Mensonen helps Herd get SO win

Rookie forward Jasu Mensonen has only played two matches but is showing that the North American game has not phased him. After scoring the lone goal in the season opener, the Imatra, Finland native got our Halifax Mooseheads on the board first in front of the fans at the Scotiabank Centre. He also scored the game winner to help the home team to a 5-4 shootout victory on Saturday night over the Charlottetown Islanders. It seemed like the Islanders were chasing the game but a two men advantage around the mid point of the first period gave the away team some life with Jude Herron scoring a PP goal and overage  forward Nathan Leek tied the natch up at 2 a few minutes later. Early in the middle frame, Quinn Kennedy gave Halifax back the lead. The Mooseheads looked to be in pretty control, outshooting Charlottetown 24-14 through 40 minutes. A short-handed goal by the Isles in the third tied the game again. Not very often do we see an extra frame in the home opener but we did tonight. A tripping penalty by rookie Oleg Kulebyakin had all the momentum in the overtime on the Islanders side as they outshot Halifax 6-0 but goaltender Owen Bresson stopped them all to send the match to a shootout. Mensonen was sent out as the second shooter and put it in while Kennedy also scored to secure the win for the good guys. 

FINAL: Islanders 4 at Mooseheads 5 SO
Stars: 3. Carlos Handel HAL | 2. Anthony Flanagan CHA | 1. Shawn Carrier HAL
Attendance: 8,205
MC's Top Herd: Quinn Kennedy

GAME LOG
First period
3:25 HAL Jasu Mensonen (2), PP | A: None
5:50 HAL William Bent (1) | A: None
10:01 CHA Jude Herron (1), PP | A: Chen & Watroba
13:41 CHA Nathan Leek (2) | A: Herron

Second period

0:59 HAL Quinn Kennedy (1) | A: Carrier & Kulebyakin

Third period
4:28 CHA Anthony Flanagan (1), SH | A: B. Peddle
14:34 HAL Shawn Carrier (1) | A: Doyle
15:09 CHA Anthony Flanagan (2) | A: Watroba 

Overtime
None

Shootout
HAL Bent        MISS           
CHA Flanagan         MISS
HAL Mensonen         GOAL       
CHA Campbell        MISS
HAL Kennedy       GOAL

Powerplay: CHA - 1-for-7; HAL 1-for-7
Shots: 41-26 in favour of Halifax

Did not play - Alec Nesreddine (healthy), Liam Kilfoil (NHL camp), Lincoln Waugh (injured), Junior Gualberto (healthy)

Next game
Halifax will welcome first overall pick Alexis Joseph and the Saint John Sea Dogs on Friday night. Puck drops at 7 p.m. 

Game Day 1: at Charlottetown

PREVIEW - The 2025-26 regular season begins tonight for our Halifax Mooseheads as they visit the Charlottetown Islanders. It will be the Islanders home opener at the Eastlink Centre, you can watch the game on Eastlink's Friday Night Hockey or the QMJHL's new webcast provider; FloHockey. Halifax was near the bottom of the age range last year and once again find themselves there, though they are somehow even younger this season than the 2024-25 season. Despite that, they do come in to the new season with more experience especially in the playoffs where the Mooseheads defeated one of the top teams as the 16th seed. They'll look to improve their record and I can't imagine them not doing so. Charlottetown had the upper hand last season but are going to be without captain Marcus Kearsey and Owen Conrad because of NHL camps this weekend so if the Herd want to get an advantage, now is the time. However, Halifax will also be without a player as Liam Kilfoil is participating in Detroit Red Wings camp. Get excited Moose Country, it's time for the games that matter. 

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

Overall records
Mooseheads: 0-0-0-0 = 0 points 
Islanders: 0-0-0-0 = 0 points

Leading scorers
CHA: n/a
HAL: n/a

Head-to-head
This is the first match of the season series between these two teams. Halifax had a 3-4-0-1 record versus the Islanders in 2024-25 while Charlottetown went 5-2-0-1 against the Mooseheads. Their last battle was on March 22 where the Charlottetown Islanders defeated the home Mooseheads 3-2 in a shootout in Halifax. 

Out of town
Regiment vs. Wildcats - 6:30 p.m. 
Sea Dogs vs. Eagles - 7:00 p.m.
Oceanic vs. Drakkar - 8:00 p.m.
Huskies vs. Armada - 8:00 p.m.
Foreurs vs. Olympiques - 8:00 p.m.
Cataractes vs. Tigres - 8:00 p.m.
Voltigeurs vs. Sagueneens - 8:00 p.m.
Phoenix vs. Remparts - 8:00 p.m.

After the buzzer
Halifax will play their home opener on Saturday night in a rematch against the Charlottetown Islanders. Puck drops at 7:00 p.m.

Game Day 1: at Charlottetown

Welcome to the 2024-25 season! Our Halifax Mooseheads are kicking off this new season with a five game road trip starting with a visit to the Charlottetown Islanders tonight. Halifax will hope to start the season on the right foot and thankfully they have a full team. Gone are the scoring abilities of Jordan Dumais, Mathieu Cataford and Markus Vidicek but the club still has most of the back end from last year. Jake Furlong has moved up to the pros, leaving the captain spot open which was given to another defenceman; Brady Schultz. This is year one of the rebuild but they played well in the pre-season and are going against an Islanders team that had the worst record in exhibition play. Of course, the regular season is what counts so we'll have to see how things go. Rookies Daniel Walters, Carlos Handel and co will look to prove to the brass that they made the right decision to keep them. Halifax also has a new head coach once again that will have to lead the club to a playoff position. Charlottetown is also backed by an overage goaltender after acquiring Nicolas Ruccia from Cape Breton over the summer and is led by newly appointed captain Michael Kearsey. The 18-year-old is the highest scoring returning player after recording 49 points during 2023-24. 

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

Overall records
Mooseheads: 0-0-0-0 = 0 points (5th in Maritimes division, 17th overall)
Islanders: 0-0-0-0 = 0 points (3rd in Maritimes division, 9th overall)

Leading scorers
CHA: n/a
HAL: n/a

Head-to-head
This is the first game of the season between the two clubs. During the 2023-24 season, Halifax had a 6-2-1-0 record versus the Islanders while Charlottetown went 3-4-0-2 against the Mooseheads. The Herd won the last match on March 14 4-2 in Halifax with Markus Vidicek and Jake Furlong leading the team with 2 assists each. 

Out of town
Titan vs. Eagles - 7:00 p.m.
Sea Dogs vs. Wildcats - 7:00 p.m.
Remparts vs. Sagueneens - 8:00 p.m.
Drakkar vs. Oceanic - 8:00 p.m.
Oceanic vs. Huskies - 8:00 p.m.
Cataractes vs. Armada - 8:00 p.m.
Voltigeurs vs. Phoenix - 8:00 p.m.
Tigres vs. Foreurs - 8:00 p.m.

Next game 
Halifax head back over the bridge and will take on the Saint John Sea Dogs at TD Station Saturday evening. Puck drops at 7:00 p.m.

Offence On Fire Saturday Night

After a struggle bus of a game against the second last place team in Saint John on Thursday, our Halifax Mooseheads offence was firing on all cylinders Saturday evening. Mathis Rousseau picked up a 13 save shutout as Halifax defeated the Charlottetown Islanders 7-0, allowing the home team to clinch a playoff spot. Dylan MacKinnon got the ball going with his second goal of the season at the 5:24 mark of the opening period. Before you knew it, the Herd had created a 3-0 lead less than 12 minutes into the game and the Islanders decided to change goaltenders after Aksels Ozols gave up three goals on 7 shots. The power play was having a good time as well, with Mathieu Cataford, Jake Furlong and Jan Sprynar scoring on the man advantage. Charlottetown was frustrated for most of the game so the almost 10,000 fans that were in attendance were close to seeing a fight about three times. 

FINAL: Islanders 0 at Mooseheads 7
Stars: 3. Mathis Rousseau HAL | 2. Brady Shultz HAL | 1. Lou-Felix Denis HAL
Attendance: 9,855
MC's Top Herd: n/a

GAME LOG
First period
5:24 HAL Dylan MacKinnon (2) | A: none
7:35 HAL Peter Reynolds (23) | A: Denis & Crosby
11:57 HAL Lou Levesque (12) | A: none

Second period 
5:25 HAL Mathieu Cataford (33), PP | A: Denis

Third period 
2:56 HAL Liam Welsh (1) | A: Moser
12:36 HAL Jake Furlong (3), PP | A: Philips 
19:37 HAL Jan Sprynar (9), PP | A: Furlong & Philips 

Powerplay: CHA - 0-for-4; HAL - 3-for-7
Shots: 37-13 in favour of Halifax

Next game
The Mooseheads will travel to Cape Breton as they kick off the long weekend with a visit to the Eagles on Friday. Puck drops at 7 p.m.

RECAP: Isles Ruin Herd Home Opener

For the fifth time in the last six years, our Halifax Mooseheads have lost their home opener as the team fell 3-1 on Friday night to start the 2023-24 season. The night started off on a high note though as the 30th anniversary roster was introduced followed by a special jersey retirement ceremony that saw Nathan MacKinnon's number 22 be raised to the rafters. This caused quite a delay for puck drop but it seemed like it wasn't going to affect the Herd with rookie Liam Kilfoil scoring his first career QMJHL goal less than 8 minutes into the match. However, the Charlottetown Islanders got the tying goal by captain Michael Horth a few minutes later and the teams went to their dressing rooms with the score 1-1 after twenty minutes. Halifax had some of the best chances of the game in the final 40 minutes but could not get past the Islanders goaltender. Horth scored his second of the game late in the second period and in the third, the Mooseheads were so close a couple of times to tying it up. 

FINAL: Islanders 3 at Mooseheads 1
Stars: 3. Liam Kilfoil HAL | 2. Logan Crosby HAL | 1. Michael Horth CHA
Attendance: 10,073
MC's Top Herd: Liam Kilfoil

GAME LOG
First period
7:48 HAL Liam Kilfoil (1) | A: Schultz & Crosby
10:12 CHA Michael Horth (1) | A: None

Second period 
16:18 CHA Michael Horth (2), PP | A: Campbell & Morneau

Third period 
19:24 CHA Owen Conrad (1), SH/EN | A: None

Powerplay: CHA - 1-for-3; HAL - 0-for-4
Shots: 24-18 in favour of Halifax

Next game
Halifax will travel to Charlottetown as these two teams meet again tomorrow night. Puck drops at 7 p.m.

Game Day 1: vs Charlottetown

PREVIEW - It's finally game day as our Halifax Mooseheads kick off their 30th anniversary tonight as they host the Charlottetown Islanders at 7pm. The Herd will be starting the 2023-24 season as a younger team than what is on the regular roster as the club has five players who are at National Hockey League main camps this week. Rookie goaltender Jack Milner is set to get the starting job for this evening with veteran Mathis Rousseau at Arizona Coyotes camp. It will be a big night for another reason as the team will raise Nathan MacKinnon's number 22 to the rafters. The Islanders should be a good test and have gotten some reinforcements over the last few days with recently named captain Michael Horth returning from rookie camp. Despite the increase in ticket prices and change over to Ticket Master for the Mooseheads, we should see an almost sold out crowd tonight. Make sure you are in your seats early as the pre-game ceremony begins at 6:45pm. 

Overall records
Islanders: 0-0-0-0 = 0 points (2nd in Maritimes division, 5th overall)
Mooseheads: 0-0-0-0 = 0 points (6th in Maritimes division, 16th overall)

Top 3 scorers

HAL: n/a
CHA: n/a

Head-to-head

This is the first game of the season between these two teams. Last year, the Mooseheads had a 7-1-0-1 record against Charlottetown. Halifax won the last game by a score of 10-5 on March 25 at home with Josh Lawrence recording three goals and six points. 

Not playing - Jordan Dumais, Mathis Rousseau, Dylan MacKinnon, Jake Furlong and Mathieu Cataford are all away at NHL camps

Out of town

Titan vs. Sea Dogs - 7:00 p.m.
Eagles vs. Wildcats - 7:00 p.m.
Oceanic vs. Tigres - 8:00 p.m.
Olympiques vs. Voltigeurs - 8:00 p.m.
Phoenix vs. Armada - 8:00 p.m.
Sagueneens vs. Drakkar - 8:30 p.m.

Win #50 Comes in Fan Appreciation Game

Photo - Herd Twitter

For the second time in franchise history, our Halifax Mooseheads have 50 wins during the regular season and the milestone victory came in the fan appreciation game this year. The Mooseheads cruised to a 10-5 win over the Charlottetown Islanders and I would say it is good that we won't be playing them in the playoffs as there was some hatred between the two teams on Saturday evening. Both teams combined for a total of 70 penalty minutes by the end of the day but Halifax had the better luck on the man advantage, going 3 for 6 on the power play while Charlottetown was 1-for-5. The home team got on the board first but didn't have the lead for long as the Islanders tied up the game a little over four minutes later. Zachary L'Heureux would score his first of the night at the 15:29 mark on the PP and the Herd didn't look back as they were up 4-1 after twenty minutes. Josh Lawrence had a big game scoring a hat trick, with the third one being his 50th goal of the season, and picking up 3 assists as well. Leading scorer Jordan Dumais had a four assist night with the second helper being his 138th point of the regular season, which is now a franchise record. With the regular season now over, the team will now focus on the playoffs. 

FINAL: Islanders 5 at Mooseheads 10
Stars: 3. Alexandre Doucet HAL | 2. Jordan Dumais HAL | 1. Josh Lawrence HAL
Attendance: 8,764

GAME LOG
First period
8:28 HAL Josh Lawrence (48), PP | A: Dumais & Doucet
12:52 CHA Kiefer Lyons (6) | A: Romeo
15:29 HAL Zachary L'Heureux (20), PP | A: Lawrence & Schultz
17:10 HAL Josh Lawrence (49), PP | A: Dumais & Schultz
19:16 HAL Zachary L'Heureux (21) | A: Dumais & Lawrence

Second period
3:26 HAL Alexandre Doucet (58), SH | A: Lawrence
11:54 CHA Keiran Gallant (15) | A: Kearsey & Bowness
12:42 HAL Evan Boucher (28) | A: Martin & MacKinnon
16:36 HAL Owen Phillips (4) | A: Dumais
19:01 CHA Michael Horth (27) | A: Morneau & Michel

Third period
0:46 CHA Michael Horth (28), PP | A: Biakabutuka & Morneau
2:48 HAL Josh Lawrence (50) | A: Schultz & Phillips 
6:47 HAL Brody Fournier (13) | A: MacPhee & Martin
8:28 HAL Markus Vidicek (32) | A: Doucet & Boucher 
9:33 CHA Marcus Kearsey (6) | A: Repcik & Marchon

Shots: 41-26 in favour of Halifax
Powerplay: CHA - 1-for-5; HAL - 3-for-6

SCORES
Acadie-Bathurst 7 at Saint John 4
Cape Breton 2 at Moncton 9
Sherbrooke 5 at Victoriaville 4 OT
Gatineau 6 at Blainville-Boisbriand 5
Quebec 1 at Rimouski 0 SO
Baie-Comeau 3 at Chicoutimi 1
Drummondville 2 at Shawinigan 4
Rouyn-Noranda 5 at Val-d'Or 2

Up next: Our Halifax Mooseheads will host games 1 and 2 of the 2023 playoffs on Friday and Saturday. Puck drops at 7pm both nights. 

Historic Night for Dumais

Photo - Myles Dennis

It was a historic night for Jordan Dumais as the 18-year-old recorded 6 points for the Halifax Mooseheads to move into second place on the team's career points list. In what might have been a playoff preview, the home Moose cruised to a pretty easy 9-0 victory over the Charlottetown Islanders on Wednesday evening. Dylan MacKinnon got the party started with just over five minutes remaining in the first period while Attilio Biasca and Alexandre Doucet would add to the lead before the opening frame ended. In the second, it looked like Halifax would continue their second period sit back/play terrible routine but they kept the pressure on and were able to extend the lead to 5-0 after 40 minutes. Dumais scored his 53rd of the season at the 15:34 mark of the middle frame on the power play. Charlottetown would come out in the third period with a new goaltender in net but it didn't help the Islanders at all and in fact, he looked a little worse letting in two goals that probably normally would've been stopped. Three of four goals for Halifax in the final frame were on the power play. Dumais' four assists during the game moved him above Ramzi Abid for the franchise record of assists in a single season with 82. The historic year will continue on Friday I am sure as the Mooseheads fight for first overall in the league. 

FINAL: Islanders 0 at Mooseheads 9
Stars: 3. Zachary L'Heureux HAL | 2. Josh Lawrence HAL | 1. Jordan Dumais HAL
Attendance: 6,964

GAME LOG
First period
14:56 HAL Dylan MacKinnon (6) | A: Dumais & Schultz
17:04 HAL Attilio Biasca (24) | A: Furlong & L'Heureux
18:19 HAL Alexandre Doucet (57) | A: Dumais & Lawrence

Second period 
15:34 HAL Jordan Dumais (53), PP | A: Doucet & Lawrence
19:56 HAL Josh Lawrence (46), PP | A: Schultz & Dumais

Third period
8:36 HAL Jake Furlong (7) | A: Cataford & L'Heureux
9:53 HAL Josh Lawrence (47), PP | A: Doucet & Dumais
12:44 HAL Reece Peitzsche (6), PP | A: Biasca & Cataford
13:43 HAL Jordan Dumais (54), PP | A: Phillips & Lawrence

Shots: 44-20 in favour of Halifax
Powerplay: CHA - 0-for-2, HAL 5-for-7

SCORES
Cape Breton 6 at Moncton 5 OT
Victoriaville 0 at Drummondville 4
Quebec 6 at Shawinigan 3
Gatineau 3 at Sherbrooke 4 OT

Missing in action: Jake Todd (appendix), Cameron Whynot (healthy), Liam Welsh (healthy)

Up next: Halifax will welcome their provincial rivals, the Cape Breton Eagles for Friday night hockey. Puck drops at 7:00pm. 

Orr Traded to Gatineau

While writing my previous post, our Halifax Mooseheads made another big announcement saying they completed a couple of trades on Sunday morning. Halifax acquired a pair of draft picks from the Gatineau Olympiques in exchange for forward Bobby Orr. The move creates some space amongst a crowded forward group at training camp. The 19-year-old scored 21 goals and 44 points in 63 games last season. He had 76 points in 104 games for the club over two seasons after being acquired from Saint John in the summer of 2020. 

Photo - Herd website

In a separate deal Halifax finalized a swap with the Charlottetown Islanders for defenceman Alexandre Tessier who had been attending Isles camp on a conditional loan. The Herd will receive a ninth round pick in the 2024 draft. 

Good luck to both Bobby and Alexandre with their new teams and thank you for the memories in Moose Country, we'll miss you boys. 

This means that the 2022 training camp is down to 24 players which includes thirteen forwards, 8 defencemen and three goaltenders. 

President's Cup Finals Begin Saturday

It's never happened before but we're going to get QMJHL playoff hockey in June as the final round begins on Saturday night. The final series will see the Charlottetown Islanders and the Shawinigan Cataractes go up for the President's Cup.

No former Halifax Mooseheads players are on either team. Charlottetown defeated the only remaining alumni, Xavier Parent and the Sherbrooke Phoenix in the third round 3 games to 1. Parent ended his junior career with 22 points in 11 playoff games. Shawinigan meanwhile forced a Game 5 against the league-leading Quebec Remparts and got the victory to win their series 3-2.

Charlottetown will have home ice advantage. The winners will represent the QMJHL at the 2022 Memorial Cup in Saint John, NB later this month. 

Full schedule below

Game 1 Saturday June 4 at 7pm Charlottetown vs. Shawinigan
Game 2 Sunday June 5 at 7pm Charlottetown vs. Shawinigan
Game 3 Wednesnday June 8 at 8pm Shawinigan vs. Charlottetown
Game 4 Thursday June 9 at 8pm Shawinigan vs. Charlottetown 
*Game 5 Saturday June 11 at 5pm Charlottetown vs. Shawinigan
*Game 6 Monday June 13 at 8pm Shawinigan vs. Charlottetown
*Game 7 Wednesday 15 at 8pm Charlottetown vs. Shawinigan

All times Atlantic
* if necessary

Another Comeback Win Against Charlottetown

What a game! Our Halifax Mooseheads snapped their three game losing streak with a comeback win over the league leading Charlottetown Islanders by a score of 4-3. The Islanders got on the board first as Patrick Guay scored at the 7:44 mark in the opening period and less than a minute later, Patrick LeBlanc extended their lead. Halifax had a better middle frame outshooting Charlottetown 18-13 in the period but the Mooseheads found themselves in a 0-3 hole halfway through the game. Just like 2 weeks ago, the boys dug deep and came back to tie the game. Rookie Brady Schultz got the comeback started with a power play goal. James Swan scored another one on the man advantage to close the gap and before I could even tweet about it, overager Zac Beauregard made it a tied game. There was no scoring in the third but Charlottetown was playing with a chip on their shoulder trying to get a 4th goal by Brady James though they were unsuccessful. So the two teams went to overtime with the match tied at 3-3. Halfway through the extra frame, Cam Whynot went in on a breakaway and flipped it over rookie goaltender Oliver Satny to get the victory for the home team. 

FINAL: Islanders 3 at Mooseheads 4 OT
Stars: 3. Jake Furlong HAL | 2. Noah Laaouan CHA | 1. Brady Schultz HAL
Attendance: 3,777
MC's Top Herd: Brady James

Game Log
First period
7:44 CHA Patrick Guay (34) | A: Budgell & Laaouan 
8:26 CHA Patrick LeBlanc (10) | A: None

Second period
7:19 CHA Lukas Cormier (21) | A: Laaouan & Todd
12:09 HAL Brady Schultz (2), PP | A: Boucher & Furlong
15:27 HAL James Swan (4), PP | A: Desnoyers & Furlong
15:45 HAL Zachary Beauregard (7) | A: Vidicek & Jones

Third period
No scoring

Overtime
2:29 HAL Cameron Whynot (4) | A: Vidicek 

Shots: 36-34 in favour of Halifax
Powerplay: CHA - 0-for-1; HAL - 2-for-6

SCORES
Gatineau 8 at Rouyn-Noranda 1
Shawinigan 3 at Blainville-Boisbriand 2
Chicoutimi 3 at Rimouski 2 SO

Missing in action: Dylan MacKinnon (illness), Attilio Biasca (injury), Robert Orr (injury)

Up next: Our Halifax Mooseheads will continue their home stand with a visit from the Sherbrooke Phoenix on Thursday night. Puck drops at 7 p.m.

Photo - Shawn Davidson

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

TRADE: Trepanier Sent to Shawinigan, Gursoy Acquired

Photo - RDS

The Halifax Mooseheads announced on Monday that they have traded 20 year old Maxim Trepanier to the Shawinigan Cataractes. Halifax received a second round draft pick in 2020 in return.

Maxim was picked up by the Herd last Christmas trading period from Gatineau and has played 38 games in the red and green collecting 49 points. The St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC native also had 36 penalty minutes during his time in Halifax. Shawinigan will be his 4th QMJHL team.

Good luck to Maxim with the Cataractes.


With two defensemen gone, Halifax brought back Denis Toner who played for the club last season and they also promoted 16-year-old Keegan Hunt to fill the void.

Photo - Mooseheads website

Tuesday brought another overger into the fold with the announcement that Halifax has acquired forward Kevin Gursoy in exchange for a sixth round draft pick in 2021 from the Charlottetown Islanders. The 20-year-old has 26 points so far this season and was originally signed by Saint John in 2017 as a free agent.

Welcome to the Mooseheads, Kevin!

Welsh Stone Walls Herd Again

Photo - Mooseheads website

Looks like Matthew Welsh was the difference again. The Halifax-native was in nets on Friday evening and helped the Charlottetown Islanders to a 5-0 victory in Moose Country. Welsh was not in nets on Wednesday when the Mooseheads won 4-1. Halifax was dominated early once again, being outshot 7-1 a few minutes into the game. Liam Payton scored at the 8:07 mark to give the bad guys a 1-0 lead and they didn't let up from there. Despite having three power plays in the first half of the match, Halifax couldn't get any offence going. In the second, Charlottetown extended their lead including a second goal from Peyton with under two minutes remaining in the middle frame. The 2nd period ended with most of the players on the ice pairing up and getting in scrums. Maxim Trepanier had multiple 'fights' and was unable to return to the game for the third. The Moose Country faithful were anxious all game to throw their teddy bears on the ice but were unable to until late in the game. For only the second time in the last 10 years, the bears were tossed onto the ice without a goal being scored beforehand. It was a 21 save shutout for Welsh in his 200th career start.

FINAL: Islanders 5 at Mooseheads 0

Stars: 3. Walter Flower HAL | 2. Liam Peyton CHA | 1. Matthew Welsh CHA

Attendance: 7,189

MC's Top Herd: Walter Flower

Powerplay: CHA - 0-for-2; HAL - 0-for-5

Shots: 32-21 in favour for Charlottetown

NOT DRESSED - Senna Peeters (WJC D1), Benoit-Olivier Groulx (WJC), Justin Barron (injured), Raphael Lavoie (WJC), Marcel Barinka (WJAC) and Jared McIsaac (WJC)

SCORES

Cape Breton 0 at Moncton 4

Saint John 6 at Acadie-Bathurst 3

Drummondville 4 at Sherbrooke 2

Gatineau 4 at Blainville-Boisbriand 7

Victoriaville 5 at Rimouski 2

Val-d'Or 4 at Rouyn-Noranda 5 OT

Baie-Comeau 3 at Chicoutimi 6

Quebec 3 at Shawinigan 4 OT

UP NEXT - Halifax will hit the road to take on the Saint John Sea Dogs on Saturday for both teams last game before Christmas. Puck drops at 7pm. 

Dec 11: Islanders vs. Mooseheads preview

CHARLOTTETOWN ISLANDERS VS HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS

Puck drops at 7:00pm

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

Eastlink Centre (3,717) ~ Charlottetown, PEI

Our Halifax Mooseheads will participate in another home and home series this week but with the Charlottetown Islanders this time. The two clubs will meet in PEI tonight for a mid-week match with Halifax looking to get back on track after a loss on Saturday. Charlottetown meanwhile will be wanting to pick up their third straight win. With many players out of the lineup, it will be a great opportunity for the Mooseheads' other guys to shine since the top two scorers are out for Team Canada's selection camp. They'll have to get lots of traffic in front of most likely Matthew Welsh, who always has a stellar game against his hometown team. Charlottetown has a few players who will not be playing tonight as well because of training camps for the world juniors. Nikita Alexandrov and Gaetan Jobin are with their respective countries. Since their are so many players absent for Halifax, the team has called up Landon Miron, Kyle Petten and Bryan Laureigh for the remainder of the schedule before the break.

This is the fifth meeting between these two clubs this season. Halifax is 1-3-0-0 against the Islanders while Charlottetown has a 3-1-0-0 record versus the Mooseheads. The last game was at the beginning of the month, when the Herd travelled to the island and lost 5-2 in a game that Cole McLaren made 37 saves on 41 shots. 

Overall records
HAL: 14-13-2-1 = 31pts (4th in Maritims division, 11th overall)
CHA: 18-11-4-0 = 40pts (2nd in Maritimes division, 5th overall)

Leading scorers
Islanders: Thomas Casey 24pts (15G & 9A), Brett Budgell 24pts (11G & 13A), Kevin Gursoy 24pts (9G & 15A)
Mooseheads: Raphael Lavoie 44pts (18 & 26A), Benoit-Olivier Groulx 41pts (15G & 26A), Maxim Trepanier 40pts (20G & 20A)

Out of Town
Sea Dogs vs. Wildcats     7:00pm
Titan vs. Eagles     7:00pm
Tigres vs. Phoenix     8:00pm
Olympiques vs. Armada     8:30pm

After the Buzzer
Halifax will host their annual Teddy Bear Toss game on Friday night when they welcome the Charlottetown Islanders. Puck drops at 7pm.

Not A Good Start

0 and 3. For the first time since the 2015-16 season, our Halifax Mooseheads have started the year with losing their first three games. The Herd were defeated once again by the Charlottetown Islanders, this time on home ice. With Gravel out injured, Cole McLaren has taken over the #1 job for the time being and played well especially in the middle frame where he faced 19 shots. Charlottetown got on the board first a little less than half way through the opening period with Brett Budgell scoring on a rebound. Raphael Lavoie and Nikita Alexandrov were at each other quite a bit during the whole game and the latter picked up his first of the season at the 18:59 mark to give the Islanders a 2-0 heading into the intermission. Halifax controlled the play for the first few minutes of the match but once again Matthew Welsh stood tall for the away team as the Mooseheads outshot the Isles 11-8. Like I said, McLaren had his chance to stand on his head in the second period and it gave the home club a chance to get back in it when rookie Zack Jones recorded his 1st career QMJHL goal with 9:09 left in frame to make it 2-1 bad guys. But that would be all the scoring Halifax would get in their home opener as they lost 3-1 on Friday night.

FINAL: Islanders 3 at Mooseheads 1
Stars: 3. Cedric Desruisseaux CHA | 2. Cole McLaren HAL | 1. Matthew Welsh CHA
Attendance: 7,933
MC's Top Herd: Zack Jones

Powerplay: CHA - 0-for-3; HAL - 0-for-3
Shots: 34-22 for Charlottetown

NOT DRESSED - Alexis Gravel (injured), Jared McIsaac (NHL camp), Cole Foston (injured) and Benoit-Olivier Groulx (NHL camp)

SCORES
Acadie-Bathurst 5 at Moncton 6 SO
Rouyn-Noranda 3 at Quebec 2
Val-d'Or 2 at Drummondville 3 OT
Victoriaville 0 at Shawinigan 5
Baie-Comeau 3 at Gatineau 2 OT
Chicoutimi at Blainville-Boisbriand
Sherbrooke at Rimouski

UP NEXT - The Mooseheads will welcome the Acadie-Bathurst Titan to Scotiabank Centre tomorrow night. Puck drops at 7pm.

Sep 27: Mooseheads vs. Islanders preview

HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS VS CHARLOTTETOWN ISLANDERS

Puck drops at 7:00pm

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

Scotiabank Centre (10,595) ~ Halifax, NS

IT'S HOME OPENER DAY! Despite more renovations being done at Scotiabank Centre this summer, our Halifax Mooseheads do not have to be on a long road trip this time as the new scoreboard was put in earlier in the month. Halifax will look to get in the win column for the first time in 2019-20 after losing both games last weekend. They will have to do it without their number 1 goaltender though as Alex Gravel is out injured for a few weeks. Rookie Cole Foston is also on the injury list. The Mooseheads will be welcoming the Charlottetown Islanders to Moose Country for tonight's match up, this is the second game of a home and home series between the two clubs. Charlottetown won their 1st match of the season against Halifax last week. They'll undoubtedly be backstopped by Matthew Welsh who is a Halifax native and always does well against his hometown team. Welsh became the 15th goaltender in Q league history to pick up his 100th career victory. Grab your gear and come cheer on the boys Moose Country!

This is the second game between these two teams this season. Halifax is 0-1-0-0 against the Islanders while Charlottetown has a 1-0-0-0 record versus the Mooseheads. The last match-up was on Saturday in Charlottetown with the Islanders winning 5-2. Jeffrey Burridge scored his first QMJHL career goal while Alex Gravel made 9 saves on 13 shots to take the loss for Halifax before Cole McLaren replaced him. 

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

Leading scorers
HAL: Senna Peeters 2pts (2G), Marcel Barinka 2pts (1G & 1A), Jeffrey Burridge 2pts (1G & 1A)
CHA: Thomas Casey 4pts (3G & 1A), Cole Edwards 3pts (2G & 1A), Zachary Beauregard 2pts (1G & 1A)

Out of Town
Wildcats vs. Titan    7:00pm
Remparts vs. Huskies    8:00pm
Armada vs. Saguenéens    8:30pm
Oceanic vs. Phoenix    8:30pm
Voltigeurs vs. Foreurs    8:30pm
Cataractes vs. Tigres    8:30pm
Olympiques vs. Drakkar    8:#0pm

After the Buzzer
Halifax will stay home and host the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Saturday night. Puck drops at 7pm.

Herd Get 1st in East Despite SO Loss

The Halifax Mooseheads have clinched first overall in the Eastern conference despite losing 3-2 in a shootout against the Charlottetown Islanders on Saturday evening, a game that was shown on national television. With the point and a Baie-Comeau loss, Halifax tied the Drakkar in points at 102 but because the Mooseheads have more regulation and overtime wins, our boys got tie-breaker. The home town crowd were brought to their feet less than two minutes into the game, which began late because of a special pre-game ceremony to honour the Mooseheads 20-year-old players, by graduating forward Keith Getson. Halifax extended their lead at the 7:30 mark on a goal by Justin Barron, who picked up his 9th of the season. It was an emotional game for both teams as everyone in the QMJHL were fighting for playoff positions, as a result there was a number of roughing calls and scrums. Charlottetown's Hunter Drew had Samuel Asselin's number all game, spearing the Herd's over-ager at least once possibly twice and when the two were in the penalty boxes would not stop chirping in Sam's direction. The Islanders seem to wake up some and decide that they didn't want to end in a spot that would not give them home ice as they outshot Halifax 21-11 in the middle frame, while receiving goals from Drew and Nikita Alexandrov. In the third, it was a goaltender show forcing the game to head to overtime. Halifax had a few chances in the extra frame to get the second point but in the end, we would see a shootout for the second straight night. Matthew Welsh, a native of Halifax, stopped all three shots he faced and Daniel Hardie scored for the Islanders to give them the two points and 4th in the Eastern conference.

FINAL: Islanders 3 at Mooseheads 2 SO
Stars: 3. Keith Getson HAL | 2. Samuel Asselin HAL | 1. Jake Ryczek HAL
Attendance: 10,595
MC's Top Herd: Keith Getson

GAME LOG
First period 
1:54 HAL Keith Getson (29) | A: Ryczek & Dube
7:30 HAL Justin Barron (9) | A: Ryczek & Groulx

Second period
5:36 CHA Hunter Drew (16) | A: Johnston & Clavelle
16:02 CHA Nikita Alexandrov (27) | A: Hardie

Third period
None

Overtime
None

Shootout
HAL Arnaud Durandeau    Miss    CHA Daniel Hardie    Goal
HAL Samuel Asselin    Miss    CHA Brett Budgell    Miss
HAL BO Groulx    Miss

Powerplay: CHA - 0-for-3; HAL - 0-for-3
Shots: 34-33 in favour of Charlottetown

NOT DRESSED - Raphael Lavoie, Cole Stewart, Maxim Trepanier and Antoine Morand out with injuries

SCORES
Screaming Eagles 4 at Titan 2
Phoenix 2 at Voltigeurs 4
Sea Dogs 4 at Wildcats 6
Armada 3 at Huskies 5
Tigres 5 at Cataractes 4 OT
Olympiques 4 at Foreurs 6
Oceanic 4 at Drakkar 1
Sagueneens 6 at Remparts 4

UP NEXT - The playoffs start on Friday night at the Scotiabank Centre against the Quebec Remparts. Puck drops at 7pm.

Mar 16: Mooseheads vs. Islanders preview

HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS VS CHARLOTTETOWN ISLANDERS

March 16, 2019 at 4:30pm

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

Scotiabank Centre (10,595) ~ Halifax, NS

It all comes down to this. While both teams in today's matchup already have clinched spots in the playoffs, where exactly they will end in the standings will be determined based on the results of this evening's games around the league. A few positions are set in stone but there are no post-season matchups determined as there normally is by the last day. For our Halifax Mooseheads it's fan appreciation day as they take on the Charlottetown Islanders. The Herd will also be honouring their three 20 year olds this afternoon. Note the time, the match was originally scheduled for a 7pm start but Sportsnet announced this would be the last game on their CHL Saturday Showcase schedule meaning it is now a 4:30pm puck drop. There will be a sold-out crowd at the Scotiabank Centre, just the second of the year after last night's attendance was announced as 10,595. Matches between Charlottetown and the Moose this season have been close sometimes even though Halifax has won all but one against the Islanders. We should be in for a good one so check it out on television if you weren't able to get tickets.

This is the ninth and final game between these two teams this season. Halifax is 7-1-0-0 against the Islanders while Charlottetown has a 1-6-1-0 record versus the Mooseheads. The two met last a month ago on Sportsnet as well with Halifax taking a 3-0 win led by Raphael Lavoie who scored two goals. 

Overall Records

Islanders: 39-21-4-3 = 85pts (6th overall, 2nd in Maritimes division)

Mooseheads: 49-15-2-1 = 101pts (4th overall, 1st in Maritimes division)

Leading Scorers

HAL: Samuel Asselin 86pts (48G & 38A), Benoit-Olivier Groulx 79pts (31G & 48A), Arnaud Durandeau 73pts (38G & 35A)

CHA: Daniel Hardie 77pts (34G & 43A), Nikita Alexandrov 60pts (26G & 34A), Hunter Drew 49pts (15G & 34A)

Previous Games

Charlottetown is coming off a 3-2 to Moncton on Friday night. Cole Edwards and Brendon Clavelle scored for the Islanders on home ice while Matthew Welsh stopped 23 of the Wildcats 26 shots.

Halifax is coming off a crazy 5-4 shootout victory over 17th place Saint John. Arnaud Durandeau scored twice and Samuel Asselin picked up the SO winner while Cole McLaren made 23 saves against the Sea Dogs last night.

Head-to-Head
September 22  Mooseheads 3 at Islanders 2
October 11  Mooseheads 8 at Islanders 2
November 20  Islanders 3 at Mooseheads 4 OT
December 9  Mooseheads 2 at Islanders 1
December 15  Islanders 2 at Mooseheads 6
December 28  Mooseheads 2 at Islanders 5
February 6  Islanders 1 at Mooseheads 4
February 16  Islanders 0 at Mooseheads 3
March 16  4:30pm  Islanders at Mooseheads

Out of Town

Acadie-Bathurst vs. Cape Breton - 4:00pm
Drummondville vs. Sherbrooke - 4:00pm
Moncton vs. Saint John - 4:00pm
Rouyn-Noranda vs. Blainville-Boisbriand - 5:00pm
Shawinigan vs. Victoriaville - 5:00pm
Val-d'Or vs. Gatineau - 5:00pm
Baie-Comeau vs. Rimouski - 5:00pm
Quebec vs. Chicoutimi - 5:00pm

After the Buzzer
Playoffs! The post-season will begin with the first game on Friday March 22, opponent to be determined. 

Gravel, Lavoie Help Lead Halifax Past Isles

The hot stick of Raphael Lavoie continued on Saturday as he added two more goals for the Herd in their 3-0 shutout win against the Islanders this afternoon on Sportsnet. It started out as a back and forth first period where we saw both teams trade chances and the Islanders had a goal called off as it went in after the whistle was blown. Both teams went into their respective dressing rooms in a scoreless tie after the first period. In the second Raphael Lavoie brought the 9,607 fans in attendance to their feet as he scored a goal that just went over the line past Matthew Welsh five minutes into the middle frame, After the goal, it was all Halifax who controlled the play and frustrations boiled. Charlottetown’s Lukas Cormier took three straight penalties which was a part of a physical 20 minutes. In the third, Lavoie made sure all the fans in the Scotiabank Centre went home happy and with a big win on national television as he scored his 2nd of the game. Jared McIsaac scored into the empty net to give the Mooseheads their 41st win of the season. Veteran Alex Gravel made 24 saves to pick up his third shutout victory.

FINAL: Islanders 0 at Mooseheads 3
Stars: 3. Matt Welsh CHA | 2. Alex Gravel HAL | 1. Raphael Lavoie HAL
Attendance: 9,607
MC’s Top Herd: n/a

GAME LOG
First period
none

Second period
4:51 HAL Raphael Lavoie (28) | A: Barron & Kyte

Third period
13:24 HAL Raphael Lavoie (29) | A: Morand & Asselin
19:10 HAL Jared McIsaac (14) | A: Bishop & Getson

Shots: 32-24 in favour of Halifax
Powerplay: CHA – 0-for-3; HAL – 0-for-3

NOT DRESSED – Ostap Safin (injured), Max Trepanier (injured), Alexis Sansfacon (healthy), Cole Stewart (injured) and Jocktan Chainey (injured)

SCORES
Remparts 2 at Drakkar 4
Titan 0 at Sagueneens 3
Remparts 2 at Drakkar 4
Olympiques 3 at Wildcats 5
Screaming Eagles 2 at Voltigeurs 7

UP NEXT – The Mooseheads will play their next match against the Saint John Sea Dogs on the road on Monday afternoon. Puck drops at 2pm.