2014 TELUS Cup

MONTPETIT’S 39 SAVES PROPELS GRENADIERS INTO TELUS CUP FINAL

DAVID BRIEN

MOOSE JAW, Sask. – Étienne Montpetit made 39 saves, Danick Crete had three points and the Grenadiers de Châteauguay advanced to the gold medal game at the 2014 TELUS Cup with a 6-1 semifinal win over the Toronto Young Nationals on Saturday night.

The victory sends the Grenadiers to a match-up with the Prince Albert Mintos in Sunday’s final (3 p.m. MT, TSN), while the Young Nationals will face the Okanagan Rockets for the bronze medal (11 a.m. MT).

Crête finished with a goal and two assists, Samuel Levac had a goal and an assist, and Alexandre Payusov, Brandon McCulloch and Brendan Peacock each added a pair of helpers in the win.

Other Grenadiers goals came from Pascal Laberge, Pierre-Luc Sanche, Justin Doucet and Martin-Olivier Cardinal.

Toronto’s only goal came off the stick of James Guest.

Châteauguay struck twice in the first period, both before the six-minute mark; Crête carried the puck from his own end before rifling a shot through Toronto goaltender Izzy Benigno just 98 seconds in, and Levac stepped into a slap shot in the slot and picked the top corner for a 2-0 lead at 5:52.

Despite outshooting the Grenadiers 15-10 in the first period Toronto trailed by two, and things only got worse for the Young Nationals in the second period.

Again the Central Region champions held an advantage in shots, this time 13-9, but again the Grenadiers put two past Benign.

First, Tyler Hylland burst down the right wing and snapped a shot on Benigno, which the goaltender was unable to corral, and Cardinal swooped in to bang home the loose puck for a 3-0 lead. Then, late in the middle frame, Sanche snuck a shot under Benigno’s arm to make it 4-0.

A fifth goal three minutes into the third, off the stick of Laberge, spelled the end for Benigno, who was replaced by Oliver Jacobs after allowing five goals on 21 shots.

Guest finally got the Young Nationals on the board at the 4:58 mark of the third on the power play, pounding a slap shot past Montpetit, but that would be the lone puck to beat the Châteauguay netminder.

Toronto outshot the Grenadiers in every period, and 40-28 overall.

Doucet capped the scoring with two minutes left, tipping in a Crête point shot on a Châteauguay man advantage.