HOUNDS CONTINUE WINNING WAYS IN LÉVIS

LÉVIS, QUE. – The Lévis Commandeurs are on the brink of being knocked out of the hunt for the 2010 TELUS Cup, following a 6-4 loss to the Notre Dame Hounds on Thursday night.

Lévis, which is 1-3-0, has one game remaining in preliminary-round action on Friday against the Gaulois du Collège Antoine-Girouard. And the Commandeurs have a chance to get to four points, which could put them in a tie with several other teams. The Commandeurs need to win and get some help in order to advance to Saturday’s semifinals.

On Thursday, Lévis used the largest crowd of the week to start strong against Notre Dame but couldn’t solve Hounds goaltender Mark Foley (London, Ont.). Scott Bolland (Osoyoos, B.C.) scored the lone goal of the first period for the Hounds.

The Commandeurs had a great chance to tie the game when captain Jean-Christophe Laflamme (Montmagny, Que.) was hauled down on a breakaway and was awarded a penalty shot late in the first frame. Laflamme skated in on the penalty shot and tried to beat Foley between the pads, but Foley shut the door. It was one of several scoring chances the Commandeurs couldn’t bury.

Notre Dame kicked it into a higher gear in the second period and was rewarded with four goals. Daniel Dale (Grande Prairie, Alta.), Slater Koekkoek (Mountain, Ont.), Shea Howorko (Regina, Sask.) and Yannick Laflamme (Thetford Mines, Que.) scored for the Hounds in the second period.

Notre Dame opened up a 5-0 lead and the game seemed to be in the bag. But the Commandeurs didn’t quit, starting with a goal by Bobby Cadorette (St-Joseph Coleraine, Que.) late in the second period. Maxime Nadeau (St-Gervais, Que.), Frédéric Raymond (Breakeyville, Que.) and William Pelletier (St-Jean-Chrysostome, Que.) scored for the Commandeurs in the third period.

Notre Dame’s Marcus Messier (Canmore, Alta.) scored in the third period.

Notre Dame sits in a tie for first place with Antoine-Girouard, as both teams have 2-0-2 records. Both teams have clinched semifinal berths; what is left to be determined is their placing in the standings. Notre Dame concludes its preliminary round against the Mississauga Reps on Friday morning.

All action at the TELUS Cup is available via webcast through FastHockey. Sunday’s gold medal game will be shown on TSN and RDS. Check local listings for specific broadcast times.