The lhjmq series is headed to a decisive game after the Remparts de Québec beat the Islanders de Charlottetown 4-2 on Monday night. Patrick Déniger made 22 saves in his return as the starting goalie, and the Remparts used the win to force a final matchup on Tuesday night. The game is set for Charlottetown, with both teams now one victory away from advancing.
Patrick Déniger steadies Québec in the lhjmq series
After being left on the bench in Game 5, Patrick Déniger answered with a strong outing when it mattered most in the lhjmq series. He helped the Remparts regroup after they had dropped two straight games and faced elimination, then returned to the crease and gave Québec the reset it needed. Charlie Morrison, Maddox Dagenais and Mathias Loiselle each finished with a goal and an assist, while Nikita Ovcharov also scored.
Ross Campbell and Nathan Leek replied for Charlottetown, but Québec controlled key stretches early and in the middle of the game. Morrison opened the scoring in the first period on a shot from the blue line through traffic. Ovcharov doubled the lead early in the second after a strong puck protection play by Egan Beveridge, and Loiselle made it 3-0 less than four minutes later on a two-on-one.
Islanders push back, but Québec answers again
The Islanders got life on a power play early in the third period when Campbell scored from the faceoff circles. Québec responded in the middle of the period on a power-play goal from Dagenais, who buried a sharp one-timer to restore a three-goal cushion. Leek cut the margin back to two later in the period on a rebound, but the Remparts held on.
That result turned the lhjmq series into a true survival test, with neither side able to close the door before the final game. The matchup has swung back and forth throughout the round, with Québec first taking a 2-1 series lead before Charlottetown answered with back-to-back 3-2 wins to put the Remparts on the edge.
What the coaches and players are saying
Éric Veilleux, head coach of the Remparts de Québec, said he wanted to see a stronger effort from his group after a disappointing previous game, and he got it. He also said the team handled the pressure better and gave up little, even if Charlottetown capitalized when chances came. Jim Hulton, head coach of the Islanders de Charlottetown, said the return of Ivan Ryabkin and Nathan Leek gave his team a boost and that the Islanders were better in penalty killing and blocked shots.
Antoine Provencher, who scored the Islanders’ winning goal in a previous game, praised the calm of his bench and the work done in front of goaltender Donald Hickey. Hickey made 22 saves in that effort and was named the game’s first star.
What happens next in the lhjmq series
The next game will decide whether Québec moves on or Charlottetown survives another day. The Remparts are also expected to keep Patrick Déniger in goal, and no other lineup changes were expected after Monday’s win. For Québec, the immediate task is simple: carry the same structure, stay composed and try to finish the lhjmq series on the road in Charlottetown.
