Rimouski Océanic made light work of Newfoundland Regiment in a 6-1 victory at the Colisée Bell on Saturday evening, keeping their perfect record intact. The hosts had lost 3-4 to the same opposition just the previous day, but this time around they kept their side in it from the opening whistle. And here's the thing — the turnaround was immediate, with Rimouski sensing blood from the first period and never looking back.
The Regiment had looked sharp in their 4-3 win over Rimouski on Friday, but the visitors dug in too deep and paid for it. By then, the hosts had extended their unbeaten run to eight across all competitions, though this was their first QMJHL victory of the weekend. The visitors stretched the back line early, but the home defence tightened things up once the pressure mounted.
We had called for home success with 43 per cent confidence before the match, and that assessment proved sound. The prediction held because Rimouski's recent results suggested they were capable of bouncing back — their 8-5 win over Charlottetown and narrow victories over Sherbrooke showed they could outscore opponents. To be fair, the visitors' two losses in five games indicated vulnerability, and the hosts capitalised.
The result keeps Rimouski top of the table with six wins from six, while the Regiment remain sixth after five matches. The goal difference now tells a different story — the hosts have scored 25 and conceded just 21, whereas the visitors have netted 22 and let in 16. The table goes out of the window in these games, but the performance gap was evident.
This was the sort of match where three or four moments decided everything, and Rimouski got those moments right. The Regiment had chances to stay in it, but they couldn't convert when it mattered. The hosts have one foot in establishing themselves as genuine contenders, and Saturday's display suggested they meant business.
