QMJHL· Season 2026
Damien Leduc's two goals and an assist powered Sherbrooke Phoenix to a 3-1 pre-season win over Victoriaville Tigres at Complexe Sportif Thibault GM on Saturday.
Match Analysis
AI SummaryHow It Unfolded
Leduc opened the scoring on the power play at 4:43 of the first period, one-timing a feed past Victoriaville goaltender Thomas Corriveau. The Tigres answered before the intermission — Thomas Laprise found the back of the net to knot the game at 1–1, with Sherbrooke carrying a 16–6 shot advantage through 20 minutes, per the Tigres' official X account.
The score remained deadlocked through the second period. Sherbrooke continued to dominate shot volume, pushing the gap to 25–12 at one stage, but Corriveau held firm and the game went to the third period tied.
Sherbrooke broke through in the final frame. Leduc factored in the go-ahead goal and later added an insurance marker to make it 3–1. The specific minute marks for the third-period goals were not published at the time of writing.
The Turning Point
The third period belonged entirely to Sherbrooke. After Corriveau and Zackary Renaud — who split the net for the Tigres — kept Victoriaville level through 40 minutes, the Phoenix forecheck finally overwhelmed the Tigres defence. Leduc, playing on a line with fellow first-year forwards, drove the decisive sequence that broke the 1–1 deadlock and gave Sherbrooke control it never relinquished.
Key Performers
Damien Leduc, Sherbrooke — The 2026 first-round pick (9th overall) posted a three-point night (2G, 1A) in his first QMJHL pre-season game. He opened the scoring on the power play at 4:43 of the first and was involved in both third-period strikes. Per Atlantic Hockey Hub, Leduc was the focal point of the Phoenix attack.
Thomas Laprise, Victoriaville — Scored the equaliser in the first period, the lone Victoriaville goal of the afternoon. Laprise gave the Tigres life after Sherbrooke's early power-play strike.
Thomas Corriveau / Zackary Renaud, Victoriaville — The Tigres split goaltending duties. Corriveau stopped 23 of 24 shots, while Renaud made 16 saves on 17 shots and was tagged with the loss, per Atlantic Hockey Hub. Combined, the pair held Sherbrooke to three goals.
By the Numbers
Sherbrooke's shot advantage told the story of territorial dominance. The Phoenix outshot Victoriaville 16–6 in the first period and finished with a 41–17 margin overall, including a 25–12 gap through two periods. The power play also delivered — Leduc's first-period PPG was the only special-teams goal of the game.
What It Means
This was the first pre-season tune-up for both clubs ahead of the 2026–27 QMJHL regular season. Sherbrooke goes to 1–0 in exhibition play and will look to sweep the back-to-back when the teams meet again Sunday, August 16 at 3:00 PM ET at Complexe Sportif Sani-Marc in Victoriaville.
The QMJHL regular season is scheduled to begin in late September.
Verdict
Sherbrooke's top prospect delivered on the hype, and the Phoenix dictated play from the opening shift. Victoriaville got steady goaltending but couldn't generate enough offence to test Sherbrooke's netminders consistently. One pre-season game, but the signs are encouraging for a Sherbrooke side with one of the youngest rosters in the QMJHL taking another step forward.
Match Events
Key match events between Sherbrooke Phoenix and Victoriaville Tigres — 4 goals and 0 cards recorded during the match.
E. Nolette-Robidoux
M. Araujo
S. Chartier
Empty net
Rivalry since 2019
Sherbrooke Phoenix vs Victoriaville Tigres Head to Head Results· 50
Sherbrooke Phoenix and Victoriaville Tigres have met 50 times — Sherbrooke Phoenix won 30, Victoriaville Tigres won 20, with 0 draws. Their rivalry dates back to 2019. Sherbrooke Phoenix leads the head-to-head with 30 victories from 50 meetings. A combined 373 goals have been scored across these fixtures, averaging 7.46 per match (208 for the home side, 165 for the visitors). Both teams scored in 46 matches (92%). Over 2.5 goals landed in 50 games (100%), making it a fixture that tends to produce goals. The highest-scoring encounter finished 6–7 in 2025.
Statistics are for informational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
API data: 22 Aug 2026