Shawinigan Cataractes vs Drummondville Voltigeurs

Shawinigan struck first just 4:00 into the opening period. Pierre-Alexandre Lemieux opened the scoring off feeds from M. Desrochers and L. Gagnon, putting the Cataractes ahead 1-0.

Drummondville answered back at 10:00 on the power play. C. Warsofsky converted with assists from C. O'Leary and T. Gates to level the score at 1-1.

But the tie lasted only two minutes. Eric Hanley restored Shawinigan's lead at 12:00, finishing a play set up by F. Potvin-Leblond and A. Gagne. The Cataractes carried a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.

The second period belonged entirely to Shawinigan. N. Ouellet made it 3-1 just 3:00 into the frame (M. Gosselin, H. Gagnon). Barely a minute later, P. Novozhilov extended the lead to 4-1 at 4:00 with Desrochers and Lemieux providing the assists.

A. Gagne capped the scoring at 16:00 of the second period, burying a chance set up by Lemieux and A. Jean to make it 5-1. The third period passed without further scoring as Shawinigan cruised to the finish.

Hanley's go-ahead goal at 12:00 of the first period — scored just two minutes after Drummondville had equalised — deflated the Voltigeurs and restored Shawinigan's momentum. The Cataractes never trailed again and poured in three more goals in the second period to put the game beyond reach.

Lemieux factored in three of Shawinigan's five goals (1 goal, 2 assists), while Desrochers added two assists.

Pierre-Alexandre Lemieux (Shawinigan) — 1 goal, 2 assists. Led the Cataractes offence in both pre-season games on the day, also scoring in the afternoon shootout win. Sits atop the QMJHL pre-season scoring chart with 2 goals through the opening fixtures.

A. Gagne (Shawinigan) — 1 goal, 1 assist. Scored the 5-1 clincher and assisted on Hanley's first-period go-ahead goal.

Dax Robichaud (Shawinigan) — Stopped 17 of 18 shots faced, yielding only the first-period power-play goal to Warsofsky for a .944 save percentage on the night.

Player of the Match: Pierre-Alexandre Lemieux (Shawinigan Cataractes)

The Cataractes scored all five goals across the first two periods, with two goals in 2:05 late in the opening frame and two more in 1:24 early in the second — reflecting their ability to build momentum off sustained pressure. Drummondville's lone goal came on the power play, suggesting Shawinigan's 5-on-5 defence was firm throughout. Dax Robichaud's .944 save rate (17 saves on 18 shots) provided a steady foundation that allowed the offence to operate freely.

Shawinigan swept the pre-season doubleheader, winning 3-2 in a shootout in the 3:00 PM EDT opener and 5-1 in the 7:00 PM EDT nightcap. The Cataractes sit 2-0-0-0 in pre-season standings, sharing the early West Division lead. Drummondville drops to 0-1-0-1 (one regulation loss, one shootout loss).

Both teams continue their QMJHL pre-season schedules ahead of the 2026-27 regular-season opener. Shawinigan's next pre-season fixture is scheduled for 22 August at Complexe Sportif Girardin in Drummondville, while the Voltigeurs will look to rebound on home ice.

Shawinigan controlled both ends of a rare pre-season doubleheader, showing offensive depth and solid goaltending. Lemieux's four-point day (2 goals, 2 assists across two games) marks him as a player to watch entering the regular season. Drummondville struggled to generate consistent 5-on-5 offence and will need sharper even-strength execution in their remaining pre-season tune-ups.