Rimouski Oceanic: “I love our team” -Serge Beausoleil

-Serge Beausoleil ” />

BET À DAY

RIMOUSKI – When asked if he was tempted to hold a punitive training session following his team's two underperformances at home last weekend, the head coach of the Océanic, Serge Beausoleil, replies that this is not what his players needed.

“I like our team. Guys are responsive. We had a very intense practice on Monday focused on puck protection and forechecking. The guys worked very hard. If they had put half that ardor into the weekend games, things would have been different. We realized that the guys were still affected by the adaptations due to staff movements. They needed to calm down and see where they are. Our role is to remind them what their identity is. A hockey team is not instantaneous. These are 25 young teams that are constantly on the move,” explained the experienced pilot. 

The trap of wanting to replace Brunet

Serge Beausoleil believes that some of his defenders have fallen into the trap of wanting to replace Frédéric Brunet. “We had three solid pairs of defenders. With the departure of Brunet, some play more minutes. We don't want to have six Brunets. We want the guys to play according to their identity. I liked how the guys worked this week in practice.” 

The Sags are coming to Rimouski

The Océanic receives the Saguenéens from Chicoutimi on Wednesday evening. The Sags will definitely want to redeem themselves after receiving a hockey lesson from Océanc on January 3 in a 6-1 loss. 

“Yannick Jean has been in the League for a very long time. Its teams are always well prepared. He realized he had weakened his defense by letting go of Gaudet. He went for guys like Rodinski and Usereau. Massé is always dangerous. It's a major challenge for us to regain our identity,” commented Serge Beausoleil. 

Four injured

The Océanic will be deprived of the services of Jacob Mathieu, Maël St-Denis, Spencer Gill and Mathys Laurent. The first two will be absent for several weeks. Gill will miss a few weeks while Laurent will be out for 7-10 days. 

Jan Sprynar had on a powder blue jersey to protect him from contact Tuesday at training. “It was intense on Monday. It is only a preventive measure. Nothing serious,” explained his coach. 

It's Patrik Hamrla who will be the Océanic's right-hand man in front of the net.