STATS SUNDAY: October

Games played: 10
Record: 3-5-2-0, 8pts
Goals for/against: 37/44
Powerplay: 11.4%
Penalty kill: 66.7%
Shutouts: none

Top 5 leading scorers 
Points: Elliot Desnoyers 13, Zachary L'Heureux 11, Markus Vidicik 8, Jordan Dumais 7, James Swan 7
Goals: Elliot Desnoyers 6, Zachary L'Heureux 6, Markus Vidicik 3, Jordan Dumais 3, James Swan 3
Assists: Elliot Desnoyers 6, Zachary L'Heureux 6, Markus Vidicik 3, Jordan Dumais 3, James Swan 3
Penalty minutes: Keegan Hunt 9, Jason Horvath 8, Landon Miron 8, Brendan Tomilson 8, Elliot Desnoyers 6
Plus/minus: Brendan Tomilson +6, Cole Foston +3, Cameron Whynot +3, Jason Horvath +3, Elliot Desnoyers +2
Rookie scoring: Markus Vidicik 8pts, Jordan Dumais 7pts, James Swan 7pts, Robert Orr 6pts, Cole Foston 4pts

Goaltending stats
Brady James: 1-1-1-0     3.66 GAA     0.887 SAV%
Cole McLaren: 2-4-1-0     4.39 GAA     0.882 SAV%

Players to Watch List Released

The National Hockey League along with the Central Scouting Services announced their preliminary Players to Watch list for the 2021 NHL draft. The players are ranked in three different categories. 'A' players are ones who are projected to go in the first round while 'B' players are 2nd and 3rd round candidates. 'C' ranked players most likely will go in the 4th to 7th rounds. Of course, rankings can change through out the season depending on how the player does. 

Two current Halifax Mooseheads are among the list of prospects while a recent CHL import draftee who has yet to play for the Herd is also ranked. Zachary L'Heureux, who had a great rookie year in 2019-20 and was traded to Halifax over the summer, was given an 'A' rating. The Mercier, QC forward is second in team scoring with 5 goals and 10 points so far this year. Meanwhile, defenceman Cam Whynot has been projected to go in the 2nd or 3rd round. He has 2 assists in 5 games played. 

Attilio Biasca, who the Mooseheads selected in the import draft in June, has yet to arrive to Canada and join Halifax so that could be part of the reason he was given a C ranking by the NHL scouts. The 17-year-old has played some games this season, scoring five goals and 11 points in 10 matches for Zug U20 of the U20-Elit league.  

Rimouski's Zachary Bolduc and Xavier Bougault of Shawinigan were the only other QMJHL players given an A rating. Full list can be found here. 

QMJHL Team of the Week

 On Monday, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced it's player and team of the week. With just the Maritime teams playing the past 7 days, the team of the week features young men from Charlottetown, Halifax and Acadie-Bathurst. 

Elliot Desnoyers was named the Player of the Week after picking up at 6 points over back to back road games against Cape Breton. The 18-year-old recorded his first career hat trick on Saturday and went a step further, scoring four goals in a 10-2 Mooseheads victory. 

Photo - Q website

He is joined on the team of the week by rookie Jordan Dumais who had 1 goal and 5 points and was a +5 over the weekend. 

Full Team of the Week
Elliot Desnoyers | Mooseheads, Halifax | 2GP-4G-2A, +4
Felix-Antoine Marcotty | Titan, Acadie-Bathurst | 2GP-1G-5A, +2
Jordan Dumais | Mooseheads, Halifax | 2GP-1G-4A, +5
Adam McCormick | Titan, Acadie-Bathurst | 2GP-1G-1A, +4
William Trudeau | Islanders, Charlottetown | 2GP-0G-2A, +3
Colten Ellis | Islanders, Charlottetown | 1-0-0-0, 1.00, 0.960%

Congratulations to Elliot and Jordan as well as the other players. 

Gameday #3: vs Moncton

HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS VS MONCTON WILDCATS

October 9, 2020 at 7:00pm

TV: Eastlink | Radio: News 95.7 | Live: @HFXMooseheads

Scotiabank Centre - Halifax, NS

Our Halifax Mooseheads will look to bounce back from a disappointing overtime loss last weekend as they host the Moncton Wildcats tonight to kick off Thanksgiving weekend. Meanwhile, the Cats have had a rough start to the new season, going winless in their first two game and being outscored 6-2. Moncton went all in last year, making huge moves in hopes to win the league championship and as such lost some key players during the off-season including forwards Zachary L'Heureux and Elliot Desnoyers who are now members of the Mooseheads. However, they're not completely without offensive power as overage forward Gabriel Fortier and veteran Jordan Spence are still in the lineup. I expect we'll see Cole McLaren in net once again for Halifax and he'll probably give a better showing then he did on Saturday. We should be in for another good match and you can watch it on Eastlink TV if you aren't one of the lucky ones attending the game. 

Overall records
Wildcats: 0-2-0-0 = 0 points (6th in Maritimes division, 16th overall)
Mooseheads: 1-0-1-0 = 3 points (3rd in Maritimes division, 5th overall)

Leading scorers
HAL: Zachary L'Heureux 4pts (2G & 2A), Liam Peyton 3pts (2G & 1A), Markus Vidicek 3pts (1G & 2A)
MON: Vincent Labelle 2pts (2G), Mathis Cloutier 1pt (1A), Yoan Loshing 1pt (1A)

Out of Town
Eagles vs. Islanders     7:00pm
Sea Dogs vs. Titan     7:00pm
Drakkar vs. Tigres     8:00pm
Voltigeurs vs. Foreurs     8:00pm
Cataractes vs. Oceanic     8:00pm
Olympiques vs. Huskies     8:00pm

After the Buzzer
Halifax will head on the road to take on the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Sunday afternoon. Puck drops at 3:00pm. 

NHL Draft

The 2020 National Hockey League entry draft was held the last two days virtually.

• To no one's surprise, Rimouski Oceanic superstar Alexis Lafreniere was drafted 1st overall on Tuesday by the New York Rangers. 
• With the draft being virtually, teams announced their selections in some different ways including Jeoperdy! host and Ottawa native Alex Trebek making a cameo to select the Ottawa Senators 3rd pick and Dale Hawerchuk's wife announcing the Winnipeg Jets 10th overall selection. 
• Halifax Mooseheads own Justin Barron became the highest drafted defence man from the QMJHL in league history when he was selected 25th overall by the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs now have 5 Nova Scotians in their organization. 
• There were a total of 19 players QMJHL players drafted over the two days. Herd forward Elliot Desnoyers was picked up by the Philadelphia Flyers 135th overall while Senna Peeters didn't hear his name. 
• The host for the 2021 NHL draft has not been decided yet and most likely it will not be held in June.

Eastlink Releases Short TV Schedule

Eastlink TV has released it's Friday Night Hockey broadcast schedule for the first 5 weeks of the season and our Halifax Mooseheads will be apart of each game. 

Below is the full list (all game times 7:00pm)

Saturday October 3 vs. Cape Breton
Friday October 9 vs. Moncton
Friday October 16 vs. Charlottetown
Saturday October 17 vs. Saint John
Thursday October 29 vs. Moncton
Friday November 6 vs. Charlottetown 
Saturday November 7 vs. Saint John

More matches will be announced as the season continues. 

L'Heureux Leads Halifax To Victory

Photo - Eagles Facebook

It was a night of firsts as our Halifax Mooseheads finally began the 2020-21 regular season in Cape Breton on Friday night. Three Herd players scored their 1st career goals this evening; Cole Foston, Markus Vidicek and James Swan all picked up markers to get on the scoresheet. Recently acquired Zachary L'Heureux hasn't lost the scoring touch he had in his rookie season despite being off for almost 7 months as he scored two goals to lead Halifax and was named the third star of the game, adding an assist as well. The match started off a little slow with the two teams heading to the locker room for the first intermission in a scoreless tie. Halifax opened the scoring at the 12:02 mark in the second with Foston putting it in but Cape Breton wasn't down for long as Liam Kidney tied it up exactly a minute later. The score would be 2-1 for the away team after 40 minutes but 1:40 into the final frame, Nathan Larose got one past Cole McLaren to knot the game at two goals a piece. It might've been only game one of the season but the rivalry was showing during the whole match and the players on the ice at the end of the 2nd period got into a heated scrum before skating off so Larose's goal was on the power play. Four goals were scored in the last 6 minutes and 10 seconds with L'Heureux scoring the game winning goal on a 2-on-1 unassisted before potting his second of the night in to the empty net with less then 2 minutes remaining. Liam Peyton would also score an empty net goal. 

FINAL: Halifax 6 at Cape Breton 2
Stars: 3. Zachary L'Heureux HAL | 2. Cole McLaren HAL | 1. Shawn Element CAP
Attendance: 0

Powerplay: HAL - 0-for-4, CAP - 1-for-5
Shots: 28-27 Halifax

NOT DRESSED - Justin Barron, Keegan Hunt, Alexandre David and Kyle Petten all out with injuries

SCORES
Saint John 3 at Acadie-Bathurst 4 OT
Charlottetown 4 at Moncton 2
Shawinigan 2 at Chicoutimi 5
Drummondville 5 at Rouyn-Noranda 3
Blainville-Boisbriand 8 at Sherbrooke 5
Gatineau 4 at Val-d'Or 3 OT
Rimouski 0 at Victoriaville 4

UP NEXT - Halifax and Cape Breton will head to Moose Country for a rematch tomorrow night. Puck drops at 7pm. 

Gameday #1: at Cape Breton

CAPE BRETON EAGLES VS HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS

October 2, 2020 at 7:00pm

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

Centre 200 ~ Sydney, NS

Welcome to the 2020-21 regular season! Our Halifax Mooseheads kick it off with a trip to Sydney and take on their provincial rivals the Cape Breton Eagles tonight. After 6 and a half long months in between regular season matches, the boys will be back on the ice and for the Maritime teams, in front of fans (although less than normal). The Mooseheads will dress five 16-year-olds this evening but don't think just because they are young, the club will be defeated easily this season. The competition will be fierce over the next few months as these two teams will face each other 12 times and play strictly in the Maritimes division because of COVID-19 protocols. Both clubs are missing some players, most notably international players who have yet been told that they can come to Canada. Cape Breton should be just as dangerous as they were in 2019-20 while Halifax are looking to improve on their last place finish and they should have the pieces to do so. Whether you're watching from the arena or somewhere else, the boys need our support and should put on a good show. Go Moose Go!!

Overall records
Mooseheads: 0-0-0-0 = 0 points (T-1st in Maritimes division, T-1st overall)
Eagles: 0-0-0-0 = 0 points (T-1st in Maritimes division, T-1st overall)

Leading scorers
CAP: n/a
HAL: n/a

Out of Town
Titan vs. Sea Dogs     7:00pm
Wildcats vs. Islanders     7:00pm
Sagueneens vs. Cataractes     8:00pm
Huskies vs. Voltigeurs     8:00pm
Phoenix vs. Armada     8:00pm
Foreurs vs. Olympiques     8:00pm
Tigres vs. Oceanic     8:00pm

After the Buzzer
The two teams will head to Halifax for the Mooseheads home opener tomorrow night. Puck drops at 7pm. 

Herd Name Captains

Photo - Herd website

Head coach J.J. Daigneault has made the announcement of the Halifax Mooseheads leadership group for the 2020-21 season. 

Veteran defenceman Justin Barron was named the Captain today. The 18-year-old was drafted by the Mooseheads in 2017 13th overall and has played 153 games for the club. He is currently on the injured list after receiving shoulder surgery a couple weeks ago. Barron is a top prospect eligible for the 2020 NHL draft which still hasn't been done because of the coronavirus and will be held on October 6-7. 

Barron will be joined by forwards Liam Peyton, Elliot Desnoyers and follow defenceman Jason Horvath who were all given an A on their jerseys. 

Congratulations to the four players, especially Justin. 

The announcement was made during a team meeting after this morning's practice with Barron and the international players on video call. You can view the video here. 

Roster for Opening Night

Photo - Mooseheads website

Just like the rest of this year where nothing has been done normally, I am doing the opening night roster post a little differently as well. Below you will find who I expect to dress for the Halifax Mooseheads on Friday when they open the regular season as the club has not officially announced their roster as of today. 

YOUR 2020-21 HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS

2  Brendan Tomilson  D  (Oshawa, ON)

4  Jake Furlong  D  (Upper Tantallon, NS)*

6  Markus Vidicek  C  (Kirkland, QC)*

7  Lucas Robinson  D  (Rocky Harbour, NL)*

9  Kyle Petten  RW  (Bay Roberts, NL)

11  Jordan Dumais  RW  (Ile Bizard, QC)*

15  Alexandre Tessier  D  (Mirabel, QC)*

16  James Swan  C  (Ville St-Laurent, QC)*

17  Cameron Whynot  D  (Kentville, NS)

21  Cole Foston  LW  (Beaver Bank, NS)*

23  Landon Miron  RW  (Halifax, NS)*

26  Alexandre David  C  (Pigeon Hill, NB)

29  Cole McLaren  G  (Annapolis Royal, NS)

33  Brady James  G  (Beaconsfield, QC)*

66  Zachary L'Heureux  LW  (Mercier, QC)
78  Liam Peyton  LW  (St. Albert, AB)
79  Jason Horvath  D  (Russell, ON)

88  Robert Orr  C  (Beaconsfield, QC)*

91  Elliot Desnoyers  C  (Saint-Hyacinthe, QC)

94  Samuel Dube  LW  (Bad Tolz, Germany)

*indicates rookie

A full roster of who should suit up for the club before the new year will be posted to the 'Roster' page. Justin Barron is out indefinitely recovering from shoulder surgery while Keegan Hunt will not be in the line-up for 2 weeks. Teams are still awaiting word if international players will be able to come to Canada. 

STATS SUNDAY: Pre-season

Games played: 5
Record: 3-1-1, 7pts
Scores*: 2-1 SO, 7-2, 3-1, 3-6, 3-4 OT
Goals for/against: 18 / 14
Powerplay %: 26.9
Penalty kill %: 84.2
Shutouts: none

Top 3 leading scorers
Points: Elliot Desnoyers (8pts), Zachary L'Heureux (6pts), Jordan Dumais (5pts)
Goals: Zachary L'Heureux (5G), Jordan Dumais (3G), Elliot Desnoyers (2G)
Assists: Elliot Desnoyers (6A), Samuel Dube (4A), Cameron Whynot (3A)
Penalty minutes: Zachary L'Heureux (13), Keegan Hunt (11), Jason Horvath (10)
Plus/minus: Brendan Tomilson (+6), Ethan Landry (+3), Alex Carr (+3)


Goaltending stats
Mathis Rousseau    1-0-0-0    0.93 GAA    0.967 SAV%

Brady James    0-1-0-0    2.06 GAA    0.914 SAV%

Cole McLaren    2-0-1-0    3.53 GAA    0.904 SAV%

*Halifax's score is first

Halifax Rebound But Lose in Overtime

Photo - The Chronicle Herald

The Halifax Mooseheads have wrapped up their exhibition schedule with an overtime loss to the Charlottetown Islanders on Saturday evening. Halifax got off to a pretty good start, scoring less than 11 and a half minutes in when sophomore Zachary L'Heureux put in the net. It didn't last long however as seconds later the Herd took a penalty and the Islanders tied it up on the man advantage. Two goals in the middle frame by Charlottetown gave them a 3-1 lead but L'Heureux picked up his second goal of the game before the period ended. Another newcomer to Halifax, Elliot Desnoyers, tied the match in the third period sending the clubs to overtime. Cole McLaren and Islanders' newly acquired goalie Colten Ellis both had good games and faced almost the same number of shots during the contest. Veteran Cedric Desruisseaux scored the overtime winner for Islanders. It was the first time that the Herd wore their red jerseys this pre-season and the first time the players wore their regular season numbers. 

Halifax-Charlottetown Game at a Glance
FINAL: Charlottetown 4 at Halifax 3 OT
Charlottetown scorers: Oscar Plandowski, Thomas Casey, Lukas Cormier and Cedric Desruisseaux
Halifax scorers: Zachary L'Heureux & Elliot Desnoyers
Powerplay: CHA - 1/5, HAL - 2/7
Shots: Islanders - 28, Mooseheads - 29

#Our18: Halifax Mooseheads

Photo - QMJHL website

The QMJHL has been doing some previews of each of their 18 clubs this month and today was finally our Halifax Mooseheads turn. 

From QMJHL.ca

After riding the wave of reaching both the 2019 President and Memorial Cup Finals, the Halifax Mooseheads came crashing down last season, albeit in somewhat calculated fashion. By the end of the 2020 trade period, most remaining pieces of the previous season's squad were plying their trade elsewhere. Left to compete was a group trying to learn the ropes on the fly with an underlying optimism for this season and years to come. 

That optimism was rewarded during June's QMJHL Draft with the arrival of 2018 QMJHL first round selection Elliot Desnoyers and 2019-20 Rookie All-Star Zachary L'Heureux via trade with the Moncton Wildcats. Joining them up front are veteran two-way winger Liam Peyton, acquired from the Charlottetown Islanders and 2019 first rounder Samuel Dube. Returnees Zack Jones, Senna Peeters, whose 23 goals led the club last year, as well as high scoring Swiss prospect Attillio Biasca are expected to arrive in camp in the coming weeks. Markus Vidicek and Jordan Dumais, both first-rounder selections at the 2020 QMJHL Draft and offensive threats at previous levels, will be given an opportunity to shine on a squad that will be replenishing up front. 

Defensively, the Moose will be anchored by 2020 NHL Draft prospect Justin Barron as he attempts to rebound after losing half of last season to a blood clot. Overager Jason Horvath returns to add some sandpaper to the blueline corps while sophomore Cameron Whynot looks to make use of his on-the-job training after posting big minutes, particularly in the latter half, during the 2019-20 season. 

A 2020 second-rounder and Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia native, Jake Furlong will be embarking on his QMJHL career following a strong offensive campaign with Mount St. Charles Academy in Rhode Island. Between the pipes, with Alexis Gravel not reporting to camp, the ball will be carried by another veteran backstopper in Cole McLaren, with 2019 sixth-rounder Brady James acting as backup.

Perhaps the most interesting returnee in Halifax resides behind the bench. J.J. Daigneault's second season with the Mooseheads represents the first time since 2016 that a Head Coach has begun a second consecutive season with the organization. 

After selling big last year, it's the hope of the representatives from the Nova Scotia capital that the return on investment will begin to pay dividends sooner rather than later. 

Head Coach J.J. Daigneault and newly acquired forward Elliot Desnoyers share their thoughts on the Halifax Mooseheads' upcoming season. 

Top 5 Plays of 2019-2020

Pre-season Game at Saint John

The Halifax Mooseheads continue the pre-season as they visit the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Opponent: Saint John Sea Dogs
Where: TD Station
When: September 13, 2020
Time: 3:00pm

Halifax Mooseheads Preseason record: 3-0-0-0, 6pts
Goals for: 12
Goals against: 4
Head coach: J.J. Daigneault
Scoring leader: Elliot Desnoyers 3pts (1G & 2A)
Goaltending leader: Mathis Rousseau (0.967 SAV%)

Saint John Sea Dogs Preseason record: 1-2-0-0, 2pts
Goals for: 13
Goals against: 13
Head coach: Greg Gilbert
Scoring leader: Alex Drover 4pts (1G & 3A)
Goaltending leader: Carmine-Anthony Pagliarulo (0.867 SAV%)

Notes

• This is the second game of a home and home series in the pre-season between the two teams. 
• Halifax recently cut Sonny Kabatay from the training camp roster. 
• Saint John will stream the match on their YouTube channel. 
• Liam Peyton will make his pre-season debut, below is this afternoon's lineup.

CAMP: Seven Players Released

The Halifax Mooseheads announced this afternoon the first round of cuts. With the reassignments, the players remaining in camp was brought to 27. Halifax is still awaiting for Europeans Seena Peeters and Attilio Biasca as well as American Zack Jones to arrive in the city pending Government approval.

Below is the list of players cut today
Ethan Landry   F   Halifax, NS   Free agent
William Robitaille   F   Levis, QC   Draft '19
Olivier Tourchot   F   Val-Morin, QC   Draft '19
Mason Mantzavrakos   F   London, ON   Free agent
Braeden MacPhee   F   Moncton, NB   Draft '20
Mathis Rousseau   G   Boisbriand, QC   Draft '20
Michael Sack   D    Indian Brook, NS   Draft '19

Good luck to these players this season whenever it begins.

Halifax will continue the pre-season a week from today when they hit the road to Saint John, puck will drop at 3pm.

Photo: Mooseheads website

Schedule Released for Regular Season

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League finally announced the 2020-21 regular season schedule this afternoon. 

Halifax will once again begin the season on the road when they visit their provincial rivals, the Cape Breton Eagles on October 2 at 7pm. However many fans will be allowed to attend matches at the Scotiabank Centre won't have to wait long for the home opener as the two teams meet again the next night. 

Some highlights from the schedule include:

• With the corona-virus pandemic still around, our Mooseheads will play 60 regular season games all within the Maritime division so the rivalries will be strong this year. 83% of games will be played on weekends (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays), more than normal seasons 
• The longest road trip will be four games between February 26 to March 13 while the longest home-stand is only 3 matches before the teams go on Christmas break 
• The only game on a holiday this season is on New Year's Eve when the Eagles come to town for a matinee tilt with puck dropping at 2pm. This will most likely be apart of the annual Battle of Nova Scotia weekend 
• Halifax will finish the season on the road as well, visiting the Moncton Wildcats on April 3 at 4pm. The Herd's final home game is April 2nd against the Cats 

The Mooseheads haven't announced their annual events but I'm sure we will see them soon. 

Pre-season Game at Cape Breton

Our Halifax Mooseheads kick off their exhibition schedule tonight in a tilt against the Cape Breton Eagles.

Opponent: Cape Breton Eagles
Where: Centre 200
When: September 2, 2020
Time: 7:00pm

Halifax Mooseheads
Preseason record: 0-0-0-0, 0pts
Goals for: 0
Goals against: 0
Head coach: J.J. Daigneault
Scoring leader: n/a
Goaltending leader: n/a

Cape Breton Eagles
Preseason record: 0-0-0-0, 0pts
Goals for: 0
Goals against: 0
Head coach: Jake Grimes
Scoring leader: n/a
Goaltending leader: n/a

Notes

• This is both teams first pre-season game of the 2020 year
• Since there are no fans allowed, the Eagles will live stream the game on their YouTube channel
• Cam Russell said that they will probably not release any players until the weekend
• Below is the Mooseheads roster for tonight

Training Camp Roster Released

Photo - Herd website

With the news that training camps will start at the end of August, clubs have been announcing details about their camps, this includes our Halifax Mooseheads.

Halifax, like the rest of the league, had some tough decisions to make on who to bring in to training camp as there is a 34 player limit that clubs have this season because of regulations made from the coronavirus pandemic. Meaning that a few players that were used sparingly on last year's roster were not asked to come back. 

Among these regulations is the fact that players not living in the Atlantic provinces had to arrive two weeks early so they could self isolate at a hotel in the city. The top eight players from the 2020 draft are on the roster while there are four players who will arrive in the coming weeks to camp (noted by a *). 

Here is the 34 man roster coming to camp

Justin Barron   D

*Attilio Biasca   F  

Alex Carr   D

Alexandre David   F  

Elliot Desnoyers   F 

Samuel Dube   F

Jordan Dumais   F

Cole Foston   F

Jake Furlong   D

*Alexis Gravel   G

Jason Horvath   D

Keegan Hunt   D

Brady James   G

*Zack Jones   F

Sonny Kabatay   F 

Zachary L'Heureux   F

Ethan Landry   F

Braeden MacPhee   F

Mason Mantzavrakos   F

Cole McLaren   G

Landon Miron   F

Robert Orr   F

*Senna Petters   F

Kyle Petten   F

Liam Peyton   F

Lucas Robinson   D

William Robitaille   F

Mathis Rousseau   G

Michael Sack   D

James Swan   F

Alexandre Tessier   D

Brendan Tomilson   D

Olivier Tourchot   F

Markus Vidicek   F

Cameron Whynot   D

Pre-season Schedule Announced

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced it's pre-season schedule on Tuesday morning but it will be a different kind of exhibition and training camp situation this year.

As in previous years, Halifax will bring in a number of prospects and returning players to camp to determine it's final roster but there will be less. A full detailed list of the training camp roster will be posted later. Training camp will be held behind closed doors this season, including the exhibition matches. The Mooseheads will play six matches over the month of September with the first one being on September 1 at 7pm when they visit the Cape Breton Eagles. Practices and pre-season home games will be at the RBC Centre in Dartmouth. 

Here is the 2020-21 pre-season schedule

September 1 at 7pm - at Cape Breton Eagles (Centre 200)

September 3 at 7pm - vs Cape Breton Eagles (RBC Centre)

September 5 at 4pm - vs Saint John Sea Dogs (RBC Centre)

September 13 at 3pm - at Saint John Sea Dogs (TD Station)

September 25 at 7pm - at Charlottetown Islanders (MacLauchlin Arena)

September 26 at 4pm - vs Charlottetown Islanders (RBC Centre)

Halifax also announced that they are hoping 'to provide digital opportunities that allow our fans to live stream the home games free of charge.'

Herd Word

Just like last year, I took a break over the summer to decide what I want to do with this blog. I have decided to keep it going but I might not post as often this season. Below you will find some of the story lines concerning the Mooseheads and former players from the last few months since the COVID-19 shutdown.

LEAGUE AWARDS
Considering that our Halifax Mooseheads did not have a very good season unfortunately, there was no surprise that no players were nominated for any league awards. However, it wasn't a total loss. The Mooseheads own Allie MacDonald won the Denis-Arsenault Trophy as the academic advisor of the year. Congratulations to Allie. See the announcement here with a special guest.

Former Herd Benoit-Olivier Groulx was awarded the Guy Carboneau trophy as the top defensive forward for the 2019-20 season.

Zachary L'Heureux
Photo - Neutral Zone

TRADES
Halifax made a few roster moves days before the draft in June to help bolster it's young roster. The first trade Cam Russell and company made was to acquire forward Robert Orr from the Saint John Sea Dogs in exchange for 2nd and 4th round picks in the draft.

Later in the day, the Mooseheads announced that they picked up two more forwards, Zachary L'Heureux and Elliot Desnoyers from the Moncton Wildcats. The deal completed earlier trades involving Benoit-Olivier Groulx and Jared McIsaac. They sent the 2nd and 3rd round picks in 2020 back to the Cats along with a 5th in 2021 and 2nd and 3rd round selections in 2022.

1st round pick Markus Vidicik signing a commitment letter to
join the Mooseheads
Photo - Herd Twitter

QMJHL DRAFT
The QMJHL draft was held virtually for the first time in history with the first round done on June 5 while round 2-14 were completed the next day. The Mooseheads brass had multiple picks this year, unlike in 2019.

Multiple moves were made over the two days with most involving the exchange of picks. Russell moved the team's 27th and 60th overall picks plus a 2021 third round pick to Charlottetown for the 22nd overall pick. Halifax used the selection to get defenceman Jake Furlong. The two clubs came together for another trade as the Islanders sent veteran Liam Peyton to the Moose in exchange for a 2020 ninth round pick and a 2021 fourth round pick.

Below is 12 guys that Halifax selected.
RD 1 #14 - C Markus Vidicek - Lac-St-Louis Lions
RD 1 #18 - RW Jordan Dumais - South Kent Selets Academy 15's
RD 2 #22 - LD Jake Fulong - Mt. St. Charles Academy
RD 2 #28 - C James Swan - Lac-St-Louis Lions
RD 4 #61 - G Mathis Rousseau - St-Eustache Vikings
RD 4 #66 - RD Alex Carr - Cole Harbour Wolfpack
RD 5 #78 - LD Alexandre Tessier - St-Eustache Vikings
RD 8 #132 - C Braeden MacPhee - Moncton Flyers
RD 11 #186 - LD Jackson Dorrington - Cushing Academy Penguins
RD 12 #204 - D Travis Badcock - East Coast Blizzard MAAA
RD 13 #222 - LD Sid McNeill - Oakland Jr Grizzlies 15's
RD 14 #240 - LD Brady Schultz - Elite Hockey Program 16U

Click here for a list of all draftees. 

In the import draft held at the end of June, Halifax selected Attilio Biasca with the 5th overall pick. This means that the team has moved on from Marcel Barinka.

Photo - Avalanche Twitter

MACKINNON
Kid Mack had another really good season for the Colorado Avalanche and he is being recognized for it. Nathan MacKinnon, who played for the Herd from 2011 to 2013, was nominated for the Ted Lindsay Award, the Lady Bing Trophy and the Hart Trophy. The latter is for the league's most valuable player while Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton) and Artemi Panarin (New York) were also nominated. MacKinnon led the Avalanche in scoring with 93 points in 69 games which was also good enough for being top 10 in the league during the regular season.

Congrats to Nathan for being nominated. The award winners will be announced during the conference finals.

NHL PLAYOFFS
It's August and there is playoffs being competed right now, just another sign of how weird this year as been. A number of alumni participated in the qualifying round and there are still four left as of the writing of this post.

Nikolaj Ehlers and the Winnipeg Jets were ousted by the Calgary Flames 3 games to 1 in the qualifying round while MacKenzie Weegar and the Florida Panthers also didn't make it past that round after losing 3-1 to the New York Islanders. Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado), Jakub Voracek (Philadelphia), Jonathan Drouin (Montreal) and Brad Marchand (Boston) are still in the hunt for the Stanley Cup.

Good luck to all the players participating in the playoffs, especially our former players. 

QMJHL Starting Season October 1

Photo - Herd website

There will be a 2020-21 QMJHL season. Uncertainty across all sports leagues have been prevalent the last 5 months since they all shut down mid-March because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. For one junior hockey league, that uncertainty has become a bit clearer. The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League has announced that it will begin the new season on October 1st. It will look a lot different than previous years and there are still multiple questions to be answered over the coming weeks but at least we have a concrete date now to get excited for.

The main points of the press release below are; there will be 3 divisions this year and teams will play their divisions only, a 60-game regular season schedule, Quebec teams will for sure play with no fans while it is to be determined for the Maritimes clubs and finally, 34 players will be invited to training camp instead of the normal 50ish.

Press release from August 14

"The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League today announced that it is planning to return to play on October 1, 2020 following positive dialogue with Provincial Governments and Public Health Agencies.

Since the 2019-2020 season and the President Cup playoffs were cancelled last March, the Commissioner’s office has been preparing a sustainable return to play protocol to ensure a safe environment for players, team staffs, fans and its communities. Over the past several weeks, the league has had continued dialogue with government officials and Public Health Agencies of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Quebec to propose a plan in line with Public Health directives and guidelines.

In order to begin the season on October 1^st, with training camps and return to school deadlines coming up at end of August, the league had to decide on whether or not to start the 2020-2021 season. The League’s mission is to develop players both academically and athletically while providing the safest possible environment. In view of the urgency of the situation and in line with our mission, the members voted in favour of returning to play on October 1st.

Following our conversations with both the Provincial Governments and Public Health Agencies, it has been determined that the 2020-2021 season will be played behind closed doors in Quebec, while details are currently still being discussed for the Maritimes.

Training camps will open on August 30th and teams will be limited to 34 invitees. The regular season will include a 60-game schedule and the League will be divided into three divisions. All regular season games will be played within six-team divisions while the playoff format will be announced later in December. The 102nd Memorial Cup presented by Kia is scheduled to be played from June 17-27, 2021, in Oshawa or Sault St. Marie."

Central Scouting Release Final Draft Rankings

The NHL Central Scouting Services released its final draft rankings on Wednesday afternoon and two current Halifax Mooseheads players were listed. The announcement comes on the day the Stanley Cup playoffs were supposed to begin had the season not been paused.

Photo - Herd website

Defenceman Justin Barron is 16th among North American skaters. Barron, who missed three months mid-season, picked up four goals and 19 points in 34 games. Despite being gone for almost half the year, the Halifax, NS native played a good defensive game and was well needed on the backend this past season. Justin was named the Mooseheads MVP earlier this month and received two other team awards.

Joining him on the final draft rankings is Senna Peeters who was ranked #101. Peeters had a pretty good rookie year where he scored 23 goals, which was second on a low scoring Halifax team. The 17-year-old recorded 33 points in total in 57 games played.

In total, there are 32 players from the QMJHL who will be hoping to hear their name be called. The 2020 NHL draft was originally scheduled to be hosted by Montreal on June 26-27 but it was announced in March that it will be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Around the CHL ~ volume #2 season edition #11

With no playoffs to speak of for this season, this post comes a little later than normal. As a way to wrap up 2019-20, I wanted to share who led the three leagues during the season. 

League leaders
Goals - Nick Robertson 55 goals (OHL Peterborough Petes), Adam Beckman 48 goals (WHL Spokane Chiefs), Egor Sokolov 46 goals (QMJHL Cape Breton Eagles)
Assists - Marco Rossi 81 points (OHL Ottawa 67's), Alexis Lafreniere 77 assists (QMJHL Rimouski Oceanic), Eli Zummack 64 assists (WHL Spokane Chiefs) 
Points - Marco Rossi 120 points (OHL Ottawa 67's),  Alexis Lafreniere 112 points (QMJHL Rimouski Oceanic), Adam Beckman 107 points (WHL Spokane Chiefs)
Defenceman points - Noel Hoefenmayer 82 points (OHL Ottawa 67's), Alex Cotton 67 points (WHL Lethbridge Hurricanes), William Villeneuve 58 points (QMJHL Saint John Sea Dogs)
Rookie points - Shane Wright 66 points (OHL Kingston Frontenacs), Michal Teply 63 points (WHL Winnipeg ICE), Zachary L'Heureux 53 points (QMJHL Moncton Wildcats)
Goalie wins - Alexis Shank 36 wins (QMJHL Chicoutimi Sagueneens), Dustin Wolf 34 wins (WHL Everett Silvertips), Jacob Ingham 33 wins (OHL Kitchener Rangers)
Save percentage - Dustin Wolf 0.935 SAV% (WHL Everett Silvertips), Kevin Mandolese 0.925 SAV% (QMJHL Cape Breton Eagles), Nico Daws 0.924 SAV% (OHL Guelph Storm)
Goals against average - Dustin Wolf 1.88 GAA (WHL Everett Silvertips), Samuel Hlavaj 2.25 GAA (QMJHL Sherbrooke Phoenix), Brett Brochu 2.40 GAA (OHL London Knights)

Division leaders
WHL - Portland Winterhawks 97 points/45 wins (U.S. division), Edmonton Oil Kings 94 points/42 wins (Central division), Kamloops Blazers 86 points/41 wins (B.C. division), Prince Albert Raiders 82 points/36 wins (East division)
OHL - Ottawa 67's 101 points/50 wins (East division), London Knights 92 points/45 wins (Midwest division), Saginaw Spirit 87 points/41 wins (West division), Sudbury Wolves 70 points/34 wins (Central division)
QMJHL - Sherbrooke Phoenix 106 points/51 wins (Central division), Moncton Wildcats 101 points/50 wins (Maritimes division), Chicoutimi Sagueneens 96 points/45 wins (East division), Blainville-Boisbriand Armada 68 points/32 wins (West division)

BMO CHL top ten ~ week 25
1. Sherbrooke Phoenix {51-8-3-1} week 24 #1
2. Ottawa 67's {50-11-0-1} week 24 #2
3. Moncton Wildcats {50-13-1-0} week 24 #3
4. Portland Winterhawks {45-11-3-4} week 24 #6
5. Everett Silvertips {46-13-3-1} week 24 #4
6. London Knights (45-15-1-1} week 24 #7
7. Chicoutimi Sagueneens {45-12-5-1} week 24 #8
8. Edmonton Oil Kings {42-12-6-4} week 24 #5
9. Saginaw Spirit {41-16-3-2} week 24 #10
10. Spokane Chiefs {41-18-4-1} week 24 HM
Honorable mentions: Kitchener Rangers {40-16-5-2 #9}, Kamloops Blazers {41-18-3-1 n/a}, Cape Breton Eagles {40-20-2-1 n/a}

Top Herd

An early ending to a disappointing season but there were still some good things that happened in 2019-20 including a total of eight rookies scoring their first career goals. With the season over, I gave you guys the chance to vote for this season's Top Herd player award. Thank you for voting once again.

And the winner is....










Cole McLaren

Halifax drafted the goaltender in 2016 and even in losses was one of the best players on the ice for the Mooseheads. Cole finished the season with an 8-16-0 record, one shutout and a 0.888 save percentage.

Here is the list of my Top Herd that I have done this season. I didn't name one every game.
Sep 27   Charlottetown - Zack Jones
Oct 10   Saint John - Senna Peeters
Oct 13   Val-d'Or - Benoit-Olivier Groulx
Oct 19   Cape Breton - Jordan McKenna
Nov 8    Drummondville - Maxim Trepanier
Nov 21  Baie-Comeau - Alexis Gravel
Nov 30  Blainville - Benoit-Olivier Groulx
Dec 13  Charlottetown - Walter Flower
Dec 31  Saint John - D'Artagnan Joly
Jan 4     Acadie-Bathurst - Jason Horvath
Jan 10   Chictoutimi - Denis Toner
Jan 23   Gatineau - Kevin Gursoy
Feb 1    Shawinigan - Cole McLaren
Feb 9    Sherbrooke - Alexis Gravel
Feb 20  Rimouski - Cole McLaren
Feb 22  Rouyn-Noranda - Ozzie King
Mar 6   Quebec - Cole McLaren


Here are the final poll results
Cole McLaren - 46.7%, Alex Gravel - 23.4%, Kevin Gursoy - 19.5%, Senna Peeters - 10.4%

Team Awards Presented by Mooseheads

For the last couple of weeks, our Halifax Mooseheads have been announcing their team awards for the 2019-20 season on social media with video clips of each recipient. The biggest winner was Justin Barron despite missing almost three months because of a blood clot. Below are the winners of the team awards.

Eastlink Trophy: Kevin Gursoy
Arthur J Gallagher Insurance Trophy: Senna Peeters
Tim Hortons Award: Denis Toner
Scotia Fuels Award: Cameron Whynot
Steele Subaru Award: Justin Barron
Avis Trophy: Zack Jones
Mooseheads Best Sportsmanship Trophy: Jordan McKenna
Sarah Morris Memorial Trophy: Alexis Gravel
Scotiabank Centre Trophy: Justin Barron & Cole McLaren
Sue Moore Memorial Fans' Choice Award: Alexis Gravel
Steele Auto Group MVP: Justin Barron

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)

West division
Blainville-Boisbriand 2 games 2-0-0-0 {4-1, 3-0}
Gatineau 2 games 1-1-0-0 {3-8, 4-3OT}
Rouyn-Noranda 2 games 1-1-0-0 {3-2, 1-4}
Val-d'Or 2 games 1-0-1-0 {6-2, 1-2OT}

Central division
Drummondville 2 games 1-1-0-0 {5-1, 1-4}
Shawinigan 2 games 0-2-0-0 {4-7, 3-8}
Sherbrooke 2 games 0-2-0-0 {2-4, 1-3}
Victoriaville 2 games 1-1-0-0 {2-1SO, 2-5}

East division
Baie-Comeau 2 games 1-0-0-1 {4-3OT, 1-2SO}
Chicoutimi 2 games 0-2-0-0 {1-4, 3-8}
Quebec 2 games 0-1-0-1 {4-5SO, 1-3}
Rimouski 2 games 1-1-0-0 {1-0, 2-6}

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

Monthly records
September 4 games ~ 1-3-0-0 record overall, 1-1-0-0 home, 0-2-0-0 away
October 12 games ~ 6-5-1-0 record overall, 2-2-1-0 home, 4-3-0-0 away
November 11 games ~ 6-3-1-1 record overall, 2-3-0-1 home, 4-0-1-0 away
December 9 games ~ 2-7-0-0 record overall, 1-3-0-0 home, 1-4-0-0 away
January 10 games ~ 3-7-0-0 record overall, 2-3-0-0 home, 1-4-0-0 away
February 13 games ~ 1-10-1-1 record overall, 1-6-1-0 home, 0-4-0-1 away
March 4 games ~ 1-3-0-0 record overall, 0-2-0-0 home, 1-1-0-0 away

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

QMJHL Cancels Regular Season

Photo - QMJHL website

Well, it's official. The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced on Tuesday afternoon that they have decided to cancel the remainder of the 2019-20 regular season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A number of fans figured this would be the outcome eventually but it doesn't make it any easier. No word on if playoffs will go ahead or not yet. The regular season was scheduled to conclude on March 21, 2020. Final standings are below;

1. xy Sherbrooke Phoenix   63GP  51-8-3-1 record  106pts 

2. xy Moncton Wildcats   64GP  50-13-1-0 record  101pts

3. xy Chicoutimi Sagueneens   63GP  45-12-5-1 record  96pts

4. x Cape Breton Eagles   63GP  40-20-2-1 record  83pts

5. x Rimouski Oceanic   64GP  38-18-4-4 record  84pts

6. x Drummondville Voltigeurs   63GP  36-25-2-0 record  74pts

7. x Charlottetown Islanders   64GP  33-26-5-0 record  71pts

8. x Blainville-Boisbriand Armada   63GP  32-27-2-2 record  68pts

9. x Rouyn-Noranda Huskies   63GP  29-30-2-2 record  62pts

10. x Victoriaville Tigres   63GP  26-28-5-4 record  61pts

11. x Saint John Sea Dogs   64GP. 30-33-1-0 record  61pts

12. x Shawinigan Cataractes   63GP  29-32-2-0 record  60pts

13. x Val-d'Or Foreurs   63pts  26-30-5-2 record  59pts

14. x Quebec Remparts   64GP  27-32-4-1 record  59pts

15. x Baie-Comeau Drakkar   64GP  24-29-7-4 record  59pts

16. Gatineau Olympiques   64GP  22-37-5-0 record  49pts

17. Halifax Mooseheads   63GP. 20-38-3-2 record  45pts

18. Acadie-Bathurst Titan   64GP  12-40-8-4 record  36pts

The QMJHL also announced that they have cancelled four events that were supposed to take place after the regular season. The Golden Puck Awards Gala, the New England Showcase, the Gatorade Excellence Challenge and the Goaltenders Development Camp were all removed from the schedule because of the restrictions that have been put in place by the government and health authorities. 

Mooseheads Players Going Home

The Halifax Mooseheads players are returning home, a team statement announced today.

Halifax also said that their business office and the Official Mooseheads Shop in Scotia Square Mall until further notice.

Read the full statement below from the Mooseheads website.

With the current QMJHL season on pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all Mooseheads players have been returned to their families where their health and safety will continue to be a top priority.

The Mooseheads organization is following recommendations by Nova Scotia public health officials and has closed the business office along with the Official Mooseheads Shop in Scotia Square Mall until further notice. All staff members will continue to work remotely during these unprecedented times. For general inquiries please contact mooseheads@halifaxmooseheads.ca.

The Canadian Hockey League released the following statement on Friday about the 2020 Memorial Cup which is to be held in late-May.

Top Herd Vote

With the QMJHL season currently on hold and the possibility of games returning for our Halifax Mooseheads, I thought I would post this now. I have normally determined each game’s top herd by their overall play not just how many points they had that game which is way you have seen some defence and goaltenders (even when we loose) on the list. Look at the Top Herd tab above to see who was named over the season.

You can cast your vote on Twitter (pinned). The poll will close on March 31st.

1. Cole McLaren
2. Senna Peeters
3. Kevin Gursoy
4. Alexis Gravel
5. Other

CHL Season Suspended Until Further Notice

HALIFAX - The remainder of the 2019-20 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League season has been suspended indefinitely as of March 12.

News release:

The Canadian Hockey League and its three regional leagues the Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and Western Hockey League, take the health and safety of our players, fans, volunteers, staff, and general public very seriously. CHL President Dan MacKenzie with Commissioners David Branch, Gilles Courteau, and Ron Robison have been monitoring the situation in regard to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) including what local, provincial, and federal health agencies have recommended. Following consultation with medical professionals and meetings today among the CHL Executive Council, and regional league Board of Governors, the CHL announces that the balance of the 2019-20 season and all hockey activity shall be paused immediately until further notice. 

It was announced as well that players will remain in the area with their billet families. No official word from the Halifax Mooseheads but considering there is no hockey activity for the foreseeable future, practices and team gatherings I am sure are suspended too.

This news came hours after the National Hockey League suspended their season because of the Coronavirus. It is unknown when the play will return, if it will at all for this season.

If the regular season does not resume, at least our Mooseheads went out on a high note by defeating the Charlottetown Islanders on Tuesday evening on the island by a score of 7-4.

Murphy & UNB Champions Again

Photo - UNB Reds Twitter

The University of New Brunswick continued their dynasty on Friday night defeating Acadia University for their third straight Atlantic University Sport championship in men's hockey. UNB features a number of former QMJHL players including Halifax Mooseheads alumni Matt Murphy. The Reds won the title by a 5-1 score in front of a sold out home crowd in Fredericton, NB. Murphy picked up an assist on the last goal of the game as UNB was led by Alexandre Goulet's hat trick in the final match of the best of three series.

Congratulations to Matt and the Reds on another championship.



UNB will now head to the University Cup which is being held this weekend March 12-15 in Halifax, NS by the Acadia Axemen. Three AUS teams will participate in this year's tournament with UNB being joined by host Acadia and the Saint Mary's Huskies. The Huskies booked their ticket to the national championship by winning the consolation playoff round with a two game sweep last week.

The seedings for the tournament are as follows; #1 UNB Reds, #2 Saskatchewan Huskies, #3 Guelph Gryphons, #4 Ottawa Gee Gees, #5 Acadia Axemen, #6 Saint Mary's Huskies, #7 Western Mustangs, #8 UBC Thunderbirds

Quarter-final matches will be played on Thursday and Friday followed by the semi-final games on Saturday and finally the bronze and gold medal games Sunday. All matches are at the Scotiabank Centre.

Good luck to all the teams especially the 3 AUS teams which also include former Herd players Joel Bishop, Eric Brassard, Keith Getson and Austyn Hardie of Saint Mary's and Acadia's Morgan Nauss.

QMJHL Names Scholastic POM

Every month, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announces a Scholastic Player of the Month which recognises 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, Said Abi-Faycal was named the Scholastic Player of the Month for February 2020. Abi-Faycal recorded an assist in 7 games and was a minus-4 during the month.

Team	Player	Educational Institution	Program
BAT	Cole Larkin	Bathurst High School	Grade 12
BAC	Nathan Légaré	Cégep à distance	Human Sciences/Business
BLB	Nathan Lavoie	Cégep de Saint-Jérôme	Natural Sciences
CAP	Logan Kelly-Murphy	Cape Breton University	Business
CHA	Christopher McQuaid	UPEI	Business
CHI	Félix-Antoine Drolet	Cégep de Chicoutimi	Natural Sciences
DRU	Brandon Skubel	Athabasca University	Independent student
GAT	Émile Hegarty-Aubin	Cégep de l’Outaouais	Human Sciences
HAL	Said Abi-Faycal	Prince Andrew High School	Grade 12
MON	Ryan MacLellan	NSCC & NSVHS	Grade 12
QUE	Tristan Côté-Cazenave	Cégep à distance	Human Sciences
RIM	Justin Bergeron	Cégep de Rimouski	Human Sciences
ROU	Olivier-Luc Haché	Acadia University	Independent student
SNB	Brady Burns	Saint John High School	High School
SHA	Félix-Olivier Chouinard	Cégep de Shawinigan	Natural Sciences
SHE	Patrick Guay	Pre-North University	Grade 11
VDO	Mavrick Gauthier	Cégep de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue	Human Sciences
VIC	Thomas Éthier	Cégep de Victoriaville	Human Sciences

Getson Scores OT Winner For SMU

Keith Getson has been great for his Saint Mary's Huskies during the 2020 AUS playoffs and it continued last night when he scored the game winner in triple overtime to send SMU to the University Cup. 

The former Halifax Mooseheads forward joined the Huskies in September to continue his hockey career and finished the regular season with fourteen goals and 27 points in 30 games played. Getson's OT goal was his second game winner of the playoffs after scoring in double overtime against the UPEI Panthers in Game 2 of the opening round. 

On Wednesday, he scored at the 5:44 mark of the second period to tie the game at 1 before the Moncton Aigles Bleus scored twice more in the frame to take a 3-1 lead into the intermission. Saint Mary's picked up two goals in the third to send it to extra time. With a power play early in the third overtime frame, Getson scored at the 2:20 mark giving the Huskies a 2-0 series win in the consolation round. The 21 year old has four goals and 5 assists in 8 playoff games now and is a plus-4. Eric Brassard, who also played for the Mooseheads previously, picked up the victory with 42 saves. 

The Acadia Axemen are hosting the 2020 University Cup and because of that the AUS gets to have three teams in the national championship. Acadia and the UNB Reds are battling it out for Atlantic bragging rights and their best of 3 series is tied 1-1 after a dominating performance by the Reds last night who won 6-0. 

STATS SUNDAY: February

Games played: 13
Record: 1-10-1-1, 4pts
Goals for/against: 30/62
Powerplay*: 16.8%
Penalty kill*: 82.1%
Shutouts: one

Top 5 leading scorers
Points: D'Artagnan Joly 12, Zack Jones 11, Kevin Gursoy 11, Senna Peeters 8, Jason Horvath 5
Goals: Senna Peeters 7, Kevin Gursoy 5, Zack Jones 3, Gavin Hart 3, D'Artagnan Joly 2
Assists: D'Artagnan Joly 10, Zack Jones 8, Kevin Gursoy 6, Jason Horvath 4, Olivier DesRoches 4
Penalty minutes: Cameron Whynot 27, Brandon Tomilson 22, Jason Horvath 21, Keegan Hunt 15, Olivier DesRoches 12
Plus/minus: Gavin Hart +2, Alexandre David +2, Keegan Hunt E, Kyle Petten E, Olivier DesRoches -1
Rookie scoring: Zack Jones 11pts, Senna Peeters 8pts, Gavin Hart 5pts, Sonny Kabatay 2pts, Cameron Whynot 2pts

Goaltender stats*
Alexis Gravel: 11-21-2-1     3.96 GAA     0.891 SAV%
Cole McLaren: 8-13-1-1     3.99 GAA     0.889 SAV%
Alec MacVicar: 0-1-0-0     6.71 GAA     0.692 SAV%



*overall

McLaren's 32 Saves Leads to Victory

Photo - Mooseheads Twitter

Moose win! It's been a while since anybody has been able to say that. Our Halifax Mooseheads put an end to their 9 game losing streak by defeating the 4th overall Rimouski Oceanic on Thursday night. Cole McLaren stopped all 32 shots for his first shutout of the season to lead the home team to a 1-0 victory. Projected first overall pick in the upcoming NHL entry draft Alexis Lafreniere and the Oceanic came into the game as heavy favourites with a 8-0-1-0 record before this evening but strong defensive performances by the team in the first 40 minutes and fantastic goaltending from McLaren were able to hold off the offensive power that is Rimouski. Kevin Gursoy got the Mooseheads on the board with five seconds remaining in the first period and that turned out to be the game winner. The was some questionable officiating during the game, especially when Ozzie King was high sticked on the nose and no call was made. In the second period, the away team thought they had scored to tie the game but McLaren was down, injured and the referee was in the process of whistling when Rimouski put it in the net so it was immediately waved off. Despite not getting on the scoresheet, whoever does the three stars gave the third star to former Herd Walter Flower as it was his last game in Halifax. 

FINAL: Oceanic 0 at Mooseheads 1

Stars: Walter Flower RIM | 2. Kevin Gursoy HAL | 1. Cole McLaren HAL

Attendance: 7,536

MC's Top Herd: Cole McLaren

Powerplay: RIM - 0-for-2; HAL - 0-for-3

Shots: 32-21 Rimouski

MISSING IN ACTION - Justin Barron (injured), Said Abi-Faycal (healthy), Alexis Gravel (injured), Denis Toner (sick) and Samuel Dube (injured)

SCORES

Sherbrooke 4 at Victoriaville 3

Quebec 4 at Baie-Comeau 2

UP NEXT - Halifax will continue their three game home stand with a match against the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies on Saturday. Puck drops at 7pm. 

Herd/Dogs Game Rescheduled

Photo - The Chronicle Herald

Our Halifax Mooseheads will have to play four games next week after the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced on Monday that they have rescheduled the postponed February 7 match against the Saint John Sea Dogs to next Wednesday.

The start time for the game was originally pushed back an hour to 8pm before the match was postponed entirely because Halifax could not make it past Moncton due to the weather. Saint John president Trevor Georgie had told media that he would be filing a complaint with the league as the club felt that the Mooseheads purposely missed the game on Feb 7.

Georgie stated he contacted league officials and Cam Russell to make arrangements for Halifax to travel on Thursday but the Herd decided not do that. The game would have been an almost sold out crowd and was to feature a performance by Nova Scotia musician Classified during the first intermission. Georgie was asking for the league to hand his team an automatic two points and have Russell give the Sea Dogs money for expenses that incurred. Halifax was supposed to have played 3 games in 3 days that weekend and the Saint John brass felt that they wanted to get out of that scenario which Mooseheads' general manager Cam Russell denied.

The rescheduled game is on February 26 at TD Station in Saint John with puck drop being 7:00pm.

Tickets that fans had purchased for the Feb. 7 game can be exchanged for any of the Sea Dogs remaining home games.

AUS Playoffs Begin Tomorrow

The Atlantic University Sport playoffs are set to begin on Wednesday night and it will include several former Halifax Mooseheads players. Locally, the Saint Mary's Huskies are the only team to make it. Other Nova Scotia universities that will be in the playoffs are the St. Francis X-Men and the Acadia Axemen. They will be joined by the Moncton Aigles Bleus, the UNB Varsity Reds and UPEI Panthers.

Here are the final standings
#   Team                                                   W      L    OTL   Pts
1. University of New Brunswick             26      4       0      52
2. Acadia University                                19      9       2      40
3. Saint Mary's University                       17     12      1      35
4. Moncton University                             13     11      6      32
5. St. Francis Xavier University.             12     13      5      29
6. University of Prince Edward Island    10     15      5      25
7. Dalhousie University                            8      19      3     19 


The Varsity Reds and the Axemen receive a quarter-final bye. The Aigles Bleus will take on the X-Men while the Huskies will take on the Panthers with both series starting tomorrow night.

Here is the quarter-finals schedule
Wed. February 12  St. FX at Moncton
                                 UPEI at Saint Mary's
Fri. February 14  Saint Mary's at UPEI
                              Moncton at St. FX
Sun. February 16  St. FX at Moncton   *if necessary 
                                UPEI at Saint Mary's   *if necessary

Former Halifax Mooseheads players on playoff team rosters include; Keith Getson (Saint Mary's), Morgan Nauss (Acadia), Joel Bishop (Saint Mary's), Blade Mann-Dixon (St. FX), Austyn Hardie (Saint Mary's), Matt Murphy (UNB), Eric Brassard (Saint Mary's) and Jordan Maher (UPEI)

Good luck to all the teams and to our former players during the playoffs on the road to the University Cup that will be held in Halifax.