After a difficult start to the season, the hard work of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada seems to be paying off as they begin to string some wins together.

As one of the younger teams in the QMJHL, the Armada is quickly learning what it takes to win at this level.

"We are young, but the guys are working hard everyday. The guys are improving and I feel like they respect the system that we have in place. When the players work and respect the system, they have a good chance to win. That's what's going on right now and we're proud of their effort," said Armada's head coach J.F. Houle.

Armada captain Xavier Ouellet said their hard work is showing on the ice.

"We've improved a lot since the beginning of the year. The last two or three weeks of practice were really hard, really intense, and the team worked hard on it and it shows in games," said Ouellet.

It shows in the standings, too. The Armada has won three in a row and five of their last six games to lead a very tight west division.

"We work every shift. We are a young team, but we work hard to defy the critics," said Jess Tanguy, who has racked up an impressive 37 points in 33 games.

The team has outscored the opposition 17 to 4 during its current three-game winning streak.

And while the goals are there, so is goaltender Etienne Marcoux, who was the league's second star last week and has a .911 save percentage.

"They block shots during the PK, they block shots during the 5-on-5, so it gives me more energy to make the saves. The guys are playing well, so I'm following the team this way," he said.

It's the teamwork that has brought on the success of this team, said Houle.

"Defensively our goalies are making the key saves and our players are willing to block shots and doing the little things for the team to win," he said. "It's a team-first concept and everybody's buying in and that's why we're winning right now,"

The Armada will now test their winning ways on the road, kicking off a four-game trip starting Friday night in Rouyn-Noranda.