QMJHL Takes Game Two
John E. Sokolowski-US PRESSWIRE
After dropping game one of the Subway Super Series to Russia on Monday in Blainville-Boisbriand, the QMJHL roared back and took game two in a 5-2 victory that saw 19-year-old Jonathan Huberdeau notch three points in Val-d’Or.
Huberdeau, a prospect of the NHL’s Florida Panthers, scored twice and added an assist to earn a plus-2 rating in the win. His plus-two in the second game of the tournament was a major improvement over the minus-four he received in the first game.
The captain of the Saint John Sea Dogs was drafted third overall by the Panthers in 2011 and leads the tournament with two goals and three assists in two games on a QMJHL team that featured representatives of 13 teams from the league.
In addition, two 2013 draft picks had four points each, as highly-touted and possible first-overall selection Nathan MacKinnon and fellow winger Jonathan Drouin had a goal, three assists and a plus-2 rating each.
Both are ’95-born forwards in their sophomore seasons with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL and are tied for second place in points in the tournament. Like Huberdeau, MacKinnon improved from a minus-four performance in game one to a plus-two performance in the second game.
Francis Beauvillier added his first goal of the tournament to give the QMJHL the win, tying the tournament at three points apiece. Goaltending duties for the team were split nearly in half between Francis Brassard and Zachary Fucale. Brassard had 14 saves in 29:02, allowing one goal, while Fucale allowed one goal on 10 shots in 30:58.
Centers Andrei Sigarev and Vladimir Tkachev scored for Russia, who will play again tonight, facing off against players from the Ontario Hockey League. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevski allowed five goals on 32 shots against.
Russian captain Nail Yakupov – who was drafted first overall by the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers – leads his team with a goal and two assists, while sniper forward Mikhail Grigorenko and Maxim Shalunov (another NHL prospect) each have a goal and an assist. Tkachev and Valentin Zykov also have a goal and assist each, rounding out the top nine in the tournament.
Both teams were much more cautious of penalties in the second game as well. Russia had just 12 minutes of infractions, while Team QMJHL had 14 minutes. Compare that to 46 and 30 minutes respectively in the first game of the tournament.
Russia will return to action tonight in Guelph, Ontario, against a crop of players from the Ontario Hockey League. They’ll also face off again on Monday in Sarnia, with a number of rotations on the OHL team. Both games are at 7 p.m.