In the end, it was the fifth-longest playoff game in QMJHL history.
Unfortunately for the Moncton Wildcats, they were on the wrong end of the historic moment.
The Wildcats fell 3-2 in quadruple-overtime to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in Game 1 of their third-round matchup.
The game began at 7:05 p.m. Thursday and finally came to an end at 12:11 a.m. Friday.
The Wildcats appeared to have the game well in hand early in the third period thanks to goals from Gabe Smith and Alex Mercier.
But the Armada pushed back, cutting the lead to one off the stick of Olivier Lemieux at 5:34 of the third.
Then, with Moncton’s Teddy Mutryn in the box serving a double-minor for high-sticking, Xavier Villeneuve tied things up about halfway through the third.
Neither team was able to get that elusive third goal through the first three overtime periods.
But the Wildcats took a too-many-men penalty about 6½ minutes into the fourth OT, and Blainville-Boisbriand’s Maël Lavigne buried the game-winner at 7:48 of the period.
The two teams are back at it Saturday.
Start time for game 2 is 7 p.m. at the Avenir Centre.
