A battle of offence vs defence rounds out the 4v5 seed battle in the West.
The first confirmed matchup of the 2026 QMJHL playoffs has always seemed a long time coming.
These two teams have been in a tier below the top three, but above the rest out West all season long, and will now finally get to play the long-expected series.
This one will be a battle of Shawinigan's scoring prowess against Sherbrooke's defence and goaltending.
Shawinigan's Vince Eile battles with Sherbrooke's Louis-Alex Tremblay in front of the Phoenix goal. (Photo: Vincent Lévesque-Rousseau)What to expect from Shawinigan
The Cataractes are a sneaky good offensive team, with their 3.95 goals per game rate sitting fourth in the QMJHL this season.
Felix Lacerte is the main catalyst and driver of offence, but their entire top six forward group hit the 50-point mark this season. This isn't a one-line team, they can beat you up and down the lineup with scoring.
Defensively, they're solid but not spectacular, led by Matheiu Plante and Felix Plamondon after they traded captain Jordan Tourigny to Chicoutimi mid-season.
Mathys Fernandez has given some solid performances in goal, ending the season with a respectable .906 save percentage.
While they've struggled a bit in the month of March, this is a solid team ready to make a mark in the playoffs.
What to expect from Sherbrooke
If Shawinigan is an offensive team who hit a bit of a rut down the stretch, the Phoenix are the exact opposite of that.
A defensive-minded group, an 8-2 run in their last 10 games heading into the post-season has them in as good of form as anyone. This includes big wins over Chicoutimi (twice!) and Drummondville.
While the offensive stars aren't quite there on this roster, it's actually a blueliner that leads them in points, as Louis-Alex Tremblay had 59 (14+45) in 64 games. Behind him, names like Thomas Rousseau, Ilya Kolmakov, Jayden Plouffe and Florent Houle lead the team offensively.
Those names will need to step up and have a big series to keep up with the scoring of the Cataractes, but the most important player on this team is in goal.
Kyan Labbe has been fantastic all season, and even better down the stretch. A .912 save percentage sparkles, and he's elevating his game at the perfect time. A strong playoffs from him can take the Phoenix a long way.
Schedule
Game one: Friday, March 27, 7:00 PM EDT @ Shawinigan
Game two: Saturday, March 28, 4:00 PM EDT @ Shawinigan
Game three: Tuesday, March 31, 7:00 PM EDT @ Sherbrooke
Game four: Wednesday, April 1, 7:00 PM EDT @ Sherbrooke
Game five*: Friday, April 3, 7:00 PM EDT @ Shawinigan
Game six*: Sunday, April 5, 7:00 PM EDT @ Sherbrooke
Game seven*: Tuesday, April 7, 7:00 PM EDT @ Shawinigan
* = if necessary
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