Suspension: Forward can return to club's lineup after apologizing to mates

B10

Peter Assaff
Canadaeast News Service

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BATHURST - When the Acadie-Bathurst Titan made the trip to Moncton to play the Wildcats Tuesday, Vincent Couture wasn't with the team. He won't be on the ice tonight either, when the Titan play host to the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action at the K. C. Irving Regional Centre in Bathurst.

Enlarge Photo

Vincent Couture

"He's got a couple of days off to think about things," said Titan general manager Sylvain Couturier, before boarding the bus for the trip to Moncton. "He can rejoin the team on Thursday, when he apologizes to his teammates."

The move comes after Couture watched the second half of last Sunday's 6-1 loss to the Saint John Sea Dogs in the stands at Harbour Station. Benched by head coach Ron Choules in the first period of that game, Couture left the bench for the dressing room midway through the second period when he still hadn't seen any ice time, changed into his street clothes and took a seat in the stands.

"Everybody was shocked," Couturier said.

The 19-year-old forward has struggled this season. In 17 games, Couture has just four goals and five assists. Expected to provide some much needed offence, he has just 26 shots on goal this season, with 11 of those coming in the team's first two games. A healthy scratch nearly two weeks ago for a game in Rouyn-Noranda, Couture registered his last shot on goal Oct. 9 in a 4-3 Titan win over the Lewiston Maineiacs at the Irving Centre. His last goal came Oct. 6 at the Irving Centre in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Rimouski Oceanic.

A 10th round draft pick, in the 2007 QMJHL entry draft, Couture surprised everyone with a strong training camp that summer and earned a spot on a veteran Titan roster that included gifted offensive players such as Mathieu Perreault, Dany Masse, Tomas Svoboda and Tomy Joly. In his rookie season, he had eight goals and two assists in 57 games to help the Titan to a 41-25-2-2 record and a third-place finish in the Eastern Division. Last year, Acadie-Bathurst struggled with a much younger roster, picking up just 20 wins, but Couture was one of the team's bright spots. He finished second in goals, with 25, and third in points, with 41, and was expected to surpass those numbers this year.

Tonight's game against the Screaming Eagles is set to face off at 7:30 p.m., and will see the Titan play in pink jersey's as part of the league's breast cancer awareness initiative. The pink jersey's will be autographed by the player's who wear them and given out to people who buy tickets in a draw to be held immediately following the game. The money raised from the initiative will then be handed over to the Chaleur Regional Hospital Foundation through the Radiothon of Roses campaign to purchase equipment for breast cancer research.

Acadie-Bathurst will remain at home for their next contest on Sunday when they play host to the circuit's top team, the Drummondville Voltigeurs at 4 p.m.