Jason La Rose
The As de Québec figured out the formula for success in playoff hockey: if you don’t get scored on, it’s tough to lose games.
Over their four games at the Coupe Chevrolet provincial championship, the As—and standout goaltender Lya-Kim Dufour—were simply unbeatable.
After giving up a pair of goals in a tournament-opening 4-2 win over the Amazones de Laval-Montréal, Dufour shut the door the rest of the way, posting back-to-back-to-back shutouts—the last two against the defending champion Étoiles de Laurentides-Lanaudière—to send Quebec to the Esso Cup.
That it came down to the As and Étoiles was not a surprise; the teams finished with identical 23-4-1 records in the Ligue de hockey d’excellence du Québec (LHEQ) regular season (thanks to a season-ending 12-game win streak by the As) and went the distance in the best-of-three LHEQ final, where Laurentides-Lanaudière got the upper hand.
But the two matchups at the Coupe Chevrolet were not close; Québec scored a 3-0 victory to earn a place in the final, and got two goals from Livia Landry and a goal and two assists each from Léanne Brassard and Camille Bihannic in a comfortable 6-0 win in the championship game.
Brassard (14-16—30), Landry (16-13—29) and Bihannic (11-13—24) were the offensive stars for the As in the regular season, finishing fifth, sixth and 11th, respectively in LHEQ scoring, while Dufour appeared in 24 of 28 games and ranked second in goals-against average (1.35) and shutouts (7).
Québec scored the second-most goals in the LHEQ in the regular season (99) and potted 17 in four games at the provincial tournament, giving it a prolific offence to pair with its lights-out goaltending.
The As will not have recent history on their side in Dieppe; beginning with their lone previous appearance in 2019, Quebec teams have missed out on the semifinals at Canada’s U18 Women’s National Club Championship at five consecutive tournaments.
HOW THEY GOT TO DIEPPE
Coupe Chevrolet (Hockey Quebec) Preliminary round: defeated Amazones de Laval-Montréal 4-2 Quarterfinal: defeated Remparts du Richelieu 4-0 Semifinal: defeated Étoiles de Laurentides-Lanaudière 3-0 Final: defeated Étoiles de Laurentides-Lanaudière 6-0
REGULAR SEASON
Record (W-L-OTL): 23-4-1 (T-1st in LHEQ) Goals for: 99 (2nd in LHEQ) Goals against: 40 (2nd in LHEQ) Longest winning streak: 12 (Jan. 24-March 22) Top 3 scorers: - Léanne Brassard (14G 16A 30P – 5th in LHEQ) - Livia Landry (16G 13A 29P – 6th in LHEQ) - Camille Bihannic (11G 13A 24P – 11th in LHEQ)
PLAYOFFS
Record: 4-0 Goals for: 17 Goals against: 2 Top 3 scorers: - Camille Bihannic (1G 5A 6P) - Léanne Brassard (3G 3A 6P) - Lya Michaud (5G 0A 5P)
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
2019 – As de Québec | 6th place | 1-4 | 16GF 20GA
UNIVERSITY COMMITMENTS
None