Week five of the 2024-25 QMJHL season begins with just a single game, but it's sure to be a good one.
The Memorial cup hosting Rimouski Océanic will take on the no. 1 team in our most recent power rankings, the Voltigeurs in Drummondville in 7 PM.
The Voltigeurs -- who clinched a Memorial Cup berth last season but came up short -- have come back with a vengeance, winning seven of their first nine games to start the season.
Goaltender Riley Mercer has been a big part of the team's success so far.
Last playoffs, he put up a .934 save percentage while posting a 16-2-1 record to win the QMJHL championship -- before he and the Volts went on to get swept in the final. So far this season, he's undefeated through six games while posting a league leading .963 save percentage.
Another storyline from the Voltigeurs side to watch is captain Luke Woodworth. He's leading the team in scoring with 12 points over his first seven games. However, the former 20-goal scorer has yet to have registered his first of the season.
Instead, fellow overager Sam Oliver has been the team's premiere finisher with seven of his points being goals.
As for Rimouski, there's a lot at stake here.
If they keep up their impressive play, the Voltigeurs could very well be the other QMJHL team in the Memorial Cup -- and historically the Océanic have struggled mightily against the Volts.
Over the last five years, Rimouski lost nine of their 15 games against Drummondville. At home, the number is much bleaker with the Voltigeurs posting a 7-1-0 record against the Océanic in their building.
On top of that, Rimouski hasn't been off to as hot of a start as they had hoped -- going 5-3-0. Not necessarily a bad season by any means, but after picking up stars like Golden Knights prospect Mathieu Cataford and Samuel St-Hilaire.
Cataford has had an impressive 15 points (4+11) over nine games, meanwhile St-Hilaire has been shaky to start only posting an .862 over six games.
Even though it is just a normal early regular season game, this game could be a glimpse of what's to come in half a year's time.
Tonight's Games:
- undefined
To watch the games live, go to https://watch.chl.ca/qmjhl_chl or check your TV service provider for access to watch local games.