Mooseheads Upset Drummondville

Photo - Saltwire

Mooseheads move on to round 2! There's something I did not think I would be writing in 2025 but our Halifax Mooseheads have won their series after picking up a 2-0 victory on Tuesday night against the Voltigeurs in Drummondville. It was a pretty even first period with the two teams going to the dressing rooms tied 0-0 after 20 minutes and shots 12-11 in favour of the home team. A couple of Drummondville penalties was all the excitement really in the opening period. It seemed like it would be a scoreless game after two periods but with 64 seconds remaining in the frame, rookie forward Carlos Handel broke the deadlock. The Volts even had a 4 minute power play after Shawn Carrier took a high sticking penalty just under six minutes into the second but the Moose killed it off. Shots after 40 minutes were 20-19. Drummondville stepped up their pressure in the final frame though to try and tie the game, outshooting Halifax 18-4 but I would say Moose goaltender Jacob Steinman was not ready to finish his junior hockey career yet as he picked up the shutout. Liam Kilfoil sealed the win by scoring into the empty net with less than a minute remaining. 

FINAL: Mooseheads 2 at Voltigeurs 0
Stars: 3. Carlos Handel HAL | 2. Louis-Felix Charrois DRU | 1. Jacob Steinman HAL
Attendance: 2,545

GAME LOG
First period
No scoring

Second period
18:56 HAL Carlos Handel (1) | A: Schultz

Third period
19:09 HAL Liam Kilfoil (3), EN | A: Fontaine & Aucoin

Powerplay: HAL - 0-for-3, DRU - 0-for-2
Shots: 38-23 in favour of Drummondville

UP NEXT: Game 1 of round 2 versus Rouyn-Noranda Huskies on Friday 

Around the CHL Playoff Update

What a Friday night in Moose Country and in the QMJHL as a whole during night 6 of the 2025 playoffs. First, I apologize for not keeping up with previews/recaps - I try to write something but it just hasn’t come to me lately. So I thought I would do a post-season update and as you'll see, words came to me today. 

Photo - Herd Twitter

In a series that probably most thought that Drummondville would sweep, the Volts find themselves down 3-2 after a very exciting Game 5 last night in Halifax. The Mooseheads went on the road and picked up two gutsy victories, both by a score of 3-2. For Game 1, Halifax was outshot and in a 0-2 hole early in the third period but an injury to Voltigeurs starting goaltender Riley Mercer turned the tide. Back-up Louis-Felix Charrois let in three goals on 5 shots as Antoine Fontaine, Caylen Blake and Quinn Kennedy scored for Halifax. The second game was a bit more back and forth but once again the home team had the upper hand in shots, however they could not get the victory as the teams went to overtime. Liam Kilfoil scored the OT winner in that one. Coming back home with two wins, Moose Country was excited to see their team continue that play but Jacob Steinman could only hold the boys in it for so long and the Herd lost 4-1 in Game 3. Drummondville tied the series up on Wednesday night with a 3-1 win where shots were 54-17 Volts. 

Photo - Herd Twitter

For a young team, Halifax has shown heart all season and in most games have been competitive. Well, Friday night was no different. They came out acting like they wanted to win and win they did in front of 6,760 fans. The away team got on the board first with a power play goal by Ethan Gauthier, his 6th of the series, but before the end of the opening period, Brady Schultz picked up his first of the playoffs to bring life back into the Scotiabank Centre and tie the game. Braeden MacPhee then gave Halifax the 2-1 lead a little past the halfway point. Yoan Tassé tied it up at the 7:38 mark of the third period though 90 seconds later Lincoln Waugh gave the Herd back the lead. Liam Kilfoil scored late in the third to give Halifax the 4-2 victory. 

The series will now shift to Drummondville again for game 6 and if necessary, game 7 as well. 

In the rest of the Q, four more series wrapped up on Friday so Chicoutimi, Rouyn-Noranda, Shawinigan and Sherbrooke will join Moncton and Rimouski in the second round. The Wildcats and Oceanic swept their series’ on Wednesday night while the others mentioned finished 4 games to 1. Number 5 Sherbrooke defeating #4 Blainville-Boisbriand in five games is a bit of an upset, though only 5 points separated the two clubs so it really could’ve gone either way. With the Sagueneens ousting the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, it ends this era of major junior hockey being in the Chaleur region as the team will move to St. John’s, NL for next season. At least Game 5 in that series was in NB so they got to say goodbye to their fans. 

Photo - Eagles website

You may have noticed there was one series I haven’t mentioned yet. That would be the #4 Baie-Comeau Drakkar versus the #5 Cape Breton Eagles. The two teams played a marathon of a game last night as the Eagles were trying to extend their season after going down 3 games to 1 in the series. Cape Breton forced a Game 6 after Angelo Fullerton scored the game winner in the 5th overtime period! And they did it in front of their home fans. At 141:42 minutes, the match was the longest in both franchise's history but the 2nd longest in league history. Apparently the game could've been done earlier but Baie-Comeau had two goals called back in the second and fourth overtime, and Cape Breton had one disallowed in the third extra frame. The goaltenders of course were busy but Jakub Milota was the busier of the two, stopping 84 of the Drakkar's 86 shots earning him first star honours. 

Here's how all the playoff series in the Canadian Hockey League 
WHL
E1 Medicine Hat Tigers vs. E8 Swift Current Broncos  4-1
E2 Prince Albert Raiders vs. E7 Edmonton Oil Kings  2-3
E3 Calgary Hitmen vs. E6 Saskatoon Blades  4-0
E4 Lethbridge Hurricanes vs. E5 Brandon Wheat Kings  4-1
W1 Everett Silvertips vs. W8 Seattle Thunderbirds  2-2
W2 Victoria Royals vs. W7 Tri-City Americans  4-1
W3 Spokane Chiefs vs. W6 Vancouver Giants  3-1
W4 Prince George Cougars vs. W5 Portland Winterhawks  2-3

OHL
E1 Brantford Bulldogs vs. E8 North Bay Battalion  3-1
E2 Barrie Colts vs. E7 Niagara IceDogs  3-1
E3 Kingston Frontenacs vs. E6 Sudbury Wolves  4-0
E4 Oshawa Generals vs. E5 Brampton Steelheads  3-2
W1 London Knights vs. W8 Owen Sound Attack  4-0
W2 Windsor Spitfires vs. W7 Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds  4-1
W3 Kitchener Rangers vs. W6 Flint Firebirds  4-1
W4 Saginaw Spirit vs. W5 Erie Otters  1-3

QMJHL 
E1 Moncton Wildcats vs. E8 Quebec Remparts  4-0
E2 Rimouski Oceanic vs. E7 Charlottetown Islanders  4-0
E3 Chicoutimi Sagueneens vs. Acadie-Bathurst Titan  4-1
E4 Baie-Comeau Drakkar vs. E5 Cape Breton Eagles  3-2
W1 Drummondville Voltigeurs vs. E9 Halifax Mooseheads  2-3
W2 Rouyn-Noranda Huskies vs. W7 Gatineau Olympiques  4-1
W3 Shawinigan Cataractes vs. W6 Val-d'Or Foreurs  4-1
W4 Blainville-Boisbriand Armada vs. W5 Sherbrooke Phoenix  1-4