The Sea Dogs begin their playoff journey against Rimouski

The first opponent will be the Rimouski Oceanic. The round of 16 series, in a 3 of 5 format, will begin Thursday in Saint-Jean.

Rimouski finished 6th in the Eastern Conference, with 33 wins in 68 games. The Sea Dogs, for their part, finished strong, in 3rd place, with 48 wins, including the last 15 games of the season.

Rimouski is a good hockey team, well structured and plays well defensivelyunderlines Dwyer, who is wary of his opponents.

Collective work will be the key to the success of Sea Dogs, throughout the series. For supporters, it may seem like a trivial statement. But, for the head coach, it is far from it.

Of course we have star players, players who will perform wellrecalls Dwyer. But, to win, it takes a contribution from all the players.

The head coach speaks from experience. When he was the strong man of the QMJHL, as a player, he won the President’s Cup with the Hull Olympiques in 1995. Then, the following spring, the 17-year-old teenager saw his Harfangs de Beauport team bow in the final against Granby.

Two finals, two contradictory results, two different experiences. But, it always comes back to the team concepthe adds.

To defeat Rimouski, he believes that managing puck possession will be an asset.It’s the series, it will take the contribution of all the playershe said.

Its general manager, Trevor Georgie, has built a formidable team in attack. William Dufour, with his 56 goals, is the top scorer in the QMJHL. His teammate, Josh Lawrence, had 101 points (including 31 goals).

In defense, defenders Vincent Sévigny (64 points), Jérémie Poirier (57 points) and William Villeneuve (56 points) contribute to this strike force.

At the Océanic, Xavier Cormier, with 68 points, and Luka Verrault, with 56 points, are the leaders in attack.

However, there are pitfalls to avoid. Saint-Jean finished the season with 15 straight wins. Some might be tempted to take the adversary lightly.

Playoff experience will also be an asset. One of the goaltenders, Nikolas Hurtubise, helped the Victoriaville Tigres win the President’s Cup last year.

The Sea Dogs are also guaranteed to participate in the Memorial Cup tournament as the host team. But, they want to arrive as the champion team of the QMJHL.

Through the front door. It is the objective.

” We didn’t need to talk about it, but we have to work as a team. We are proud to have the cup [Memorial] here. But, we focus on the series! »

Dwyer will also remind his players to seize the passing opportunity.

” Careers pass quickly, you know. The seasons pass quickly. Lately, with the COVID, with the canceled or shortened seasons, with the different formats, we have to take advantage of the situation. We are proud of our performance in the second half of the season, but nothing is certain. »