Import rookies propel Halifax to DND win

Mensonen's goal celebration
Photo - Ashley Hennigar

Well it was quite the night for the import rookies who helped lead the Halifax Mooseheads to a 5-3 victory over the Cape Breton Eagles on DND Appreciation Night. Russian Oleg Kulebiakin added onto his team leading point totals by scoring twice and helping on another Saturday night while Imatra, Finland native Jasu Mensonen also had 3 points (1 goal & 2 assists) as both players received stars of the game honours. The game began with a ceremonial puck drop from a couple of Canadian Armed Forces members and another signing O Canada. Fans weren't too happy about midway through the first period as a Herd player got interfered with and there was no call on the play but the referees did make a call on a similar play late in the frame which led to Will Bent scoring the opening goal on the power play. Halifax kept on going in the second, getting out to a 3-0 lead halfway through the period but the lead after 40 minutes would only be 3-2. Kulebiakin's two goals happened in the third extending the lead with his 8th of the season (goal #2 in game) being scored during the Needs Minute It to Win It giveaway so someone went home with $6,300 in Needs gift cards. The 'pot' had grown since at least late in the 2023-24 season. Surprisingly, Cape Breton did not have a power play opportunity during the match while the Moose had just one. 

FINAL: Eagles 3 at Mooseheads 5
Stars: 3. Lewis Gendron CAP | 2. Jasu Mensonen HAL | 1. Oleg Kulebiakin HAL 
Attendance: 8,397 

GAME LOG
First period
17:13 HAL William Bent (2), PP | A: Kennedy & L'Italien 

Second period 
6:25 HAL Jasu Mensonen (3) | A: Kulebiakin & Carrier
9:41 HAL Caylen Blake (4) | A: None
18:00 CAP Lewis Gendron (2) | A: Burke & De Ladurantaye
19:08 CAP Samuel Rocca (3) | A: Peitzsche & Hartlin

Third period 
2:15 HAL Oleg Kulebiakin (7) | A: Mensonen 
10:29 HAL Oleg Kulebiakin (8) | A: Mensonen & Kilfoil
14:09 CAP Romain Litalien (2) | A: Gendron

Powerplay: CAP - 0-for-0; HAL - 1-for-1
Shots: 35-25 in favour of Halifax

Did not play - Alec Nesreddine (healthy), Lincoln Waugh (injured), Justin Chiras (healthy) & Antoine Fontaine (injured)

Next game
The Halifax Mooseheads will head out for a 5 game road trip starting tomorrow in Moncton against the Wildcats. Game time is 3 p.m.

New record is difference in victory

Photo - Herd website

A new record was set by the Halifax Mooseheads on Wednesday night and it was the difference in picking up a 4-2 victory over the Victoriaville Tigres. Rookie Oleg Kulebyakin scored his 5th goal of the season to kick off the fun at the 7:34 mark of the first period. Halifax's third goal scored by Caylen Blake, his first of the year, 62 seconds later gave the Mooseheads a 3-0 lead and a new franchise record for the fastest time to score three goals. Victoriaville pushed back in the middle frame and Alexey Vlasov scored early on to cut the lead to 3-1. The Tigres came in to the game with the QMJHL's best power play percentage but were provided with only one opportunity which the Herd killed off. Overall it was an interesting game between the two youngest teams in the league this season. 

FINAL: Tigres 2 at Mooseheads 4
Stars: 3. Carlos Handel HAL | 2. Liam Kilfoil HAL | 1. Owen Bresson HAL
Attendance: 5,745
MC's Top Herd: Liam Kilfoil

GAME LOG
First period
7:34 HAL Oleg Kulebyakin (5) | A: Doyle & Walters
8:17 HAL Shawn Carrier (5) | A: Kennedy & Kilfoil
8:36 HAL Caylen Blake (1) | Bent & Santini

Second period 
3:46 VIC Alexey Vlasov (6) | A: Paquet 
16:54 HAL Liam Kilfoil (2) | A: MacPherson & Doyle

Third period
6:28 VIC Egor Shilov (5) | A: Vlasov & Korneyev

Powerplay: VIC - 0-for-1; HAL - 0-for-1
Shots: 33-31 in favour of Halifax

Did not play - Justin Chiras (healthy), Lincoln Waugh (injured), Alec Nesreddine (healthy) & Antoine Fontaine (healthy)

Next game
Our Halifax Mooseheads will welcome the newly named Newfoundland Regiment for two games on Friday and Saturday. Puck drops at 7 p.m. 

Back & forth battle goes to Halifax

Photo - Herd Instagram

The Halifax Mooseheads have won their 4th game at home to start their season as they picked up two points against the Rimouski Oceanic on Thursday night, getting a 5-4 victory. Halifax was pretty dominate all game but there were times, mostly early in the third period, that the puck just seemed to bounce all over the place. Junior Gaulberto got the Mooseheads on the board at the 6:58 mark of the opening frame with his first QMJHL goal and that's how the teams would go into the intermission with the home team up 1-0 after 20 minutes. Former Herd forward Lou Levesque tied the game up for Rimouski about midway through the second. Rookie Cam Minella also scored his first career goal to give Halifax back the lead but once again the Oceanic would find a way to suck the air out of the Moose Country crowd. Rimouski took a 3-2 lead early in the third taking advantage of the back and forth bouncy action. Veteran Shawn Carrier scored twice in the final frame, including back handing a rebound into the net to make it 3-3. He would also record a shorthanded empty net goal with exactly one minute left to seal the game.

FINAL: Oceanic 4 at Mooseheads 5
Stars: 3. Emile Duquet RIM | 2. Paulo Gualberto Jr HAL | 1. Shawn Carrier HAL
Attendance: 6,532
MC's Top Herd: Paulo Gualberto Jr. 

GAME LOG
First period
6:58 HAL Paulo Gualberto Jr. (1) | A: MacPherson & Doyle

Second period
8:36 RIM Lou Levesque (1) | A: None

13:22 HAL Cameron Minella (1) | A: McNab & Gaulberto Jr.

18:40 RIM Emile Duquet (4) | A: Dube & Romaniak

Third period
3:26 RIM Justin Beaulieu (1) | A: Duquet & Dube
7:13 HAL Shawn Carrier (3) | A: Phillips & Kennedy
17:46 HAL Connor MacPherson (2) | A: L'Italien
19:00 HAL Shawn Carrier (4), SH EN | A: None
19:31 RIM Logan Roop (2) | A: Czaja & Nappiot

Powerplay: RIM - 0-for-2; HAL - 0-for-0
Shots: 42-30 in favour of Halifax

Did not play - Alec Nesreddine (healthy), Lincoln Waugh (injured), Mathieu Taillefer (injured) & Antoine Fontaine (healthy)

Next game

Our Mooseheads will continue this six game homestand when they welcome the reigning champion Moncton Wildcats for 90's Night on Saturday. Puck drops at 7 p.m. 

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. 

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 

Tight Game for Rebuild Moose

The momentum that Halifax gained by defeating a strong Quebec Remparts team less than a week ago on the road was flattened on Friday night. The Mooseheads were defeated 3-1 by the visiting Blainville-Boisbraind Armada in front of almost 7,600 fans. Both teams played a pretty back and forth game in the opening period with Herd goaltender Jacob Steinman making some nice saves to give the home team an opportunity to get the first goal. We had a scoreless tie going into the second period however, which is when the fun began. Mateo Nobert got the Armada on the board just 53 seconds into the middle frame to make the game 1-0 but Brady Schultz tied the game a few minutes later.  Even though the Mooseheads are a rebuilding team, they have not been laying down during most games this season and it seems to be frustrating their opponents. We saw it tonight with the Armada taking some unnecessary penalties & the guys on the ice doing some post-whistle activities. Halifax found themselves down 2-1 after 40 minutes and just couldn’t get an opportunity in the final period to tie the game up before the bad guys would seal the game with an empty net goal.

FINAL: Blainville-Boisbriand 3 at Halifax 1
Stars: 3. Felix Hamel BLB | 2. Jacob Steinman HAL | 1. Egor Goriunov BLB
Attendance: 7,598
MC’s Top Herd: Jacob Steinman

GAME LOG
First period
No score

Second period
0:53 BLB Mateo Nobert (23) | A: Desjardins & Goriunov
4:39 HAL Brady Schultz (5) | A: McNab & Bent
15:31 BLB Egor Goriunov (25) | A: Carbonneau & Lemieux

Third period
19:29 BLB Vincent Desjardins (15), EN | A: Gosselin & Filaj

Powerplay: BLB - 0-for-2; HAL - 0-for-5
Shots: 34-32 in favour of Blainville

Next game 
Halifax will welcome division rivals Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Saturday for Mooseheads Fight Cancer night. Puck drops at 7 p.m.

Rousseau Has First Star Performance

Photo - AMH Photography

Overage goaltender Mathis Rousseau had maybe his best game of his career and his 48 saves helped the Halifax Mooseheads to a 2-1 shootout victory over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies on Friday night. As for the guys in front of him, they started a little late but were still able to break the scoreless game at the 10:09 mark of the second period. The first period was an interesting one with the Huskies getting the getting the first 11 shots of the match. Rousseau stood tall when Halifax had to kill off a 4 minute high sticking penalty, with half of it actually being a 5 on 3 after Brady Schultz was called for interference. The shots after 20 minutes were 19-1 for Rouyn-Noranda however the two clubs went to their dressing rooms with the score 0-0. Halifax native Daniel Walters got his first home goal to opening the scoring while Huskies rookie Bill Zonnon tied the game up with under 14 minutes to go in the third. Overtime would solve nothing and it looked like we would be getting an extended shootout before Liam Kilfoil got one past Samuel Meloche as the last normal shooter. 

FINAL: Huskies 1 at Mooseheads 2 SO
Stars: 3. Liam Kilfoil HAL | 2. Amelio Santini HAL | 1. Mathis Rousseau HAL
Attendance: 8,002
MC's Top Herd: Mathis Rousseau

GAME LOG
First period
No score

Second period
10:09 HAL Daniel Walters (2) | A: Santini & Moser

Third period
6:38 ROU Bill Zonnon (7) | A: Steiner

Overtime
No score

Shootout 

    Huskies                         Mooseheads

Steiner       MISS         Sprynar        MISS
Zonnon      MISS         Phillips        MISS

Verreault    MISS         Kilfoil         GOAL

Powerplay: ROU - 0-for-3; HAL - 0-for-3
Shots: 49-18 in favour of Rouyn-Noranda

Next game

Halifax will continue their home stand welcoming the CHL best Moncton Wildcats on Sunday afternoon. Puck drops at 3 p.m.

Rebuilding Moose Get Home Opener Win

Photo - Ashley Hennigar

Wow what a way to begin the new home schedule. Your Halifax Mooseheads collected another two points on Friday after defeating the Quebec Remparts 4-2 in the team's home opener. The over 8,700 fans in attendance got to see the new 'improvements' to the Scotiabank Centre that included light up poles between the glass of the boards, new scoreboard graphics and a gigantic moose head below the retired number banners. After the players were announced, which was nice to see in itself following a five game road trip, the game started off well. Cade Moser got the good guys on the board first at the 4:44 mark of the opening period. Quebec tied it up about 30 seconds later and that would be the score after 20 minutes. Neither team was able to put the puck in the net during the middle frame but Halifax did have some great chances with a few power plays and outshot the Remparts 13-4 in the second. The Mooseheads started the third period on the man advantage and Shawn Carrier used it to put the home team up 2-1. After making it 3-1 late in the frame, Quebec pulled their goalie and was able to squeeze one by Mathis Rousseau with 36 seconds remaining to make it close. So far this season, this team has not looked like a rebuilding team so that is great to see the boys being competitive - I struggled to name a Top Herd tonight. 

FINAL: Remparts 2 at Mooseheads 4
Stars: 3. Patrick McNab HAL | 2. Mathis Rousseau HAL | 1. Shawn Carrier HAL
Attendance: 8,709
MC's Top Herd: Shawn Carrier

GAME LOG
First period
4:44 HAL Cade Moser (3) | A: MacPhee & Doyle
5:15 QUE Justin Cote (5) | A: Morrison & Lebel

Second period

None

Third period
1:36 HAL Shawn Carrier (4), PP | A: Crosby & Kilfoil
15:35 HAL Lou Levesque (3) | A: Handel & Martin 
19:24 QUE Nathan Quinn (4) | A: Straka & Vigneault 
19:56 HAL Braeden MacPhee (2), EN | A: Fontaine & Carrier 

Powerplay: QUE - 0-for-3; HAL 1-for-4
Shots: 29-26 in favour of Halifax

Next game
Halifax will be on home ice again Sunday afternoon welcoming the Rimouski Oceanic. Puck drops at 3:00 p.m.

Moose Pick Up Second Win

It was a night of firsts on Saturday evening as our Halifax Mooseheads picked up their second win of the season, defeating the Saint John Sea Dogs 5-2. Sophomore right winger Antoine Fontaine scored his first career goal to get the Herd on the board in the opening four minutes. The 18-year-old had 3 assists in 54 games last season. Saint John scored at the 12:21 mark to tie the game up and the two clubs went to the dressing rooms after twenty minutes with the score 1-1. Olivier Groulx's goal in the opening period was the first one for the Sea Dogs after they were shutout on Friday against Moncton. Despite being in a rebuild year, Halifax has started out well and in back to back matches outshot their opponent. However, both Charlottetown and Saint John are missing players due to NHL camps. The other first career goals came in the third frame which opened with the score 3-2 Mooseheads. Rookie Daniel Walters recorded his second career point, doubling the away teams' lead, scoring his first career goal with a little over 16 minutes remaining in the game. To wrap up the night, rookie Caylen Blake scored his first as well. 

FINAL: Mooseheads 5 at Sea Dogs 2
Stars: 3. Braeden MacPhee HAL | 2. Daniel Walters HAL | 1. Antoine Fontaine
Attendance: 3,110

GAME LOG
First period
3:10 HAL Antoine Fontaine (1) | A: Phillips
12:21 SNB Olivier Groulx (1), SH | A: Dube

Second period
5:53 HAL Cade Moser (1), PP | A: Walters & Handel
10:53 SNB Ben Cross (1) | A: Rozzi
13:01 HAL Braeden MacPhee (1), SH | A: Carrier & Schultz

Third period
5:55 HAL Daniel Walters (1) | A: Crosby
9:39 HAL Caylen Blake (1) | A: Levesque & Fontaine

Powerplay: HAL - 1-for-7; SNB - 0-for-3
Shots: 37-21 in favour of Halifax

Up next
Halifax will come back to Nova Scotia but will still be on the road to take on the Cape Breton Eagles Friday night. Puck drops at 7:00 p.m.

Moose Win 40th in Front of Sellout Crowd

Photo - AMH Photography

Something that I don't remember experiencing before is fan appreciation night on a Sunday afternoon but that's how the schedule worked out this season and the sell out crowd that was in attendance was treated to a really good game. Our Halifax Mooseheads put their last game behind them and skated to a 3-1 victory today over the Moncton Wildcats. The away team got on the board first with under 6 minutes to go in the first period as Etienne Morin scored on the power play. Before the end of the frame, Mathieu Cataford got his 39th goal of the season on the man advantage at the 17:35 mark. A strong second period plus a four minute power play put Halifax up for good as Lou-Felix Denis and Jan Sprynar scored in the middle frame to make it 3-1 for the home team. Moncton wasn't going to go away lightly, outshooting the Herd 12-7 in the third period and got close to scoring a few times. 

FINAL: Wildcats 1 at Mooseheads 3
Stars: 3. Mathis Rousseau HAL | 2. Brady Schultz HAL | 1. Lou-Felix Denis HAL
Attendance: 10,595 
MC's Top Herd: Lou-Felix Denis 

GAME LOG
First period
14:38 MON Etienne Morin (11), PP | A: Loshing & Desnoyers
17:35 HAL Mathieu Cataford (39), PP | A: Vidicek & Schultz

Second period 
12:16 HAL Lou-Felix Denis (28), PP | A: Schultz
17:06 HAL Jan Sprynar (13) | A: Schultz & Dylan MacKinnon

Third period
No scoring

Powerplay: MON - 1-for-2; HAL - 2-for-3
Shots: 29-28 in favour of Moncton

Next game
The Halifax Mooseheads will play their final home game of the regular season on Thursday night against the Charlottetown Islanders. Puck drops at 7pm. 

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.

Cataford Scores Hat Trick in Win

It was another close game on Friday night but this time against a team that should not have been in the game really at all. Veteran forward Mathieu Cataford had a great night, factoring in all of the Mooseheads goals as Halifax won 5-4 in overtime over the Gatineau Olypiques. The away team got on the board pretty early on with rookie Matthew Eric scoring at the 1:55 mark in the first period. Leading scorer Jordan Dumais looked to score the tying goal, however the referees called it back as it was determined there was an offside earlier in the play after review. As soon as the puck went in though, many of the 8,015 fans in attendance threw on the ice toques, socks and gloves in support of the team's inaugural toque toss game. With just over a minute left in the opening period, Markus Vidicek scored the official tying goal and the clubs went into their locker rooms for the first intermission tied at 1. There was a bit more scoring in the middle frame with the score being 3-3 after 40 minutes. The Olympiques took a 4-3 lead 5:47 into the third period but Cataford scored again less than five minutes later on the power play and the game headed to overtime. Halifax got the 2 points when Cataford got his third goal of the night (and 5th point) just 1:06 into the extra frame. The win meant that the Mooseheads got back to back victories in their anniversary jerseys. 

FINAL: Olympiques 4 at Mooseheads 5 OT
Stars: 3. Jeremie Minville GAT | 2. Jordan Dumais HAL | 1. Mathieu Cataford HAL
Attendance: 8,015 
MC's Top Herd: Mathieu Cataford

GAME LOG
First period
1:55 GAT Matthew Eric (2) | A: Kaine
18:56 HAL Markus Vidicek (23) | A: Cataford & Dumais

Second period
4:56 GAT Thomas Chafe (6) | A: Wold
5:13 GAT Alexander Gaudio (4) | A: Eric & Blais
10:49 HAL Mathieu Cataford (15), PP | A: Dumais & Vidicek
16:40 HAL Jordan Dumais (16) | A: Cataford & Furlong

Third period 
5:47 GAT Jeremie Minville (20) | A: Ling & Golicic
10:31 HAL Mathieu Cataford (16), PP | A: Fournier & Dumais

Overtime 
1:06 HAL Mathieu Cataford (17) | A: Moravec & Vidicek

Powerplay: GAT - 0-for-2; HAL - 2-for-5
Shots: 34-24 in favour of Halifax 

Next game
The Halifax Mooseheads will head to Saint John to take on the Sea Dogs tomorrow night to wrap up a 3-in-3. Puck drops at 7 p.m.

RECAP: Victory On 90's Night

Photo - AMH Photography

Your Halifax Mooseheads have won seven in a row now after picking up a 4-1 victory over the struggling Shawinigan Cataractes on Saturday night. The home team got off to a bit of a slow start, being outshot 7-3 in the first five or so minutes but goaltender Jack Milner stood strong allowing Halifax to get on the board first with a goal by Mathieu Cataford at the 13:29 mark. That would be the score after twenty minutes in a game where the Cataractes seemed to have known that Jordan Dumais could make history tonight. Shawinigan was all over Dumais including at one point early in the third, after Halifax had made it 3-1, defenceman Angus Booth would not allow Jordan to skate away and brought him down to the ice. The 19-year-old clinched the win for the Mooseheads at the 16:08 mark with his 12th goal of the season which was his 303rd career regular season point. That number ties the franchise record for total points that is currently held by Brandon Benedict. Saturday's 90's night event also happened to be the 2000th regular season game in Herd history. 

FINAL: Cataractes 1 to Mooseheads 4

Stars: 3. Jordan Dumais HAL | 2. David Moravec HAL | 1. Jack Milner HAL 

Attendance: 8,541

MC's Top Herd: Jack Milner

GAME LOG
First period

13:29 HAL Mathieu Cataford (10) | A: Moravec & Vidicek

Second period
9:14 SHA Lou-Felix Denis (10), SH | A: Bonefon

Third period

1:10 HAL Lou Levesque (9) | A: Fournier & Schultz
2:04 HAL Logan Crosby (4) | A: Furlong & Moravec
16:08 HAL Jordan Dumais (12) | A: Moravec

Powerplay: SHA - 0-for-4; HAL - 0-for-6

Shots: 25-23 in favour of Shawinigan

Next game
Halifax will finish a 3-in-3 weekend on Sunday afternoon when they welcome the Cape Breton Eagles. Puck drops at 3 p.m.

RECAP: Comeback Win In Shootout

Our Halifax Mooseheads swept a home-and-home series with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan after a comeback 5-4 shootout victory on Wednesday night. Despite outshooting the away team 14-6, Halifax found themselves down 1-0 after twenty minutes as overager Igor Mburanumwe scored his first goal of the season. Acadie-Bathurst continued to make Mathis Rousseau look human in the middle frame as they got three more goals past the Mooseheads goaltender on 10 shots. The Herd looked like they were still not feeling very good as most of the guys seemed to be skating not as fast as they normally do. Whatever the coaches said during the second intermission, it seemed to work as Mathieu Cataford scored a power-play goal to start the comeback. Jordan Dumais' assist on Jake Furlong's first goal of the season marked another franchise record for the 19-year-old, who now leads the team in regular season assists with 185 helpers. Markus Vidicek scored at the 16:45 mark of the third period to tie the game up so we headed to overtime with the score 4-4. The extra frame solved nothing, leading to a shootout where Cataford scored the game winner. 

FINAL: Titan 4 at Mooseheads 5 SO
Stars: 3. Mathieu Cataford HAL | 2. Colby Huggan BAT | 1. Markus Vidicek HAL
Attendance: 5,606
MC's Top Herd: n/a

GAME LOG
First period
15:35 BAT Igor Mburanumwe (1) | A: Roelens & Pilgrim-Edwards

Second period
2:10 BAT Donovan Arsenault (7) | A: Huggan
13:53 BAT Colby Huggan (5) | A: Arsenault
16:40 BAT Joseph Henneberry (6) | A: Orr & Huggan

Third period
6:59 HAL Mathieu Cataford (7), PP | A: Dumais & Vidicek
9:41 HAL Jake Furlong (1) | A: Fournier & Dumais
12:36 HAL Jack Martin (1) | A: Levesque & Todd
16:45 HAL Markus Vidicek (9) | A: Levesque & MacKinnon

Overtime
None

Shootout 
Donovan Arsenault - Miss      Jordan Dumais - Miss
Colby Huggan - Miss             Markus Vidicek - Goal
Robert Orr - Goal                   Owen Phillips - Miss
Milo Roelens - Miss               Mathieu Cataford - Goal

Powerplay: BAT - 0-for-1; HAL - 1-for-2
Shots: 48-28 in favour of Halifax

Next game
Our Mooseheads are back at home on Friday night against the Rimouski Oceanic. Puck drops at 7 p.m.

RECAP: Dumais, Rousseau Lead Herd to Win

Photo - AMH Photography

Where to start? The Moose Country faithful were treated to a great game in what ended up being Jordan Dumais' return to Halifax on Friday night as he led the team to a 6-4 victory over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. Dumais was sent back to the Mooseheads this afternoon and did not take long to make the most of his first game of the season, scoring at the 10:48 mark of the opening period. The away team tied it up shortly after with a power play goal and the teams went to their locker rooms with the score 1-1 after twenty minutes. Both clubs traded goals early in the second period before Dumais put in another one. Halifax was lucky to be up 4-2 after 40 minutes as they were being outshot 38-13 at that point but Mathis Rousseau stood on his head and that strong play continued in the final frame as well. It was a tense final five minutes, however the crowd got into the match quite a bit when Dumais scored his third goal and even more after goaltender Mathis Rousseau put the puck into the empty net to seal the win for the Herd. 

FINAL: Huskies 4 at Mooseheads 6
Stars: 3. Mathis Rousseau HAL | 2. Jake Furlong HAL | 1. Jordan Dumais HAL
Attendance: 7,562
MC's Top Herd: Jordan Dumais

GAME LOG 
First period 
10:48 HAL Jordan Dumais (1) | A: Martin & Vidicek
12:55 ROU Louis-Philippe Fontaine (7), PP | A: None

Second period
0:32 HAL Markus Vidicek (3), PP | A: Dumais & Schultz
1:14 ROU Antonin Verreault (5) | A: Perron & Bourash
10:41 HAL Jordan Dumais (2) | A: Furlong & Cataford
13:13 HAL Reece Peitzsche (4), PP | Dumais & Furlong

Third period 
15:14 HAL Jordan Dumais (3), PP | A: Schultz & Vidicek 
16:01 ROU Jeremy Langlois (2) | A: Verreault & Gill
16:38 HAL Mathis Rousseau (1), EN | A: None
19:49 ROU Thomas Verdon (4) | A: Fillion & Perron

Powerplay: ROU - 1-for-5; HAL - 3-for-5
Shots: 42-18 in favour of Rouyn-Noranda

Next game
Halifax will welcome the Val-d'Or Foreurs on Saturday evening for t-shirt giveaway night. 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.

Remparts Champions in Halifax

Our Halifax Mooseheads made it a series but in the end, the Quebec Remparts got a last minute goal in Game 6 and hosted the Gilles Courteau Trophy on Scotiabank Centre ice Sunday evening. It was yet another back and forth game tonight. The two teams were pretty even in the first period and after 20 minutes, the score was 0-0. Rookie Jack Martin scored the opening goal for the home team, recording his first of the playoffs, at the 2:18 mark of the second period. A little over three minutes later, overager Alexandre Doucet extended the Mooseheads lead to 2-0. Quebec got a power play opportunity late in the middle frame and they took advantage of it, making it a 3-2 Halifax game after 40 minutes. The Remparts came out in the third strong and Zachary Bolduc tied it up at the 5:18 mark. It looked like we would be going to another overtime as much didn't happen for about 10 minutes. With 3:13 left to go in regulation though, Zachary L'Heureux sent most of the 10,595 fans at the arena into a frenzy when he scored as the Mooseheads retook the lead. But the cheering didn't last long, as Quebec tied it again a minute later. 20-year-old Pier-Olivier Roy broke the hearts of the home team when he made it 5-4 for the Remparts with 59 seconds remaining. Congratulations to Quebec on winning the championship. We had a great series to witness and unfortunately for us Moose fans, it just wasn't meant to be this year. 

FINAL: Remparts 5 at Mooseheads 4
Stars: 3. Zachary Bolduc QUE | 2. Jack Martin HAL | 1. Alexandre Doucet HAL
Attendance: 10,300

GAME LOG
First period 
No scoring

Second period 
2:18 HAL Jack Martin (1) | A: Vidicek
5:38 HAL Alexandre Doucet (14) | A: Dumais & Martin
11:14 QUE Evan Nause (5) | A: Robidas & Savoie
15:24 HAL Josh Lawrence (12) | A: Dumais & Doucet
16:44 QUE James Malatesta (14), PP | A: Rochette & Bolduc

Third period
5:18 QUE Zachary Bolduc (11) | A: Rochette & Komarov
16:47 HAL Zachary L'Heureux (11) | A: Dumais
17:52 QUE Kassim Gaudet (5) | A: None
19:01 QUE Pier-Olivier Roy (6) | A: Gaudet

Powerplay: QUE - 1-for-3; HAL - 0-for-1
Shots: 36-25 in favour for Quebec

DID NOT PLAY - David Moravec and Attilio Biasca out with injuries

UP NEXT: Pre-season in August, opponent to be determined 

Halifax off to Finals

Our Halifax Mooseheads are off to the QMJHL finals after a 1-0 victory against the Sherbrooke Phoenix on Sunday evening. Sherbrooke began the game on the right foot with the help of 4 power plays in the first period but Herd goaltender Mathis Rousseau stood his ground for the second straight game. The 18-year-old stopped 18 shots just in the opening frame and finished with 42 saves in a first star performance. Things were a little different in the second period with Josh Lawrence opening the scoring at the 4:47 mark and this ended up being the game winner. The Phoenix continued to push in the third period, even pulling their goalie with 2:23 remaining in the final frame. After pulling their veteran starter in Game 5, Sherbrooke chose to go with rookie Samuel St. Hilaire this evening in nets and despite the loss, he played well. Halifax won the semi-final series 4 games to 2, in which they won the last four matches. 

FINAL: Mooseheads 1 at Phoenix 0
Stars: 3. Samual St. Hilaire SHE | 2. Josh Lawrence HAL | 1. Mathis Rousseau HAL
Attendance: 4,005

GAME LOG
First period
No scoring

Second period

4:47 HAL Josh Lawrence (9) | A: Phillips & Cataford

Third period 

No scoring

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

Shots: 42-21 in favour of Sherbrooke

DID NOT PLAY - Jordan Dumais (injured) & Cam Whynot (illness)

Moose Dominate in Game 5

The Halifax Mooseheads started off shaky but calmed down in the second half of the game leading to a dominate 7-3 victory in Game 5 on Sunday afternoon over the Moncton Wildcats. Mathieu Cataford got the home team on the board first at the 3:19 mark of the opening frame. However, agitator Maxim Barbashev tied the game up a little more than 3 minutes later on what ended up being the lone power play of the game. The first period ended in a 2-2 tie but there was some sloppy play by both teams which continued in the second. Regular season leading scorer Jordan Dumais got a weak one past Jacob Steinman to give Halifax the lead with under 10 minutes to go in the middle frame. The Mooseheads didn't look back after that as the club scored two more times in the final minute of the second to make the score 5-2. Moncton closed the gap to two goals at the 7:58 mark and pulled their goaltender late in the third but the Wildcats couldn't get any closer. The victory gave the Mooseheads a 4-1 series win in Round 2. 

FINAL: Wildcats 3 at Mooseheads 7
Stars: 3. Dylan MacKinnon HAL | 2. Evan Boucher HAL | 1. Jordan Dumais HAL
Attendace: 8,667

GAME LOG
First period
3:19 HAL Mathieu Cataford (2) | A: Boucher
6:34 MON Maxim Barbashev (4), PP | A: Beaudoin & Morin
14:46 MON Trent Ballentyne (2) | A: Sampson
18:32 HAL Attilio Biasca (3) | A: Dumais & Martin

Second period
10:06 HAL Jordan Dumais (3) | A: Vidicek & Schultz
19:12 HAL Zachary L'Heureux (6) | A: Furlong & Schultz
19:40 HAL Evan Boucher (3) | A: Dumais & MacKinnon

Third period

7:58 MON Gabe Smith (1) | A: Auger & Hamel

18:13 HAL Josh Lawrence (6), EN | A: L'Heureux & Cataford

19:01 HAL Jordan Dumais (4), EN | A: L'Heureux

Powerplay: MON - 1-for-1; HAL - 0-for-0

Shots: 37-20 in favour of Halifax

DID NOT PLAY - David Moravec (illness)

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.