VAL-D’OR, Quebec (Interstat) — In a tightly contested divisional matchup defined by special teams and a late comeback, the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies edged the Val-d’Or Foreurs 3-2 in a shootout Sunday afternoon at Centre Agnico Eagle.

The victory improved the Huskies to 19-13 in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League season, while the Foreurs fell to 13-20.

The game’s pivotal moment arrived late in the third period. Protecting a 2-1 lead with under seven minutes remaining, the Huskies were assessed a hooking penalty, handing the Foreurs a critical power play. Val-d’Or capitalized at the 13:43 mark when Mathias Bourque buried a feed from Samuel Fiala to tie the game and force overtime, ultimately leading to the shootout where Rouyn-Noranda prevailed.

The contest opened with a rapid strike from the visitors. Huskies defenseman Alexis Lemire fired a shot past Val-d’Or starting goaltender Vincent Moreau just 1:05 into the first period, assisted by William Vézina. The Foreurs responded on a power play six minutes later, with leading scorer Philippe Veilleux netting his 24th goal of the season off a helper from Benjamin Cossette Ayotte to knot the score at 1-1.

A disciplined, hard-checking second period saw limited scoring chances until the final minutes. With the teams playing four-on-four following offsetting roughing penalties, Rouyn-Noranda’ Nathan Langlois broke the deadlock at 17:58, converting a setup from Antoine St-Laurent to give the Huskies a 2-1 lead heading into the final frame.

Langlois, named the game’s top star for Rouyn-Noranda, finished with a goal and four shots on net. His line drove the Huskies’ offense throughout the night.

The third period was marked by persistent penalty trouble for the Huskies, who were shorthanded four times. Goaltender Samuel Meloche, who entered the game in relief of starter Alexandre Raymond, was a central figure in preserving the narrow lead with several key saves, finishing with 20 stops on 22 shots. At the other end, Foreurs goaltender Émile Beaunoyer was equally stout, making 28 saves to keep his team within reach and set the stage for Bourque’s tying power-play goal.

The game was a penalty-filled affair, with the two rivals combining for 16 infractions totaling 32 minutes. Both teams struggled to generate consistent five-on-five offense as a result. The Huskies’ ability to kill five of six Foreurs power plays, until the late third-period lapse, proved a decisive factor.

The result defied the pregame projection from Interstat, which had forecast a 4-3 Val-d’Or victory despite also giving Rouyn-Noranda a 60.1% probability to win based on its ELO rating system.

The Huskies snapped a two-game losing streak with the win, while the Foreurs have now dropped two of their last three. The two Abitibi-Témiscamingue rivals will meet again in just three days, on New Year’s Eve in Rouyn-Noranda, to conclude their home-and-home series.