-old
The Herd more than held their own for the opening 40 minutes of action before running out of steam in the final stanza as the Voltigeurs rallied from a 3-2 deficit to grab the victory
Box Score
Quinn Kennedy had a goal and an assist for the Mooseheads while Liam Kilfoil and Antoine Fontaine also scored for the home team while defenceman Carlos Handel notched two assists
Sam Oliver had a pair of goals to increase his league-lead to 34 tallies
Bridgewater’s Luke Woodworth had three assists and the Volts also had goals from Canadian World Junior forward Ethan Gauthier and newly acquired Justin Larose
The Mooseheads honoured Gauthier and Drummondville coach Sylvain Favreau in a pregame ceremony for their participation in the recent World Junior Championship and the team also had a special presentation for Carlos Handel who was one of the top three players for Germany at the international event
Goalie Jacob Steinman was a major factor in the game and earned the third star of the night in his first game with the Mooseheads
He made 41 saves and kept his team in the contest all night with some miraculous stops
Woodworth was named the first star while Kennedy earned the second star
Riley Mercer was the winning goalie with 29 saves
Special teams play was the difference in the outcome as the first three Voltigeurs goals were scored on the power play
Halifax was two-for-three on the man advantage with the Kennedy and Kilfoil goals both coming on the pp
Liam Kilfoil converts on the Kennedy feed🔥#GoMooseGo pic.twitter.com/50geNhbOSj
— Halifax Mooseheads (@HFXMooseheads) January 10, 2025
16-year-old forward Will Bent suited up for the first time for the Mooseheads and played right wing on a line with Braeden MacPhee and Danny Walters
He finished with one shot on goal and one hit
Massachusetts native and Providence College commit agreed to join the team earlier this week after starting the season with Mount St
Upper body injuries kept defencemen Owen Phillips and Mathieu Taillefer out of the lineup again
although both players are expected to return to action this weekend
Forward Cade Moser remains week-to-week with an upper body injury
Halifax will play at home again on Saturday night at 7pm against the Saint John Sea Dogs. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.ca
- Simon-Pier Brunet scored the game-winning goal 4:58 into the third period as the Drummondville Voltigeurs topped the Victoriaville Tigres 3-2 on Friday in Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League action
Brunet's marker was the second of two goals in the final frame for Drummondville (38-17-3-3)
Marc-Olivier Beaudry knotted the contest at 2-2 at 1:06
Ethan Gauthier opened the scoring with a short-handed goal for the Voltigeurs
Olivier Houde and Mathéo Lepage replied for Victoriaville (16-41-1-3)
-- Louis-François Bélanger had a goal and two assists as the Acadie-Bathurst Titan held off a late rally from the Charlottetown Islanders to win 5-4
Colby Huggan and Mathieu St-Onge also scored for Acadie-Bathurst (32-27-1-1)
which was up 5-1 after St-Onge's goal at 18:38 of the second period
Jonathan Lanza and Zackary Plamondon replied for Charlottetown (28-28-4-1)
-- Jacob Newcombe and Joseph Henneberry each had two goals and one assist as the Cape Breton Eagles defeated the Halifax Mooseheads 6-3
Tomas Lavoie and Alexandre Guy also scored for Cape Breton (32-22-4-3)
Liam Kilfoil and Brady Schultz scored for Halifax (18-34-8-1)
which was only down 4-3 after Schultz's goal 1:10 into the third period
QUEBEC CITY -- Felix Gagnon scored twice in leading the Chicoutimi Saguenéens to a 4-2 win over the Québec Remparts
Alex Huang and Émile Ricard also chipped in goals for Chicoutimi (35-16-3-7)
which scored once in each of the final two frames to break the 2-2 tie coming out of the first period
Jérémy Belleau and Raphael Messier replied for Québec (23-31-3-4)
-- Samuel Boisvert netted two goals as the Baie-Comeau Drakkar pulled away with three unanswered goals to defeat the Gatineau Olympiques 4-2
Evan Bellamy and Alexis Bernier also scored for Baie-Comeau (34-23-3-1)
which was down 2-1 early in the second period
Nicholas Petrut scored both goals for Gatineau (15-31-8-7)
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 14
The Cape Breton Eagles have acquired 20-year-old forward Noah Reinhart from the Drummondville Voltigeurs in a trade that will see the club send a second round draft pick in 2025 and a third round draft pick in 2027 in return
was part of the Gilles-Courteau Trophy winning Voltigeurs club last season after being dealt from Saint John in January
Reinhart totalled 26 goals and 34 assists in 66 games last season between the two clubs
he is a proven winner,” said Eagles general manager Sylvain Couturier on Thursday
“With Brayden Schmitt out for a period of time to recover from injuries
The message from the organization is clear; we want to give our team the best chance to win every night.”
Couturier said the organization didn’t want to start the season with only two of the three 20-year-old spots filled on the Eagles lineup
“Bringing in Noah stabilizes our lineup for the time being
Once we have more information and everyone is healthy down the road
we will revaluate the situation and go from there.”
In front of a nearly sold-out crowd at the Eastlink Centre, the Charlottetown Islanders left it all on the ice but came up just short in a nail-biting 1-0 loss to the Drummondville Voltigeurs on Saturday night.
A goaltending duel between Nicolas Ruccia and Riley Mercer stole the show, as both netminders put on a performance for the ages in a game that had the full house on its feet from start to finish.
Coming off a frustrating 3-1 loss the night before despite outshooting Blainville-Boisbriand 28-17, the Islanders welcomed Ross Campbell back into the lineup. His presence was immediately felt as he brought energy and intensity to an Isles team determined to bounce back.
The 1st period saw Charlottetown come out strong, dictating play in the neutral zone and generating early chances. Nathan Leek had the best opportunity of the opening minutes, ringing a shot off the post with a wide-open net staring him down.
Drummondville, also looking to rebound after a loss to Moncton, slowly began to take control. With 5:21 left in the first, they broke through. A rebound goal past Ruccia was upheld after a lengthy review, despite heavy contact with the Isles’ netminder. Voltigeurs took a 1-0 lead nonetheless.
Charlottetown had a late power play to close the period but couldn’t capitalize as they headed into the 1st intermission trailing by one.
The 2nd period saw the Isles flip the script, outshooting Drummondville 13-5 and generating sustained pressure in the offensive zone.
Jabez Seymour and Kyle Powers were buzzing, creating havoc on every shift. While Ethan Montroy’s line with Powers and Leek continued to apply pressure. The Islanders evened up the shot count at 20-20 by the end of the frame but were still searching for that elusive first goal.
With the crowd fully engaged, the 3rd period was a high-intensity battle.
Ruccia made several jaw-dropping saves to keep his team within striking distance, including a sprawling stop that had fans chanting his name. At the other end, Mercer matched him save for save as the Islanders fired 17 3rd-period shots but couldn’t solve the Voltigeurs netminder.
A late power play with just 46 seconds remaining gave Charlottetown a final chance, and with the goalie pulled, they threw everything at the net. However, Mercer stood tall, securing the shutout and handing the Isles a heartbreaking loss.
Despite the defeat, Charlottetown proved once again that they can go toe-to-toe with the best. Drummondville leads the Western Conference and are last year’s champions.
Ruccia, who finished with 27 saves on 28 shots, earned 2nd-star honors, while Mercer was the game’s 1st star with a 37-save shutout.
The Islanders now turn their focus to their final Quebec road trip of the season, where they will face Sherbrooke, Blainville-Boisbriand, and a potential first-round playoff opponent, the Rimouski Oceanic.
While the scoreboard didn’t favor them, the Islanders left it all on the ice. The grit, heart, and effort on was full display in one of the most thrilling games of the season in front of our biggest crowd yet with 3,642 in attendance.
2 months agoDuration 2:22Search is on for meteorite that fell over Quebec and was caught on camera2 months agoNewsDuration 2:22The meteorite landed close to Drummondville, Que., March 2, 2025. It was detected by the DOMe meteor observation network, a series of cameras deployed by Montreal’s Planetarium in the St. Lawrence Valley.
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le vétéran de 20 ans Sam Oliver remporte le Trophée Mario-Lemieux avec un total de 50 buts
lui dont le précédent sommet personnel était de 35 buts
Dix-huit des 50 buts d’Oliver ont été marqués en avantage numérique
Le numéro 47 a également réussi sept buts gagnants (4e)
Andrew Lord wants his players to lean into the moment
The Halifax Mooseheads head coach has his team up 2-0 against the favoured Drummondville Voltigeurs to open the first round of the QMJHL playoffs
But just because outsiders might not have seen it coming
Lord doesn’t want his players thinking they don’t deserve to be where they are right now
“I think we’ve got to soak it up,” Lord said
“It’s a great experience for the boys and we’ve just got to stay the course
I do think we’ve got to get out of our D zone a little bit better and get in on the forecheck and get the crowd into it early on Tuesday and then go from there
This is obviously a long way from done but it is a good start.”
Lord is also confident his team’s mentality won’t change just because the series is now shifting to Halifax
The Scotiabank Centre is one of the biggest and loudest buildings in the league so there’s every reason to welcome that support
But the Mooseheads have shown all year they’re conditioned to focus on the task at hand
there are even some practical elements the Mooseheads can use to their advantage now that they’re on home ice
They now get to make last change so they can manage matchups better but the benches themselves are literally positioned better for them in the Scotiabank Centre
the visitors’ bench is located in such a way that Halifax’s defencemen had to skate well past centre ice for two periods just to make a change on the fly
That is no small variable to deal with when the stakes are this high and the Mooseheads now only have to cope with that kind of long change for one period
It seems probable Voltigeurs goalie Riley Mercer will remain on the sidelines and defenceman Marc-Olivier Beaudry will likely be a game-day decision
He took the warm-up for Game 2 but was a last-minute scratch
knock on wood,” Lord joked after Game 2 on Saturday
“But that’s just one of those things you deal with day to day in playoffs.”
4 and 5 (if necessary) are in Halifax on Tuesday
Games 6 and 7 are scheduled for Drummondville next Monday and Tuesday
Quinn Kennedy leads the Mooseheads in playoff scoring with three points so far but balance on the attack is the big theme
Six different Halifax players scored in the back-to-back 3-2 wins and 11 guys have somehow managed to produce at least one point
despite how low-scoring the series has been
The Voltigeurs’ offence is far less spread out
Ethan Gauthier has two of their four goals and also assisted on their two other scoring plays
Luke Woodworth and Sam Oliver have Drummondville’s other goals and winger Jesse Allecia (two assists) is the only other player with any points at all so only four players have found the scoresheet so far
The Voltigeurs are also shooting blanks on the power play (zero-for-three)
while the Mooseheads have converted half of their chances (two-for-four)
Their 50 per cent success rate leads the league
Halifax’s Jacob Steinman continues to shine
He was the second star in Game 1 (33 saves) and first star the next night (45 saves)
He has a 1.76 goals against average and .951 save percentage so far
Drummondville backup Louis-Felix Charrois did well to settle himself in Game 2 after being thrown into the fire late in Game 1 but his numbers – 4.05 GAA
.813 save percentage – aren’t on Steinman’s level and he doesn’t have anywhere close to the same amount of experience
Charois has only appeared in 45 career Q games and this is his first time playing in the post-season
Steinman is an overager with 165 QMJHL appearances and is in his third straight year as a playoff starter
Notes: The Cape Breton Eagles trail the Baie-Comeau Drakkar 2-0 but the series is shifting to Sydney for the next three games
… Former Mooseheads centre Mathieu Cataford is tied for second in league scoring
He has five points in two games for the Rimouski Oceanic
… Ex-Halifax goalie Mathis Rousseau started Game 1 for the Moncton Wildcats against the Quebec Remparts but Randy Guimond took over the net for Game 2
The most recent player to earn Videotron Player of the Week honors in the QMJHL is Sam Oliver of the Drummondville Voltigeurs
New Brunswick scored five times and added a pair of assists as the Volts went 2-0-1-0 on the week
maintaining their lead atop the Western Conference standings
Oliver tied up a close game against Rouyn-Noranda with 48 seconds remaining in regulation
Though the Huskies went on to earn a 3-2 overtime victory
Oliver kept his point streak alive at six games
the fifth-year veteran led the Voltigeurs’ charge
including his seventh game-winner of the season
and adding an assist in Drummondville’s 4-1 triumph over the Phoenix
who also finished the game with an impressive +3 rating
The veteran sniper was at it again the following afternoon
in front of his home crowd this time around
After assisting on the eventual game-winner in the opening period
Oliver added a shorthanded snipe in the second and a powerplay marker in the third in the Voltigeurs’ 3-0 win over the Victoriaville Tigres
Oliver has vaulted into the league lead in that department with 42 tallies in 50 games
Originally a second-round selection of the Charlottetown Islanders at the 2020 QMJHL Entry Draft
Oliver was a key member of Drummondville’s championship squad last year
Future NHL stars are developing in the Canadian Hockey League this season
NHL.com will highlight a few of the top NHL-affiliated prospects in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League
the Ontario Hockey League and the Western Hockey League
Ethan Gauthier knows the best way to reach the NHL is to keep his feet moving
That was the directive the Tampa Bay Lightning forward prospect received during training camp
"Their message after camp was to make sure I was good on the forecheck
to move my feet and to finish my checks," the 19-year-old said
They told me that it was something they had seen a little less at camp compared to the year prior
I take that as a constructive element to try to build on that
whether it’s in the offensive zone or in the defensive zone
to improve my game and bring it to the professional level
Gauthier's fast start this season has him on the right path to reaching that goal
Selected by the Lightning in the second round (No
22 assists) in 24 games with Drummondville in his fourth QMJHL season
And prior to leaving to play for Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship
gotten quicker," Lightning assistant GM/director of player development Stacy Roest said
Gauthier is also a prospect with a bit of a swagger
Making the World Juniors team is just his latest accomplishment
Last season he was tied for second among QMJHL playoff scorers with 25 points (14 goals
11 assists) in 19 games to help Drummondville win the league championship
"You earn your opportunity for another opportunity
and that's what he kept doing," Roest said
and it's an opportunity to earn another opportunity
and that's what he just kept doing at camp
when he comes and shows that well and plays that well
it's exciting for the Lightning for sure."
Another step will be showing he can handle the uptick in competition at the World Juniors
"Anytime your prospects get a chance to play for their country ..
with the elite group of players that are there
"and it's going to help you with your belief in your game and where you're at in your career
And I think it's huge he gets a chance to play for Canada
Now he just has to keep moving to have success at the WJC
and eventually that could carry him to the NHL
"The games in which I have more success are when I’m moving my feet
making sure I have the mentality to move my feet and be in motion."
Henry Mews
Ottawa: The Calgary Flames prospect has been on a month-long hot streak
Gabe Smith
Moncton: The Utah Hockey Club prospect had two assists in a 7-2 win against Cape Breton on Dec
three assists) during a four-game point streak that matches his best in three seasons in the QMJHL
Kalem Parker
Calgary: The Minnesota Wild prospect had nine points (four goals
five assists) during a six-game point streak
which ended in a 4-1 loss at Lethbridge on Friday
The streak began after the 20-year-old was held without a point in his first three games with Calgary following his arrival in a trade with Moose Jaw on Nov
The Wild selected him in the sixth round (No
MONTREAL — Rain and record warm weather sent several southern Quebec rivers spilling over their banks on Monday
forcing residents from their homes and leading officials to close roads and cancel classes
asked residents in flood zones to evacuate because of the rising St-François river
which was moving about five times its average speed
Photos posted online by the municipality showed a red car half submerged in water
Drummondville Mayor Stéphanie Lacoste said the situation had stabilized by late afternoon
In the evening the municipality’s civil security organization lifted the evacuation notice for flood-prone areas
saying water levels in Drummondville as well as upstream from the community had dropped
It said patrol teams would continue surveillance of the area overnight and the Sûreté du Québec would maintain a presence on the ground
Lacoste said municipal workers used heavy equipment last month to try to break up the ice to prevent jamming
but she said the combination of thicker-than-usual ice
a recent near-record snowfall and the warm weather over the weekend created what she called a “favourable cocktail” for flooding
officials cancelled classes and opened an evacuation centre at the local arena after an ice jam caused the Chaudière river to surge into nearby streets
Several evacuations had taken place by 11 a.m.
the city said on its website without giving details
asked residents in four sectors to evacuate as a preventive measure
The Quebec government reported medium flooding at three of its water monitoring stations as of 4:30 p.m.
as well as five instances of minor flooding and said 15 spots were under surveillance
Environment Canada said several parts of the province recorded record-high temperatures on Sunday
including 20.1 C in Beauceville and 16.4 C in Montreal
Transport Quebec’s traffic monitoring site listed flood-related road closures or disruptions in the Chaudière-Appalaches
The site noted that warm temperatures and rain across the province promote “rapid melting of the snowpack and the accumulation of water on the road network,” and warned of a risk of hydroplaning
a water treatment facility was flooded and had to suspend operations
Residents were asked to limit their water consumption
and officials set up a distribution spot where people could pick up additional supplies with proof of residence
Several other municipalities said Monday they were monitoring the rising water and preparing to take action if necessary
municipal officials said hovercraft were out on Lac St-Pierre and the Yamaska River to clear a path for water to flow
after ice jams left several residents isolated
The municipality posted on Facebook later in the evening that the jams were cleared
and a video that accompanied the post showed the river flowing freely
urged residents to prepare for the possibility of flooding by moving their goods to higher spots in their homes
and bringing in outdoor items that could float away
The town said residents should also pack a bag of essentials and ensure vehicles are in easy-to-access locations if they need to leave their homes
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 17
Round Two of the Stanley Cup Playoffs are upon us
We preview the Leafs-Panthers series with former L.A
Kings executive and co-host of The FAN Hockey Show is Mike Futa
Ontario Premier Doug Ford calls on Prime Minister Mark Carney to prioritize a list of projects including the proposed Highway 401 tunnel
Monday is calling for rain and thunderstorms
Stella Acquisto has the long-range forecast
Could we see another indefinite pause on postal service in the country
Negotiations are underway again as Canada Post and the workers’ union try to cut a deal to avoid a lockout or strike later this month
listen to NewsRadio Toronto live anytime and get up-to-the-minute breaking-news alerts
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A Quebec provincial police car is seen at their headquarters in Montreal
A traffic control worker has been killed after being hit by a heavy truck in Drummondville
about 100 kilometres northeast of Montreal
A traffic control worker was killed on the job Friday after he was hit by a heavy-duty truck in Drummondville
Quebec provincial police say the truck hit the signaller at about 7:45 a.m
Police say the man in his 60s was declared dead at the scene
The road was temporarily closed to traffic while collision reconstruction experts analyzed the scene
The province’s workplace health and safety board as well as the coroner’s office have launched investigations into the death
A Quebec labour tribunal found last year that traffic signallers are “exposed to multiple dangers” on the job
and ordered they receive more training on health and safety around construction sites
This shouldn’t come as breaking news to anyone but the Halifax Mooseheads are big underdogs in this year’s QMJHL playoffs
They were the lowest-ranked team to qualify for the post-season and that earned them a first-round date with the Western Conference champion Drummondville Voltigeurs
everyone starts with an equal opportunity so here’s everything you need to know leading up to Game 1 of the best-of-seven in Drummondville on Friday:
Offence: Nova Scotian Luke Woodworth tied for fifth in QMJHL scoring and linemate Sam Oliver was the league’s only 50-goal scorer
while Ethan Gauthier is a second-round NHL draft pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning and essentially a point-per-game player (245 games played
241 points) for his four-year QMJHL career
The Voltigeurs determined during the Christmas trade period they needed veteran depth behind those three so they sacrificed a pile of high draft picks at the deadline in a pair of deals to land 19-year-olds Justin Larose and Nathan Baril
Drummondville’s top six is now balanced and dangerous
Halifax’s youthful attack produced the second-lowest offensive totals in the league during the regular season
with Quinn Kennedy leading the team in goals (24) and points (47)
Seventeen-year-olds Liam Kilfoil (46 points) and Shawn Carrier (44 points) are rising stars in the Q and 16-year-old rookies Caylen Blake
Amelio Santini and Danny Walters all made excellent gains throughout the season
All of those players have bright futures and deserve accolades for performing beyond their years during the rebuilding season but they will be tested in a new way now that the hockey takes on a playoff tone
Scrappy centre Braeden MacPhee also set career highs in goals (16) and points (28) as a 20-year-old
Defence: Team defence is the name of the game for both teams
There isn’t a blueliner on either side you would call a ‘star’ but there are reliable two-way defenders from top to bottom on both sides that perform well inside a five-man structure
Veterans Simon-Pier Brunet and Marc-Olivier Beaudry are the backbone of the Drummondville defence and Brady Schultz and Owen Phillips show the way for Halifax’s rapidly improving group of rookies
The broader defensive philosophy of both teams is to limit big mistakes and then move the puck forward in reliable ways that minimize turnovers in dangerous areas
This approach relies on equal effort and responsibility from the forwards and both teams execute their systems well so this series should be a good display of organization and efficiency
Goaltending: This is the most equally matched roster area in the series
Drummondville’s Riley Mercer and Halifax’s Jacob Steinman are two of the very best netminders in the league and it’s rare for either of them to let in a bad goal
They posted the two best goals against averages in the Q during the regular season and also both finished in the top three in save percentage
They also bring a ton of experience and leadership so
both should play every minute of the series and it’s easy to picture them taking turns stealing games
It bears pointing out Mercer backstopped the Voltigeurs to a league title last year
Special teams: There isn’t as much separation in this category as you might expect
The Voltigeurs had the better power play during the regular season – 24 per cent
15th for the Mooseheads – but the teams had identical penalty killing numbers (76.9 per cent)
They tied for 12th in the 18-team league so discipline will be an important factor all series
Coaching: Halifax’s Andrew Lord and Drummondville’s Sylvain Favreau are well known to Mooseheads fans for obvious reasons
Lord is the current coach of their team and Favreau held the job from 2021 to 2023 before stepping down and moving to the Voltigeurs bench
Favreau has been in the role for a longer time at the major junior level but both had extensive experience in other leagues before entering the Q
Both also have proven track records as winners
Favreau led the Voltigeurs to the QMJHL championship last year and Lord won multiple regular season and playoff titles in the Elite Ice Hockey League in the UK
The bottom line is these are two of the best coaches in the league
Miscellaneous: Game 2 is in Drummondville on Saturday
Games 6 and 7 will be in Drummondville on April 7 and 8
… Bridgewater’s Woodworth led the league with 66 assists and is in his second year as team captain
… Oliver led the Q with 18 power-play goals
… Mercer tied for the league lead with five shutouts
… More than half of Halifax’s game roster will be rookies (11)
The Halifax Mooseheads breathed new life into their Cinderella story at the Scotiabank Centre on Friday
After dropping two games on home ice to the Drummondville Voltigeurs to erase their 2-0 series lead
Their 4-2 win gave them another upset and a 3-2 lead in the first-round best-of-seven
“That was awesome,” forward Patrick McNab said after the game
“The fans always show up for us but they were even louder tonight and I thought we played an amazing game so we deserved all the applause
every block and every little play that we’d make
the fans knew what was going on and they’d applaud us
it was an unlikely hero who found his way into the spotlight
Just 89 seconds after Drummondville tied the game 2-2 in the third period
defenceman Lincoln Waugh put the Mooseheads back in front for good
His wrist shot through a crowd somehow found the net and brought the crowd of 6,760 to their feet
“It’s great to get my first one this year and it was special that it came at such a key time in the game,” Waugh said
“But of course our whole team worked so hard tonight and that was just one play so I can’t take too much credit just for myself.”
“I think the big thing was that tonight was
the best game we’ve played all series and maybe all season,” he added
“Just having three great 20-year-olds guiding the way and having that belief makes all the difference
If you believe in yourself and you work hard
Liam Kilfoil clinched the win with an empty-net goal and
Jacob Steinman was outstanding in the Halifax net
turning aside 29 shots to earn the first star
“He’s seen a crazy amount of shots in this series and he’s just been a rock for us,” Waugh said
“We all feel confident with him back there and just to see what he’s doing and how he carries himself every night
Overagers Braeden MacPhee and Brady Schultz scored the other Halifax goals and provided incredible leadership all night
Yoan Tasse and Ethan Gauthier were the Drummondville scorers and Louis-Felix Charrois made 18 saves
“It was just an amazing night,” Waugh said
“I think the biggest part was us being resilient
But I think our mentality to keep clawing back was huge
Just to pull off that win at home was huge.”
The Mooseheads also had the extra obstacle of playing more than half of the game without two key forwards
Callum Aucoin and Caylen Blake had to leave in the second period so Halifax went the rest of the way with 11 up front
“Especially for guys like me that aren’t used to playing that much – all the fourth-line guys – it was a big step up for us,” McNab said
“Going from playing 10 minutes to almost 20 is a lot and I thought we showed up
The Mooseheads were already missing three regulars – Will Bent
Justin Chiras and Eddy Doyle – to start the game so adding two more to that list was a challenge
Waugh was scratched for a number of games late in the season and is now logging huge minutes so he’s another prime example of someone rising to the occasion when called upon
“The biggest thing is for everybody to be ready for anything,” Waugh said
But it’s important just to stay ready because anybody can come in and make a big impact.”
Closing out the series will not be easy now that the Mooseheads go back on the road
Games 6 and 7 (if necessary) are in Drummondville on Monday and Tuesday
But Friday night was the first time the home team won a game in this series so the location likely won’t faze anyone on either side at this point
“It’s a boost to the boys knowing we can win on any ice surface,” McNab said
“We’ve won here now and we won the first two games up there so if it’s home or away
Jacob Steinman has been nothing short of sensational for the Mooseheads since arriving in a deadline deal with Moncton and Friday night was no exception as he made 42 saves in a 4-2 loss in Drummondville
Halifax was done in by penalty trouble which included taking a late too many men infraction that led to Ethan Gauthier’s game-winning goal on the power play at the 14:33 mark of the third period which broke a 2-2 deadlock
Drummondville was awarded five opportunities on the man advantage to just one for the Mooseheads as the Volts played a sixth of the game with the extra attacker
Box Score
Liam Kilfoil and Shawn Carrier did the goal scoring for the Herd who played another solid game against a league contender and gave them a good run
The Voltigeurs opened the scoring on a Jesse Allecia goal with less than five minutes to go in the first period but the lead didn’t last long as Carlos Handel made a nifty feed across to Kilfoil to tie the game 1-1 with 1:16 remaining in the stanza
It was Kilfoil’s team-leading 15th goal and his seventh point in the last three games while Handel has a five-game point streak with six points during that stretch
Steinman was the star of the period with 19 saves while Halifax scored their goal on just five shots against goalie Riley Mercer
The Moose took their only lead of the night at 8:37 of the middle period on a pretty play that had Braeden MacPhee dish across the Amelio Santini off the rush and the rookie Santini quickly whipped the puck across to the awaiting stick of Shawn Carrier who only needed to tap it in
MacPhee->Santini->Carrier 🚨 #GoMooseGo pic.twitter.com/n0yT8GhcCS
— Halifax Mooseheads (@HFXMooseheads) January 18, 2025
The Western Conference leaders pulled even at 2-2 a couple of minutes later as Yan Gaudreau put one in
Neither team was willing to budge after that point
playing the next 23 minutes and 49 seconds of scoreless hockey until the power play marker by Gauthier that decided the game
Justin Larose potted an empty net tally in the final minute to seal the deal
Steinman was named the third star for his fine effort while Gauthier picked up the first star with a goal and an assist
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In the evening the municipality's civil security organization lifted the evacuation notice for flood-prone areas
a recent near-record snowfall and the warm weather over the weekend created what she called a "favourable cocktail" for flooding
Transport Quebec's traffic monitoring site listed flood-related road closures or disruptions in the Chaudière-Appalaches
The site noted that warm temperatures and rain across the province promote "rapid melting of the snowpack and the accumulation of water on the road network," and warned of a risk of hydroplaning
have responded to God's call to lead His flock within the congregation of the Church of God of Prophecy in Drummondville
They were officially ordained into their roles on Sunday
Favoris Partager 0A former journalist at the daily Le Nouvelliste
former lawyer at the Port-au-Prince Bar Association
former communications director of the Superior Council of the Judiciary
former communications and public relations director at the Road Maintenance Fund
and pastor of the Church of God of Prophecy in Canapé-Vert
Pastor Samuel Baucicaut was forced to flee Haiti in November 2022 and seek refuge in Canada
Though the former senior editor of the newspaper on R Si vous avez déjà créé un compte, connectez-vous pour lire la suite de cet article. Connectez-vous Pas encore de compte ? Inscrivez-vous
MontrealNewsTeen injured in armed assault in Drummondville By Marisela AmadorPublished: January 25, 2025 at 5:03PM EST
Jim Hulton & Nicolas Ruccia (2025-03-01) vs
Drummondville Voltigeurs | presented by Ocean Acres Cottages & Campground ft
Director of Communications for the Charlottetown Islanders Hockey Team