THIRD PERIOD OUTBURST LIFTS QUEBEC TO VICTORY

CAMPBELL RIVER, BC – Down two goals after 40 minutes, Quebec found their offensive stride in the third period – in a big way.

Guillaume Asselin scored twice in the final period to complete his hat trick, leading Quebec to a seven-goal frame and a 10-6 win over Slovakia at the Strathcona Gardens on Tuesday afternoon. The Canadian side outshot Slovakia 27-11 in the third period, and 54-32 overall.

Asselin’s two goals in the third joined singles from Samuel Carrier, Martin Lefebvre, Michaël Bournival , Matthew Bissonnette and Maximilien Le Sieur, helping Quebec erase a 5-3 deficit and climb back to the .500 mark at 1-1. Bournival finished with a pair of goals, while Gabriel Desjardins also scored.

Slovakia, which dropped its tournament opener, got two goals from Denis Mihalik and one apiece from Lukas Cingel, Michal Cajkovsky and Michal Murcek in taking a two-goal lead into the second intermission before imploding. Dominik Simcak rounded out the scoring with a late goal.

Quebec will face the powerhouse United States squad in Port Alberni on Wednesday night (7 p.m. PST), while the Slovakians will travel to Duncan to take on undefeated West on Wednesday (2 p.m. PST).