2018 TELUS Cup

CANTONNIERS USE FIVE-GOAL SECOND TO KNOCK OFF NATIONALS

OLIVIA BULLEN

SUDBURY, Ont. – Jérémy Rainville and Simon Pinard had two goals each in a five-goal second period, helping the Cantonniers de Magog come from behind to beat the Toronto Young Nationals 7-4 in the first game of the day Tuesday at the 2018 TELUS Cup.

After killing an early penalty, the Young Nationals opened the scoring; Noah Arsenault picked off a Magog pass and found Jack McTiernan, who flew up the wing and went low to the blocker side of goaltender Olivier Adam at 11:15.

Despite chances at both ends, including a missed back-door opportunity by Marshall Lessard late in the period, the game went to the intermission 1-0 in favour of the Nationals.

Toronto managed to extend its lead within the first minute of the second period thanks to Nolan Lowe, but the Cantonniers responded 64 seconds later off the stick of Rainville to again make it a one-goal game.

Magog continued to build momentum, and a Pinard goal at 6:02 tied the game. Jérémy Lapointe then toe-dragged around a Toronto defender and beat goaltender Elliott Tang just 29 seconds later, giving the Quebec champions the lead for good.

Pinard finished a two-on-one with Rainville to make it 4-2 at 17:46, and the roles were reversed only 34 seconds later when Pinard set up Rainville to extend the lead to three goals.

Toronto got one back in the final minute when Lowe ripped home a one-timer for his second goal of the period, getting the Young Nationals within two after 40 minutes.

The Cantonniers got off to the start they wanted in the third period, with Gabriel Fontaine making it 6-3 less than two minutes in.

Toronto frantically tried to make a comeback, getting within a pair of goals again when Yianni Tsiampas split the Magog defence to score the 6-4 goal, but Karl Vaillancourt hit the empty net for a power-play goal with 5-3 seconds left to finish it.

Magog is in action next in the middle game Wednesday, facing off against the Notre Dame Hounds (3:30 p.m. AT), right after the Young Nationals take on the Lethbridge Hurricanes (12 p.m. AT).