LOUIS-MARC AUBRY BACK IN LINEUP FOR JUNIORS



Louis-Marc Aubry missed 2 months
of action before returning to the lineup
last Thursday in a 4-3 win over LEW.

Louis-Marc Aubry looks as though he hasn't missed a beat of action. Last Thursday Aubry returned to the lineup after missing 2 months worth of games due to a hand injury.

Back on December 17th Aubry was hit by a shot in the offensive zone. The damage? A hand injury that was bad enough to keep the 6'4" centerman out of the lineup for a 60 day term.

On Friday night Aubry scored the Juniors first goal against the Quebec Remparts. Using his big frame Aubry was able to muscle his way in front of the opposition's net, reach around a Remparts defenseman and backhand a loose puck past Remparts goaltender Louis Dominique.

Coach Pascal Vincent used Aubry to center the team's 3rd line between energetic right winger Nicolas Chouinard and tough guy left winger Raphael Pouliot.

Having Aubry back in the lineup gives the Juniors a huge boost at the center position. He's a big body that not only plays a strong defensive game, but also who can add more production to an already deep offense. In only 25 games this season Aubry has scored 12 goals and 9 assists for 21 points. Further, his strong two way play is reflected in his plus/minus rating of +10.

Aubry's return also gives Montreal a greater presence in the face off circle. He leads the Juniors with an impressive 58.3% face off winning percentage. Look for Vincent to use Aubry and Gouchie (the Juniors other face off specialist) together on the same line when there's a faceoff deep in the Juniors zone late in a game.

Line Combo Update:

With Aubry returning to the lineup this weekend and with Rose and Hertzberg healthy again, the Juniors finally have an injury free team (well, almost.....J-C Laflamme is out for 6 weeks with a laceration to a tendon in his foot). Here are the forward line combinations we saw during the past two games:

1st line: Hertzberg (19), Leblanc (19), Rose (19)
2nd line: Lefebvre (19), Gouchie (20), Parkes (19)
3rd line: Pouliot (19), Aubry (19), Chouinard (20)
4th line: Fontaine (19), Anderson (19), Provost (18)

NOTES: These were the line combinations on Friday. On Saturday, in order to keep everyone involved, both Anderson and Provost were substituted with Michael Clarke (17) and Alex Lemieux (18).

INJURIES: Rookie right winger J-C Laflamme (17) will sit out for the next 6 weeks after suffering a tear to a tendon in his foot.

Photo Credit: Ron Lemish

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