St-Tite, QC – The Quebec Remparts edged out the Shawinigan Cataractes to cap a special weekend of outdoor action in the first ever QMJHL Winter Classic in St-Tite, Quebec.

It would have been completely understandable to wonder how the QMJHL could possibly top their first-ever outdoor game played only 24 hours earlier. But then the puck was dropped to begin Saturday afternoon’s showdown between the Quebec Remparts and Shawinigan Cataractes and it was clear the best was yet to come.

In a game that included playoff-like intensity and even a few post-whistle skirmishes, over 7,000 bundled up fans in St-Tite were treated to a thrilling 3-2 shootout victory by the visiting Remparts over the Cataractes.

Early on, it sure looked like Shawinigan’s outdoor experience in their 4-2 win over Victoriaville on Friday night gave them a leg up on the winter-classic-newbie Remparts. The script seemed all too familiar as who else but Anthony Beauvillier helped stake the Cataractes with an assist on Dennis Yan’s goal and then a marker of his own to make it 2-0. That of course gave Beauvillier a staggering six points on the six goals (2-4-6) scored by his team over the two outdoor games.

Shawinigan goalie Marvin Cupper was also up to his old tricks of less than 24 hours earlier, making highlight reel saves with his now familiar tuque pulled over his mask.

The trouble was at the other end of the rink, Remparts netminder Zachary Fucale donned a tuque of his own and he slammed the door after allowing those two goals in the first period.

The Remparts clawed back into the game beginning in the second period thanks to a goal courtesy of Kurt Etchegary midway through the frame. As the period was drawing to a close, the Cataractes were doing all they could to reach the intermission with their one-goal lead still intact, but the Remparts had other ideas.

Riding the momentum of a late power-play and despite an ice surface yearning for some Zamboni love, Remparts blue-liner Ryan Graves lit the lamp with a blast from the blue line to knot the game at 2-2.

The third period solved nothing. Neither did overtime. And in a fitting end to an historic and memorable weekend, the game would be decided by a shootout.

The Remparts’ Vladimir Tkachev swooped in on Cupper and scored giving Quebec the early edge. But then who else but Mr. Outdoor Game, Anthony Beavillier tied it up with one of his trademark highlight-reel dekes, setting the stage for the Remparts third shooter to potentially complete the comeback and Marc-Olivier Roy did exactly that by beating Cupper for the win.

Shawinigan may not have won both games as they’d hoped but the true winners this weekend were the players, fans and organizers who got to be part of this most-unique of outdoor games which hopefully will be first of many to come for the QMJHL.