HOCKEY. In its first season with the Quebec Student Sport Network (RSEQ), the Cégep de Drummondville women’s hockey program battled for first place in the second division.
After having escaped the first two parts of their history, the Voltigeurs have suffered only one defeat in their last eight outings. As the mid-season mark approaches, head coach Éric Langlois’s troop ranks second on the college circuit with a record of 5 wins, 3 losses and 2 draws. The team is only one point behind the holders of the first position, the Pionnières du Cégep de Rimouski (6-2-1).
“Our team has experienced tremendous progress since the start of the season,” said Éric Langlois. Every week our players improve in all facets of the game. We do a lot of video. We have put things in place in recent weeks. There, it starts to pay. The system is implemented and each girl understands her role. Our execution is better. This is what allows us to be successful. ”
In a very defensive circuit, the Voltigeurs have allowed their opponents only 1.2 goals per game on average so far this season. The Drummondville attack produces an average of 2 goals per game.
According to Éric Langlois, the Voltigeurs season has taken a positive turn since a team meeting last month.
“We spoke in the eyes of each other,” he said. We won, but we cheated a bit. Since then, the girls have been committed to their teammates and to the team. It shows in their one-on-one fights and their defensive folds. Everyone got the message. Currently, everyone is playing with commitment. And since we work the right way, we score more goals. “
In front of the net, the Voltigeurs are betting on the league’s most effective goalie duo. Maygan Lussier and Alice Dagenais have phenomenal statistics. “Our goalies don’t see a lot of shots, so we ask them to get involved in the system, like going out of their net to get pucks. These are two athletes with good builds who work very hard in practice, ”said Éric Langlois, highlighting the work accomplished by specialist Kathy Desjardins.
On offense, Maxim Collin is second on the circuit with 8 points, including 5 goals, in 10 games. Her trio mates Laurie-Ève Trottier and Camélia Bazinet follow her closely. “Our first line is very effective, but lately our attack has diversified. More and more, each of our trios is contributing on the offensive, ”said Éric Langlois.
Among the main surprises since the start of the season, Éric Langlois identifies defender Annabelle Delorme. “Annabelle has experienced tremendous growth. She’s playing big hockey right now. She is a very sandy defender who makes few mistakes. She works hard in training to correct her little shortcomings. It’s a nice hidden card in our blue line. ”
The first row at stake
On their last outing, Sunday, in front of their fans, the Drummondville hockey players signed a 4-1 victory over the Filons du Cégep de Thetford. Maxim Collin, Laurie-Ève Trottier, Camélia Bazinet and Marie Dagenais beat goalkeeper Catherine Manta. Alice Dagenais made 21 saves.
The first place in the standings will be at stake, Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.), while the Pioneers and the Voltigeurs will cross swords twice on the skating rink of the Girardin sports center. So far this season, the Drummondvilloises have not been able to beat their rivals in Bas-Saint-Laurent, suffering two short losses on the road and delivering a draw at home.
“We want to end our fall session on a high note. Rimouski is a very opportunistic team. Every time we made a mistake, they made us pay the price. Since the last time, some errors have been corrected. We have made a lot of progress in our game. We will see where we are at the end of the week, ”said Éric Langlois.
Following this weekend, the four teams in the Second Division will have a long break. No game is scheduled before the winter session, in mid-January. Composed of 21 games, the regular season will continue until March.
“The first row is the goal of the girls. They want to win. Me too, but my focus is on the process rather than winning. The process is going really well right now. It is a question of continuing on this path, ”concluded Éric Langlois.
