Saint-Isidore led three games to zero against Bytown after the February 22 weekend play schedule for the quarterfinals challenge between the two teams. One more game would secure the semifinals berth for Saint-Isidore, but instead, the Royals rallied and won the fourth and fifth games, going into the Leap Year weekend play schedule.

“I was expecting us to win too,” said Coach Carl Bougie, regarding Saint-Isidore’s almost-secure hold on the semi-final berth. “But the scores don’t reflect what the games were like. In game four, we outshot them and got more power plays and turnovers.”

Coach Bougie is still satisfied with his players’ work on the ice during the quarterfinals series so far. “And give Bytown some credit,” he said, “because they are working hard. Now our boys are ready, so I’m pretty sure in the next game against Bytown, we’ll finish up strong.”

Bougie noted the key to securing the fourth win in the series depends on sticking to the team’s strategy and getting more shots on goal than Bytown does. “We need to start strong right off the bat,” he said. “The last game we started out flat and we were playing catch-up hockey. We have three big offensive lines that can do the job.”