The QMJHL’s dominance at the Memorial Cup tournament came to an emphatic conclusion this spring.
The Drummondville Voltigeurs, coming off an impressive four-game sweep of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in the league final, were expected to have a great chance of being the fifth consecutive 'Q' team to capture Canada’s national junior hockey championship. The Volts seemingly had all the necessary pieces; a balanced offense, three solid defense pairings, and steady goaltending.
Instead, Drummondville put forth a disappointing performance in Saginaw, failing to win a single game against its CHL opponents. After getting thoroughly embarrassed by the OHL champion London Knights in their opening game, the Voltigeurs dropped a pair of one-goal games to Saginaw and Moose Jaw. In going 0-3, Drummondville became the first QMJHL club to go winless at the Memorial Cup since Moncton laid a goose egg in 2010.
Despite its disappointing record, it’s unfair to say Drummondville played poorly in the tournament. While the Volts were outmatched in a 4-0 loss to London, they could have easily won their other two Round Robin games. Drummondville surrendered a two-goal lead in a 4-3 loss to Saginaw, and then gave up a soul-crushing shorthanded tally in the waning minutes of regulation against Moose Jaw, resulting in another 4-3 defeat.
In hindsight, it’s easy to say Drummondville was inferior to its competition at the Memorial Cup, but the fact of the matter is anything can happen in a short tournament. The Voltigeurs, while certainly not a top-heavy team with a litany of high-end talent, represented the Q very well. The hockey gods simply weren’t on their side in Saginaw, but that doesn’t detract from what was a spectacular season and a well-earned league championship.
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