TORONTO — Forward Peter Abbandonato and the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies are closing in on history.
The Huskies beat the Val-d'Or Foreurs 4-1 on Wednesday for their 22nd win in a row, matching the 2009-10 Saint John Sea Dogs for the third-longest winning streak ever in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and bringing the club within three victories of tying a 45-year-old league record.
"There was a lot of good teams, I didn't expect us to be first in Canada," Abbandonato said about being ranked No. 1 in the 60-team Canadian Hockey League.
"I thought we were gonna be a top team in our league but we had a great first half of the season, our (general manager) made great deadline deals and really improved our team."
Rouyn-Noranda hasn't lost a game in all of 2019, with its last defeat coming against the Foreurs on Dec. 31, and three more wins would tie the Huskies with the 1973-74 Sorel Eperviers for the longest win streak in league history.
"We don't want to think about it but it's always in the back of your mind... day by day, game by game, keep working hard," said Abbandonato.
"Every day coming to the rink we want to be better and are looking at the process, not the results or winning streak," added Huskies head coach Mario Pouliot. "We our really proud of our work ethic and compete level and we want to keep going the way we are playing."
Even if the Huskies can't match, or beat, the '73-74 Eperviers for the longest win streak in league history, there is a strong possibility they can set the new standard for wins in a single season.
The QMJHL record for wins in a season is currently 58, jointly held by the '73-74 Eperviers, Sea Dogs (2010-11), Halifax Mooseheads (2012-13) and Trois-Rivieres Draveurs (1978-79).
The Huskies are 52-7-1 with eight regular-season games to go.
"Our scouts are doing a great job but I think it's our competitiveness, in our dressing room we're one big family, there's no individual groups," said Abbandonato. "Giving 100 per cent, I think that's what the Huskies do."
The 20-year-old Abbandonato, who's in his fourth season with Rouyn-Noranda and went undrafted by NHL teams, picked up a goal and an assist against the Foreurs on Wednesday to give him 27 goals and 97 points in 60 games. He sits second in league scoring while leading the league in assists with 70.
"Be a huge honour, coming into this league this year I never thought I'd be a top scorer. For sure feels great," said Abbandonato.
"Every year I just tell myself I want to be better than the year before. I want to continue playing hockey at a high level, my goal this year was to get an (NHL) deal."
Abbandonato was a member of the '15-16 Huskies that won the QMJHL championship and came a goal away from capturing the 2016 Memorial Cup, falling in overtime that year against the Ontario Hockey League's London Knights, who were led a line made of current NHLers in Mitch Marner, Matthew Tkachuk and Christian Dvorak.
The Laval, Que., native was only a depth player then, but is now one of the leaders of the club.
When Pouliot left the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the summer after four seasons and a Memorial Cup championship in 2018 to take over the Huskies, it was Abbandonato that he met with first to talk about the upcoming season.
Pouliot wanted the young forward to add another dimension to his game and become a bigger threat every time he's on the ice.
"I wanted him moving his feet, using his feet and attacking the net more and using his shot," said Pouliot. "Before that he was always looking to pass the puck from the outside but he's using his feet his speed, attacking the net and now he's pretty tough to shut down."
The Huskies aren't the highest-scoring team in the league, but they don't need to be with their defensive play.
Pouliot stresses puck possession as the best defence, saying that if his team has the puck the opposition can't score. But even when mistakes are made, Rouyn-Noranda has been bailed out by its strong goaltending duo of Samuel Harvey and Zachary Emond.
The Huskies have allowed a league-low 122 goals against in 60 games. Harvey, who began the year as the bonafide starter, is 31-7-0 with a 2.07 goals-against average and .923 save percentage while the younger Emond is 21-0-1 with a 1.74 GAA and .932 save percentage, starting as a backup but earning more starts with his play.
"We have two great goalies, Sam Harvey, 20-year-old, overage-player that's been extraordinary and Zach Emond only 18 years old but playing really well this year, can't complain," said Abbandonato.
Knowing his team could go deep this season, Pouliot, who joined the Huskies as coach and general manager, made deadline moves to bolster the club, most notably briging in defenceman Noah Dobson from the Titan and forward Joel Teasdale from the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.
Rouyn-Noranda hosts the Drummondville Voltigeurs on Friday and the Mooseheads Saturday. If the Huskies can get through two of the league's best teams on the weekend it will set up a match with the Shawinigan Cataractes on March. 6 to tie the '73-74 Eperviers.
"We can't think about being first in the country and about winning streaks and stuff like that," said Pouliot. I will give all the credit to our players who are doing an amazing job staying in the zone, not talking about distractions."
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Kyle Cicerella, The Canadian Press
