Moose Double Up Oceanic to Start 2019

Your Halifax Mooseheads started the new year just like they ended the last, with a victory. For the first game in 2019, the Herd doubled up the visiting Rimouski Oceanic to pick up a 6-3 win on home ice. The Mooseheads didn't take long to get the fans at the Scotiabank Centre out of their feet as defenceman Justin Barron got his team on the board just 13 seconds in to the game. Draft eligible forward Raphael Lavoie extended the lead to 2 a little more than 9 minutes later and that's how the first period would end with Halifax up 2-0. Lavoie had his second straight two goal game when he gave the Moose a 3-0 lead 5:42 into the middle frame, chasing starting goalie Tristan Berube. Veteran goaltender Alexis Gravel had to be strong the whole game, especially in the first and third periods when the Oceanic outshot the boys, including 12-4 in the final frame. It has looked like Gravel worked on his puck control during the Christmas break as it seems like he hasn't been giving up as many rebounds as he did before the break even though he still faced a number of shots. The home team look like they sit back in the second period some games but on Friday night, they didn't at all. They scored three times in the middle frame and outshot Rimouski 15-8. The Oceanic got on the board at the 17:03 minute mark in the second and got two before in the final 5 minutes after Arnaud Durandeau made it 6-1 early in the third.

FINAL: Oceanic 3 at Mooseheads 6
Stars: 3. Justin Barron HAL | 2. Alex Gravel HAL | 1. Raphaël Lavoie HAL
Attendance: 7,840
MC’s Top Herd: Alex Gravel

GAME LOG
First period0:13 HAL Justin Barron (3) | A: Groulx & Durandeau
9:21 HAL Raphael Lavoie (18), PP | A: Barron & Groulx

Second period5:42 HAL Raphael Lavoie (19), PP | A: Morand & McIsaac
8:40 HAL Antoine Morand (13) | A: Getson & Barron
9:06 HAL Joel Bishop (4) | A: Higgins & Toner
17:03 RIM Olivier Garneau (21), PP | A: Huntington & Lafreniere

Third period
1:37 HAL Arnaud Durnandeau (19) | A: Dube & Kyte
15:47 RIM Nathan Ouellet (4) | A: Pare & D'Astous
19:31 RIM Zachary Massicotte (1) | A: Bowman

Shots: 27-34 in favour of Rimouski

NOT DRESSED – Ostap Safin (injured), Jocktan Chainey (injured), Kyle Petten (healthy), Marcel Barinka (injured), Cole Stewart (healthy)

SCORESScreaming Eagles 5 at Sea Dogs 1
Remparts 4 at Wildcats 3 OT
Armada 2 at Foreurs 3
Drakkar 5 at Tigres 3

UP NEXT – The Moose will stay on home ice tomorrow evening to welcome Patrick Roy and the Quebec Remparts. Puck drops at 7pm.