RECAP: The Streak Ends. QMJHL Wins 5-2.

FINAL: QMJHL 5, Russia 2

VAL-D’OR, Que. – The streak is finally over.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League ended their five-game Subway Super Series losing streak with a 5-2 victory over Team Russia on Wednesday night in Val-d’Or. Russia won the opening game of the series by score of 5-2 on Monday.

It was a big night for Team QMJHL’s marque stars: Jonathan Huberdeau, Jonathan Drouin, and Nathan MacKinnon. The trio combined to score four goals and seven assists for 11 points.

Huberdeau, Team QMJHL’s captain for the event, recorded two goals and an assist. He was also a +2 after finishing Monday’s game a -4. MacKinnon and Drouin each had a goal and three assists.

Francis Beauvillier scored the other goal for the ‘Q.’ Zach Fucale started the game and made nine saves. Francois Brassard took over halfway through the contest and made 14 stops.

Huberdeau was the only Sea Dog playing in Wednesday’s game as Ryan Tesink was scratched.

Andrei Sigarev and Vladimir Tkachev scored for Russia. Nail Yakupov had an assist while Mikhail Grigorenko was held pointless. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevski made 27 saves in the loss.

Solid showing by Team QMJHL in this game. The series now shifts to the Ontario Hockey League.

Francis Beauvillier fired a shot from the top of the circle that went upstairs on the Russian netminder and in to give Team QMJHL an early 1-0 lead just 59 seconds into the first period.

Russia tied it up with a shorthanded goal at 11:40 by Andrei Sigarev.

Late in the frame, Charles Hudon and Yakupov got tangled up and hugged each other down to the ice. The score would remain 1-1 after one. Shots were 8-8.

Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Huberdeau broke in on a two-on-none at 3:51 of the second period. MacKinnon fed Huberdeau who slipped the puck into a wide open cage to give Team QMJHL a 2-1 lead.

A lovely cross crease pass from MacKinnon found an open Huberdeau who was parked at the side of the goal at 17:32. The power play marker made it 3-1 QMJHL.

Shots in the middle stanza were 13-6 in favour of Team QMJHL.

On yet another power play at 5:56 of the third, MacKinnon finally got a goal of his own to make it a 4-1 Team QMJHL lead.

Russia got the goal right back though at 6:26. On a partial break, Vladimir Tkachev ripped a shot past Francois Brassard to make it a 4-2 contest.

Team QMJHL made it a 5-2 game at 15:45. The puck found Jonathan Drouin who sniped his first Super Series goal to extend the lead. As it turned out, that would be the final goal of the game.

Shots in final frame were 11-11.

NOTES: The sound system in Val-d’Or is basically nails on a chalkboard… Sportsnet camera was in the same place as the Telus camera usually is, meaning it was basically hanging over the bench glass… “Huberdeau is so special. Can't wait to see him on regular basis,” tweeted Panthers beat writer Harvey Fialkov… we now know Huberdeua plays well with MacKinnon and Drouin. Wonder what Cam Russell is thinking right now?

NEXT GAME: The series now heads to OHL territory. Thus ends our coverage of the event. 

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation