A third of the way into the 2015 Midget AAA hockey season, the Magog Cantonniers are still looking to find their stride.
Going forward, the Cantonniers will be hoping for more consistency in their play as they have alternated wins and losses throughout the season, resulting in a record of 7-4-2 with 16 points after last weekend.
Offensively, Magog has been led by veteran Christopher Benoit and rookie Olivier Mathieu this year. Benoit, a 16-year old from Sherbrooke, has already notched 13 points, five goals and eight assists, and has an impressive +9 rating. The Baie-Comeau Drakkar prospect is also the team’s captain. Mathieu, a 15-year old forward from Drummondville, has picked up 5 goals and 10 assists in his first year as a midget.
Key contributions have also come from fellow Sherbrooke natives, Félix Meunier with 11 points and Tristan Gagnon with 10. Meunier spent time early in the season with the Victoriaville Tigres of the QMJHL, playing three games, before returning to the Cantonniers.
So far veteran Alex D’Orio and rookie Justin Blanchette have each taken on duties in net this season.
D’Orio is 4-2-2 in eight games, including 2 shootout losses. The first round draft pick of the Saint John Sea Dogs, has allowed an average of 3.06 goals each game. Blanchette has put together a 3-2-0 record. He currently sits third in the league for goals against average with 1.98 and he is second in save percentage with 0.932.
Of help to the Cantonniers is the fact the 40th season of the Quebec Midget AAA Hockey League is shaping up to be one of the closest in the league’s history.
The Magog squad are currently third in their division behind the Lac St-Louis Lions (8-3-1) and the College Antoine-Girouard Gaulois (7-3-2) and is tied for fifth in the league overall. However, no team has more than eight wins or 18 points, leaving the door wide open for a Cantonnier run.
Magog is back in action on the road this weekend. On Friday they will be in St-Eustache to take on the Vikings at 7:15 p.m. On Saturday afternoon they will face the division leading Lions looking to pick up a game in the standings.
They are back at the Magog Arena on Wednesday, Oct. 21 to face the College Charles Lemoyne Riverains, starting at 7 p.m.
