REDMEN TAKE GAME ONE OVER UQTR

MONTREAL - Benoit Martin's power-play goal at 15:46 of the third period capped an unlikely three-goal rally as No.2-ranked McGill edged fifth-ranked UQTR 4-3 before a capacity crowd of 950 at McConnell Arena, Wednesday.

The win, McGill's third straight third-period comeback against the Pats, gave the Redmen a 1-0 lead in the OUA East conference men's hockey final. It also left them only one victory shy of their first-ever appearance at the CIS national championships, a format that began in 1962-63.

McGill improved to 6-24 in 30 lifetime playoff meetings against their arch-rivals from Trois-Rivières,

Trailing 2-0 in the first and then 3-1 late in the second period against the Patriotes, McGill ran into penalty trouble when Shawn Shewchuk was called for tripping. But the Redmen hung and capitalized when Shewchuk's penalty expired and he found himself on a breakaway to score his first of two goals at 17:04 of the middle period.

The Redmen then struck for two sudden third-period goals in a span of two minutes and 16 seconds to steal victory from the jaws of defeat against a team that is famous for its third-period comebacks against McGill.

Martin, a senior centre from Gaspé, Que., won a face-off deep in the Patriotes zone to set up Shewchuk's tying marker, his third of the playoffs, at 13:30 of the final period. However, the Redmen lost their leading scorer for the remainder of the game when referee Nicolas Dutil assessed Shewchuk a 10-minute misconduct penalty for his exuberant celebration on the tying goal.

Just over two minutes later, Martin converted a long bounce pass off the end boards from rearguard Ken Morin with his second game-winner of the playoffs and team-leading fifth winning goal of the season.

McGill held a 25-24 margin in shots as Mathieu Poitras made 21 saves in nets and improved his playoff record to 3-1. UQTR's Dany Dallaire was also credited with 21 saves but lost for the first time in five playoff outings.

The Patriotes had jumped into a 2-0 lead on a power play goal by Jonathan Boutin (his seventh of the playoffs) at 10:54 of the first stanza and Jerome Bergeron's marker at 14:53.

McGill got on the board when sophomore Eric L'Italien of Ste. Foy, Que., connected on the power play to make it 2-1 at 17:19 of the first.

But Boutin netted his second of the game and eighth of the playoffs to give the Pats a seemingly commanding 3-1 lead only 32 seconds into the second period.

Game 2 scheduled for Friday (7:30 p.m.) in Trois-Rivières, Que., where the Pats hold a 13-2 lifetime playoff record against the Redmen... If necessary, a third and deciding contest will be played on Sunday night at McGill. 

REDMEN RAP: The Redmen are 11-1-1 in their last 13 games and improved to 28-6-3 overall, equaling the school's single-season record for victories, achieved in 38 games during the 1990-2000 season... McGill is 14-1-2 overall at McConnell Arena and 15-5-1 on the road... The Redmen power play, which had been struggling at 10 per cent since the loss to injury of winger Doug Orr in mid-January, went 2-for-6, while the PK unit killed off five of six shorthanded situations... Orr, who was second in the nation with nine power play goals, missed his 12th straight game with post-concussion syndrome... Defenceman Yan Turcotte sat out his sixth straight game with a lower body injury... Th Redmen lost centre Mathieu Leclerc midway through the third when he feld awkwardly and suffered an upper body injury... His status for Game 2 is uncertain... The Molson Cup 3 Stars, selected by Randy Phillips of The Gazette, were : 1. Shawn Shewchuk (McGill), Benoit Martin (McGill) and 3. Jonathan Boutin (UQTR).


SCORING SUMMARY

Redmen 4, Patriotes 3

@ McConnell Arena 


FIRST PERIOD:
1. UQTR - Jonathan Boutin (T. Poudrier, J.P. Morin) - 10:54 (PP) 
2. UQTR - Jerome Bergeron (E. Beaudin, C. Laroche) - 14:53 
3. McGill - Eric L'Italien (E. Stilling, M. Kovacevic) - 17:19  (PP)

Penalties:
McGill - D. Urquhart (Hold), 3:45 
UQTR - Y. Lavigne (Hook), 6:36 
McGill - C. Churchill-Smith (Interference), 9:51 
UQTR - A. Morel (Interference), 16:08 

SECOND PERIOD:
4. UQTR - Jonathan Boutin (M. Gravel) - 0:32 
5. McGill - Shawn Shewchuk (D. Urquhart, K. Morin) - 17:04 

Penalties:
McGill - P-A. Paquet (Interference), 5:36 
UQTR - C. Laroche (Trip), 8:29 
UQTR - J. Lessard (Interference), 13:04 
McGill - S. Shewchuk (Trip), 14:57 
McGill - K. Morin (Hold), 18:52 

THIRD PERIOD:
6. McGill - Shawn Shewchuk (L.S. Allaire, B. Martin) - 13:30 
7. McGill - B. Martin (C. Gauthier, K. Morin) - 15:46  (PP)

Penalties:
McGill - P-A. Paquet (Interference), 4:38 
UQTR - S. Nadeau (Delay Of Game), 7:39 
McGill - S. Shewchuk (10-min. misconduct), 13:30 
UQTR - N. Pelletier (Hold), 13:54 
UQTR - C. Laroche (Rough), 20:00 
UQTR - T. Poudrier (Rough), 20:00 
McGill - S. Bloom (Rough), 20:00 
McGill - L-S. Allaire (Rough), 20:00 
McGill - K. Morin (Rough), 20:00 

GOALTENDERS:

UQTR:
Dany Dallaire (L, 4-1; 4GA, 21 saves; 59:28)
Empty-net: (0GA, 0:32)

McGill:
Mathieu Poitras (W, 3-1; 3GA, 21 saves; 60:00)

GOALS BY PERIOD
UQTR:    2  1  0  (3)
McGill:  1  1  2  (4)

SHOTS BY PERIOD
UQTR:     6  9  9  (24) 
McGill:  12  5  8  (25)

PENALTIES (No./Chances):
UQTR:    8/16
McGill: 10/28

POWER PLAYS (goals/chances):
UQTR: 1/6
McGill: 2/6

MOLSON CUP THREE STARS
(selected by Randy Phillips of The Gazette)

1. Shawn Shewchuk, McGill
2. Benoit Martin, McGill
3. Jonathan Boutin, UQTR

Official Scorer: Tara Findlay

Referee: Nicolas Dutil

Attendance: 950

(Source: Earl Zukerman, McGill Communications Officer & Webmaster.)