2017 TELUS Cup

SPECIAL TEAMS CARRY BLIZZARD INTO TELUS CUP SEMIFINALS

JASON LA ROSE

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. – It was all about the power play Friday for the Blizzard du Séminaire Saint-François, who scored four times with the man advantage in a 6-3 win over the Leduc Oil Kings in the preliminary-round finale for both at the 2017 TELUS Cup.

The victory moves the Blizzard into the semifinals Saturday, while the Oil Kings saw their season come to an end.

Pierrick Dubé, Maxime Collin, Jakob Pelletier and Guillaume St-Pierre all scored with the man advantage for the Blizzard, who have erupted for 12 goals in their last two games after scoring only four in their first three.

Métis Roelens added a pair of goals in the third period to add a little insurance.

Dubé, who had a hat trick in Saint-François’ win over host Cariboo on Thursday night, added another just 3:41 after puck drop; he camped out in the slot on the power play and one-timed a feed from Vincent Guy past Leduc goaltender Easton Hesse.

Dillon Hamaliuk got that back for the Oil Kings in the last minute of the opening period, cruising down the middle and burying a centering pass from Tyler Smithies to send the game to the intermission tied.

Leduc took its first lead just shy of the seven-minute mark of the second period when Conrad Phillips beat Blizzard netminder Philippe Gaudreault from in close, but the rest of the middle frame was all Saint-François.

Collin tied the game a minute after the Phillips goal, one-timing a bounce off the end boards over the shoulder of Hesse, and Pelletier poked in a rebound after a shot off the post for a 3-2 lead at 12:43.

St-Pierre shovelled in a loose puck after a scramble in the crease for the eventual game-winner in the last minute of the period, putting the Quebec champions up by a pair after 40 minutes.

Roelens pushed the lead to three just 68 seconds into the third period, finishing a quick little feed from Pelletier to chase Hesse, who allowed five goals on 32 shots before giving way to Nathan Reay.

Phillips got his second at 2:58, following up on his own rebound and beating a sprawling Gaudreault, but Roelens and Pelletier worked the give-and-go to perfection, with Roelens capping the scoring with less than four minutes to go.

The Blizzard will face the Regina Pat Canadians in the semifinals on Saturday; game time will be confirmed after the Mississauga-Cariboo game that finishes the preliminary round on Friday night.