HOUNDS STORM BACK FOR WIN AT TELUS CUP

LÉVIS, QUE. – It’s early in the tournament but the Notre Dame Hounds might have a case for goal of the 2010 TELUS Cup.

The Hounds’ Yannick Laflamme, a Thetford Mines, Que. Native who played minor hockey in Lévis, finished a pretty tic-tac-toe play late in the first period with his team on a 5-on-3 power play. The goal was Notre Dame’s first of the 2010 TELUS Cup and cut Red Deer’s 2-0 lead in half. It also propelled the Hounds to a 5-3 win in the opening game of the National Midget Championship.

Laflamme’s goal came with three Hounds barreling in on Red Deer goaltender Mac Engel. James Melindy fed the puck to Stefan Matteau, who quickly gave the puck to Laflamme, and the former Lévis Commandeur made no mistake in ripping a shot past Engel.

Melindy would later score a highlight-reel goal of his own, this one coming with just under seven minutes to play in the third period. Melindy streaked down the right side of the ice and snapped a quick shot over the left shoulder of Engel. The goal broke a 3-3 tie, sending the pro Notre Dame crowd – it appears that half of Wilcox, Sask., is in town for this event – into a frenzy. The Hounds would add an empty-net goal to make it 5-3 with 1:11 to play.

Notre Dame also got goals from Scott Bolland and Slater Koekkoek. Red Deer’s goals were scored by Nate Engert and Justin Faux, who had a pair. Riley Parker earned the win in the Notre Dame net.

Notre Dame returns to action on Tuesday, when it will face Antoine-Girouard. Red Deer will try and win its first game of the championship on Tuesday versus the Mississauga Rebels.