LNAH Playoffs: And Then There Were 4

The 1st Round of the Playoffs is officially behind us. From upsets to nail biters, there was no shortage of headlines. The story of the round was Quebec’s upset of Saint-Georges, and the Series of the Round could easily be Laval vs Saint-Hyacinthe.

Most people saw the 1-8 matchup as a win for Saint-Georges, but no one saw it as David vs Goliath. It was a tale of two teams who had taken different paths over the course of the regular season and could be seen as heading in opposite directions going into the playoffs. Then, of course, Tristan Cote-Cazenave happened. Only those in the CoolFM locker room will really know, but it’s easy to think that a first seed team got rattled and lost the mental battle. In any event, the National pulled off the upset and are moving on. 

Riviere du Loup and Thetford treated us to a 2024 championship rematch, and Jonquiere came from the brink of a sweep to make a 7-game nail biter, but the most entertaining series was Laval vs Saint-Hyacinthe. With every game decided by a single goal, a few OT thrillers and plenty of regular season physicality, these two teams were a treat. The fans in attendance brought it as well, creating a high stakes battle night in and night out. 

Now we’re on to Round two. 

Sorel-Tracy, having survived a near epic comeback from Jonquiere, is now the top seed and faces the newly invigorated National. Most eyes will be on this series as Quebec has clearly captured the minds of fans across the league. Can they do it again? Can the Eperviers maintain the composure they almost lost in round one? One thing is for sure, the Eperviers won't be coming into the series taking this for granted. The series starts at 8:00 this Friday at Colisee Cardin in Sorel-Tracy

Riviere de Loup had an easier than expected first round against the 2024 champions, and heads on the road to take on a feisty Petroliers team that is more than hardened from their round one battle against Saint-Hyacinthe. This will be the closest thing (in NAHL terms) to a finesse vs sandpaper matchup, but don’t think those titles will tip the scales in either direction; these two teams were separated by just 2 points in the standings when the regular season ended. Expect a thriller in this one, which kicks off at 8:00 Friday night in Laval.