QMJHL· Season 2026
Match Analysis
AI SummaryHow It Unfolded
Sherbrooke controlled the opening 40 minutes. Ilya Kuzminykh opened the scoring at 5:31 of the first period, finishing a feed from Ivan Kolmakov and Jacob Fitzpatrick. The Phoenix doubled their advantage at 12:14 of the second period when Loic Poirier buried another Kolmakov setup. Egor Bibeau-Rivard made it 3-0 at 18:02 of the same frame with help from Ethan Gingeleskie, leaving the Armada staring at a three-goal deficit heading into the final period.
Blainville-Boisbriand flipped the game entirely in the third. Oleg Filaj got the Armada on the board at 2:05, converting a play from Mavrik Ly and Dylan Deschamps. Just 1:47 later, Liam Campbell pulled the Armada within one at 3:54, assisted by Anthony Santini and Jackson Seaman. The equaliser came at 10:47 — Maxime Gosselin struck on the power play, with Jacob McKinnon and Filaj picking up the assists, tying the game at 3-3.
Neither team scored for the remainder of the third period or in overtime, sending the pre-season contest to a shootout where Sherbrooke prevailed. Individual shootout results were not officially published at the time of writing.
The Turning Point
Gosselin's power-play goal at 10:47 of the third period. After digging a three-goal hole across the opening 40 minutes, the Armada needed a breakthrough to complete the comeback. The power-play marker levelled the score and erased what had been a dominant Phoenix lead, giving Blainville-Boisbriand a foothold they carried through the rest of regulation and overtime.
Key Performers
Ivan Kolmakov (Sherbrooke) — The Phoenix playmaker registered primary assists on both the first-period opener and Poirier's second-period strike, driving Sherbrooke's early offence. His vision created the multi-goal cushion that nearly held.
Oleg Filaj (Blainville-Boisbriand) — The Armada forward scored the goal that sparked the third-period rally at 2:05 of P3 and later assisted Gosselin's equaliser. A direct hand in two of Blainville-Boisbriand's three goals in the comeback frame.
Maxime Gosselin (Blainville-Boisbriand) — Scored the equaliser on the power play at 10:47 of the third period, completing the Armada's surge from 3-0 down to force overtime.
Player of the match was not officially published for this pre-season fixture.
By the Numbers — Interpreted
Sherbrooke led 1-0 after the first and 3-0 after the second, a reflection of their territorial edge in the opening 40 minutes. But the third period told a different story: the Armada scored three times in a span of 8:42, two of them at even strength in the opening 3:54. The scoring sequence suggests a significant momentum shift at the second intermission. Blainville-Boisbriand's ability to score twice in 1:47 early in the third reset a game that had seemed decided after the Phoenix controlled the neutral zone through two periods.
What It Means
This was a pre-season (exhibition) fixture for the 2026-27 QMJHL season, serving as a tune-up for both sides ahead of the regular-season campaign. With the regular season set to begin in September 2026, both teams will take lessons from contrasting halves: Sherbrooke proved they can build and protect a lead, while the Armada showed resilience in erasing a three-goal deficit on the road.
The all-time head-to-head record between these sides stands at 30-20 in Sherbrooke's favour across 50 meetings, with both teams scoring in 48 of 50 fixtures and over 2.5 total goals in every single encounter.
Verdict
A pre-season game that delivered more drama than its exhibition status suggested. Sherbrooke's first two periods showed a team that can control games through structured offence and Kolmakov's playmaking. Blainville-Boisbriand's third period demonstrated a resilience that will serve them well when the games count — but they will want to avoid falling three goals behind against a side as composed as the Phoenix. In a shootout, it could have gone either way, but Sherbrooke's early control proved just enough.
Match Events
Key match events between Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and Sherbrooke Phoenix — 6 goals and 0 cards recorded during the match.
J. Fitzpatrick
D. Deschamps
J. Seaman
O. Filaj
Rivalry since 2020
Blainville-Boisbriand Armada vs Sherbrooke Phoenix Head to Head Results· 50
Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and Sherbrooke Phoenix have met 50 times — Blainville-Boisbriand Armada won 20, Sherbrooke Phoenix won 30, with 0 draws. Their rivalry dates back to 2020. Sherbrooke Phoenix leads the head-to-head with 30 victories from 50 meetings. A combined 323 goals have been scored across these fixtures, averaging 6.46 per match (144 for the home side, 179 for the visitors). Both teams scored in 48 matches (96%). Over 2.5 goals landed in 50 games (100%), making it a fixture that tends to produce goals. The highest-scoring encounter finished 5–8 in 2020.
Statistics are for informational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
API data: 29 Aug 2026