Champs Again

Back to back. How does that sound Moose Country? Your Halifax Mooseheads had a much better game this afternoon on home ice and cruised to a big 7-1 victory over their provincial rivals to claim the club's second Hurley Cup in as many years. Captain Antoine Morand accepted the trophy on behalf of his teammates after the third period finished and also played a part in getting the win. The 19 year old scored in the first period to give Halifax a 3-0 lead. Draft eligible forward Raphael Lavoie had a good game today, starting the scoring off with two goals in the first 4 minutes and also picking up an assist. After 20 minutes, the home team were up 4-0 and in complete control. It seemed like in the middle frame the Herd sat back and as a result gave up the lone goal in the 2nd period. Leon Gawanke broke Alex Gravel's shutout with 1:25 left in the second to get the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on the board. It would be the only puck that would find the back of the net for the away team. Samuel Asselin scored his team leading 28th marker as the Mooseheads put in three more during the third period. Halifax won both games during the post-Christmas break series to claim the Hurley Cup last season and retained the title this year. What a way to end 2018, Happy New Year Halifax! Always remember Go Moose Go ☺️.

FINAL: Screaming Eagles 1 at Mooseheads 7
Stars: 3. Jake Ryczek HAL | 2. Samuel Asselin HAL | 1. Raphaël Lavoie HAL
Attendance: 10,154MC's Top Herd: Raphael Lavoie

GAME LOG
First period
2:13 HAL Raphael Lavoie (16) | A: Asselin
3:50 HAL Raphael Lavoie (17), PP | A: Trépanier & Morand
5:07 HAL Antoine Morand (13) | A: McGovern & Ryczek
10:00 HAL Xavier Parent (7), PP | A: Gravel

Second period
18:35 CAP Leon Gawanke (11) | A: Francis

Third period
3:29 HAL Benoit-Olivier Groulx (19)

Shots: tied at 30 a piece
Powerplay: CAP - 0-for-3; HAL - 3-for-5

NOT DRESSED - Jared McIsaac (World Juniors), Ostap Safin (injured), Jocktan Chainey (injured), Kyle Petten (healthy), Marcel Barinka (injured), Cole Stewart (healthy)

SCORES
Islanders 4 at Sea Dogs 1
Titan 3 at Wildcats 6
Huskies 2 at Foreurs 3
Remparts 1 at Oceanic 7
Armada 2 at Voltigeurs 7
Drakkar 11 at Cataractes 3
Olympiques 2 at Phoenix 5
Sagueneens 6 at Tigres 4

UP NEXT - The first game of 2019 will see your Mooseheads hosting the Rimouski Oceanic on January 4. Puck drops at 7pm.

Dec 31: Mooseheads vs. Screaming Eagles preview

HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS VS CAPE BRETON SCREAMING EAGLES
December 31, 2018 at 2:00pm
TV: Webcast | Radio: News 95.7 | Live: @MC_MooseCountry
Scotiabank Centre (10,595) ~ Halifax, NS

It's the last game of 2018. Wow, this year has gone by so fast and your Halifax Mooseheads will look to end it on a high note. The final match of the year will be a big one as the winner may be able to have bragging rights for the next year with today's tilt being the second game of the Hurley Cup. It's also the last time that Moose Country will see the Herd's provincial rivals; the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles this season as the final two games in their head-to-head will be played in Sydney. The annual Battle of Nova Scotia series has taken an extra bit of fun with the addition of the Hurley Cup trophy. A big story was the return of Samuel Dube who had played just two games before doctors found a blood clot in his leg which forced the rookie to sit out 30+ games. It should be a fun game to end the year, hopefully we won't see another match with extra time.

This is the seventh game between these two teams. Halifax is 4-1-0-1 against the Screaming Eagles while Cape Breton has a 2-3-0-1 record versus the Mooseheads. The last matchup was December 30, where Halifax won 3-2 in a shootout. Samuel Asselin scored twice in regulation while Benoit-Olivier Groulx scored the shootout winner.

Overall Records
Eagles: 22-12-1-2 = 47pts (7th overall, 4th in Maritimes division)
Mooseheads: 25-8-1-1 = 52pts (3rd overall, 1st in Maritimes division)

Leading Scorers
HAL: Samuel Asselin 45pts (27G & 18A), Raphael Lavoie 36pts (15G & 21A), Benoit-Olivier Groulx 35pts (18G & 17A)
CAP: Mitchell Balmas 46pts (22G & 24A), Mathias Laferriere 43pts (18G & 25A), Derek Gentile 35pts (7G & 28A)

Previous Games
See above.

Head-to-Head
September 28  Mooseheads 4 at Screaming Eagles 2
October 26  Mooseheads 4 at Screaming Eagles 3
October 27  Screaming Eagles 5 at Mooseheads 2
November 9  Screaming Eagles 2 at Mooseheads 5
December 12  Screaming Eagles 3 at Mooseheads 2 SO
December 30  Mooseheads 3 at Screaming Eagles 2 SO
December 31  2pm  Screaming Eagles at Mooseheads
January 11  7pm  Mooseheads at Screaming Eagles
February 9  7pm  Mooseheads at Screaming Eagles

Out of Town
Saint John vs. Charlottetown - 2:00pm
Moncton vs. Acadie-Bathurst - 2:00pm
Val-d'Or vs. Rouyn-Noranda - 2:00pm
Rimouski vs. Quebec - 3:00pm
Drummondville vs. Blainville-Boisbriand - 3:00pm
Shawinigan vs. Baie-Comeau - 3:00pm
Sherbrooke vs. Gatineau - 3:00pm
Victoriaville vs. Chicoutimi - 3:00pm

After the Buzzer
Halifax will have their first game in the new year on January 4, hosting the Rimouski Oceanic. Puck drops at 7pm.

Dec 28: Islanders vs. Mooseheads preview

CHARLOTTETOWN ISLANDERS VS HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS
December 28, 2018 at 7:00pm
TV: Eastlink | Radio: News 95.7 | Live: @HFXMooseheads
Eastlink Centre (3,717) ~ Charlottetown, PEI

Christmas break is over meaning that hockey is back. Your Halifax Mooseheads start the second half of the season tonight when they head to Charlottetown to take on the Islanders. The Mooseheads are on top of the Maritimes division with 50 points after going 7-0-0-1 before the break and are one of the hottest teams lately. Cam Russell and the brass have made a couple of moves so far during the winter trade period, picking up two forwards. Maxim Trepanier, who the Herd acquired from Gatineau yesterday, will make his debut tonight while Halifax brought in Keith Getson, who will play his former team this evening after being traded by Charlottetown a couple days before Christmas. It looks like the Islanders are in rebuilding mode after trading 3 of their top 5 scorers, which included shipping captain Pierre-Olivier Joseph to Drummondville on Thursday. Will the new guys have a big impact on today's match? Head coach Eric Veilleux and the Moose Country faithful sure hopes so.

This is the sixth game this season between these two teams. Halifax is 5-0-0-0 against the Islanders while Charlottetown has a 0-4-1-0 record versus the Mooseheads. The last matchup was December 15, the last game before the break, in Halifax where the Herd cruised to a 6-2 victory. Jordan Maher, who was traded a few days ago, had two goals to lead the home team while Alex Gravel made 30 saves for the win.

Overall Records
Mooseheads: 24-7-1-1 = 50pts (3rd overall, 1st in Maritimes division)
Islanders: 20-10-2-1 = 43pts (8th overall, 4th in Maritimes division)

Leading Scorers
CHA: Daniel Hardie 39pts (22G & 17A), Nikita Alexandrov 29pts (14G & 15A), Kevin Gursoy 22pts (6G & 16A)
HAL: Samuel Asselin 42pts (24G & 18A), Benoit-Olivier Groulx 35pts (18G & 17A), Arnaud Durandeau 34pts (17G & 17A)

Previous Games
See above.

Head-to-Head
September 22  Mooseheads 3 at Islanders 2
October 11  Mooseheads 8 at Islanders 2
November 20  Islanders 3 at Mooseheads 4 OT
December 9  Mooseheads 2 at Islanders 1
December 15  Islanders 2 at Mooseheads 6
December 28  7:30pm  Mooseheads at Islanders
February 6  7pm  Islanders at Mooseheads
February 16  4:30pm  Islanders at Mooseheads
March 16  4:30pm  Islanders at Mooseheads

Out of Town
Acadie-Bathurst vs. Saint John - 7:00pm
Cape Breton vs. Moncton - 7:00pm
Victoriaville vs. Shawinigan - 8:00pm
Quebec vs. Sherbrooke - 8:00pm
Chicoutimi vs. Rimouski - 8:30pm
Gatineau vs. Val-d'Or - 8:30pm
Baie-Comeau vs. Drummondville - 8:30pm
Blainville-Boisbriand vs. Rouyn-Noranda - 8:30pm

After the Buzzer
Halifax will head to Sydney to take on the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on Saturday in the first game of the Hurley Cup. Puck drops at 2pm.

Herd Word

Photo - Shawn Davidson

LAVOIE
On the same day he had been cut from the World Junior team, 18 year old Raphael Lavoie found out he would participate in the 2019 Sherwin-Williams Top Prospects game next month. "The 24th annual showcase of the CHL’s top prospects eligible for the NHL Draft will be played on Wednesday January 23, 2019, at the ENMAX Centrium, home of the Western Hockey League’s Red Deer Rebels.  The 40 competing players were chosen by NHL clubs and include talent from across the WHL, the Ontario Hockey League, and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League." according to the press release. It hasn't been the season most expected Lavoie to have after the Montreal, QC native had 30 goals and 63 points in a full season last year however he still has 34 points in 31 games so far.

Congrats to Raphael, go show those scouts that you deserve to be a top 10 draft pick.

TOP 10
The KIA Canadian Hockey League Top 10 for Week 14 was announced on December 19 and your Halifax Mooseheads found themselves going into the holiday break ranked 7th in the country after a 2-0-0-1 record that week.

Full rankings below
1. Prince Albert Raiders (31-2-0-1)
2. Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (28-6-0-1)
3. Ottawa 67's (25-6-3-1)
4. London Knights (23-5-2-1)
5. Everett Silvertips (27-7-1-1)
6. Drummondville Voltigeurs (25-7-1-0)
7. Halifax Mooseheads (24-7-1-1)
8. Vancouver Giants (22-8-2-0)
9. Baie-Comeau Drakkar (23-9-1-1)
10. Niagara IceDogs (20-7-5-0)

Honourable mentions: Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (21-8-4-1), Sudbury Wolves (21-9-1-1), Moncton Wildcats (23-10-2-1)

FIRST HALF
Despite injuries and a few games that they really should've won, the Mooseheads finished the first half of the 2018-19 season in a pretty good place. Halifax is on top of the Maritimes division having won 24 of their first 33 games. They are third in QMJHL with an even 50 points. Halifax also has the third best power play so far this season while their penalty killing is the best in the league at 88.7%. Samuel Asselin, who was acquired from the Bathurst Titan after the season began, leads the Herd with 24 goals and 42 points which is good enough for 15th in the Q. Third year goaltender Alex Gravel finds himself in the top 5 of a few categories; save percentage (4th - 0.918), wins (2nd - 18) and shutouts (T-2nd - 2).

Halifax's last match before the break was against the Charlottetown Islanders where the Mooseheads skated to a 6-2 victory on home ice. Jordan Maher scored twice while Gravel made 30 saves.

TEAM OF THE WEEK
For the week ending December 17, 2018 the QMJHL announced the players on it's team of the week and there were two Mooseheads among them.

FUCALE
It was announced earlier this week that former Moose goaltender Zach Fucale had been named to the Canadian Spengler Cup team. The majority of Team Canada for this tournament is made up of players who play overseas now because their options to play pro in North America have dried up. Canada will play 2 preliminary matches against European clubs than head to the medal round. Fucale made 24 saves yesterday to help his team to a 2-1 victory against host HC Davos. Zach was apart of the team that won the gold medal two years ago at this tournament.

Good luck to Zach and Team Canada this week!

Photo - Avs website

MACKINNONWith it being December, attention has turned to the NHL All-Star game that will be held by the San Jose Sharks on Kanuary 27. Over the last couple of weeks, fans have been able to vote who they think should be named the captains of each of the division teams. Well the NHL announced the results of that vote this morning and former Herd star forward Nathan MacKinnon was voted as the C for the Central division. Kid Mack has been playing on what many have called the best line in hockey this season and has recorded 22 goals and 59 points. This will be Nathan's third All-Star appearance in his NHL career. He joins Auston Matthews (Toronto - Atlantic), Connor McDavid (Edmonton - Pacific) and Alexander Ovechkin (Washington - Metropolitan) as the captains.

WJC: Herd Have Two Named

The most wonderful time of the year is upon us. For junior hockey fans, Boxing Day signifies the start of the Under-20 World Ice Hockey Championships and their favourite part of the hockey season. Our Halifax Mooseheads had a few players have a chance to represent their countries with Raphael Lavoie, Jared McIsaac and Ostap Safin being asked to join pre-competition camps. From those three, only McIsaac ended up making his country's team. Lavoie was among the first players to be cut from Team Canada last weekend while it seems like Safin was still too injured to play right now. For more info, check out the official U20 website here.

Canada started the tournament on Boxing Day with a 14-0 win over Denmark and will play 3 more times in the preliminary round on Dec 27 (vs. SUI), Dec 29 (vs. CZE) and Dec 31 (vs. RUS) before the medal round begins on January 2. All game times are 9pm AT.

Mooseheads fans should be particularly interested in the December 29th game as it will pit McIsaac against a former teammate with alum Filip Zadina making the Czech Republic squad. Zadina has played this season in the AHL so far this season with Grand Rapids recording 8 goals and 17 points. The 19-year-old is making his second straight appearance at the World Juniors after helping the Czechs to a 4th place finish last year in Buffalo with 7 goals and an assist. They'll look to improve on that this year.


Congrats to Jared McIsaac and Filip Zadina on making their respective teams. I'll try to keep you updated during the tournament.

Gravel Shuts the Door on Cats

Photo - Myles Dennis

The Halifax Mooseheads have played 32 games and have recorded their 5th shutout of the season, which is five times the number of shutouts the team had last year. Chicago Blackhawks prospect Alex Gravel picked up his third career perfect game with a 33-save performance on Friday night to help the Herd to a 2-0 victory. It was also teddy bear toss game this evening and fans had to wait until the second period to throw their stuffed animals onto the ice. Halifax started off slow, getting outplayed in the first period but found themselves in a scoreless tie after 20 minutes despite being outshot 14-4 in the opening frame. Centre Raphael Lavoie travelled all day from Victoria after getting cut from Team Canada's world junior team last night and arrived at Scotiabank Centre just minutes before puck drop. The 18-year-old dressed quickly and received a big round of applause when he stepped on the ice during his line's first shift of the match. In the second, Halifax got a bit of momentum after killing off a late first period penalty that continued into the middle frame and Benoit-Olivier Groulx scored the opening goal almost 3 and a half minutes in to start the bear toss. That seemed to swing the pendulum from Moncton's way to the home team. Gravel still had to be strong at times and made some spectacular saves yet again while Francis Leclerc made some nice saves as well.

FINAL: Wildcats 0 at Mooseheads 2
Stars: 3. Raphael Lavoie HAL | 2. Francis Leclerc MON | 1. Alexis Gravel HAL
Attendance: 7,716
MC's Top Herd: Alexis Gravel

GAME LOG
First period
None

Second period
3:37 HAL Benoit-Olivier Groulx (18) | A: Lavoie & Bishop

Third period
12:55 HAL Samuel Asselin (23) | Morand & Toner

Shots: 33-31 in favour of Moncton
Powerplay: MON - 0-for-4; HAL - 0-for-2

NOT DRESSED - Jared McIsaac (WJC camp), Cole Stewart (healthy), Ostap Safin (WJC camp) and Samuel Dube (injured)

SCORES
Islanders 4 at Sea Dogs 6
Screaming Eagles 8 at Titan 4
Huskies 3 at Phoenix 4 SO
Cataractes 1 at Remparts 2
Tigres 3 at Sagueneens 2
Foreurs 1 at Voltigeurs 7
Armada 0 at Olympiques 4
Drakkar 4 at Oceanic 3

UP NEXT - Halifax will play their last game before the Christmas break tomorrow night as they host the Charlottetown Islanders. Puck drops at 7pm.

Dec 14: Mooseheads vs. Wildcats preview

HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS VS MONCTON WILDCATS
December 14, 2018 at 7:00pm
TV: Eastlink | Radio: News 95.7 | Live: @MC_MooseCountry
Scotiabank Centre (10,595) ~ Halifax, NS

It’s teddy bear toss night! When the Mooseheads score their first goal of the match, get those teddy bears flying. All bears collected with be given to Ronald McDonald House Charity and other local charities. Once again it is the battle of the top two teams in the Maritimes division. These clubs have been among the elite this season and will look to keep the momentum going into the new year. Moncton has fallen a bit of late and were not a part of the Top 10 teams in the Canadian Hockey League this week. However, that has given our favourite team an opportunity to stay really close behind the Wildcats especially since the Herd have been a hot team winning 5 straight games before a shootout loss on Wednesday. The Moose will be in tough though with Moncton seemingly icing a full lineup while Halifax are still without Jared McIsaac and Ostap Safin. The two young men are at their respective country's world juniors camp. After being released last night from Team Canada it is unknown if forward Raphael Lavoie will be in the lineup this evening. We should be in for a good game just days before the Christmas break.

This is the fourth meeting between these two teams. Halifax is 2-0-1-0 against the Wildcats this season while Moncton has a 1-1-1-0 record versus the Mooseheads. The last matchup saw Moncton pick up a 3-2 overtime win back on November 4th where Alex Khovanov scored the winner for the visitors.

Overall Records
Wildcats: 22-9-2-1 = 47pts (3rd overall, 1st in Maritimes division)
Mooseheads: 22-7-1-1 = 46pts (5th overall, 2nd in Maritimes division)

Leading Scorers
HAL: Samuel Asselin  40pts (22G & 18A), Benoit-Olivier Groulx 34pts (17G & 17A), Arnaud Durandeau 33pts (16G & 17A)
MON: Jeremy McKenna 57pts (25G & 32A), Jakob Pelletier 46pts (19G & 27A), Alexander Khovanov 43pts (19G & 24A)

Previous Games
Moncton is coming off a 5-4 shootout loss to the Islanders on Wednesday morning. Jeremy McKenna led the charge for the Wildcats with a hat trick while goaltender Charles-Antoine Lavallee made 18 saves in relief of Francis Leclerc in Charlottetown.

Halifax is coming off a 3-2 shootout loss to the Screaming Eagles on Wednesday evening. Samuel Asselin and Ben Higgins had the goals for the Mooseheads while Alexis Gravel made 17 saves against Cape Breton in the loss.

Head-to-Head
September 30  Mooseheads 4 at Wildcats 2
October 17  Mooseheads 5 at Wildcats 4 OT
November 4  Wildcats 3 at Mooseheads 2 OT
December 14  7pm  Wildcats at Mooseheads
January 19  7pm  Wildcats at Mooseheads
January 26  7pm  Mooseheads at Wildcats
February 2  7pm  Mooseheads at Wildcats
March 9  7pm  Mooseheads at Wildcats
March 13  7pm  Wildcats at Mooseheads

Out of Town
Saint John vs. Charlottetown - 7:00pm
Acadie-Bathurst vs. Cape Breton - 7:00pm
Sherbrooke vs. Rouyn-Noranda - 8:00pm
Quebec vs. Shawinigan - 8:00pm
Chicoutimi vs. Victoriaville - 8:30pm
Drummondville vs. Val-D'or - 8:30pm
Gatineau vs. Blainville-Boisbriand - 8:30pm
Rimouski vs. Baie-Comeau - 8:30pm

After the Buzzer
Halifax will welcome the Charlottetown Islanders to town to finish off the first half of the season. Puck drops at 7pm.

Moose Win Big Against Sea Dogs

Photo - Myles Dennis

The Saint John Sea Dogs are the last place team in the QMJHL and your Halifax Mooseheads handled them quite easily on Friday evening, picking up a 10-2 victory. Halifax got out to a quick start scoring just 78 seconds into the match when Samuel Asselin picked up his 19th goal of the season. Shots during the whole game were close but it was another bad night for the Sea Dogs backend with overager Mikhail Denisov giving up 5 goals on 16 shots before being pulled almost half way through the middle frame. The 20 year old picked up the loss despite playing less minutes than rookie Tommy DaSilva who came in to replace him. Justin Barron wasn't productive tonight by scoring goals but he helped other players score by picking up 4 assists during the evening and was named third star. Alexis Gravel was solid in nets, only letting in two goals on 25 shots. Halifax built up a 7-0 lead before Saint John was able to get one past the Chicago Blackhawks prospect. It was a big night for rookie defenceman Denis Toner who recorded his first career goal, potting the Mooseheads 10th goal, while also being a +5 on the night.

FINAL: Sea Dogs 2 at Mooseheads 10
Stars: 3. Justin Baron HAL | 2. Jake Ryczek HAL | 1. Joel Bishop HAL
Attendance: 7,915MC's Top Herd: n/a

GAME LOG
First period
1:18 HAL Samuel Asselin (19) | A: Bishop & Higgins
13:40 HAL Patrick Kyte (4) | A: Barron & Bishop
15:57 HAL Jake Ryczek (3), PP | A: Barron & Barinka

Second period
5:09 HAL Patrick Kyte (5) | Barron & McLeod
8:30 HAL Arnaud Durandeau (14) | A: Groulx & Maher
9:56 HAL Samuel Asselin (20) | A: Bishop & Higgins
15:06 HAL Jordan Maher (4), SH | A: Groulx
17:48 SNB Nicholas Deakin-Poot (4) | A: Cajkovic & Larose

Third period
3:07 SNB Jeremie Jacob (3) | A: Cajkovic
8:30 HAL Benoit-Olivier Groulx (15) | A: Ryczek
12:49 HAL Antoine Morand (11) | A: Lavoie & Barron
16:21 HAL Denis Toner (1) | A: Parent & Lavoie

Shots: 25-31 in favour of Halifax
Powerplay: SNB 0-for-4; HAL 1-for-2

NOT DRESSED – Cole Stewart (injured), Ostap Safin (injured), Jocktan Chainey (illness) and Samuel Dube (injured)

SCORES
Islanders 4 at Wildcats 3
Titan 2 at Screaming Eagles 4
Sagueneens 3 at Foreurs 2
Oceanic 9 at Cataractes 1
67's 1 at Olympiques 2
Tigres 1 at Drakkar 7
Voltigeurs 6 at Armada 3

UP NEXT – Halifax will welcome the Acadie-Bathurst Titan to town for a battle tomorrow evening. Puck drops at 7pm.

Stats Sunday: November

Games played: 10
Record: 6-3-1-0, 13pts
Goals for/against:44/25
Powerplay*: 26.3%
Penalty kill*: 88.0%
Shutouts: one

Top 5 leading scorers
Points: Samuel Asselin 16, Benoit-Olivier Groulx 14, Jared McIssac 11, Antoine Morand 10, Raphael Lavoie 10
Goals: Samuel Asselin 9, Benoit-Olivier Groulx 8, Arnaud Durandeau 5, Antoine Morand 3, Raphael Lavoie 3
Assists: Jared McIssac 8, Antoine Morand 7, Samuel Asselin 7, Ostap Safin 7, Raphael Lavoie 7
Penalty minutes: Joel Bishop 16, Walter Flower 10, Patrick Kyte 10, Ben Higgins 10, Jared McIsaac 10
Plus/minus: Walter Flower +7, Benoit-Olivier Groulx +5, Arnaud Durandeau +4, Marcel Barinka +4,Joel Bishop +4
Rookie scoring: Marcel Barinka 5pts, Cole Stewart 0pts, Cole McLaren 0pts

Goaltending stats*
Cole McLaren: 5-1-0-0    1.65 GAA    0.939 SAV%
Alexis Gravel: 13-6-1-0    2.94 GAA    0.907 SAV%


*overall

Dec 2: Oceanic vs. Mooseheads preview

RIMOUSKI OCEANIC VS HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS
Puck drops at 4:00pm
TV: Webcast | Radio: News 95.7 | Live: @HFXMooseheads
Colisée de Rimouski (5,062) ~ Rimouski, QC

Your Halifax Mooseheads are back in action and will be facing another tough opponent this afternoon in the Rimouski Oceanic as they travel to Rimouski to finish up the road trip in Quebec. The Oceanic have been a hot team as of late with a 7-1-1 record after a slow start to the season. Rimouski and Halifax have very similar records with the Oceanic having two extra losses and the Moose having one more win on them. The Mooseheads had a much better game Friday night which saw their three game losing streak snapped in favor of their 5-2 win over the Cataractes. Rimouski has the fourth best goaltender in the league so far this season in Chase Ellis who has a 2.44 goals against average and 12 victories while Halifax has reached the century goal mark they will be looking to start the next century out strong. Alexis Lafrenière has played very well for the Oceanic and looks to be on pace to surpass his career high in points, he has 46 points in 27 games in 2018-19. The Herd will need to shut him down this afternoon if they have any chance of winning. In goal, I would be surprised if we don’t see Ellis versus Alex Gravel.

Overall Records
Oceanic: 16-9-2-0 = 34pts (7th overall, 2nd in East division)
Mooseheads: 18-7-1-0 = 37pts (5th overall, 2nd in Maritimes division)

Leading Scorers
HAL: Samuel Asselin 33pts (18G & 15A), Benoit-Olivier Groulx 29pts (14G & 15A), Raphael Lavoie 28pts (14G & 14A)
RIM: Alexis Lafrenière 46pts (16G & 30A), Jimmy Huntington 37pts (20G & 17A), Charle-Edward D'Astous 36pts (8G & 28A)

Previous Games
Rimouski is coming off of a 6-1 victory Friday evening against Victoriaville. Jimmy Huntington led the charge for the Oceanic with two goals while Carmine-Anthony Pagliarulo made 22 saves to pick up the win against the Tigres.

Halifax is coming off a 5-3 victory on Friday evening against the Cataractes on the road. Samuel Asselin had a hat trick and an assist to lead the way for the Mooseheads while Alex Gravel took the win, stopping 14 of  Shawinigan’s 16 shots.

Head-to-Head
December 2  4pm  Mooseheads at Oceanic
January 4  7pm  Oceanic at Mooseheads

Out of Town
Acadie-Bathurst vs. Rouyn Noranda - 3:00pm
Charlottetown vs. Val-D'or - 3:00pm
Drummondville vs. Blainville-Boisbriand - 4:00pm
Sherbrooke vs. Victoriaville - 4:00pm
Chicoutimi vs. Baie-Comeau - 5:00pm

After the Buzzer
Halifax will travel home to take on the Saint John Sea Dogs to open up a five game home stand to close out the first half of the season. Puck drops at 7pm.

Streak Snapped at Three

Photo - Halifax Mooseheads Twitter

After a slow start to the game as well as the road trip, the Herd are back in the win column. Tonight's victory between the pipe for Alex Gravel was a milestone win which was the 50th of his Q career. The win puts him in a tie for third for most wins by a goalie with Danny Dallaire and is behind J-S Giguere and Zach Fucale who are in first and second respectively. The Mooseheads fell behind late in the first period when forward Mathieu Boulianne who blocked a shot from the point to race down the ice on a breakaway to beat goalie Alex Gravel. In the second Halifax started to dominate outshooting Shawinigan 17-1 and that is where veteran Samuel Asselin carried the team on his back scoring three goals and adding an assist in his return to Shawinigan since being traded in January. Xavier Parent and Raphael Lavoie added the other goals for the Herd. Shawinigan would add a goal from Gabriel Denis in the third to make it a two goal game but couldn't come any closer than that. It was announced late today that forward Ostap Safin left the team to travel to Edmonton to meet with the team doctors to see about his lower-body injury. All of the other injuries have stayed the same as the previous game.

FINAL: Mooseheads 5 at Cataractes 2
Stars: 3. Antoine Coulombe SHA | 2. Raphael Lavoie HAL | 1. Samuel Asselin HALAttendance: 2,910
MC’s Top Herd: Samuel Asselin

GAME LOG
First period
16:51 SHA Mathieu Boulianne (4) | A: none

Second period
11:19 HAL Samuel Asselin (16) | A: Higgins & McIssac
17:00 HAL Xavier Parent (5) | A: Lavoie & Morand
18:19 HAL Raphael Lavoie (14) | A: Parent & Asselin

Third period
3:17 HAL Samuel Asselin (17) | A: Higgins & Bishop
7:18 SHA Gabriel Denis (6), SH | A: Denny & Coulombe
19:55 HAL Samuel Asselin (18), EN | A: Bishop

Shots: 42-16 in favour of Halifax

NOT DRESSED – Cole Stewart (injured), Ostap Safin (injured), Jake Ryczek (injured) and Samuel Dube (injured)

SCORES
Foreurs 3 at Sea Dogs 4 OT
Titan 1 at Islanders 2
Wildcats 6 at Phoenix 3
Tigres 1 at Oceanic 6
Remparts 3 at Sagueneens 2 OT
Olympique 3 at Voltigeurs 7

UP NEXT – Halifax will travel to Rimouski Sunday afternoon to take on the Oceanic to complete the Quebec road trip. Puck drops at 4pm.

Nov 25: Mooseheads vs. Voltigeurs preview

HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS VS DRUMMONDVILLE VOLTIGEURS
Puck drops at 3:00pm
TV: Webcast | Radio: News 95.7 | Live: @MC_MooseCountry
Scotiabank Centre (10,595) ~ Halifax, NS

Your Halifax Mooseheads are back in action and will be hosting another tough opponent this afternoon as the Drummondville Voltigeurs come to town. Drummondville and Halifax have almost the exact same record with the Volts having an extra loss. The Mooseheads had a much better game last night after getting 7 shots in the final 40 minutes of Tuesday's match but the club came away with no points in a super heated match against Baie-Comeau yesterday. Drummondville has the third best goaltender in the league so far this season in Olivier Rodrigue who has a 2.26 goals against average and 13 victories while Halifax is still looking to reach the century goal mark. Exceptional player Joe Veleno has played quite well for the Voltigeurs and looks to be on pace to surpass his career high in points, he has 35 points in 22 games in 2018-19. The Herd will need to shut him down this afternoon if they have any chance of winning. In goal, I would be surprised if we don't see Rodrigue versus Alex Gravel.

This is the second and final game between these two teams. Halifax has a 1-0-0-0 record against the Voltigeurs while Drummondville is 0-0-1-0 versus the Mooseheads. The last game was on October 21 where the Mooseheads were led by Alex Gravel's 44 save performance to a 4-3 overtime victory in Drummondville. 

Overall Records
Voltigeurs: 17-6-1-0 = 35pts (4th overall, 1st in Central division)
Mooseheads: 17-5-1-0 = 35pts (5th overall, 2nd in Maritimes division)

Leading Scorers
HAL: Samuel Asselin 27pts (15G & 12A), Benoit-Olivier Groulx 27pts (13G & 14A), Arnaud Durandeau 27pts (12G & 15A)
DRU: Joe Veleno 35pts (16G & 19A), Greggor MacLeod 28pts (12G & 16A), Nicloas Guay 25pts (10G & 15A)

Previous Games
Drummondville is coming off of a 7-1 victory in Moncton last night. Joe Veleno led the charge for the Voltigeurs with a hat-trick and 6 points while Olivier Rodrigue made 35 saves to pick up the win against the Wildcats.

Halifax is coming off a 2-1 defeat on Saturday evening against the Drakkar on home ice. Arnaud Durandeau had the lone marker for the Mooseheads while Alex Gravel took the loss, stopping 23 of Baie-Comeau's 25 shots.

Head-to-Head
October 21  Mooseheads 4 at Voltigeurs 3 OT
November 25  3pm  Voltigeurs at Mooseheads

Out of Town
Charlottetown vs. Baie-Comeau - 3:00pm
Acadie-Bathurst vs. Sherbrooke - 3:00pm
Quebec vs. Blainville-Boisbriand - 4:00pm
Shawinigan vs. Chicoutimi - 5:00pm
Gatineau vs. Victoriaville - 5:00pm

After the Buzzer
Halifax will travel to Blainville on Thursday night for a matchup against the Armada to begin their 3 game Quebec road trip. Puck drops at 8pm.

Nov 24: Mooseheads vs. Drakkar preview

HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS VS BAIE-COMEAU DRAKKAR

Puck drops at 7:00pm

TV: Webcast | Radio: News 95.7 | Live: @MC_MooseCountry

Scotiabank Centre (10,595) ~ Halifax, NS

Who's ready for some Saturday night hockey? Your Halifax Mooseheads will have another tough game when they welcome the Baie-Comeau Drakkar to Scotiabank Centre this evening. The Drakkar are one point ahead of Halifax coming into tonight's match however the Herd have 3 games in hand. Halifax has been playing quite well until their game on Tuesday, going 5-0-1 in their last six while Baie-Comeau is 0-1-1 in their past two matches. Speaking of that game on Tuesday, the boys will need to play way better than they did that night where they built a 3-0 lead in the first than mustered only 7 shots in the final 40 minutes and allowing Charlottetown to tie the game. These two clubs seem to follow similar paths in being contenders and lower in the standings at the same time. They met in the President's Cup final in 2013 and are projected to go deep in the playoffs this season. Moose Country, we should be in for a good one.

This is the second and final game between these two teams. Halifax has a 0-1-0-0 record against the Drakkar while Baie-Comeau is 1-0-0-0 versus the Mooseheads. The last game was on October 6 where the Mooseheads picked up their second loss of the season by a score of 3-2 in Baie-Comeau with Alex Gravel getting the 1st star in a 37 save performance.

Overall Records
Drakkar: 17-6-1-1 = 36pts (3rd overall, 1st in East division)
Mooseheads: 17-4-1-0 = 35pts (4th overall, 2nd in Maritimes division)

Leading Scorers
HAL: Samuel Asselin 27pts (15G & 12A), Benoit-Olivier Groulx 27pts (13G & 14A), Arnaud Durandeau 26pts (11G & 15A)
BAC: Ivan Chekhovich 42pts (20G & 22A), Nathan Legare 36pts (17G & 19A), Gabriel Fortier 34pts (12G & 22A)

Previous Games
Baie-Comeau is coming off a 5-4 overtime loss against the Screaming Eagles on Thursday. Gabriel Fortier led the Drakkar with a goal and 2 assists while Justin Blanchette made 28 saves in Cape Breton.

Halifax is coming off a 4-3 victory on Tuesday night in overtime against Charlottetown. Benoit-Olivier Groulx scores the winner while Alex Gravel gave the Mooseheads a chance to win with the Islanders outshooting the home team 36-22.

Head-to-Head
October 6  Mooseheads 2 at Drakkar 3
September 24  7pm  Drakkar at Mooseheads

Out of Town
Saint John vs. Sherbrooke - 7:00pm
Moncton vs. Drummondville - 7:30pm
Gatineau vs. Rouyn-Noranda - 8:00pm
Blainville-Boisbriand vs. Chicoutimi - 8:00pm
Victoriaville vs. Rimouski - 8:00pm

After the Buzzer
Halifax will be back on home ice tomorrow after when they host the Drummondville Voltigeurs. Puck drops at 3pm.

Moose on November's Players to Watch

The National Hockey League's Central Scouting Services announced their players to watch for the month of November. This list includes draft eligible players from North America clubs as well as international clubs. Three current Halifax Mooseheads players were ranked once again this month. Each player listed is given a ranking. Players with an 'A' ranking are projected first round picks. 'B' players are projected 2nd and 3rd round picks, while 'C' players are projected to go in the 4th to 7th round.

Forward Raphael Lavoie has consistently stayed an 'A' ranking so far this season. Forward Xavier Parent dropped from a 'B' ranking last month to a 'C' this month. Czech forward Marcel Barinka joins him amongst the players ranked with a 'C'.

 

Lavoie is currently fifth in Herd scoring with 12 goals and 11 assists in 21 games. The 18 year old began the season strong but went through a bit of a slump and is now starting to heat up again which has helped him remain being a projected first round pick in the 2019 NHL draft. Parent has 11 points (4G & 7A) in 21 games played. Barinka has 13 points (6G & 7A) in 22 games played this season.

Drummondville has the most players ranked this month with 4 while there are a total of 33 QMJHL players ranked.

Tonight's Game Postponed

The game between your Halifax Mooseheads and the Saint John Sea Dogs tonight has been postponed because of the weather. The team announced the cancellation of the match this morning and the reason being is because of travel issues with the 6 players who participated in the Canada-Russia Series last night in Drummondville. It was not mentioned if the Sea Dogs were already in the city or not.

The game has been moved to February 12 at 7pm. People who had bought tickets for tonight's game can use them for the makeup match or go to the Mooseheads shop before February 1st and get a refund.

Mooseheads Victorious in DND Appreciation Game

For the first time in 5 years, your Halifax Mooseheads were the winning team during the club's DND Appreciation Night game. The team hadn't won on these special evening since the 2013 version where they shutout the Moncton Wildcats. Tonight, the Herd hosted the men and women of our armed forces plus on the ice the team was playing the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. It was a better result for the Mooseheads this evening after another long pre-game ceremony than the home opener almost two weeks ago. This year the club honoured Shearwater 12th Wing base with special white jerseys that had a thick blue line in the middle and the 100th anniversary logo for Shearwater. Halifax got on the board early when Raphael Lavoie scored his first shorthanded goal of his career just over 6 minutes into the contest. Samuel Asselin got his team leading 13th goal of the season to put the good guys up 2-0 after the first period. Cape Breton controlled the middle frame outshooting Halifax 15-7 in the second but were only able to get one goal past Alexis Gravel who continued to make amazing saves including reaching back a few times to save pucks that were on the goal line. The Screaming Eagles were still down two goals after 40 minutes with the score being 3-1 for the Moose. Wilson Forest made it a one goal game with 4:05 gone in the third but that's as close as the road team would get.

FINAL: Screaming Eagles 2 at Mooseheads 5 
Stars: 3. Declan Smith CAP | 2. Samuel Asselin HAL | 1. Ben Higgins HAL
Attendance: 8,540
MC's Top Herd: Ben Higgins

GAME LOG
First period
6:04 HAL Raphael Lavoie (12), SH | A: none
19:31 HAL Samuel Asselin (13) | A: Safin & Barinka

Second period
6:12 CAP Adam McCormick (3) | A: Gawanke & Lafrance
18:05 HAL Ben Higgins (2) | A: Bishop & McLeod

Third period
4:05 CAP Wilson Forest (3) | A: Smith & Francis
15:45 HAL Walter Flower (3) | A: McIsaac & Groulx
19:26 HAL Arnaud Durandeau (10), EN | A: Maher

Shots: 34-33 in favour of Halifax

NOT DRESSED - Cole Stewart (injured), Kyle Petten (injured), Denis Toner (healthy scratch) and Samuel Dube (injured)

SCORES
Titan 2 at Wildcats 5
Sageneens 2 at Islanders 5
Sea Dogs 2 at Phoenix 6
Drakkar 4 at Foreurs 3
Armada 1 at Voltigeurs 8
Remparts 7 at Cataractes 2
Olympiques 4 at Oceanic 3

UP NEXT - Halifax is back on home ice Saturday night for a rematch against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Puck drops at 7pm.

Big Third Leads to Win

The Halifax Mooseheads got their first win on home ice. After an unfortunate loss in their home opener a week ago, Halifax started off slow but finished strong to send the Moose Country fans home happy. Val-d'Or scored the opening goal of the match and led 1-0 after 20 minutes though it was a pretty back and forth game in the first period. Alex Gravel made a couple of amazing saves in the dying seconds of the frame to keep it a one goal game and the boys in front of him seemed to wake up in the second as the Herd got two goals one minute apart just minutes into the middle frame by Walter Flower and Jordan Maher. A goal by the Foreurs' Ivan Kozlov towards the end of the period tied the game, however it really should not have counted as Flower got high sticked right before the goal was scored. In the third, the home team put a ton of pressure on Mathieu Marquis, getting 16 shots towards the Val-d'Or goaltender and they were able to convert on a few of those. A powerplay marker by Samuel Asselin about 5 minutes into the final frame ended up being the game winner while Flower scored his second of the night (and season) minutes later. Veteran Benoit-Olivier Groulx finished the scoring off with a couple of power play goals in the final minutes to put the game out of reach.

FINAL: Foreurs 2 at Mooseheads 6
Stars: 3. Ostap Safin HAL | 2. Samuel Asselin HAL | 1. Walter Flower HAL
Attendance: 8,256
MC's Top Herd: Walter Flower

GAME LOG
First period
18:22 VDO Julien Tessier (8), PP | A: Ouellet & Kozlov

Second period
5:16 HAL Walter Flower (1) | A: Durandeau & Lavoie
6:16 HAL Jordan Maher (3) | A: Parent & Kyte
18:55 VDO Ivan Kozlov (5) | A: Tessier & Farmer

Third period
4:59 HAL Samuel Asselin (10), PP | A: Safin & Barron
6:58 HAL Walter Flower (2) | A: Groulx & Safin
15:35 HAL Benoit-Olivier Groulx (7), PP | A: Morand & McIsaac
16:42 HAL Benoit-Olivier Groulx (8), PP | A: McIsaac & Lavoie

Shots: 41-23 in favour of Halifax
Powerplay: VDO - 1-for-4; HAL - 3-for-4

NOT DRESSED - Jocktan Chainey (injured), Samuel Dube (injured), Brock McLeod (healthy) and Kyle Petten (injured)

SCORES
Cataractes 2 at Oceanic 6
Armada 1 at Sagueneens 3
Sea Dogs 1 at Drakkar 8
Titan 3 at Screaming Eagles 2
Huskies 4 at Olympiques 3
Islanders 4 at Tigres 3 OT

UP NEXT - The top two teams in the Maritimes will go head to head Sunday afternoon as your Mooseheads host the Moncton Wildcats tomorrow. Puck drops at 2pm.

Nov 3: Mooseheads vs. Foreurs preview

HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS VS VAL-D'OR FOREURS
November 2, 2018 at 7:00pm
TV: Eastlink | Radio: News 95.7 | Live: @MC_MooseCountry
Scotiabank Centre (10,595) ~ Halifax, NS

Hello November! It's hard to believe that we're into November already and the Halifax Mooseheads are about to play just their second home game of the season tonight when they welcome the Val-d'Or Foreurs to Scotiabank Centre. Halifax will play 8 of their next 9 matches at home though so this month will be busy for the and fans alike. The Mooseheads will look to get back in the win column and a game against the 15th place Foreurs might be what they need. Halifax has yet to lose two games in a row this season. Val-d'Or has been good lately, going 2-0-0-1 in their last three games with the shootout loss coming last night to the Moncton Wildcats. It sounds like Halifax will get some reinforcements this weekend as Ostap Safin is projected to be back in the lineup either tonight or tomorrow but I'm hoping it's this evening. Safin has been out injured since September 30 so fans have yet to decide if the trade that brought him here was a good decision or not. As for the other few trades Cam Russel and the brass made, they seem to be working out pretty well. It feels like almost every game Samuel Asselin is scoring, of course that isn't the case as he has 9 goals in 17 games while Antoine Morand is right behind him in team scoring and Jordan Maher has been creating chances and finds hi self with 7 points.

This is the first game between these two teams. Last season, Halifax had a 2-0-0-0 record against the Foreurs while Val-d'Or was 0-1-0-1 versus the Mooseheads. The last game was December 8 where the Herd picked up a 2-1 shootout victory in Val-d'Or with Otto Somppi getting the SO winner and Halifax outshooting the Foreurs 45-22.

Overall Records
Foreurs: 5-10-2-1 = 13pts (15th overall, 4th in West division)
Mooseheads: 12-4-0-0 = 24pts (5th overall, 2nd in Maritimes division)

Leading Scorers
HAL: Raphael Lavoie 18pts (11G & 7A), Arnaud Durandeau 18pts (7G & 11A), Samuel Asselin 17pts (9G & 8A)
VDO: Felix Boivin 17pts (4G & 13A), Julien Tessier 15pts (7G & 8A), Nicolas Ouellet 10pts (6G & 4A)

Previous games
Val-d'Or is coming off a 4-3 shootout loss to the Wildcats on Friday night. Julien Tessier had a hat trick to lead the Foreurs while Jonathan Lemieux stopped 41 of Moncton's 44 shots in regulation, receiving third star honours on the road.

Halifax is coming off a 5-2 loss to their provincial rivals Cape Breton a week ago in the team's home opener. Jake Ryczek led the Mooseheads with a goal and 2 points while Alex Gravel took the defeat with 23 saves versus the Screaming Eagles.

Head-to-Head
November 2  7pm  Foreurs at Mooseheads
March 3  5pm  Mooseheads at Foreurs

Out of Town
Rimouski vs. Shawinigan - 5:00pm
Chicoutimi vs. Blainville-Boisbriand - 5:00pm
Baie-Comeau vs. Saint John - 5:00pm
Cape Breton vs. Acadie-Bathurst - 7:00pm
Gatineau vs. Rouyn-Noranda - 8:00pm
Victoriaville vs. Charlottetown - 8:00pm

After the Buzzer
Halifax will welcome the CHL 9th ranked Moncton Wildcats to the Scotiabank Centre tomorrow afternoon. Puck drops at 2pm.

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, Justin Barron was named the Scholastic Player of the Month for October 2018. Barron had a goal and 5 assists in 12 games played in the month of October while also collecting 6 penalty minutes and was a plus-1.

Here's the list:

BAC	Louis Jr. Tardif	Cégep de Baie-Comeau	Sciences
BAT	William Champagne	Cégep à distance	Natural Sciences
BLB	Ryan Poorman	GrandyWine Virtual Academy	High School
CAP	Antoine Crête-Belzile	Cégep à distance	Natural Sciences
CHA	Matthew Welsh	PEI University	Business
CHI	Jérémy Diotte	Cégep de Chicoutimi	Economy & Management
DRU	Dawson Mercer	Ascension College	High School
GAT	Chris McQuaid	PEI University	Arts
HAL	Justin Barron	Halifax West High School	High School
MON	Jack Tucker	University of New Brunswick	Arts
QUE	Étienne Verette	Cégep Limoilou	Human Sciences
RIM	Anthony D’Amours	Cégep de Rimouski	Industrial Maintenance Technology
ROU	Jacob Neveu	Cégep de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue	Natural Sciences
SHA	Mathieu Boulianne	Centre scolaire Samuel-de-Champlain	High School
SHE	Yann-Félix Lapointe	Cégep de Shawinigan	Human Sciences
SNB	Jérémie Jacob	Cégep de Sherbrooke	Human Sciences
VDO	Jacob Gaucher	University of New Brunswick	Financial Accounting
VIC	Fabio Iacobo	Eastern Township Schoolboard	High School

Stats Sunday: September/October

Games played: 16
Record: 12-4-0-0, 24pts
Goals for/against:64/46
Powerplay*: 21.3%
Penalty kill*: 85.5%
Shutouts: two

Top 5 leading scorers
Points: Raphael Lavoie 18, Arnaud Durandeau 18, Samuel Asselin 17, Antoine Morand 17, Benoit-Olivier Groulx 15
Goals: Raphael Lavoie 11, Samuel Asselin 9, Arnaud Durandu 7, Antoine Morand 7, Benoit-Olivier Groulx 6
Assists: Arnaud Durandeau 11, Antoine Morand 10, Benoit-Olivier Groulx 9, Samuel Asselin 8, Raphael Lavoie 7
Penalty minutes: Xavier Parent 16, Samuel Asselin 16, Arnaud Durandeau 14, Benoit-Olivier Groulx 13, Raphael Lavoie 12
Plus/minus: Jared McIsaac +10, Antoine Morand +10, Raphael Lavoie +10, Samuel Asselin +9, Justin Barron +7
Rookie scoring: Marcel Barinka 8pts, Cole Stewart 2pts, Gavin Hart 1pt, Nathan MacMillan 1pt, Cole McLaren 1pt

Goaltending stats*
Cole McLaren: 3-0-0-0    1.99 GAA    0.934 SAV%
Alexis Gravel: 9-4-0-0    2.93 GAA    0.911 SAV%



*overall

Rivalry Week Tie

The Halifax Mooseheads and Cape Breton Screaming Eagles have a tie in their rivalry week match up. In a night that was highly anticipated after starting the season with the 15 game road trip, going 12-3, the Herd were looking forward to finally getting home and being in front of their fans again but we're unable to get the final result they wanted. The Mooseheads got off to a quick start with Jared McIssac getting the scoring started just 2:53 into the game. The Eagles seemed to have the better legs most of the game and were able to tie it up 5 minutes later when Mitchell Balmas scored on a breakaway. The game's first penalty didn't come until the end of the first. Cape Breton didn't look back after the Balmas goal and found themselves with a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes despite no scoring by either team in the middle frame. Halifax received a penalty about five minutes into the third but were able to kill it and that seemed to spark the Mooseheads as they started pressing. Veteran Jake Ryczek scored with exactly 10 minutes left which gave the home team some life but they couldn't get past the Eagles goaltender to get the score even closer. In the end, Cape Breton secures their victory with an empty netter which made the game 5-2 and avenged a loss to the Moose last night in Sydney. Tonight's attendance was the highest in attendance for a home opener in franchise history with 9,949 in attendance.

FINAL: Screaming Eagles 5 at Mooseheads 2
Stars: 3. Jake Ryzek HAL | 2. Kevin Mandolese CAP | 1. Mitchell Balmas CAP
Attendance: 9,949
MC’s Top Herd: Jake Ryzek

GAME LOGFirst period2:53 HAL Jared McIssac (4) | A: Ryzek
7:57 CAP Mitchell Balmas (9) | A: none
9:53 CAP Declan Smith (4) | A: Balmas & Sokolov
18:01 CAP Isiah Campbell (2) | A: Forest

Second periodNo Scoring

Third period2:30 CAP Adam McCormick (2) | A: Laferriere
10:00 HAL Jocktan Chainey (1) | A: Groulx & Durandeau
17:56 CAP Leon Gawanke (6) EN | A: Smith & Proulx

Shots: 28-27 in favour of Cape Breton
Powerplay: CAP 0-for-3; HAL 0-for-2

NOT DRESSED – Samuel Dube, Ostap Safin, and Kyle Petten were out with injuries and Brock McLeod was a healthy scratch.

Out of Town - Drakkar 4 at Sagueneens 1


UP NEXT – Halifax will stay home and welcome the Val d'Or Foreurs a week from today for the first of two meetings on the year. Puck drops at 7pm.

Oct 27: Mooseheads vs. Screaming Eagles preview

HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS VS CAPE BRETON SCREAMING EAGLES
October 27, 2018 at 7:00pm
TV: Webcast | Radio: News 95.7 | Live: @MC_MooseCountry
Scotiabank Centre (10,595) ~ Halifax, NS

Finally it's home opener gameday for our Halifax Mooseheads! The Herd are finally back in Moose Country for their first game at the Scotiabank Centre this season after a 15 matches on the road to start the year. Halifax did pretty well on the road, finishing the trip with a 12-3-0 record which includes 4 overtime victories. The boys have been warriors so far in the last 6 weeks but everyone is really excited to be home with new forward Samuel Asselin stating; "You have no idea how excited we are to play in front of our fans! See you tonight Moose fans and be loud." Halifax will have a little bit more of a complete roster tonight as veteran Joel Bishop returned to the lineup last night after missing a couple of games while Ostap Safin may possibly return from the injured list tonight. This evening's match up is the second game of a home-and-home series between the Mooseheads and Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. The two clubs met last night in Sydney where the away team took a 4-3 win. Rookie Cole Stewart scored his first goal of his QMJHL career to get the goal scoring started however Cape Breton was the team who was leading the game after 40 minutes 3-2. Anaheim Ducks prospect Benoit-Olivier Groulx scored twice in third period and Alexis Gravel stopped all 6 shots as the Moose were able to hold on for the victory. Make sure to get to your seats early Moose Country as there will be a pre-game ceremony to celebrate 25 years in Halifax while the boys will also be debuting their new anniversary jersey.

This is the third meeting this season between these two teams. Halifax is 2-0-0-0 against the Screaming Eagles while Cape Breton has a 0-2-0-0 record versus the Mooseheads.

Overall Records
Eagles: 7-7-0-1 = 15pts (11th overall, 4th in Maritimes division)
Mooseheads: 12-3-0-0 = 24pts (1st overall, 1st in Maritimes division)

Leading Scorers
HAL: Raphael Lavoie 18pts (11G & 7A), Arnaud Durandeau 18pts (7G & 11A), Samuel Asselin 16pts (9G & 7A)
CAP: Egor Sokolov 21pts (12G & 9A), Mathias Laferriere 19pts (6G & 13A), Mitchell Balmas 17pts (8G & 9A)

Previous Games
See above

Head-to-Head
September 28  Mooseheads 4 at Eagles 2
October 26  Mooseheads 4 at Eagles 3
October 27  7pm  Eagles at Mooseheads
November 9  7pm  Eagles at Mooseheads
December 12  7pm  Eagles at Mooseheads
December 30  2pm  Mooseheads at Eagles
December 31  2pm  Eagles at Mooseheads
January 11  7pm  Mooseheads at Eagles
February 9  7pm  Mooseheads at Eagles

Out of Town
Baie-Comeau vs. Chicoutimi - 5:00pm

After the Buzzer
Halifax will stay home and welcome the Val-d'Or Forerus a week from today. Puck drops at 7pm.

Herd Word

Photo - Q twitter

GRAVEL
Veteran goaltender Alexis Gravel had a great week and the QMJHL plus CHL have recognized his success this past weekend. Gravel was named the player of the week for the week ending October 15. The 18 year old started in two of the 3 games the Mosoeheads had last week and had a 2-0 record including a 5-0 shutout win on Sunday against Bathurst. He now has a 2.51 goals against average on the season which is good enough for 6th in the league. On Tuesday, the Asbestos, QC native was also named the Canadian Hockey League Goaltender of the Week.

TEAM OF THE WEEK
The QMJHL also announced the team of the week on Monday which included Gravel and defenceman Jared McIsaac. Congrats to both boys. Halifax has had a strong start to the season and with the return of McIsaac, the club seems to have figured out the defense allowed just 2 goals in the last week. Jared played it's first game of the season on Thursday and has a goal and three assists in three games.

CAPTAIN
On Wednesday, the Herd finally announced their leadership group. I'm not sure what took so long but it will be nice to see a C on someone when the team takes on the Moncton Wildcats tonight. Cam Russell, Eric Veilleux and the brass have named veteran Antoine Morand captain for the 2018-19 season. The 19-year-old was traded by the Acadie-Bathurst Titan back in June to Halifax after winning the Memorial Cup with the Titan.

Morand will be joined by Samuel Asselin, Jared McIsaac, Benoit-Olivier Groulx and Joel Bishop who were all named alternate captains and will split duties between road and home games. Asselin has scored quite a bit this season after being acquired a few days into the regular season from Bathurst and is 5th in team scoring. Benoit-Olivier Groulx is just above Samuel in team scoring with 11 points and I'm sure is hoping to have a good season after getting drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in June. Bishop has played just one game so far this year before going down with an injury but it sounds like he will be back in the lineup tonight in Moncton.

Congrats guys.

CANADA RUSSIA SERIES
More news came from the league offices on Wednesday morning as the QMJHL announced its roster for the Canada/Russia series that will be played next month. A total of five current Mooseheads were named to the roster. Benoit-Olivier Groulx, Justin Barron, Raphael Lavoie, Jared McIsaac and Antoine Morand will represent Halifax when Team QMJHL takes on Russia in the final two games on Tuesday November 13 in Sherbrooke, QC and Thursday November 15 in Drummondville, QC. According to the team's press release, this is the second time that McIsaac and Groulx have participated in this event and the third time for Morand after representing Bathurst in 2016 & 2017. For Lavoie and Barron, who both have yet to be drafted into the NHL, it is their first time. This event, which will be held in four other cities before coming to Quebec, is another step on the way to Hockey Canada selecting who will represent the maple leaf at the 2019 World Juniors. Below is the full roster.

Photo - Q website

TOP 10
Your Halifax Mooseheads stayed at number 3 in this week's KIA CHL Top 10 rankings despite a 3-0 record over the last 7 days. The Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL took over first spot, displacing the Baie-Comeau Drakkar who fell to #7.

Week 5 rankings:
1. Prince Albert Raiders {11-1-0-0}   last week: 2
2. Rouyn-Noranda Huskies {9-1-0-0}   last week: 6
3. Halifax Mooseheads {8-2-0-0}   last week: 3
4. Victoria Royals {7-1-0-0}   last week: 4
5. Peterborough Petes {8-2-0-0}   last week: n/a
6. Vancouver Giants {9-1-1-0}   last week: 7
7. Baie Comeau Drakkar {8-2-0-1}   last week: 1
8. Ottawa 67's {8-3-0-0}   last week: n/a
9. Saginaw Spirit {6-2-1-0}   last week: n/a
10. Guelph Storm {6-2-1-0}   last week: 9
Honourable mention: Seattle Thunderbirds {6-1-1-0}, Moncton Wildcats {6-3-1-0}, Mississauga Steelheads {6-2-1-0}

Oct 11: Islanders vs. Mooseheads preview

CHARLOTTETOWN ISLANDERS VS HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS
October 1, 2018 at 7:00pm
TV: Eastlink | Radio: News 95.7 | Live: @HFXMooseheads
Eastlink Centre (3,717) ~ Charlottetown, PEI

Your Halifax Mooseheads are back in the Maritimes after a three game trip through Quebec last weekend. The Mooseheads will visit the island to take on the Charlottetown Islanders tonight in a special Thursday evening broadcast on Eastlink TV. Halifax still leads their division despite losing 2 of their last three matches and will be looking to get back in the win column. A game against a team that is in the middle of the league standings currently might be just the thing to get the Herd out of their small funk. Of course you can never take any team for granted and with a number of injuries still, it'll be another good test for Halifax. Charlottetown is expected to have another good season after finishing last season strong and making it all the way to the QMJHL semi-finals last year.

This is the second meeting this season between these two teams. Halifax is 1-0-0-0 against the Islanders while Charlottetown has a 0-1-0-0 record versus the Mooseheads. The last matchup was on September 22 when your Herd took a 3-2 victory on the road Patrick Kyte receiving first star honours for a 2 point night (1G&1A).

Overall Records
Mooseheads: 5-2-0-0 = 10pts (3rd overall, 1st in Maritimes division)
Islanders: 3-4-1-0 = 7pts (13th overall, 3rd in Maritimes division)

Leading Scorers
CHA: Keith Getson 6pts (3G & 3A), Kevin Gursoy 5pts (1G & 4A), Derek Gentile 5pts (5A)
HAL: Arnaud Durandeau 10pts (6G & 4A), Antoine Morand 8pts (4G & 4A), Raphael Lavoie 6pts (4G & 2A)

Previous Games
Halifax is coming off a 3-2 defeat at the hands of the Drakkar on Saturday night on the road. Raphael Lavoie and Xavier Parent scored for the Mooseheads while Alexis Gravel was given the first star after stopping 37 of Baie-Comeau's 40 shots.

Charlottetown is coming off a 3-2 shootout victory in Chicoutimi. Keith Getson had a goal for the Islanders on Saturday and was named the third star while Matthew Welsh picked up the victory against the Sagueneens on Saturday.

Head-to-Head
September 22  Mooseheads 3 at Islanders 2
October 11  7pm  Mooseheads at Islanders
November 20  7pm  Islanders at Mooseheads
December 9  3pm  Mooseheads at Islanders
December 15  7pm  Islanders at Mooseheads
December 28  7:30pm  Mooseheads at Islanders
February 6  7pm  Islanders at Mooseheads
February 16  7pm  Islanders at Mooseheads
March 16  7pm  Islanders at Moosseheads

Out of Town
Drummondville vs. Baie-Comeau - 8:00pm

After the Buzzer
Halifax will travel to Saint John and take on the Sea Dogs tomorrow evening. Puck drops at 7pm.

Moynihan Announces Retirement

Former Halifax Mooseheads forward Danny Moynihan made a big announcement today letting fans know that he has retired from playing hockey. The 22-year-old posted the news on Instagram. Moynihan played for the Herd between 2013-15 before being traded by the team to the Shawinigan Cataractes. He wasn't drafted by an NHL team but was invited to Vancouver Canucks camp before being sent down to their ECHL affiliate the Alaska Aces where Danny spent the 2016-17 season collecting 22 goals and 52 points in 71 games. He spent last season between the Kalamazoo Wings (ECHL) and the Utica Comets (AHL).



With Halifax, the Boston, MA native had 66 goals and 145 points in 168 games played. While it's sad when anyone is forced to retire because of health issues, one's health is certainly the most important. We will miss Danny but we want to wish him well in his future endeavours.

CHL Announces New Partnership & Cup Logo

The Canadian Hockey League unveiled the logo for the 2019 Memorial Cup yesterday and also announced a new partnership with Kia Canada who will be a sponsor of the national tournament. With the Halifax Mooseheads hosting this year's tournament from May 17-26, Herd President Brian Urquhart was in attendance as the league made the announcement. Read the full press release below.

CHL Memorial Cup logo 2019
Photo - chl.ca

Quebec City, QC - The Canadian Hockey League in association with Kia Canada Inc. are proud to announce a new partnership whereby Kia Canada becomes the Official Automotive Partner of the Canadian Hockey League, Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, as well as new presenting sponsor of the Memorial Cup.

The new partnership officially launched today on CHL Facebook Live broadcasting media events in Quebec City and Calgary where the logo for the 2019 Memorial Cup Presented by Kia was unveiled and the host city for the 2020 Memorial Cup Presented by Kia was announced as Kelowna, British Columbia.

“On behalf of the Canadian Hockey League it is my pleasure to welcome Kia Canada to the CHL family,” said CHL President David Branch. “We are excited to work together to align our goals and build a strong partnership that includes creating a unique and memorable experience at our distinguished national championship. We look forward to the Memorial Cup Presented by Kia in Halifax this May, and our 2020 event in Western Canada.”

The Memorial Cup has a rich tradition that has shaped the way junior hockey is played in North America.  The trophy was originally known as the OHA Memorial Cup and was donated by the Ontario Hockey Association in March, 1919, in remembrance of the many soldiers who paid the supreme sacrifice for Canada in the First Wold War.  In 2010 the Memorial Cup was rededicated to the memory of all fallen Canadian Military Personnel.  Last season marked the centennial celebration of the Memorial Cup where it was presented for the 100th time to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in Regina.  The 2019 Memorial Cup Presented by Kia will feature the host Halifax Mooseheads along with the champions from the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL competing May 16-26.

“At Kia, we believe in the power that sports have to bring people and communities together so, as we enter our 20th year in Canada, we are proud to be a new partner of the Canadian Hockey League – the highest junior echelon of Canada’s favourite sport,” said Michael Kopke, Director of Marketing, Kia Canada Inc. “With our industry-leading quality and advanced safety and technology features, Kia’s lineup is a great fit for the CHL and Canadian hockey families wanting to stay safe and warm on their way to the rink; and everyone at Kia will be working hard to drive our national past-time and working within communities across the country to provide more opportunities for Canadians to watch, play and love the sport of hockey.”

Kia Canada will also have the opportunity to engage with CHL fans and communities across the country as an associate partner of the CIBC Canada Russia Series and the Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.  Throughout the regular season they’ll help spotlight some of the league’s best teams with feature content and title sponsorship of the CHL’s popular weekly top-10 rankings, then join each regional league as a playoff partner during the stretch drive towards the Memorial Cup Presented by Kia.  With commitment to community top of mind, Kia Canada will also present Humanitarian of the Year awards in all three leagues and to a national recipient at the annual CHL Awards Ceremony.

Established in 1999, Kia Canada has achieved impressive growth including recent record years that exceeded over 70,000 annual vehicle sales through our 188 dealerships nationally.

Oct 3: Remparts vs. Mooseheads preview

QUEBEC REMPARTS VS HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS
October 3, 2018 at 8:00pm
TV: Webcast | Radio: News 95.7 | Live: @HFXMooseheads
Centre Videotron (18,259) ~ Quebec City, QC

As your Halifax Mooseheads continue their season opening 15 game road trip, Wednesday night will see them visit the Quebec Remparts for the first and only time this year. With almost half the team being new, going away should help the boys become close and gel together as a club. Of course, it's a little hard to in game action when 5 players are out injured to begin the season; Kyle Petten and Jared McIsaac have yet to play a regular season game while Joel Bishop and Ostap Safin played one and two games respectively before getting hurt. Fans found out this week that rookie Samuel Dube will also be out indefinitely because of a blood clot. So the injury-laden Mooseheads look to extend their current win streak and keep on making this the best start to a season in franchise history. Quebec should be a good test as the Remparts are 6th in the league right now with a 3-2-0 record. How will the number 1 ranked team in the country fare against a team that includes just two NHL drafted guys but plays in a loud building? Check out the webcast or follow along on Twitter to find out.

This is the first game between these teams this year. Last season, Halifax was 0-1-1-0 against the Remparts while Quebec had a 2-0-0-0 record versus the Mooseheads. The last matchup was on November 1 where Jocktan Chainey and BO Groulx scored for Halifax as they took a 3-2 loss in Quebec while Blade Mann-Dixon made 23 saves.

Overall Records
Mooseheads: 4-0-0-0 = 8pts (2nd overall, 1st in Maritimes division)
Remparts: 3-2-0-0 = 6pts (6th overall, 2nd in East division)

Leading Scorers
QUE: Louis-Filip Cote 4pts (3G & 1A), Philipp Kurashev 3pts (1G & 2A), Benjamin Gagne 3pts (3A)
HAL: Arnaud Durandeau 8pts (4G & 4A), Raphael Lavoie (4pts (3G & 1A), Patrick Kyte 4pts (2G & 2A)

Previous Games
Halifax is coming off a 4-2 victory on the road in Moncton on Sunday afternoon. The Mooseheads were led by Arnaud Durandeau who had a goal and 2 assists while Alexis Gravel stopped 32 of the Wildcats 34 shots.

Quebec meanwhile skated to a 3-2 victory on Saturday evening against the Tigres. Louis-Filip Cote, Pierrick Dube and Philipp Kurashev scored for the Remparts while Anthony Morrone made 31 saves to get the win in Victoriaville.

Head-To-Head
October 3  8pm  Mooseheads at Remparts
January 5  7pm  Remparts at Mooseheads

Out of Town
Acadie-Bathurst vs. Gatineau - 7:00pm
Val-d'Or vs. Rouyn-Noranda - 8:00pm
Victoriaville vs. Drummondville - 8:00pm
Chicoutimi vs. Sherbrooke - 8:30pm
Rimouski vs. Charlottetown - 8:30pm


After the Buzzer
Our Mooseheads will continue their trip through Quebec as they take on the Chicoutimi Sagueneens on Friday night. Puck drops at 8:30pm.

Players to Watch Include Herd

Though it is still months away, people are starting to talk about the upcoming NHL entry draft and that includes the Central Scouting Services who have announced their players to watch list. A few Halifax Mooseheads teammates were among the 110 Canadian Hockey League young men who were named on the list.  It is made up of players eligible for the 2019 NHL draft and is only a preliminary ranking.

Montreal, QC native Raphael Lavoie was given an ‘A’ ranking by the CSS, meaning scouts think he will go in the first round. Lavoie, who turned 18 on September 25, is second on the Mooseheads in scoring with three goals and an assist through 4 games helping Halifax to a 4-0 record. He was one of 3 QMJHL players who were given an 'A' rating, the others being Maxim Cajkovic of the Saint John Sea Dogs and Sherbrooke Phoenix's Samuel Poulin.

Sophomore Xavier Parent is ranked to go in the 2nd or 3rd round of the draft by scouts and is one of 7 Q players to get a ‘B’ ranking. Parent doesn’t have any points yet.. The other Herd player to be on the list is import rookie Marcel Barinka who was drafted by the Mooseheads in the 2018 CHL import draft in the second round, 106th overall. Barinka, who has the same birthday as Parent, has two assists so far this year.


Congratulations to all players and good luck the rest of the season, go out and impress those scouts. We’ll keep you updated all year long until the 2019 NHL draft which will be held in Vancouver, BC on June 21 & 22.

Poll #20

As another season of Halifax Mooseheads hockey has gotten underway, I thought I would do another poll to get your opinion. Even though we won't see our boys back at the Scotiabank Centre for another 26 days, the club has played four games already and is getting offence from different players. So Moose Country, who do you think will lead the team at the end of the regular season in scoring?


So cast your vote below. You have until the Christmas break to do so.

1. Arnaud Durandeau
2. Marcel Barinka
3. Raphael Lavoie
4. Samuel Dube
5. Antoine Morand
6. Other

**If you choose 'Other', please comment or tweet us the player you think it will be**

Halifax Gets Victory in New Arena

The Halifax Mooseheads are a perfect 4-0 to begin the season after they defeated the Moncton Wildcats on Sunday afternoon. It was the first time that the Herd visited the new Avenir Centre in the New Brunswick city and they skated away with a big 4-2 win. Moncton got off to an early lead when Adam Cappennelli scored the opening goal 4:04 into the match. A few penalties proceeded the goal and it was back and forth for most of the first period until Antoine Morand scored a nice short-handed goal with under five minutes to play. With seconds left in the frame, Morand's teammate with Bathurst, Jordan Maher broke in on a breakaway and put the puck in the back of the net. In the second, fans weren't even back in their seats before the Wildcats tied the game 17 seconds into the middle frame. Halifax retook the lead though before the period was finished. The third period was a physical one as it looked like the home team was not happy by some calls (or non-calls) but it went both ways. Despite having a 4 minute powerplay (which lasted not long as Halifax evened it up taking a penalty) and receiving a 5 minute PP as well, the Mooseheads were unable to score with the man-advantage and actually Moncton didn't score on their 3 powerplay opportunities either. Defenceman Jocktan Chainey scored mid-third period which clinched the game for the away club. With a couple hundred fans in attendance, Halifax saluted them by raising their sticks at the end of the game.

FINAL: Mooseheads 4 at Wildcats 2
Stars: 3. Antoine Morand HAL | 2. Alexander Khovanov | 1. Arnaud Durandeau HAL
Attendance: 5,822
MC's Top Herd: n/a

GAME LOGFirst period4:04 MON Adam Cappennelli (1) | A: Cyr & McKenna
15:38 HAL Antoine Morand (1), SH | A: none
19:59 HAL Jordan Maher (1) | A: Morand & Durandeau

Second period0:17 MON Simon Le Colture (1) | A: Khovanov & Hudson
19:18 HAL Arnaud Durandeau (4) | A: Groulx & Chainey

Third period10:07 HAL Jocktan Chainey (1) | A: Groulx & Durandeau

Shots: 37-34 in favour of Halifax
Powerplay: HAL 0-for-7; MON 0-for-3

NOT DRESSED - Samuel Dube, Jared McIsaac, Joel Bishop and Kyle Petten were out with injuries

UP NEXT - Halifax will head to Quebec for the first time this season to take on the Quebec Remparts on Wednesday. Puck drops at 8pm.