Jason La Rose
If it’s an even-numbered year, it must be Collège Français de Longueuil representing the Ligue de hockey junior AAA du Quebec (LHJAAAQ) on the national stage.
Longueuil will make it three appearances in five years at the Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons, following trips to Estevan in 2022 and Oakville in 2024.
And while the LHJAAAQ has historically been known as one of the highest-scoring Junior A leagues in the country, Collège Français has earned its way to Summerside thanks to a shutdown defence.
Longueuil allowed only 103 goals in 48 regular-season games; that ranked it second in the entire Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) (trailing only the Fort Frances Lakers of the SIJHL, who gave up just 98), and its 2.15 goals-against per game placed them fifth in the CJHL.
To put those numbers in perspective, the second-best goals-against total in the LHJAAAQ belonged to the Condors du Cégep Beauce-Appalaches, who gave up 161 goals—58 more than Longueuil.
Collège Français was also lights-out in the playoffs, giving up 20 goals in 13 games as it posted sweeps of Côte-du-Sud and Beauce-Appalaches in the semifinals and final, respectively, shutting out the Condors in the last two games.
(Longueuil’s lone postseason defeat came in double overtime, in Game 2 of its quarterfinal against Valleyfield. Combined with its season-ending six-game win streak, it hasn’t dropped a game in regulation time since Valentine’s Day).
Mathis Lacroix-Goulet was the workhorse in the Collège Français goal, making 34 appearances in the regular season and fashioning a 2.06 goals-against average that was more than a full goal better than second place (3.18). He was also one of only five LHJAAAQ puck-stoppers to post a save percentage above .900, leading the league at .918.
Longueuil will bring Centennial Cup experience to Summerside; eight players—Lacroix-Goulet, captain Gabriel L’Étoile, Samuel Beaulieu, Zachary Berger, Mathys Blanchette, Mathieu Derome, Mathieu Gosselin and Rayen Haché were part of the team that went winless in the preliminary round two years ago in Oakville, scoring only two goals in four games.
HOW THEY GOT TO SUMMERSIDE
Ligue de hockey junior AAA du Québec Quarterfinal: defeated Valleyfield Braves 4-1 (4-1, 4-5 2OT, 5-2, 6-2, 4-1) Semifinal: defeated Everest de la Côte-du-Sud 4-0 (6-1, 3-1, 4-2, 2-1 3OT) Final: defeated Condors du Cégep Beauce-Appalaches 4-0 (6-1, 6-3, 3-0, 4-0)
REGULAR SEASON
Record (W-L-OTL): 41-6-1 (1st in LHJAAAQ) Goals for: 239 (2nd in LHJAAAQ) Goals against: 103 (1st in LHJAAAQ) Power play: 58 for 244 (23.8% – 6th in LHJAAAQ) Penalty killing: 165 of 192 (85.9% – 1st in LHJAAAQ) Longest winning streak: 17 (Sept. 5-Nov. 1)
Top 3 scorers: • Isaiah Parent (29G 40A 69P – 6th in LHJAAAQ) • Gabriel Provencher (24G 44A 68P – 8th in LHJAAAQ) • Pierre-Olivier Denis (17G 33A 50P – 35th in LHJAAAQ)
PLAYOFFS
Record: 12-1 Goals for: 57 Goals against: 20 Power play: 15 for 77 (19.5%) Penalty killing: 37 of 42 (88.1%)
Top 3 scorers: • Isaiah Parent (10G 8A 18P) • Gabriel Provencher (4G 14A 18P) • Pierre-Olivier Denis (4G 10A 14P)
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
1990 – Sieurs de Longueuil | 4th place | 1-4 | 16GF 34GA 2022 – Collège Français de Longueuil | 4th place | 3-3 | 21GF 26GA 2024 – Collège Français de Longueuil | 10th place | 0-4 | 2GF 24GA
COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY COMMITMENTS
None
CJHL TOP 20 RANKINGS
Sept. 29 – 5th Oct. 6 – 2nd Oct. 13 – 1st Oct. 20 – 1st Oct. 27 – 1st Nov. 3 – 1st Nov. 10 – 1st Nov. 17 – 1st Nov. 24 – 1st Dec. 1 – 1st Dec. 8 – 3rd Dec. 15 – 2nd Dec. 22 – 3rd Jan. 5 – 3rd Jan. 12 – 3rd Jan. 19 – 3rd Jan. 26 – 3rd Feb. 2 – 3rd Feb. 9 – 3rd Feb. 16 – 3rd Feb. 23 – 4th March 2 – 4th March 9 – 4th