Rouyn-Noranda's strong first period was enough to give Chicoutimi their first loss of the playoffs.
After Thursday night's marathon in Moncton, the semifinal focus flips to Chicoutimi on Friday, where the Huskies met the Saguenéens for their game one.
It would be the visitors who would walk out somewhat surprising victors, shutting down the offensive firepower on the other side.
Here's how we got there.
Rouyn-Noranda (3) - Chicoutimi (1)
Huskies players celebrate with goaltender Samuel Meloche. (Photo: Bruno Girard)Coming into this series, the Chicoutimi Saguenéens hadn't yet lost a playoff game in 2026.
They rolled through the first two rounds, allowing just six goals in eight wins, and never allowing more than a single goal in a game.
Well, that changed just 13:44 into game one against the Huskies.
After Benjamin Brunelle opened the scoring on the breakaway, Eliot Ogonowski capitalized on a tough Lucas Beckman turnover, putting the puck past a sprawling Sags defence to double the visitors' lead in shock fashion.
From there, it was the defensive performance of Rouyn-Noranda that stood out. They were outshot 22-18 through two periods, hardly anything too bad, and Alexis Bernier's first of the postseason was the only time the hosts beat Samuel Meloche all night.
In the third, the Huskies allowed just five shots, and Axel Dufresne iced an empty netter from distance to put the game away, and give the visitors a statement game one road victory.
Meloche made 26 stops in the win, and he and his defence will have to stay sharp as the series progresses if they want to pull the upset here. But, no matter what, this is as good of a start as they could've asked for.
Tonight's Games
Blainville-Boisbriand (1) at Moncton (0) - 6 PM EDT
Rouyn-Noranda (1) at Chicoutimi (0) - 7 PM EDT
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