West Island Hockey hosts Midget Espoir tournament

Twenty eight teams made up of some of the best 15-year old hockey players in the province met in the west island this weekend for the inaugural Pointe-Claire/Dorval Midget Espoir Hockey Tournament.

Included were a pair of underage all-star teams composed of players from all around the province who will be eligible to play Espoir next season. Former NHLers Eric Desjardins and Donald Audette served as coaches for the two squads. Local Bantam AA players Justin Nantais and Carl Chenier of the West Island Royals, and Philip Klitirinos of the DDO Vipers, suited up for coach Desjardins on Team Quebec Blue. “I had been called up to the (Midget Espoir) Lac St. Louis Tigers earlier in the year but I couldn’t believe it when coach Mullin told me that I was on the under-15 team,” expressed Nantais afterwards. “ It was pretty cool to have an ex-pro behind the bench but once the puck dropped I looked at him as just another coach and concentrated on my game.” “I thought the boys performed well,” added Mullin, who served as an assistant coach under Desjardins. “It was the highest level of competition that they’ve faced and I think they showed that they can compete at that level.”

Sunday’s final pitted the top ranked Lac St. Louis Patriotes against the Québec Cyclones, who previously handed the Patriotes their first loss since September in the round-robin portion of the tournament.

The game remained scoreless until the appropriately named André Dorval converted a power play goal late in the second period to give the Patriotes a 1-0 lead, however the Cyclones would equal the score midway through the third. The game seemed destined for overtime but a laser by Yan Dumontier with 1:36 left on the clock propelled the Patriotes to a 2-1 win. The goal came on a one-timer after a nifty drop pass from tournament leading scorer Yannik Crête. The Élites Beauce Amiante took the final spot on the podium after defeating the Sélects du Nord 4-3 earlier in the afternoon. “It was a positive experience for West Island Hockey and for the cities of Pointe-Claire and Dorval,” said President Jean-Guy Babineau. “We will be applying for the tournament again next season and hopefully we will be hosting for many years to come.”