GMHL Game of the Week: November 10th to 16th

The West Nipissing Lynx bounced back in thrilling fashion to close out the week of November 10th–16th, edging the Ville-Marie Pirates 4–3 in overtime on Sunday afternoon in Ville-Marie, Quebec.

Both teams entered the matchup looking to rebound from losses to the Bradford Rattlers — West Nipissing falling 8–0 on Friday, while Ville-Marie was defeated 4–2 on Saturday — and it was the Lynx who emerged with the statement win thanks to Sergey Tishchenko’s overtime heroics.

 

 

After a cautious start, the Lynx opened the scoring midway through the frame when Nicolas Blanchet converted on a feed from Mathias Drolet and Saveliy Kornev at 12:26. The goal gave West Nipissing the early edge, but the period was chippy throughout — featuring multiple scrums and penalties from both sides — foreshadowing the intensity to come.

 

 

Ville-Marie turned the tide in the second period, capitalizing on their chances and some heavy physical play.

Mathis Laverdure tied the game just three minutes in, before Mathis Bernard struck late in the frame to make it 2–1 Pirates.

 

The middle frame also saw tempers boil over — several fights and game misconducts were handed out, including the ejections of Gabriel Labrecque and Nicolas Blanchet, as both teams battled through high emotions and heavy hits.

 

 

The Lynx showed tremendous resilience in the third.

Just 81 seconds in, Sergey Tishchenko tied the game on the power play from Kornev and Drolet. Later in the period, Drolet added a goal of his own — again on the man advantage — assisted by Tishchenko and Tyler Thibodeau to reclaim the lead at 3–2.

 

The Pirates refused to quit, and Dylan Riviere leveled the game at 3–3 at 13:04, setting up another tense finish between these divisional rivals.

 

 

With the clock winding down in overtime, Sergey Tishchenko capped off his brilliant night at 19:18, taking a pass from Adam Shillinglaw and Carson Ruddy before burying the winner to give the Lynx a crucial extra point.

The goal was Tishchenko’s second of the game and completed a three-point afternoon for the Lynx forward.

 

 

Sunday’s game featured an intriguing duel between two netminders with very different career paths.

For West Nipissing, third-year goaltender Terry Bradley-Gagnon continued his perfect start to the season, improving to 4–0–0 after stopping 29 of 32 shots in a poised performance.

At the other end, Ville-Marie’s Mathis Lussier, who spent parts of the last two seasons in the QMJHL with Val-d’Or, was strong despite facing a barrage of 51 shots, turning away 47 in defeat.

 

 

Sergey Tishchenko (West Nipissing): 2G, 1A, GWG – The heartbeat of the Lynx offense, leading by example in crunch time.

 

Mathias Drolet (West Nipissing): 1G, 2A – Key contributor on both Lynx power-play goals.

 

Nicolas Blanchet (West Nipissing): 1G – Opened the scoring before being ejected in the second period.

 

Mathis Bernard (Ville-Marie): 1G, 1A – Strong two-way play kept the Pirates in contention.

 

Mathis Lussier (Ville-Marie): 47 SV, .922 SV% – Battled hard in a losing effort against relentless pressure.

 

Implications

 

With the win, the West Nipissing Lynx improved to 11–7–1 (23 points), solidifying their hold on fourth in the ultra-competitive North Division and staying within striking distance of Tottenham (26 pts) and Ville-Marie (22 pts).

 

For the Ville-Marie Pirates, the loss was their second straight, dropping them to 10–6–2, and while their top-tier goaltending and veteran depth remain strengths, consistency has become a concern heading into the second half of November.

 

Meanwhile, the Bradford Rattlers (16–4–0) and Wasaga River Dragons (13–2–2) continue to lead the division with dominant stretches of play, keeping the pressure on every team chasing them.

 

What’s Next

 

The West Nipissing Lynx will look to keep their momentum rolling when they return home to host the Bradford Bulls next Saturday, aiming to continue climbing the standings.

 

The Pirates, on the other hand, will regroup as they prepare for another key divisional matchup against Wasaga on that same Saturday — one that could help them regain ground in a packed North Division race.