Game Day 5: vs Drakkar

PREVIEW - Our Halifax Mooseheads welcome the last place Baie-Comeau Drakkar for the first student night of the season. This is also the first game against a Quebec province based team in 2025-26. Halifax will look to get back in the win column and end their four game home stand on a high note. Baie-Comeau is on a seven game road trip because their arena is getting renovated but have not gotten a victory yet. The Drakkar were close on Saturday though, losing 2-1 in a shootout and are last place as well in goals scored. It'll be important to get points in games like this before the holiday break for Halifax as it'll probably determine whether or not the Mooseheads make the playoffs. So grab some friends and take advantage of the $10 student tickets along with deals on alcohol tonight, if you are of age of course. 

Coverage
TV: FloHockey | Radio: News 95.7 | Live: @MC_MooseCountry

Overall records
Drakkar: 0-3-0-1 = 1 point (6th in East division, 18th overall)
Mooseheads: 2-2-0-0 = 4 points (5th in Maritimes division, 12th overall)

Leading scorers
HAL: Oleg Kulebyakin 4pts (2G & 2A), Shawn Carrier 3pts (2G & 1A), Quinn Kennedy 3pts (2G & 1A)
BAC: Charles-Louis Plourde 4pts (0G & 4A), Justin Gendron 2pts (1G & 1A), Alexis Michaud 2pts (1G & 1A)

Head-to-head
This is the first match of the season series between these two teams. Halifax had a 0-1-0-1 record against the Drakkar last season while Baie-Comeau went 2-0-0-0 versus the Mooseheads. Anthony Lavoie had a goal and an assist to propel the Drakkar to a 4-3 shootout victory in their last meeting on January 30. 

Out of town
Eagles vs. Sagueneens - 7:00 p.m.
Olympiques vs. Islanders - 8:00 p.m.

After the buzzer
Halifax will hit the road for a match up against the Moncton Wildcats at the Avenir Centre on October 5. Puck drops at 3:00 p.m. 

Game Day 18: vs. Baie-Comeau

It will be a special game this evening as our Halifax Mooseheads host league-leading scorer Justin Poirier and the Baie-Comeau Drakkar for DND Appreciation Night. The Mooseheads will be honouring the military tonight as they continue to raise money for the Camp Hill Veterans Memorial Hospital by wearing themed jerseys and auctioning them off after the match. Halifax has struggled as of late but it isn't unexpected especially with the club dealing with injuries as well. Goaltender Mathis Rousseau has given the guys in front of him a chance pretty much every match he has started and the rest of the team have been competitive mostly. They will need to have another strong complete game as Baie-Comeau is coming into this one on a five game win streak. Like I previously mentioned, the Drakkar also have the current league-leading scorer in Poirier who has 30 points in sixteen games played. 

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

Overall records
Drakkar: 12-5-1-0 = 25 points (2nd in East division, 4th overall)
Mooseheads: 8-7-2-0 = 18 points (4th in Maritimes division, 12th overall)

Leading scorers
HAL: Liam Kilfoil 15pts (6G & 9A), Shawn Carrier 13pts (6G & 7A), Antoine Fontaine 11pts (5G & 6A)

BAC: Justin Poirier 30pts (17G & 13A), Matyas Melovsky 23pts (7G & 16A), Louis-Charles Plourde 22pts (14G & 8A)

Head-to-head
This is the first game between these two clubs this season. Halifax had a 1-0-1-0 record versus the Drakkar last season while Baie-Comeau went 1-0-1-0 as well against the Mooseheads. Their last matchup was November 23, 2023 where Baie-Comeau won 4-3 in overtime in Halifax who was led by Markus Vidicek recording 2 goals and an assist. 

Out of town
Oceanic vs. Sea Dogs - 5:00 p.m.

Huskies vs. Armada - 5:00 p.m.

Foreurs vs. Tigres - 5:00 p.m.

Eagles vs. Islanders - 7:00 p.m.

Next game

Halifax will finish their four game homestand tomorrow afternoon when they welcome the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Puck drops at 3 p.m. 

Dumais Adds to Historic Season

17-year-old Jordan Dumais had yet another great game to add to his historic season and he helped the Halifax Mooseheads skate away with a 5-3 victory over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar during the final regular season home game on Saturday. Halifax opened the scoring less than 7 minutes into the game when Elliot Desnoyers chopped the puck into the net which gave Dumais his 100th point of the season. He became just the third 17 year old Moosehead to record 100 points in one season. Baie-Comeau scored at the 15:44 mark to tie the game up with the first period ending 1-1. A late period power play goal by Evan Boucher gave the Herd a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes. A penalty by Mathieu Cataford seconds later carried over to the third period, during which Benjamin Corbeil closed the gap for the Drakkar. The away team once again found themselves even and you could tell that they were fighting for their playoff lives. Dumais scored twice, including an empty net goal, in the final five minutes to give the home team their fifth straight win. April has been a very different month for Halifax than March and it's nice to see. Even though it was fan appreciation day, it didn't really feel like it was other than the team honouring their 20-year-olds in a pre-game ceremony. 

FINAL: Drakkar 3 at Mooseheads 5
Stars: 3. Xavier Fortin BAC | 2. Mathieu Cataford HAL | 1. Jordan Dumais HAL
Attendance: 6,397
MC's Top Herd: Jordan Dumais

Game Log
First period
6:33 HAL Elliot Desnoyers (39) | A: Dumais & Cataford
15:44 BAC Niks Fenenko (6) | A: Fortin

Second period 
8:00 HAL Mathieu Cataford (17) | A: Dumais & Desnoyers
18:05 HAL Evan Boucher (24), PP | A: Vidicek & Dumais

Third period 
0:39 BAC Benjamin Corbeil (30), PP | A: Pepin & Lavigne
4:21 BAC Xavier Fortin (26) | A: Gaucher & Corbeil
15:10 HAL Jordan Dumais (37), PP | A: Schultz & Vidicek
19:45 HAL Jordan Dumais (38), EN | A: None

Shots: 37-26 in favour of Halifax
Powerplay: BAC - 1-for-1; HAL - 2-for-5

SCORES
Blainville-Boisbriand 2 at Gatineau 4
Saint John at Moncton
Chicoutimi at Rouyn-Noranda

Missing in action: Zachary L'Heureux (injured), Cameron Whynot (illness), Attilio Biasca (injured) and Zac Beauregard (suspended)

Up next: Halifax will head to New Brunswick one last time to battle the Moncton Wildcats on Tuesday night. Puck drops at 7 p.m.

Photo - Herd website

Game Day 66: vs. Baie-Comeau

PREVIEW - It's the final home regular season game for 2021-22 meaning fan appreciation night. The Halifax Mooseheads will have a pre-game ceremony to honour their 20-year-old players; Zac Beauregard, Zack Jones and David Lafrance. Afterwards, they'll be battling against the Baie-Comeau Drakkar this afternoon. The Drakkar are tied for the final playoff position heading into today's game and will be hoping to upset the Mooseheads who have won four straight. After last night's entertaining game, we could possibly see Beauregard suspended as he received a 5 minute major penalty. It should be another good game for Halifax as they look to put some distance between them and Rimouski for fifth in the Eastern conference. Like I said, Baie-Comeau still has a chance to make the post-season so don't expect them to not play hard. 

Game coverage
TV: Webcast | Radio: News 95.7 | Live: @MC_MooseCountry | Post-game: Moose Country

Overall records
Drakkar: 22-32-4-5 = 53 points (4th in East division, 16th overall)
Mooseheads: 35-28-1-1 = 72 points (4th in Maritimes division, 8th overall)

Leading scorers
HAL: Jordan Dumais 99pts (36G & 63A), Elliot Desnoyers 82pts (38G & 44A), Markus Vidicek 60pts (18G & 42A)
BAC: Jacob Gaucher 59pts (32G & 27A), Benjamin Corbeil 59pts (29G & 30A), Xavier Fortin 47pts (25G & 22A)

Head-to-head
Halifax is 0-1-0-0 against the Drakkar this season while Baie-Comeau has a 1-0-0-0 versus the Mooseheads. The last game between the two clubs on February 6 in Baie-Comeau where the home team won 5-2. Evan Boucher scored both goals for Halifax while Mooseheads goalie Mathis Rousseau made 37 saves.

Last games
The Mooseeads are coming off a 6-2 win against Rimouski on Friday night. Elliot Desnoyers had two goals and two assists to lead Halifax on home ice and Mathis Rousseau stopped 29 of the Oceanic's 31 shots. 

Baie-Comeau last played on Thursday evening in Cape Breton losing 5-2 to the Eagles. Xavier Fortin had a goal and an assist for the Drakkar and Olivier Adam made 34 saves. 

Not playing - Has not been announced

Out of town
Olympiques vs. Armada - 5:00 p.m.
Wildcats vs. Sea Dogs - 7:00 p.m.
Huskies vs. Sagueneens - 8:00 p.m.

After the buzzer
Our Mooseheads will hit the road for the their final two games starting with a visit to the Moncton Wildcats on Tuesday. Puck drops at 7 p.m. 

Gravel Solid But Fortier Scores SO Winner

Photo - Myles Dennis

A great game by Alex Gravel was not enough to secure our Halifax Mooseheads two points on Thursday night as they were defeated by the Baie-Comeau Drakkar 2-1 in a shootout. Gravel had to make a number of saves right from the puck drop after the away team took control instantly and crowded around the goaltender. It wasn't a very entertaining game as the two clubs went to the dressing rooms for the first intermission in a scoreless tie. Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Nathan Legare scored less than 5 minutes into the middle frame to put Baie-Comeau ahead. Rookie Senna Peeters picked up his 10th of the season at the 11:25 mark to return the game to a tie. Alex kept the game close in the second period as the Mooseheads were outshot 17-4 during the frame. Halifax had a little but more life in the third but neither team could convert and regulation would end with the score 1-1. Overtime would not solve nothing especially since half of the 5 minutes was played 4 on 4 after the Drakkar took a penalty late in the third period. Gabriel Fortier scored in the third round of the shootout, sending the Moose Country faithful home disappointed.

FINAL: Drakkar 2 at Mooseheads 1 SO
Stars: 3. Senna Peeters HAL | 2. Nathan Legare BAC | 1. Alexis Gravel HAL
Attendance: 5,703
MC's Top Herd: Alexis Gravel

Powerplay: BAC - 0-for-2; HAL - 1-for-3
Shots: 37-24 in favour of Baie-Comeau

NOT DRESSED - Cole Foston (injured), Gavin Hart (healthy), Jared McIsaac (injured) and Sonny Kabatay (healthy)

SCORES
Chicoutimi 0 at Moncton 4
Victoriaville 5 at Val-d'Or 1

UP NEXT - Halifax will welcome their division rivals the Moncton Wildcats on Saturday for 90's night. Puck drops at 7pm.

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.

Mooseheads Win Nasty Battle

Game Two Recap
HAL leads series 2-0
Stars: 3. Groulx HAL | 2. Zadina HAL | 1. Bishop HAL
Attendance: 7,550

HALIFAX - It's starting out to be a nasty and, if you ask the Mooseheads fans, a one sided series but the home team has been able to get two victories despite the nastiness. Filip Zadina scored his first playoff goal a little over 6 minutes into the game to give Halifax a 1-0 lead. Around the 9 minute mark, Jared McIsaac laid out a big hit on Samuel Dickner in centre ice which Baie-Comeau didn't like so Antoine Girard decided to pull him away by the collar, leading Connor Moynihan to come in defense of his teammate and fight Girard. It was Moynihan's second fight in as many nights. Captain Max Fortier scored another nice goal seconds later to give the Herd a 2-0 lead. Younger brother Gabriel Fortier scored less than three minutes later to get the Drakkar on the board. Max technically scored two goals in tonight's game but only one counted on the score sheet because he put the puck in his own net while Alexis Gravel was on the bench from a delayed penalty call which tied the game at two. More hits happened through out the match while the fans in attendance were once again unhappy with calls that were made and ones that weren't. In the third the boys in red were able to get a few more goals and some more timely saves by Gravel to pick up a 5-3 victory on Saturday evening.

FINAL: Drakkar 3 at Mooseheads 5

Point getters: BAC Fortier, Chekhovich & Girard 1G each, Joly 2A, Bouchard & Lalonde 1A each; HAL Bishop 3 (1G & 2A), Fortier & Zadina 2 each (1G & 1A), Groulx & Parent 1G each, Lavoie, Durandeau, McIsaac, Ryczek & Higgins 1A each

Goaltenders: Gravel HAL | Leclerc BAC

Shots 1st: 16-8 HAL | 2nd: 9-8 HAL | 3rd: 14-13 HAL

Powerplay HAL 0/5, BAC 0/2

DID NOT PLAY - Otto Somppi is out injured while Ryan Barbosa and Barrett Dachyshyn were healthy scratches

OUT OF TOWN
Charlottetown 6 at Quebec 2
Moncton 1 at Rimouski 2 OT
Chicoutimi 4 at Acadie-Bathurst 0
Cape Breton at Drummondville
Gatineau 2 at Victoriaville 3
Sherbrooke 2 at Rouyn-Noranda 6

PLAYOFF GAMEDAY #1: vs. Baie-Comeau

GAMEDAY

ROUYN-NORANDA HUSKIES vs. HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS

March 23, 2018 at 7:00pm

Series tied 0-0

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

Scotiabank Centre (10,595) ~ Halifax, NS

It’s the best time of the year. Well probably the toughest and funnest part of a hockey season. The 2018 playoffs began last night across the Canadian Hockey League and it will begin tonight for your Halifax Mooseheads. Despite just losing out on winning the division title, Halifax will need everyone to step up their game this weekend to get the two wins at home in front of their fans. Halifax will get a boost on the blue line with rookie Patty Kyte coming back into the line up after being out since February 16th. Can the Mooseheads make a big splash in the series and getting a big boost from the fans? We’ll have to wait and see. Playoffs are a whole different ball game. Go Moose Go!

SEASON SERIES
Baie-Comeau and Halifax split the season series.

November 9, 2017 – Baie-Comeau def. Halifax 3-2
March 3, 2018 – Halifax def. Baie-Comeau 5-4

NOT PLAYING – Ryan Barbosa, Kyle Petten, and Cooper Jones will most likely not be in the lineup

NOTES

• Herdwell Herald makes their predictions
• The Chronicle Herald breaks down the series with the Drakkar 
• Check out the QMJHL’s road to the Presidents Cup for the Mooseheads
• Don’t forget that this series is 2-3-2 with three straight in Baie-Comeau next week

TONIGHT’S GAMES
Sagueneens at Titan - 7:00pm
Olympique at Tigre - 8:00pm
Foreurs at Armada - 8:30pm
Screaming Eagles at Voltigeurs - 8:30pm
Wildcats at Oceanic - 8:30pm
Phoenix at Huskies - 8:30pm

NEXT GAME
The two teams will meet again tomorrow night for Game 2 here in Halifax. Puck drops at 7pm.

Schedule Announced for Round 1

PLAYOFFS

#4 Halifax Mooseheads vs #13 Baie-Comeau Drakkar

1st round

The Halifax Mooseheads released their first round schedule for the 2018 playoffs along with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar.

HALIFAX - It's playoff time! A year can change a whole lot in junior hockey. After finishing fifteenth in the league last season, the Mooseheads almost won the division title this year but a loss in the last game gave the Acadie-Bathurst Titan the division. With home ice advantage for this round, Halifax will host the Baie-Comeau Drakkar when the playoff series begins on Friday. These two teams are old foes in the playoffs having played each other in three different playoff series, including a very entertaining 5 game series back in 2013 where Halifax won the club's first President's Cup. Should be an exciting series.

BATTLE OF BROTHERS - One story line going into this series is that this will be the first and only battle in the post-season between the Fortier brothers, Max and Gabriel. The younger brother, Gabe is in his second year with the Drakkar and had a pretty good season with the club recording 59 points, good enough for 4th on the team.

HEAD-TO-HEAD ~ all-time: 62 games 30-21-5-3-3; this season: 2 games 1-1-0-0; playoffs: 12 games 12-6-0-0

LAST GAME - Halifax is coming off a 5-4 loss to Acadie-Bathurst Titan to end the regular season while Baie-Comeau finished the year with a defeat as well, losing to the Victoriaville Tigres 3-1.

Playoff tickets for both games in Moose Country this weekend have already gone on sale at the Ticket Atlantic Box Office. You can buy them there, at the Mooseheads Shop in Scotia Square, select Superstores, www.ticketatlantic.com and by calling (902) 451-1221

Game #1
Friday March 23 @ 7:00pm at Scotiabank Centre ~ Halifax, NS
Game #2
Saturday March 24 @ 7:00pm at Scotiabank Centre ~ Halifax, NS
Game #3 
Tuesday March 27 @ 8:30pm at Centre Henry-Leonard ~ Baie-Comeau, QC
Game #4
Wednesday March 28 @ 8:30pm at Centre Henry-Leonard ~ Baie-Comeau, QC
Game #5*
Friday March 30 @ 8:30pm at Centre Henry-Leonard ~ Baie-Comeau, QC
Game #6*
Monday April 2 @ 7:00pm at Scotiabank Centre ~ Halifax, NS
Game #7*
Tuesday April 3 @ 7:00pm at Scotiabank Centre ~ Halifax, NS

*if necessary

Old Foes to Battle in Round 1

Photo - Shawn Davidson

The Acadie-Bathurst Titan have won the Maritimes division after defeating your Halifax Mooseheads on Saturday night to end the 2017-18 regular season. The loss leaves Halifax in 4th place overall and now that all the games are over, we know who they'll play in the first round of the 2018 playoffs beginning on Thursday. Halifax will face an old foe when they battle against the 13th place Baie-Comeau Drakkar to start the post-season.

The first game of the series will be on Friday night in Moose Country. Game time will be 7:00pm Atlantic time. Tickets for the first two home games have already gone on sale to the general public. You can purchase them at select Superstore outlets, the Scotiabank Centre box office or by phone at (902) 451-1121.

Stay tuned to Moose Country for more playoff details and game previews.

GAMEDAY #20: vs. Baie-Comeau

GAMEDAY

HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS VS BAIE-COMEAU DRAKKAR

Puck drops at 7pm

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

Scotiabank Centre (10,595) ~ Halifax, NS

Back at home! Your Halifax Mooseheads are back on Scotiabank Centre ice tonight for the first student night of the season. The Herd have played 7 of their last eight games on the road but will now play 5 straight at home, the team's longest homestand this year. Halifax has been really good to start the year in Moose Country, going without a regulation loss in seven games and the boys will try to keep that streak going when they host the Baie-Comeau Drakkar this evening. The Drakkar have been okay on the road this season and are in the midst of a three game - 3 day Atlantic trip. Baie-Comeau will have to deal with one of the top goaltenders in the league in Blade Mann-Dixon and the return of veteran defensemen Walter Flower and Jordan Lepage.

This is the first game of the season between the two teams. Halifax was 0-1-0-1 against the Drakkar last year while Baie-Comeau had a 2-0-0-0 record versus the Mooseheads in 2016-17. The last match was back on January 20 in Moose Country where Baie-Comeau received 2 goals from Jordan Martel to lead the team to a 7-4 win. Blade Mann-Dixon took the loss stopping 22 shots after taking over for Alexis Gravel who started for Halifax.

OVERALL RECORDS
Drakkar: 8-9-1-0 = 17 points (4th in East division, 14th overall)
Mooseheads: 11-5-3-0 = 25 points (2nd in Maritimes division, 6th overall)

LEADING SCORERS
HAL: Filip Zadina 29pts (16G & 13A), Maxime Fortier 27pts (13G & 14A), Otto Somppi 16pts (5G & 11A)
BAC: Jordan Martel 24pts ( 12G & 12A), Gabriel Fortier 19pts (9G & 10A), Bradley Lalonde 17pts (5G & 12A)

PREVIOUS GAMES
Baie-Comeau is coming off a 3-2 loss in Moncton on Wednesday. Jordan Martel led the Drakkar with a goal and an assist while Antoine Samuel made 29 saves against the Wildcats.

Halifax is coming off a 2-1 overtime loss on Saturday evening in Drummondville. Rookie Filip Zadina had the lone goal for the Mooseheads while Blade Mann-Dixon took the defeat stopping 34 of the Voltigeurs 36 shots.

ALUM ON DRAKKAR
None

HEAD-TO-HEAD
November 9  Baie-Comeau at Halifax - 7pm
March 4  Halifax at Baie-Comeau - 5pm

OUT OF TOWN
Sea Dogs vs. Phoenix   7:00pm
Tigres vs. Titan   8:00pm
Oceanic vs. Remparts   8:30pm

AFTER THE BUZZER
Halifax will stay home and welcome the Sherbrooke Phoenix on Saturday evening. Puck drops at 7pm.

DND Night Results in Defeat

On a night when the Halifax Mooseheads appreciated the Department of National Defense, the team on the ice couldn't get a win for the over 7,600 fans in attendance. The Herd were going up against rival Baie-Comeau Drakkar on Friday evening and despite outshooting the Drakkar all game, it just wasn't a good night for the Halifax goaltenders. With veteran goalie Blade Mann-Dixon still not feeling 100% after being sick the last few days, rookie Alexis Gravel started his second game in a row. Unfortunately for the Moose, Gravel had an off night and allowed three goals on 4 shots as Baie-Comeau led 4-2 after 20 minutes. One of the stories coming into the game was the battle of the Fortier brothers and while Max had the upper hand in points, little bro Gabriel received the team victory. Max ended the evening with 2 goals, the second of which was an odd bounce. Swiss star Nico Hischier kept his strong play going with a goal and two assists but he was unable to help his team pick up a W. After the Drakkar made it 3-1 less than 7 minutes into the game, coach Andre Tourigny decided to pull the rookie and put in Mann-Dixon.

FINAL: Drakkar 7 at Mooseheads 4
Stars: 3. Nico Hischier HAL | 2. Xavier Bouchard BAC | 1. Jordan Martel BAC
Attendance: 7,680
MC's Top Herd: Nico Hischier

GAME LOG
First period
1:39 BAC Simon Chevrier (12) | A: Thibault & Deslauriers
3:38 HAL Maxime Fortier (25) | A: Hischier & Charlebois
5:04 BAC D'Artagnan Joly (13) | A: Corson & Chekhovich
6:48 BAC Jean-Simon Belanger (2) | A: Bouchard & St-Laurent
8:12 HAL Nico Hischier (33) | A: Lepage
10:37 BAC Jordan Martel (14), PP | A: Chekhovich & Bouchard

Second period
6:37 BAC Jordan Martel (15) | A: Bouchard & Deslauriers
6:56 HAL Jake Coughler (24) | A: Somppi & Mann-Dixon

Third period
6:01 BAC Christopher Benoit (4) | A: Girard
6:47 BAC Ivan Chekhovich (17) | A: Corson & Aucoin
17:46 HAL Maxime Fortier (26) | A: Hischier & Durandeau

Powerplay: BAC - 1-for-4, HAL - 0-for-7
Shots: 40-31 in favour of the Mooseheads

MISSING IN ACTION: Caleb Rich, Brett Crossley and Barrett Dachyshyn

SCORES
Chicoutimi 0 at Saint John 1
Rouyn-Noradna 5 at Shebrooke 4
Drummondville 1 at Victoriaville 7
Shawinigan 5 at Blainville-Boisbriand 4
Charlottetown 5 at Gatineau 4 OT
Val-d'Or 4 at Rimouski 3

UP NEXT: Halifax will go on a road trip through Quebec starting with a visit to Drummondville for a match against the Voltigeurs on Friday night. Puck drops at 8:30pm.

Penalties Almost Hurt Herd for Second Night

Photo - Metro Halifax

Fifteen. That's a number that coach Dom Ducharme is going to want his team not to repeat in a set of games again. Your Halifax Mooseheads have been given 15 penalties over the last two games, 8 on Friday night and 7 tonight. About a third of the penalties for Halifax probably should not have been called but the Mooseheads are going to need to be more disciplined and not let bad calls get in their head if they hope to win games. Luckily, two Baie-Comeau powerplay goals did not prohibit the Herd from getting the victory this evening. Third year forward Danny Moynihan seems to have taken over Max Fortier's firing ways, scoring another two goals tonight including the overtime winner. Fortier did have his first multi-point game since October 22, scoring a goal and picking up two assists against the Drakkar that helped the home team get a 5-4 overtime win. The game started off pretty intense and physical with 3 goals being scored in 39 seconds which would actually be the only scoring in the first period.

FINAL: Drakkar 4 at Moosehead 5 OT
Stars: 3. Fortier HAL | 2. Karabacek BAC | 1. Meier HAL
Attendance: 6,706
MC's Top Herd: Danny Moynihan

GAME LOG
First period
3:19 HAL Timo Meier (4) | A: Jones & Watt
3:33 HAL Taylor Ford (2) | A: Fortier & Meier
3:58 BAC Vaclav Karabacek (6) | A: Jones & Desauteis

Second period
0:51 HAL Maxime Fortier (11) | A: Meier
13:20 BAC Mathieu Desauteis (3), PP | A: Karabacek & Ricci
15:31 HAL Danny Moynihan (15), PP | A: Fortier & Somppi
18:10 BAC Nicolas Leblond (3), PP | A: Karabacek & Meloche

Third period
5:41 BAC Matt Jones (7) | A: Karabacek & Meloche

Overtime
2:52 HAL Danny Moynihan (16) | A: Meier

Powerplay: BAC - 2-for-7; HAL - 1-for-3
Shots: 40-29 in favour of Halifax

Notes: Otto Somppi left towards the end of the second after getting hit in the right shoulder and didn't return.. Halifax had 17 hits, while Baie-Comeau had 11.. The Mooseheads are 3-1 now in overtime games..

Scores
Chicoutimi 4 at Moncton 5 SO
Cape Breton 3 at Rimouski 6
Shawinigan 5 at Victoriaville 4 SO
Drummondville 3 at Gatineau 6
Saint John 7 at Quebec 3
Blaiville-Boisbriand 2 at Rouyn-Noranda 4
Charlottetown 1 at Val-d'Or 8

UP NEXT: Halifax will now travel to New Brunswick for a match against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Thursday night. Puck drops at 7pm.

Gazzola, Foreurs Going to London.

The Val-d'Or Foreurs President's Cup winning group photo
Photo: qmjhl.ca

The four teams that will be playing in the 96th version of the Memorial Cup have been determined now after the Val-d'Or Foreurs and the Baie-Comeau Drakkar played their Game 7 last night.

The Foreurs, who defeated your Halifax Mooseheads in the semi finals, took a 3-0 lead into the third period and it looked like they were going to cruise to their third President's Cup title. However, just like it has been since the first round no lead is safe and the Drakkar came all the way back to tie the game. It took player of the year Anthony Mantha to seal the victory for his team in the last minute.

Former Halifax Moosehead Randy Gazzola played in his first league championship after his current team defeated his former team in 7 games in the semi finals. Gazzola was traded at the deadline in 2013 before the Herd made their incredible run to winning both trophies. Randy scored at the 13:08 mark to make it a 3-0 game.

Despite Mantha recording three points last night and having 38 overall he was unable to win the Guy Lafluer Trophy for Most Valuable Player, that honor went to Toronto Maple Leafs prospect and Val-d'Or goaltender Antoine Bibeau who made 43 stops in 60 minutes of play last night.

This is the second straight season that Baie-Comeau has not been able to win the championship after losing to the Moose last season in 5 games.

Val-d'Or will now travel to London today where they will join the host Knights, the OHL champions Guelph Storm and the WHL champs Edmonton Oil Kings for the Canadian Hockey League championship. The Knights and Foreurs will begin the tournament against each other on Friday.

Foreurs, Drakkar Battle for QMJHL Title

There were two Game 7s last night. One ended in happiness for the home fans, the other ended in sadness and probably even shock. The first overall Baie-Comeau Drakkar were able to comeback from a 3-2 series deficit and win Game 7 on home ice last night. They defeated the fifth overall Blainville-Boisbriand Armada 2-1 with goals from Alexandre Ranger and Charles Hudon.

In the other semi final, the Halifax Mooseheads cameback from a 2-0 series deficit winning 3 straight games but were unable to make another comeback in the final 2 games. Nikolaj Ehlers and Philippe Gaodury scored for the Mooseheads, who shot 41 pucks at Val-d'Or Foreurs goaltender Antoine Bibeau. The defence was a bit shaky all series long in which the goaltending and penalty calls seemed to be in the Foreurs favour.

The Foreurs and Drakkar will now meet in the President's Cup final which begins on Friday. Here is the full schedule:

Game 1 - Friday May 2 | 7:30PM | Val-d'Or @ Baie-Comeau
Game 2 - Saturday May 3 | 4:00PM | Val-d'Or @ Baie-Comeau
Game 3 - Tuesday May 6 | 7:30PM | Baie-Comeau @ Val-d'Or
Game 4 - Wednesday May 7 | 7:30PM | Baie-Comeau @ Val-d'Or
Game 5 - Friday May 9* | 7:30PM | Val-d'Or @ Baie-Comeau
Game 6 - Sunday May 11* | 4:00PM | Baie-Comeau @ Val-d'Or
Game 7 - Tuesday May 13* | 7:30PM | Val-d'Or @ Baie-Comeau

Good luck to both teams in the finals. I predict that this series will go 7 games with the Drakkar coming out on top.


In the other two CHL finals it is North Bay and Guelph, which begins Thursday, in the Ontario Hockey League and in the Western Hockey League for the third straight year it is Edmonton versus Portland which starts on Saturday. My predicitions: Guelph and Portland in 6 games.

POSTGAME: Drakkar 1, Mooseheads 2

MC POST-GAME

Baie-Comeau lose rematch 2-1 in 10 round shootout

HALIFAX - Well it was rough last year in the 2013 playoffs. 

The Canadian Press' recap: - Zachary Fucale not 33 shots through regulation and overtime and 10 more in the shootout as the Halifax Mooseheads edged the visiting Baie-Comeau Drakkar 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

The Chronicle Herald's recap: - Four months did little 2 smooth over the bad blood between the Halifax Mooseheads and Baie-Comeau Drakkar. 

MISSING IN ACTION: Jacob Jacques, Vincent Watt and Andrew Shewfelt were healthy scratches while Darcy Ashley is still out with an injury. 

PICTURES 

Go over to the Facebook page to see my pictures from last night.

REMATCH

This was the first rematch of the year between the two finalists of the 2013 President's Cup finals.

SHOOTOUT

According to Herd History, this was the first shootout when versus the Drakkar. It was also the longest shootout on home ice in history. 

JERSEYS

The Mooseheads wore special 20th season anniversary jerseys last night. I thought they were going to have there special 20th season logo but it was the regular H with the Moosehead logo. They were green with a thick red stripe on the bottom. Pretty nice jerseys.

ROUGH STUFF

If you don't read my recap there was lots of fun stuff during the game. In the first 20 minutes there was three fights. Bodies were flying as well, nobody seemed safe. It was a very intense game.

FUCALE

Zach Fucale was a wall once again as he stopped 33 of 34 shots. There were a few times he had to make a series of saves including a couple of breakaways. In the shootout he was able to stop all 10 shots he faced. He also has 80 regular-season wins now.

LUSSIER 

Rookie Jesse Lussier scored the shootout winner, his first of his QMJHL career. Congrats Jesse. 

WEEGAR 

MacKenzie Weegar had a pretty good game of course he spent a lot of time in the penalty box. Weegar had a few chances and assisted on Ryan's first period goal. Mac led both teams in penalty minutes with 9, this included a five minute fighting major in the third period. 

DUCHARME

Dominique Ducharme recorded his 100th regular season win behind the Mooseheads bench. 

OTHER SCORES

Moncton 1 - 4 Drummondville

Rouyn-Noranda 5 - 2 Victoriaville

Cape Breton 5 - 2 Acadie-Bathurst

Sherbrooke 1 - 4 Saint John

Shawinigan 1 - 4 Gatineau

Val-d'Or 11 - 2 Quebec 

UP NEXT

Halifax will finish their first home stint this afternoon when they take on the Sherbrooke Phoenix. Puck drops at 4pm. 

UFC Match. Wait. What?

Well it was rough last year in the 2013 playoffs. Nothing has changed between these two teams despite spending 5 months not playing each other and both having different teams then what they had in May. There was plenty of rough stuff and bad blood when the Baie-Comeau Drakkar and Halifax Mooseheads played in a 5 game President's Cup series that saw Halifax take it 4 games to one. It continued tonight when only 2 minutes in Liam Alcalde and Poulin dropped the gloves. It was the first of FIVE fights during the 65 minute game that ended in a shootout. Not only were there more than the normal amount of fights but probably an unusual amount of hits and bodies falling.

The first period saw 3 fights and some really nice chances by the home team. The second period was the longest period in most likely a long time as there was a line brawl with just under eight minutes left. It saw both penalty boxes filled to beyond capacity with all 10 players going to the box for roughing calls. Another player for each team were added off the face-off when Matt Murphy and Jeremy Gregoire throwing punches. The last 25 minutes (3rd period and OT) were pretty quiet. Zach Fucale had to make some pretty good saves all game and it continued in overtime. Both goalies were really good which forced a 10 round shootout.

FINAL: Drakkar 1 at Mooseheads 2 SO 

50/50 Winning Draw: $8,555 to a lucky guy from Windsor. 

Three stars: 3. Gorbunov BAC | 2. Lussier HAL | 1. Fucale HAL 

Attendance: 7,857

MC's Top Herd: Zach Fucale

GAME LOG

First period

HAL 10:20 Andrew Ryan (4), PP | A: Moynihan & Weegar

Penalties: Poulin BAC (2:17, Fighting), Alcalde HAL (2:17, Fighting), Falkenham HAL (5:07, Unsportsmanlike), Girard BAC (9:15, Fighting), Andrews HAL (9:15, Fighting), Poulin BAC (9:34, Interference), Leblond BAC (15:12, Slashing), Vanier BAC (15:12, Fighting), Vanier BAC (15:12, Not wearing a tied down sweater - misconduct), Lovell HAL (15:12, Not clearing the area of a fight - misconduct), C. Moynihan HAL (15:12, Fighting), Duke HAL (18:30, High-sticking)

Shots: Halifax led in shots during the period 13 to 7 

Second period

None

Penalties: Weegar HAL (5:57, Roughing), Imama BAC (9:23, Charging), Girard BAC (12:14, Roughing), Imama BAC (12:14, Roughing), Lepage BAC (12:14, Handling the puck), Lepage BAC (12:14, Roughing), Meloche BAC (12:14, Roughing), Paquin-Boudreau BAC (12:14, Roughing), Ehlers HAL (12:14, Roughing), Hardie HAL (12:14, Roughing), Lewis HAL (12:14, Roughing), D. Moynihan HAL (12:14, Roughing), Ryan HAL (12:14, Roughing), Gregoire BAC (12:20, Fighting), Gregoire BAC (12:20, Taking off own helmet – game misconduct), Murphy HAL (12:20, Fighting), Murphy HAL (12:20, Not wearing a tied down sweater), Verpaelst BAC (17:52, Instigator & Fighting), Verpaelst BAC (17:52, Instigator - misconduct), Weegar HAL (17:52, Checking to head, Fighting)

Shots: Baie-Comeau lead shots this time 11–10

Third period

BAC 6:32 Denis Gorbunov | A: Zykov & Girard

Penalties: Chenevert BAC (0:14, Tripping), Hardie HAL (10:27, High-sticking), Zykov BAC (15:32, High-sticking)

Shots: the Drakkar doubled up the Mooseheads 15 to 7

Overtime

None

Penalties: none

Shots: Halifax led 2-1in the final period but Baie-Comeau won the shots battle for the game 34 to 32

Shootout

Round 1: Felix Girard Save, MacKenzie Weegar Save
Round 2: Denis Gorbunov Save, Nikolaj Ehlers Save
Round 3: Valentin Zykov Save, Andrew Ryan Save
Round 4: Gabryel Paquin-Boudreau Save, Timo Meier Save
Round 5: Francis Turbide Save, Luca Ciampini Save
Round 6: Robbie Graham Save, Brent Andrews Save
Round 7: Frederic Gamelin Save, Ryan Falkenham Save
Round 8: Alexandre Ranger Save, Danny Moynihan Save
Round 9: Alexis Vanier Save, Connor Moynihan Save
Round 10: Nicolas Leblond Save, Jesse Lussier GOAL

GOALIES

Winning goaltender: Zach Fucale HAL 33 saves

Losing goaltender: Simon Lemieux BAC 31 saves

POWERPLAY

Halifax: 1-for-6

Baie-Comeau: 0-for-4

GAMEDAY 6: vs Baie-Comeau

IT'S GAMEDAY

HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS vs. BAIE-COMEAU DRAKKAR

Puck drops at 7:00pm

Metro Centre (10,595) ~ Halifax, NS

PREVIEW - Saturday night hockey. It's a tradition in this country and I don't think it's going to stop being one. Tonight isn't just Saturday night hockey though, it's a night that sees a rematch between the two teams who played for the President's Cup back in late April early May.

May 10th, 2013. That is the day that every Halifax Mooseheads fan will remember for a very long time. It was game 5 of the QMJHL playoff finals being played at the Metro Centre. Stephan MacAulay scored 2 goals, Nathan MacKinnon had a goal an assist in what was most likely his last Quebec Major Junior Hockey League game in his life, while Zach Fucale made 34 saves in a 5 to 1 win over Baie-Comeau. It was one of the hardest games to get into, people were selling fans on Kijiji for hundreds of dollars for fans to see history be made. In game 4, Halifax lost in the Quebec city for the only time in the 2013 playoffs to set up a game in Nova Scotia for the Mooseheads to win it at home.

For the first time since that game, the two teams will play once again. This time, the home team will look different for more ways then their top line from last year not being on the team and 11 new players on it instead. The Herd will unveil their special 20th season jerseys which they will wear at different times this season. You don't get a game much bigger than this this season.


This is the first of two meetings between the 2013 finalists. It is the only time this year that we will get to see the Drakkar in Halifax. The 2 teams will meet again in December in Baie-Comeau.

THE NUMBERS

Leading scorers
BAC: Alexis Vanier (3G, 6A, 9 PTS), Jeremy Gregoire (5G, 3A, 8 PTS), Denis Gorbunov (3G, 3A, 6 PTS)
HAL: Andrew Ryan (3G, 3A, 6 PTS), Brent Andrews (1G, 5A, 6 PTS), Nikolaj Ehlers (3G, 2A, 5 PTS)

LAST GAMES
Halifax got their first home win of the season on Wednesday night when they took on the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in front of a half full arena. Just over 6,000 fans turned out to see the home team skate to a 2-0 lead and continue to score winning 5-2. Brent Andrews led the team in points with a goal and 2 assists while Fucale made 41 saves.

Despite outshooting their opponent and getting 3 points from Jeremy Gregoire, the Baie-Comeau Drakkar could not skate out of Sydney with a win as they lost 5 to 4 to the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. They will try to even up their Nova Scotian road trip at one.

HEAD-TO-HEAD
This season   0-0-0-0     0GF    0GA
September 28 @ 7pm  Drakkar at Mooseheads
December 13 @ 8:30pm  Mooseheads at Drakkar
Last season   2-0-0-0    9GF     3GA

NOT PLAYING - At the time of this writing, Darcy Ashley is the only one who I know of that will not be playing tonight.

OUT OF TOWN
Wildcats at Voltigeurs - 5:00pm
Huskies at Tigres - 5:00pm
Screaming Eagles at Titan - 7:00pm
Phoenix at Sea Dogs - 7:00pm
Cataractes at Olympiques - 8:00pm
Foreurs at Remparts - 8:00pm

GAME COVERAGE
TV: None
Live: @MC_MooseCountry
Webcast: TELUS
Radio: News 95.7
Post-game: MooseCountry blog

AFTER THE GAME
This home stint continues and ends tomorrow afternoon when the Moose take on the Sherbrooke Phoenix at the Metro Centre. Puck drops at 4pm.

Media'Caps: Drakkar 1, Mooseheads 5

My recap: YOUR HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS ARE 2013 QMJHL PRESIDENT'S CUP CHAMPIONS.

The Chronicle Herald's recap: The Halifax Mooseheads made history Friday night at the Metro Centre.

Metro Halifax's recap: The inevitable was finally realized on Friday night.

The Canadian Press' recap: The Halifax Mooseheads are going to Saskatoon.

QMJHL.ca's recap: The Halifax Mooseheads recorded three unanswered first period goals en route to a 5-1 victory over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar and capture their first ever Quebec Major Junior Hockey League championship in front of a sellout crowd of 10,595 ecstatic fans at the Metro Centre in Halifax.

CBCNews' recap: After a near sweep of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League finals, the Halifax Mooseheads made franchise history, winning the President Cup.

MISSING IN ACTION: Liam Alcalde (healthy), Brennan Bailey (healthy), Jonathan Lacroix-Courville (healthy), Trey Lewis (suspended), Max Lindsay (healthy) and Brian Lovell (healthy) did not play for the Mooseheads. Gabriel Verpaelst (suspended) and Alec Jon Banville (suspended, 2 games) did not play for Baie-Comeau.

MACAULAY: Stephen MacAulay played in his 75th and last junior playoff game last night. He scored 2 goals and had one penalty in the game. The win gave him his 3rd straight President's Cup victory. He will be looking for his second Memorial Cup when the Mooseheads start the tournament a week from today in Saskatoon.

DROUIN: Jonathan Drouin scored the second goal of Game 5. He was named Playoff MVP after the game while leading the Q in points with 35 in seventeen games.

MACKINNON: Nathan MacKinnon ended the night with a goal and an assist, a +2 rating and a penalty. He was 24 for 36 at the faceoff dot. Nate finished the playoffs with 33 points, tied for second in the league.

CADORETTE: Philippe Cadorette had a much better showing tonight only allowing 4 goals on 24 shots.

OVERAGERS: Three 20 year olds were on this year's championship team; Stephen MacAulay, Stefan Fournier and Konrad Abeltshauser. Fournier had a goal, a +1 rating and a penalty in his last Q league game. MacAulay scored twice, had a +1 rating and a interference penalty while Abeltshauser had 2 assists and a +2 rating.

THIRD: In the third period, there was 2 goals by the Moosheads and no penalties. It was the first time I believe that there has been no penalties in the last frame in a game that the Herd have participated in.

RECORD: Halifax was unable to beat the record for consecutive wins to start a playoff season when they lost Game 3 in Baie-Comeau to end their streak at 14 games (Hull went 15-0 in 1986). With a 16-1 record in the playoffs, the Moose finish the season with a 74-7-3-1 record in important games.

50/50: Last night's fifty-fifty winner won $39,862

SCORES
Barrie 4 - 6 London (BAR leads 3-2)
Edmonton 3 - 2 Portland OT (POR leads 3-2)

NEXT GAME: The Mooseheads will now travel to Saskatoon with their first game of the Memorial Cup on May 18 against the WHL champion.

RECAP: It's Over.

Saskatoon here we come

Halifax Mooseheads vs Baie-Comeau Drakkar

Series: HAL wins 4-1

STARS: 3: MacAulay (HAL) | 2: Fournier (HAL) | 1: Abeltshauser

Attendance: 10,595

HALIFAX - YOUR HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS ARE 2013 QMJHL PRESIDENT'S CUP CHAMPIONS. The team in red and green have punched their ticket to the Memorial Cup after winning the Q league championship. It is the fourth straight year that the President's Cup has been won by a team from the Maritimes. It was very fitting that Stephen MacAulay scored the first goal in his last Q game and he also scored in the empty net. It wasn't as exciting of a game as the rest of the series with barely any rough stuff, the refs probably learned from the previous games. Stefan Fournier and Jonathan Drouin scored in the first period to give the home team a 3-0 lead and they never looked back. Zach Fucale came up big once again with the Drakkar shooting over 30 pucks at net.

FINAL: Baie-Comeau 1 at Halifax 5

Point getters: HAL Stephen MacAulay 2 (2G), Nathan MacKinnon 2 (1G & 1A), Abeltshauser 2 (2A), Frk 2 (2A), Drouin and Fournier had 1A each, Ashley, Ciampini, Duke and Ryan had 1A each; BAC Zykov 1 (1G), Girard and Paquin-Boudreau had 1A each

Goaltenders: Fucale HAL | Cadorette BAC

Shots 1st: 13-11 HAL | 2nd: 12-6 BAC | 3rd: 12-10 BAC

Powerplay HAL 2/4, BAC 1/5

GAME LOG
First period
5:32 Stephen MacAulay (7), PP | A: Ashley & Ciampini | HAL
13:19 Stefan Fournier (16), PP | A: Abeltshauser & Frk | HAL
15:08 Jonathan Drouin (12) | A: MacKinnon | HAL

Penalties: Jeremy Gregoire BAC (3:58, Inteference), Brent Andrews HAL (6:38, Interference), Stefan Fournier HAL (9:33, Interference), Raphael Bussieres BAC (11:21, Slashing)

Second period
13:10 Valentin Zykov (10), PP | A: Paquin-Boudreau & Girard | BAC

Penalties: Valentin Zykov BAC (1:32, High-sticking), Stephen MacAulay HAL (5:40, Slashing), Martin Frk HAL (11:03, Holding), Nathan MacKinnon HAL (12:16, Tripping), Raphael Bussieres BAC (18:35, High-sticking)

Third period
13:52 Nathan MacKinnon (11) | A: Abeltshauser & Ryan | HAL
18:41 Stephen MacAulay (8), EN | A: Frk & Duke | HAL

Penalties: None