Simon Lafrance scored in double overtime in the championship final Sunday to lead the UQTR Patriotes to their first men’s hockey national title in nearly two decades.
Lafrance’s goal with 5:42 to play in the second overtime period gave the Université du Quebec à Trois-Rivières a 5-4 victory over the Alberta Golden Bears.
It was the Patriotes’ first national title since 2003.
“I’ve been playing for Les Patriotes for three years with these guys,” Lafrance said. “I shed a tear and the emotion was strong.”
Goalie Alexis Gravel made 66 saves, including 22 across the two overtime periods.
“His performance was exceptional. He gave us a chance to win,” Lafrance said of his goaltender. “Every game he plays, he gives us a very good chance to win.”
The winning goal was Lafrance’s second of the game after he forced overtime with a third-period strike on the power play to tie the final 4-4.
Jordan Martel, Félix Lauzon and Loik Léveillé each scored once and added an assist for the Patriotes, which had a 10-3-2 record in the regular season.
Noah Philp led the way for the Golden Bears with two goals and an assist. Matt Fonteyne had a goal and two helpers, and Luc Smith also scored.
Goalie Taz Burman stopped 35-of-40 pucks in defeat.
Alberta (16-3-1 in regular season) led Sunday’s final 3-1 when Philp beat Gravel 45 seconds in the second period. The Golden Bears led 4-2 going into the third.
Léveillé halved the deficit 8:46 into the third before Lafrance’s equalizer at 12:47.
The St. Francis Xavier X-Men won bronze earlier Sunday with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Ryerson Rams. Zack Trott netted the OT winner 43 seconds into the extra frame.