Big Night For Morand

It was a really big night for 19 year old Antoine Morand on Thursday evening as the Halifax Mooseheads defeated the visiting Victoriaville Tigres 7-5 at the Scotiabank Centre. The game didn’t start off too good for the Herd as they found themselves down 2-0 thirteen minutes into the game but Morand got the home team on the board at the 16:21 mark with a shorthanded goal. That was the start of his career evening. There were goals galore in the middle frame and a number of penalties which the Mooseheads were able to convert on but the Tigres were not. Halifax third power play goal of the period gave them a 4-3 lead but Anthon Poulin scored with 4:33 left in the second to tie the game up again for Victoriaville and that would be the score going into the third. The away team took back the lead a couple minutes into the final frame but Antoine wasn’t going to let them leave Scotiabank Centre with a win, tying the match once again a few minutes later. His hat trick goal came at the 9:30 mark of the third which sent the 6,760 fans in attendance jump for joy as it gave the Mooseheads a 6-5 lead. The boys were able to hold off the Tigres in the final 10 minutes and Samuel Asselin scored his 36th of the season to give the team some insurance. Morand also recorded an assist on that 6th goal giving the captain a six point night, a career high. A weird bounce near the boards with about 90 seconds left got past Alex Gravel, however it was immediately waved off as the puck had hit a referees skate redirecting the puck into the net.

FINAL: Tigres 5 at Mooseheads 7
Stars: 3. Dominic Cormier VIC | 2. Samuel Asselin HAL | 1. Antoine Morand HAL
Attendance: 6,760
MC’s Top Herd: Antoine Morand

GAME LOG
First period
4:05 VIC Feliks Morozov (6) | A: Gallo-Demetris & Cormier
12:32 VIC Simon Lafrance (24) | A: Mathieu & Abramov
16:21 HAL Antoine Morand (15), SH | A: Asselin

Second period
2:46 HAL Benoit-Olivier Groulx (24), PP | A: Morand & McIsaac
3:04 VIC Dominic Cormier (10) | A: Mathieu & Abramov
8:28 HAL Jared McIsaac (10), PP | A: Lavoie & Morand
9:49 HAL Samuel Asselin (35), PP | A: Groulx & McIsaac
15:27 VIC Anthony Poulin (6) | A: Racicot

Third period
1:59 VIC Edouard Ouellet (2) | A: Boivin & Cormier
4:32 HAL Antoine Morand (16) | A: Lavoie & Kyte
9:30 HAL Antoine Morand (17) | A: Asselin
17:00 HAL Samuel Asselin (36) | A: McIsaac & Morand

Shots: 42-31 in favour of Halifax
Powerplay: VIC – 0-for-5; HAL – 3-for-4

NOT DRESSED – Jake Ryczek, Ostap Safin, Maxim Trepanier and Jocktan Chainey were out with injuries

SCORES
Sea Dogs 4 at Cataractes 5 SO

UP NEXT – The 10th overall Sherbrooke Phoenix will make their lone trip to Halifax on Friday evening. Puck drops at 7pm. .