QMJHL: Roy, Remparts flat-foot Maineiacs

LEWISTON -- Playing under the watchful eye of his father, one of the most celebrated netminders in the history of the sport, Jonathan Roy took a mighty first step toward establishing his own identity on Friday night at the Androscogging Bank Colisee.

Roy made 27 saves for Quebec, earning just his second career Quebec Major Junior Hockey League win by leading the Remparts to a 4-1 decision over the Lewiston Maineiacs.

"He's been playing very well for us, and to be honest with you, I'm very happy with the way he's playing," said Patrick Roy, an NHL Hall of Famer and the Remparts' head coach, the guy who gave Jonathan a chance at Victoriaville gave up on him last season. "The last four for five times he's been in the net for us, he's been really sharp. His confidence has come in, and I'm very happy with the way he's handling things."

Roy's Rempart teammates took some of the pressure off of his shoulders early, building a 2-0 first-period lead off the sticks of Angelo Esposito and Felix Petit. From there, Roy did the work -- stopping 12 of the 13 shots he faced during Lewiston's best period, the second period.

Only the hot hand of Danick Paquette, who has three goals in the last two games for the Maineiacs, was able to push one past Roy -- but Maxime Sauve (goal, assist) answered less than a minute and a half later to make it a two-goal lead once again.

"For me, it's really special," said Roy, who ended up in junior AAA after Victoriaville passed on him last winter. "It was a difficult year (last year). I talked about not playing hockey, but I decided to bounce back from that. For me, I've been working hard, and that's what's been working the last few games."

Neither Patrick nor Jonathan, however, are willing to bite on comparisons to one another.

"I'm just not going to play into that," said Patrick, himself a 3-time Vezina Trophy winner as the NHL's best goaltender and a 4-time Stanley Cup winner. "I think he has enough pressure on himself... Jonathan is Jonathan."

"I don't try to be like him," Jonathan said. "He's way up there -- and I'm not going to aim for what he's accomplished. That's why I look at guys like (Maineiacs goalie Jonathan Bernier), guys that are going up there right now. It releases stress off my shoulders."

Bernier was hung out to dry far too often by his Lewiston teammates, and though he couldn't always bail them out, he did a masterful job of it midway through the game.

With the Remparts on the power play and defenseman Pierre Bergeron camped out in the low slot to recieve a centering pass from the left wing, Bernier stacked his pads and slid left to right across the crease -- waving a glove in the air to rob Bergeron of a sure goal.

Still, the entire Lewiston room was left deflated after dropping what they felt could have been a better result entering the night.

"Coach (Ed Harding) had a real simple game plan for us, and we absolutely didn't follow it," said Lewiston pivot Stefan Chaput, lamenting the lack of a backcheck on behalf of his mates which allowed the odd-man rushes to produce goals.

"We didn't follow the game plan. What Quebec's good at is jumping in the play and creating odd-man rushes. We gave up three goals on odd-man rushes," Harding said. "We didn't shoot the puck enough. We think we're a pretty fancy, pretty cute team offensively, and we're not that way.

"We need to start getting more pucks to the net."

The times the Maineiacs did do that, of course, ran into a red-hot Roy -- one who resembled his old man on a few occasions. And it was Patrick who brought his son to Quebec to give him the opportunity.

"I just felt he deserved a chance," Patrick said. "I felt he belonged in the league."