The St-Isidore Eagles put up a strong fight against the high-flying Gatineau Hull-Volant in their first game back following the holiday break, but the top team ultimately secured the win.
However, a victory against the Cumberland Castors two days later brought the Eagles back to an even record to kick off 2025.
The Eagles opened the scoring against Gatineau on Friday, Jan. 3, at the Centre Slush Puppie, with Justin Cloutier (Jacob Levac) finding the net in the first period. Five minutes later, the Hull-Volant tied the game.
The second period followed a similar pattern, with Gatineau scoring first on a powerplay. The Eagles answered back with a powerplay goal of their own, courtesy of Levac (Cedric Hughes), levelling the score before the end of the period.
St-Isidore briefly took the lead in the third period when Maxime Patenaude (Levac) scored early, but Gatineau responded decisively. The home team netted five goals in the third period, interrupted only by a powerplay goal from Hughes (Levac, Patenaude). Despite the effort, the Eagles fell short in a high-scoring 7-4 loss.
Victory against the Castors
Facing the Cumberland Castors on home ice proved to be a more favourable matchup for the Eagles, even in a low-scoring game.
Alexis Gaudreau (Jean-Miguel Savage, Patenaude) opened the scoring in the first period, and Eloi Cayer (Yan Maisonneuve, Maxime Paquette) added another goal in the second. A scoreless third period kept the game uneventful but secured the Eagles their first win of 2025 with a 2-0 final score.
Looking ahead
With the new year underway, the Eagles sit just above the middle of the standings with a 12-11-2-2 record. They are five points behind the Vankleek Hill Cougars, who hold three games in hand.
Next up for the Eagles is a match against the Metcalfe Jets on Friday, Jan. 10, followed by a rematch with the Castors on Saturday, Jan. 11.
