Music: {allcanada} QMJHL: DEFULVIIS SCORES IN OT AS OCEANIC BEAT MOOSEHEADS

Sunday, April 29, 2012

{allcanada} QMJHL: DEFULVIIS SCORES IN OT AS OCEANIC BEAT MOOSEHEADS

HALIFAX -- Robbie DeFulviis scored the winning goal 8:02 into overtime as the Rimouski Oceanic eliminated the host Halifax Mooseheads from Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoff action with a 3-2 win on Sunday afternoon.

Rimouski won the best-of-seven Western Conference final 4-2 and will now face the top-seeded Saint John Sea Dogs for the President's Cup.

Peter Trainor and Scott Oke also scored for the Oceanic while Alexandre Mallet picked up a single assist to improve his team-leading points total to 22 in 17 contests.

Alexandre Grenier and Konrad Abeltshauser scored for the Mooseheads, who dropped the final two games of the series by a combined score of 12-2.

Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin each chipped in with two assists for Halifax. For MacKinnon, the two points gave him 28 in 17 games, which is best of all rookie skaters in the playoffs.

Jacob Gervais-Chouinard made 19 saves for the win while Zachary Fucale, the much busier of the two goaltenders, turned away 42 shots in defeat.

Despite the loss, Fucale was named the game's first star as his 37 saves through regulation time helped to keep his club's season alive.

The Mooseheads had to play without their captain Cameron Critchlow after he received a Game Misconduct in Game 5 for an altercation with Rimouski's Jonathan Lavoie.

Rimouski failed to score on three chances with the man advantage as Halifax went 1 for 3.

Game 1 of the President's Cup final will be held at Harbour Station on Friday in Saint John.

Trainor opened the scoring at 16:04 of the first period to give the Oceanic a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes of play.

Grenier tied the game at 7:27 of the second for Halifax and Abeltshauser made it 2-1 for the Mooseheads 2:23 later.

Even though they were being outshot 27-11 after 40 minutes of play, Halifax looked to have the series going to a seventh game until Oke tied the contest with just 4:13 to play in regulation.

DeFulviis ended the series with Rimouski's 45th shot on goal.