Gravel Comes Up Big Again

Game Four Recap

Series: Tied 2-2

Stars: 3. Gravel HAL | 2. Aube HAL | 1. Cougler HAL

Attendance: 5,458 

HALIFAX- Your Halifax Mooseheads have pushed the series to a game 6 with an exciting win tonight at the Scotiabank Centre over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. The young team came back tonight playing with a lot of heart to get the victory in front of their fans. Alex Gravel stood on his head once again, making timely saves and coming up big when the team needed him to especially in the third period when the visiting Huskies were pressuring to get a couple of goals. With all of the injuries on the Herd, the team is making it fun hockey and showing the number two seed that this team is not going to back down. Next game is Friday night at the Scotiabank Centre, lets be loud and get behind our boys to take the lead going back to Rouyn-Noranda for game six.

FINAL: Huskies 1 at Mooseheads 3

Point getters: ROU Fortin 1G, Fontaine & Beaudin 1A each; HAL Coughler 2 (1G & 1A), Aube & Hischier 1G each, Durandau 2A, Bishop, Groulx & Lavioe 1A each

Goaltenders: Gravel HAL | Tremblay & Harvey VDO

Shots 1st: 13-11 HAL | 2nd: 9-4 ROU | 3rd: 13-6 ROU

Powerplay: HAL 1/6, ROU 0/4

DID NOT PLAY - Barrett Dachyshyn, Connor Moynihan, Blade Mann-Dixon & Walter Flower are injured while Ian MacPhee was a healthy scratch

OUT OF TOWN
Chicoutimi 4 at Victoriaville 3
Blainville 4 at Drummondville 4
Bathurst 4 at Quebec 1
Charlottetown 4 at Baie Comeau 1
Cape Breton 3 at Gatineau 4
Saint John 4 at Rimouski 3
Shawinigan 2 at Val D'or 3

Mooseheads on Golden Puck Awards Nominees

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced the nominees for their annual awards at the Golden Puck Gala. There are four Halifax Mooseheads among the players nominated with star forward Nico Hischier leading the way with 4 nominations. A Herd rookie will win the RDS Cup as rookie of the year as the only two nominees being Halifax players.

Here are the nominees for the awards that will be passed out on April 5th.

*via QMJHL

Michel-Brière Trophy – Most Valuable PlayerVitalii Abramov – Gatineau Olympiques
Samuel Girard – Shawinigan Cataractes
Nicolas Roy – Chicoutimi Saguenéens

RDS Cup (Rookie of the Year)Nico Hischier – Halifax Mooseheads
Jared McIsaac – Halifax Mooseheads

Michael-Bossy Trophy (Top Professional Prospect)Maxime Comtois – Victoriaville Tigres
Nico Hischier – Halifax Mooseheads
Pierre-Olivier Joseph – Charlottetown Islanders

Frank J. Selke Trophy (Sportsman of the Year)Tyler Boland – Rimouski Oceanic
Maxime Fortier – Halifax Mooseheads
Hugo Roy – Sherbrooke Phoenix

Émile "Butch" Bouchard Trophy (Best Defenseman)Guillaume Brisebois – Charlottetown Islanders
Thomas Chabot – Saint John Sea Dogs
Samuel Girard – Shawinigan Cataractes

Ron Lapointe Trophy (Coach of the Year)Gilles Bouchard – Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
Joël Bouchard – Blainville-Boisbriand Armada
Danny Flynn – Saint John Sea Dogs

Maurice Filion Trophy (General Manager of the Year)Gilles Bouchard – Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
Joël Bouchard – Blainville-Boisbriand Armada
Marc-André Dumont – Cape Breton Screaming Eagles

Paul-Dumont Trophy – Personality of the YearThomas Chabot – Saint John Sea Dogs
Dominique Ducharme – Drummondville Voltigeurs
Nico Hischier – Halifax Mooseheads

Jacques-Plante Trophy (Best goals-against average)Mikhail Denisov — Shawinigan Cataractes
Francis Leclerc — Blainville-Boisbriand Armada
Samuel Montembeault — Blainville-Boisbriand Armada

Marcel-Robert Trophy (Scholastic Player of the Year)Alexandre Alain – Blainville-Boisbriand Armada
Nicolas Roy – Chicoutimi Saguenéens
Antoine Samuel – Baie-Comeau Drakkar

Humanitarian and Community Involvement TrophyGuillaume Beaudoin – Blainville-Boisbriand Armada
Samuel Laberge – Rimouski Oceanic
Jesse Sutton – Quebec Remparts

Please note that the following trophies have been awarded in special pre-game ceremonies held last Thursday and Friday night : Guy-Carbonneau (Best Defensive Forward), Kevin-Lowe (Best Defensive Defenseman), Robert-Lebel (Best goals-against-average – Team), Jean-Rougeau (Regular Season Champions) and Luc-Robitaille (Best Offensive Team). Only the Michel-Bergeron (Offensive Rookie of the Year) and Raymond-Lagacé (Defensive Rookie of the year) trophies have yet to been given.

Here are the nominees:

Guy-Carbonneau – Best Defensive ForwardNicolas Roy – Chicoutimi Saguenéens

Kevin Lowe – Best Defensive DefensemanZachary Lauzon – Rouyn-Noranda Huskies

Michel-Bergeron Trophy – Offensive Rookie of the YearNico Hischier – Halifax Mooseheads
Ivan Kosorenkov – Victoriaville Tigres
Anderson MacDonald – Sherbrooke Phoenix

Raymond-Lagacé Trophy – Defensive Rookie of the YearXavier Bouchard – Baie-Comeau Drakkar
Alexis Gravel – Halifax Mooseheads
Jared McIsaac – Halifax Mooseheads


Robert-Lebel – Best goals-against-average – TeamBlainville-Boisbriand Armada

Jean-Rougeau – Regular season championsSaint John Sea Dogs

Luc Robitaille – Best offensive teamCharlottetown Islanders

PLAYOFF GAMEDAY #1: at Rouyn-Noranda

GAMEDAY
ROUYN-NORANDA HUSKIES vs. HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS
March 24, 2017 at 8:30pm
Series tied 0-0
TV: Webcast | Radio: News 95.7 | Live: @HFXMooseheads
Arena Iamgold (2,150) ~ Rouyn-Noranda, QC

It's the best time of the year. Well probably the toughest and funnest part of a hockey season. The 2017 playoffs began last night across the Canadian Hockey League and it will begin tonight for your Halifax Mooseheads. Despite being 15th in the Q, the Herd have been playing not terrible of late and will look to keep it up when they visit the second overall Rouyn-Noranda Huskies this evening. Halifax will need everyone to step up their game on the road this weekend to try and get at least a split. Veteran goaltender Blade Mann-Dixon is still out with an injury so this will be good experience for the rookie, Alexis Gravel as well for the young team as a whole. Can the Mooseheads make some hell for the defending champs? We'll have to wait and see. Playoffs are a whole different ball game. Go Moose Go!

SEASON SERIES
Rouyn-Noranda beat Halifax in both games of the season series.
October 21, 2016 - Rouyn def. Halifax 4-2
November 5, 2016 - Rouyn def. Halifax 5-1

NOT PLAYING- Blade Mann-Dixon, Otto Somppi and Barrett Dachyshyn are all out with injuries

NOTES

• The Q News makes their predictions
• Check out the QMJHL's preview of the series
• Don't forget that this series is 2-3-2 with three straight in Halifax next week
• Former captain Timo Meier tweeted out his well wishes to both his former teams this weekend

TONIGHT'S GAMES
Oceanic at Sea Dogs - 7:00pm
Drakkar at Islanders - 7:00pm
Olympiques at Screaming Eagles - 7:00pm
Remparts at Titan - 7:00pm
Foreurs at Cataractes- 8:30pm
Voltigeures at Armada- 8:30pm
Tigres at Saguenéens- 8:30pm

NEXT GAME
The two teams will meet again tomorrow night for game two in Rouyn-Noranda. Puck drops at 8pm.

Around the CHL ~ volume #3 playoff edition #7

This edition of "Around the CHL" will preview the 2017 playoffs. The top sixteen teams of the Quebec league will play for the President's Cup, while the top eight teams in each conference in the Western league will play for the Ed Chynoweth Cup, and in the Ontario league the top eight teams in each conference play for the J. Ross Robertson Cup. 

President's Cup playoffs
#1 vs #16 Saint John - Rimouski {regular season series SNB 2-0-0-0} 
#2 vs #15 Rouyn-Noranda - Halifax {regular season series ROU 2-0-0-0}
#3 vs #14 Shawinigan - Val-d'Or {regular season series SHA 2-0-1-1}
#4 vs #13 Charlottetown - Baie-Comeau {regular season series tie 1-1-0-0}
#5 vs #12 Blainville-Boisbriand - Drummondville {regular season series BLB 4-1-0-1}
#6 vs #11 Acadie-Bathurst - Quebec {regular season series QUE 2-0-0-0}
#7 vs #10 Cape Breton - Gatineau {regular season series tie 1-1-0-0}
#8 vs #9 Chicoutimi - Victoriaville {regular season series CHI 4-2-0-0}

J. Ross Robertson Cup playoffs
#E1 vs #E8 Peterborough - Niagara {regular season series PBO 3-1-0-0}
#E2 vs #E7 Mississauga - Ottawa {regular season series MISS 2-0-2-0}
#E3 vs #E6 Oshawa - Sudbury {regular season series tie 2-2-0-0}
#E4 vs #E5 Kingston - Hamilton {regular season series HAM 3-2-0-1}
#W1 vs #W8 Erie - Sarnia {regular season series ER 3-1-0-0}
#W2 vs #W7 Sault Ste. Marie - Flint {regular season series SSM 3-1-1-1}
#W3 vs #W6 Owen Sound - Kitchener {regular season series OS 7-1-0-0}
#W4 vs #W5 London - Windsor {regular season series tie 3-2-1-0}

Ed Chynoweth Cup playoffs 
#E1 vs #WC2 Regina - Calgary {regular season series REG 3-1-0-0}
#E2 vs #E3 Moose Jaw - Swift Current {regular season series MJ 4-2-0-0}
#C1 vs #WC1 Medicine Hat - Brandon {regular season series MH 3-1-0-0}
#C2 vs #C3 Lethbridge - Red Deer {regular season series LET 5-0-1-0}
#U1 vs #WC2 Everett - Victoria {regular season series EVT 4-0-0-0}
#U2 vs #U3 Seattle - Tri-City {regular season series SEA 6-2-0-0}
#B1 vs #WC1 Prince George - Portland {regular season series POR 2-1-0-1}
#B2 vs #B2 Kelowna - Kamloops {regular season series KAM 6-3-0-1}

Predictions
QMJHL First Round - Saint John in 4, Rouyn-Noranda in 6, Shawinigan in 5, Charlottetown in 5, Blainville-Boisbriand in 5, Quebec in 6, Cape Breton in 6, Chicoutimi in 7
OHL First Round - Peterborough in 5, Mississauga in 5, Oshawa in 6, Hamilton in 6, Erie in 4, Owen Sound in 5, Sault Ste. Marie in 5, Windsor in 7
WHL First Round - Regina in 4, Everett in 4, Moose Jaw in 5, Seattle in 5, Prince George in 6, Medicine Hat in 7, Lethbridge in 6, Kamloops in 7

Tonight's games
Sea Dogs vs. Oceanic at 7PM
Islanders vs. Drakkar at 7PM
Screaming Eagles vs. Olympiques at 7PM
Titan vs. Remparts at 7PM
Frontenacs vs. Bulldogs at 8PM
Steelheads vs. 67's at 8PM
Cataractes vs. Foreurs at 8:30PM
Attack vs. Rangers at 8:30PM
Armada vs. Voltigeurs at 8:30PM
Huskies vs. Mooseheads at 8:30PM
Knights vs. Spitfires at 8:30PM
Sagueneens vs. Tigres at 8:30PM
Generals vs. Wolves at 8:35PM
Warriors vs. Broncos at 10PM
Pats vs. Hitmen at 10PM
Tigers vs. Wheat Kings at 10:30PM
Cougars vs. Winterhawks at 11PM
Rockets vs. Blazers at 11:05PM
Silvertips vs. Royals at 11:35PM
Thunderbirds vs. Americans at 11:35PM

Friday's games
Cataractes vs. Foreurs at 5PM
Sagueneens vs. Tigres at 5PM
Sea Dogs vs. Oceanic at 7PM
Islanders vs. Drakkar at 7PM
Screaming Eagles vs. Olympiques at 7PM
Titan vs. Remparts at 7PM
Huskies vs. Mooseheads at 8PM
Sting vs. Otters at 8:05PM
Petes vs. IceDogs at 8:05PM
Greyhounds vs. Firebirds at 8:07PM
Attack vs. Rangers at 8:30PM
Warriors vs. Broncos at 10PM
Hurricanes vs. Rebels at 10PM
Pats vs. Hitmen at 10PM
Tigers vs. Wheat Kings at 10:30PM
Rockets vs. Blazers at 11:05PM
Silvertips vs. Royals at 11:05PM
Thunderbirds vs. Americans at 11:05PM 

Season series versus each team

Below you will find the records of your Halifax Mooseheads versus each of the other seventeen teams in the Q plus the monthly records for the team this season.  (note: Halifax's score is listed first)

TELUS West division
Blainville-Boisbraind 2 games 0-2-0-0 {2-4, 0-3}
Drummondville 2 games 2-0-0-0 {2-1SO, 5-4}
Gatineau 2 games 1-1-0-0 {6-5OT, 2-5}
Rouyn-Noranda 2 games 0-2-0-0 {2-4, 1-5}
Sherbrooke 2 games 2-0-0-0 {9-5, 2-1}
Val-d'Or 2 games 1-1-0-0 {2-4, 5-3}

TELUS East division 
Baie-Comeau 2 games 0-1-0-1 {4-5SO, 4-7}
Chicoutimi 2 games 1-0-0-1 {4-1, 3-4SO}
Quebec 2 games 0-2-0-0 {5-6, 1-2}
Rimouski 2 games 1-1-0-0 {6-5, 4-5}
Shawinigan 2 games 0-2-0-0 {3-6, 0-1}
Victoriaville 2 games 1-1-0-0 {7-3, 2-3} 

Maritimes division
Acadie-Bathurst 9 games 2-6-1-0 {0-3, 6-4, 10-11, 5-3, 3-5, 3-4OT, 0-9, 2-3, 1-3}
Cape Breton 9 games 3-4-2-0 {6-4, 3-1, 1-5, 4-5OT, 3-6, 2-5, 5-4SO, 1-4, 2-3OT}
Charlottetown 9 games 4-5-0-0 {2-9, 5-2, 7-4, 1-2, 4-1, 3-4, 1-5, 1-3, 6-5OT}
Moncton 9 games  7-2-0-0 {3-4, 5-1, 3-0, 4-6, 3-2OT, 6-2, 7-2, 2-1, 5-3}
Saint John 8 games 2-6-0-0 {4-3, 4-1, 1-2, 4-7, 3-5, 2-4, 3-5, 1-2}

Monthly records
September 2 games ~ 1-1-0-0 record overall, 1-0-0-0 home, 0-1-0-0 away
October 14 games ~ 7-7-0-0 record overall, 5-3-0-0 home, 2-4-0-0 away
November 11 games ~ 6-4-0-1 record overall, 3-1-0-1 home, 3-3-0-0 away
December 9 games ~ 1-6-1-1 record overall, 0-4-0-0 home, 1-2-1-1 away
January 13 games ~ 8-4-0-1 record overall, 4-2-1-0 home, 4-2-0-0 away
February 11 games ~ 3-7-1-0 record overall, 1-4-1-0 home, 2-3-0-0 away
March 8 games ~ 1-6-1-0 record overall, 1-1-1-0 home, 0-6-0-0 away

Overtime/shootout records
OT ~ two overtime win-three overtime loss
SO ~ two shootout win-three shootout loss

V-Reds Are National Champs Again

Photo - UNB Reds website

The University Cup is staying in Atlantic Canada. Host University of New Brunswick cruised to a second straight national championship this past weekend after they defeated the Saskatchewan University Huskies 5-3 on Sunday afternoon in the gold medal game. The 4 day tournament was held at the Fredericton campus with the Varsity Reds giving the home fans lots to cheer about.

A few former Halifax Mooseheads helped the team capture the trophy. Cameron Critchlow, who has captained the V-Reds the last 3 seasons, won his third national championship in his 5 year university career which ended with the victory. Critchlow was champion in 2013 as well which was the last time UNB hosted the Cup. Third year defenceman Randy Gazzola had an assist during the weekend. Matthew Murphy, who played for the Quebec Remparts and Saint John Sea Dogs last season, was a rookie on the Frederticton university this year and picked up his first University Cup but I have no doubt that it will not be his only one.

Congratulations to the three Herd alumni and the UNB Varsity Reds on winning back to back championships. Moose Country is proud of you.

Around the CHL ~ volume #2 season edition #7

We're at the end of the regular season in major junior hockey so I thought I would recap who ended on top for different statistic categories. These are the final leaders for each of the three leagues. The 2017 Presidents Cup playoffs are just around the corner. Your Halifax Mooseheads are back in the playoffs after missing last season. GO Moose GO!

League leaders
Goals - Alex DeBrincat 65 goals (OHL Erie Otters), Giovanni Fiore 52 goals (QMJHL Val-d'Or Foreurs), Tyler Wong 51 goals (WHL Lethbridge Hurricanes)
Assists - Adam Brooks 87 assists (WHL Regina Pats), Taylor Raddysh 66 assists (OHL Erie Otters), Samuel Girard 66 assists (QMJHL Shawinigan Cataractes)
Points - Sam Steel 131 points (WHL Regina Pats), Alex DeBrincat 127 points (OHL Erie Otters), Vitalii Abramov 104 points (QMJHL Gatineau Olympiques)
Defenceman points - Connor Hibbs 85 points (WHL Regina Pats), Darren Raddysh 81 points (OHL Erie Otters), Samuel Girard 75 points (QMJHL Shawinigan Cataractes)
Rookie points - Nico Hischier 86 points (QMJHL Halifax Mooseheads ), Alekei Heponiemi 86 points (WHL Swift Current Broncos), Ryan Merkley 55 points (OHL Guelph Storm)
Goalie wins - Michael McNiven 41 wins (OHL Owen Sound Attack), Rylan Toth 36 wins (WHL Seattle Thunderbirds), Callum Booth 31 wins (QMJHL Saint John Sea Dogs)
Save percentage - Carter Hart 0.927 SAV% (WHL Everett Silvertips), Tyler Parsons 0.925 SAV% (OHL London Knights), Callum Booth 0.911 SAV% (QMJHL Saint John Sea Dogs)
Goals against average - Carter Hart 1.99 GAA (WHL Everett Silvertips), Michael McNiven 2.30 GAA (OHL Owen SOund Attack), Francis Leclerc 2.31 GAA (QMJHL Blainville-Boisbriand Armada)

Division leaders
WHL - Regina Pats 112 points/52 wins (East division), Medicine Hat Tigers 103 points/51 wins (Central division), Everett Silvertips 100 points/44 wins (U.S. division), Prince George Cougars 96 points/45 wins (B.C. division)
OHL - Erie Otters 103 points/50 wins (Midwest division), Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 100 points/48 wins (West division), Peterborough Petes 89 points/42 wins (East division), Mississauga Steelheads 81 points/34 wins (Central division)
QMJHL - Saint John Sea Dogs 102 points/48 wins (Maritimes division), Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 93 points/43 wins (TELUS West division), Shawinigan Cataractes 90 points/42 wins (TELUS East division)

BMO CHL top ten ~ week 26
1. Regina Pats {52-12-7-1} week 25 #2
2. Erie Otters {50-15-2-1} week 25 #3
3. Saint John Sea Dogs {48-14-5-1} week 25 #1
4. Owen Sound Attack {49-15-2-2} week 25 #6
5. Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds {48-16-3-1} week 25 #5
6. London Knights {46-15-3-4} week 25 #4
7. Medicine Hat Tigers {51-20-1-0} week 25 #9
8. Charlottetown Islanders {46-18-4-0} week 25 #7
9. Everett Silvertips {44-16-9-3} week 25 n/a
10. Rouyn-Noranda Huskies {43-18-2-5} week 25 #8
Honorable mentions: Seattle Thunderbirds {46-20-4-2 #10}, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada {43-19-4-2 n/a}, Windsor Spitfires {41-19-5-3 n/a}

STATS SUNDAY: March

Games played: 8
Record: 1-6-1-0, 3pts
Goals for/against: 17/29
Powerplay*: 18.5%
Penalty kill*: 76.9%
Shutouts: none

Top 5 leading scorers
Points: Arnaud Durandeau 7, Jake Coughler 6, Maxime Fortier 5, Nico Hischier 5, Keigan Goetz 4
Goals: Jake Coughler 3, Arnaud Durandeau 2, Maxime Fortier 2, Keigan Goetz 2, Raphael Lavoie 2
Assists: Arnaud Durandeau 5, Nico Hischier 4, Jake Coughler 3, Maxime Fortier 3, Keigan Goetz 2
Penalty minutes: Keigan Goetz 23, Mathieu Charlebois 22, Jordan Lepage 19, Frederic Aube 19, Joel Bishop 11
Plus/minus: Keigan Goetz +2, Mathieu Charlebois +2, Raphael Lavoie E, Joel Bishop -1, Otto Somppi -1
Rookie scoring: Nico Hischier 5pts, Raphael Lavoie 3pts, Jared McIsaac 3pts, Jordan Lepage 2pts, Benoit-Olivier Groulx 2pts

Goaltending stats*
Blade Mann-Dixon: 14-9-1-0     2.92 GAA     0.907 SAV%
Alexis Gravel: 17-24-2-3     3.36GAA     0.894 SAV%



*overall

Mooseheads to face Rouyn-Noranda in Playoffs

The 2016-17 regular season is over and the playoff series have been determined. Your Halifax Mooseheads finished the year with a loss to the Saint John Sea Dogs last night and fell to 15th place in the league after clinching a spot on Friday evening with a point against the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. The Mooseheads will now face the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in the first round of the 2017 playoffs, which will be a 2-3-2 series.

The first game of the series will be on Friday night in Rouyn-Noranda. Game time will be 8:30 Atlantic time. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Tuesday morning at 11am. You can purchase them at select Superstore outlets, the Scotiabank Centre box office or by phone at (902) 451-1121.

Stay tuned to Moose Country for more playoff details and game previews.

Season Ends on a Sour Note

It's was an unfortunate ending to a season that was full of optimism. The Mooseheads, who clinched a playoff spot last night, were not able to put the pieces together to pick up a victory in front of a sold out crowd on Saturday evening at Scotiabank Centre. For the fans in attendance, the reason being was because of the referees not for the lack of the Herd's abilities. Halifax got on the board in the first period almost 11 and a half minutes into the game despite being outshot 8-4 to start the game. A couple of Saint John penalties allowed the home team to put some pressure on starting goalie Alex D'Orio. However the momentum shifted in favour of the Sea Dogs when Matheiu Charlebois and Jake Coughler were given penalties and the away team tied the game up. Moose Country got excited with less than 10 minutes left in the middle frame when a ding could be heard around the arena and everyone thought the puck went in the net but play continued and there was no review. Saint John took a 2-1 lead into the final frame of the regular season for both teams. Graduating defenseman Frederic Aube tipped the puck past D'Orio shortly after the third period began but it was reviewed and called a no goal because of off side. With time ticking down Coach Tourigny pulled Alex Gravel but that was all she wrote for Fan Appreciation Night and the 2016-17 season.

FINAL: Sea Dogs 2 at Mooseheads 1
Stars: 3. Frederic Aube HAL | 2. Jake Coughler HAL | 1. Keigan Goetz HAL
Attendance: 10,595
MC’s Top Herd: Keigan Goetz

GAME LOGFirst period
11:26 HAL Maxime Fortier (32) | A: Lepage & Hischier

Second period
6:28 SNB Joe Veleno (13), PP | A: Dove-McFalls & Bernier
6:54 SNB Bokondji Imama (41) | A: Veleno & Leblanc

Third period

No Scoring
Powerplay: SNB – 1-for-7, HAL – 0-for-3
Shots: 30-24 in favour of Saint John

MISSING IN ACTION: Barratt Dachyshyn (injury), Blade Mann-Dixon (injury), Otto Somppi (injury), Caleb Rich

SCORES
Acadie Bathurst 5 at Charlottetown 2
Rimouski 1 at Drummondville 2 OT
Cape Breton 5 at Moncton 1
Sherbrooke 1 at Quebec 2
Chicoutimi 1 at Baie-Comeau 4
Blainville 3 at Gatineau 2
Val-D'or 2 at Shawinigan 1 SO
Rouyn-Noranda 3 at Victoriaville 4

UP NEXT: Halifax will travel to Rouyn-Noranda to take on the Huskies for the first round of the playoffs that are set to start on Friday night.

GAMEDAY #68: vs. Saint John

GAME PREVIEW
HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS VS SAINT JOHN SEA DOGS
Puck drops at 4:00pm
TV: Webcast | Radio: News 95.7 | Live: @MC_MooseCountry
Scotiabank Centre (10,595) ~ Halifax, NS

Game 68. We're at the end of the regular season shockingly, it's gone so fast. You're Halifax Mooseheads had a little bit of luck on their side last night and are heading into this evening's game with a playoff birth clinched. The Herd will look to get another valuable point when they take on the top seeded Saint John Sea Dogs today at the Scotiabank Centre. With the Jean Rougeau trophy all sown up, the Sea Dogs chose to sit their top guns on Friday night as well as their newly signed by the NHL goaltender Callum Booth. If all recent history suggests they'll do the same again for this game. Not only is today a big game for determining playoff positions but it's also the last regular season match for 20 year olds Frederic Aube, Keigan Goetz and Jake Coughler who the Mooseheads will honour in a pre-game ceremony. The 10,595 sell out crowd should be in for an entertaining game to end the season.

This is the eighth and final match between the two teams this season. Halifax is 2-7-0-0 against the Sea Dogs while Saint John has a 7-2-0-0 record versus the Mooseheads. The last game was one week ago on March 11 in Saint John where the Herd lost 5-3 with Otto Somppi scoring two goals. Alex Gravel made 21 saves.

OVERALL RECORDS
Sea Dogs: 47-14-5-1 = 100 points (1st in Maritimes division, 1st overall)
Mooseheads: 27-34-3-3 = 60 points (5th in Maritimes division, 13th overall)

LEADING SCORERS
HAL: Maxime Fortier 86pts (31G & 55A), Nico Hischier 85pts (38G & 47A), Jake Coughler 53pts (31G & 22A)
SNB: Matthew Highmore 89pts (34G & 55A), Mathieu Joseph 80pts (36G & 44A), Spencer Smallman 79pts (30G & 49A)

PREVIOUS GAMES
Saint John is coming off a 6-3 loss at the hands of the Islanders on Friday evening. Bokondji Imama scored two goals to lead the Sea Dogs on the road while Alex D'Orio stopped 31 of the Charlottetown's 36 shots to take the defeat.

Halifax picked up a point on St Patrick's Day to the visiting Screaming Eagles, losing 3-2 in overtime. Arnaud Durandeau and Fred Aube scored for the Mooseheads while Alex Gravel made 35 saves for a first star performance against Cape Breton.

ALUM ON SEA DOGS - None

HEAD-TO-HEAD
September 24  Saint John 3 at Halifax 4
December 16  Halifax at Saint John POSTPONED
January 7  Saint John 1 at Halifax 4
January 8  Halifax 1 at Saint John 2
February 3  Saint John 7 at Halifax 4
February 26  Halifax 3 at Saint John 5
March 1  Halifax 2 at Saint John 4
March 11  Halifax 3 at Saint John 5
March 18  Saint John at Halifax – 4pm

OUT OF TOWN
Islanders vs. Titan    3:00pm
Voltigeurs vs. Oceanic    4:00pm
Wildcats vs. Screaming Eagles    4:00pm
Remparts vs. Phoenix    4:00pm
Drakkar vs. Sagueneens    5:00pm
Olympiques vs. Armada    5:00pm
Cataractes vs. Foreurs    5:00pm
Tigres vs. Huskies    5:00pm

UP NEXT: Halifax will join 15 other teams in the playoffs which begin next weekend.

Playoff Hopes Still Alive

With two games to go in the regular season, your Halifax Mooseheads still have hope of making the playoffs after picking up a huge overtime victory tonight versus the second place Charlottetown Islanders. Veteran Jake Coughler helped his Mooseheads get the win against his former team. The 20 year old scored a hat trick on Wednesday evening including the overtime winner 54 seconds into the extra frame to clinch the two points. It really shouldn't have gone to OT considering the first two periods Halifax played like they wanted to win. This determination led to some early cheers from the crowd at Scotiabank Centre with Max Fortier scoring practically an empty net goal 1:56 into the game. Just over 3 minutes later captain Keigan Goetz crashed the net and put the puck past Mark Grametbauer to give the home team a 2-0 lead. Halifax would go into the first intermission with a 3-0 lead while only allowing 4 shots on rookie Alexis Gravel who started his 14th game in a row. After 40 minutes the Islanders were down 5-2 but they wouldn't go away. A strong third period by the visiting team with goals by some of Charlottetown top guys tied the game in the third period, including one goal that was controversial on the powerplay. The Moose had a few good chances at the end of the game to win it in regulation but couldn't find the back of the net again. The win was big for a team that found themselves one point above 17th place Sherbrooke Phoenix and tied with the Rimouski Oceanic going into the Wednesday night game.

FINAL: Islanders 5 at Mooseheads 6 OT
Stars: 3. Alex Dostie CHA | 2. Nico Hischier HAL | 1. Jake Coughler HAL
Attendance: 7,772
MC's Top Herd: Jake Coughler

GAME LOG
First period
1:36 HAL Maxime Fortier (31) | A: Hischier & Groulx
4:43 HAL Keigan Goetz (8) | A: Moynihan & Bishop
14:04 HAL Benoit-Olivier Groulx (17) | A: Hischier & McIsaac

Second period
8:55 CHA Alex Dostie (28), PP | A: Brisebois & Beauchemin
9:58 HAL Jake Coughler (29), PP | A: Chainey & Hischier
17:42 CHA Alex Dostie (29) | A: Sprong

Third period
2:35 HAL Jake Coughler (30) | Durandeau & Lavoie
4:43 CHA Filip Chlapik (33) | A: Marsh & Vesterinen
7:21 CHA Kameron Kielly (33), PP | A: Marsh & Sprong
11:50 CHA Francois Beauchemin (44) | A: Dostie & Sprong

Overtime
0:54 HAL Jake Coughler (31) | A: Fortier & Gravel

Powerplay: CHA - 2-for-4, HAL - 1-for-2
Shots: 39-34 in favour of Halifax

MISSING IN ACTION: Barratt Dachyshyn (injury), Blade Mann-Dixon (injury), Caleb Rich and Ben Higgins

SCORES
Acadie-Bathurst 4 at Cape Breton 6
Saint John 5 at Moncton 0
Blainville-Boisbriand 3 at Drummondville 6
Chicoutimi 5 at Quebec 3
Rouyn-Noranda 2 at Shawinigan 3
Val-d'Or 3 at Sherbrooke 2

UP NEXT: Halifax will host the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on Friday night for a special St. Patrick's Day game. Puck drops at 7pm.

GAMEDAY #66: vs. Charlottetown

GAME PREVIEW
HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS VS. CHARLOTTETOWN ISLANDERS
Puck drops at 7:00pm
Radio: News 95.7 | TV: Webcast | Live: @MC_MooseCountry
Scotiabank Centre (10,595) ~ Halifax, NS

Your Halifax Mooseheads look to finish off the season strong as they come back to Moose Country to end the year on a 3 game homestand. Halifax has had a tough schedule of late playing their divisional rivals for the last month and a half, picking up wins against the last place Moncton Wildcats. It's not going to get any easier with the Herd facing the top 2 teams this week plus a St Patrick's Day matchup against Cape Breton. The Mooseheads will need some luck on their side and big performances from the top guns; Max Fortier and Nico Hischier to make sure they get into the playoffs. Charlottetown meanwhile have won 9 of their last 10 games and has the CHL player of the week on their team in Daniel Sprong. The Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick has been racking up points and has been a thorn in the Mooseheads' back since he started in the QMJHL. With their strong play in the second half, the Islanders have shot up the standings and are only 5 points back of first place Saint John for the division crown. Halifax will try to put an end to Charlottetown's bid to win the division by picking up the two points in front of the home crowd at Scotiabank Centre.

This is the ninth and final game between these two teams this season. Charlottetown is 5-3-0-0 against the Mooseheads so far while Halifax has a 3-5-0-0 record versus the Islanders. The two teams last met on March 5 in Charlottetown where the Herd lost 3-1 with Arnaud Durandeau scoring the lone goal. Alex Gravel made 29 saves to take the defeat.

OVERALL RECORDS
Islanders: 43-17-3-0 = 93 points (2nd in Maritimes division, 4th overall)
Mooseheads: 26-34-2-3 = 57 points (5th in Maritimes division, 15th overall)

LEADING SCORERS
HAL: Maxime Fortier 83pts (30G & 53A), Nico Hischier 82pts (38G & 44A), Jake Coughler 50pts (28G & 22A)
CHA: Francois Beauchemin 94pts (43G & 51A), Filip Chlapik 87G (32G & 55A), Kameron Kielly 69pts (32G & 37A)

PREVIOUS GAMES
Charlottetown is coming off a 6-3 victory over the Titan on Saturday evening. Guillaume Brisbois led the Islanders with 2 goals and an assist on the road while Mark Grametbauer stopped 26 of Acadie-Bathurst's 29 shots to take the win.

Halifax is coming off a 5-3 loss to the Sea Dogs on Saturday. Otto Somppi scored two goals for the Mooseheads while Alex Gravel made 21 saves in what was Saint John's last home game of the season.

ALUM ON ISLANDERS - Jean-Sebastien Taillefer

HEAD-TO-HEAD
October 2  Halifax 2 at Charlottetown 9
October 8  Charlottetown 2 at Halifax 5
November 12  Charlottetown 4 at Halifax 7
December 28  Halifax 1 at Charlottetown 2
January 11  Charlottetown 1 at Halifax 2 
February 10  Halifax 3 at Charlottetown 4 
February 18  Charlottetown 5 at Halifax 1
March 5  Halifax 1 at Charlottetown 3
March 15  Charlottetown at Halifax – 7pm

OUT OF TOWN
Screaming Eagles vs. Titan - 7:00pm
Wildcats vs. Sea Dogs - 7:00pm
Voltigeurs vs. Armada - 8:00pm
Remparts vs. Sagueneens - 8:00pm
Cataractes vs. Huskies - 8:00pm
Phoenix vs. Foreurs - 8:00pm

AFTER THE BUZZER
Halifax will stay at home and welcome their provincial rivals; Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on Friday evening for St. Patrick's Day. Puck drops at 7pm.

QMJHL Names Scholastic POM

Every month, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announces a Scholastic Player of the Month which recognizes a player on each team with his performance on ice and in the classroom. The player is selected based on their school results, their implication, the school-hockey conciliation, their team spirit and their on-ice performances.

For your Halifax Mooseheads, Joel Bishop was named the Scholastic Player of the Month for February 2017. Bishop had two assists and twelve penalty minutes in 11 games played in the month of February while also being a minus-4.

Here's the full list:

BAC	Antoine Samuel	Cégep de Baie-Comeau
BAT	Kynan Berger	Bathurst High School
BLB	Anthony Poulin	Cégep de Saint-Jérôme
CAP	Tyler Hylland	Cégep à distance
CHA	Matthew Welsh	Colonel Gray High School
CHI	Julien Carignan	Cégep de Chicoutimi
DRU	Andrew Shewfelt	St. Mary’s University
GAT	Eric Eshweller	Glebe Collegiate Institute
HAL	Joel Bishop	Prince Andrew High School
MON	Alex Renaud	Ontario online High School
QUE	Christian Huntley	Correspondance study program NS
RIM	Alex-Olivier Voyer	Cégep de Rimouski
ROU	Rafaël Harvey-Pinard	Cégep de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue
SHA	Samuel Asselin	Collège Shawinigan
SHE	Johnathan Legault	Cégep de Sherbrooke
SNB	Matthew Highmore	UNBSJ
VDO	Alex Bishop	NB University
VIC	James Phelan	Cégep de Victoriaville