STATS SUNDAY: September

Games played: 4
Record: 1-3-0-0, 2pts
Goals for/against: 8/13
Powerplay: 11.1%
Penalty kill: 93.3%
Shutouts: none

Top 5 leading scorers
Points: Raphael Lavoie 3, Zack Jones 2, Senna Peeters 2, Jeffrey Burridge 2, Marcell Barinka 2
Goals: Zack Jones 2, Senna Peeters 2, Jeffrey Burridge 1, Raphael Lavoie 1, Marcel Barinka 1
Assists: Raphael Lavoie 2, Jason Horvath 2, Justin Barron 2, Maxim Trepanier 2, Jeffrey Burridge 1
Penalty minutes: Walter Flower 8, Jason Horvath 8, Justin Barron 4, Patrick Kyte 4, Cameron Whynot 4
Plus/minus: Lucas Robinson +1, Cole Foston E, Jeffrey Burridge E, Walter Flower E, Said Abi-Faycal -1
Rookie scoring: Zack Jones 2, Senna Peeters 2, Jeffrey Burridge 2, Said Abi-Faycal 1, Sonny Kabatay 1

Goaltending stats
Cole McLaren: 1-1-0-0    3.25 GAA     0.947 SAV%
Alexis Gravel: 0-2-0-0    5.82 GAA     0.789 SAV%

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.

Sep 20: Sea Dogs vs. Mooseheads preview

SAINT JOHN SEA DOGS VS HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS

Puck drops at 7:00pm

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

TD Station (6,308) ~ Saint John, NB

Welcome to the 2019-20 regular season! It will begin for our Halifax Mooseheads travelling to New Brunswick to take on the Saint John Sea Dogs at the newly named TD Station. After the third shortest summer in franchise history, the Herd made a bit of noise during training camp to figure out their roster. Gone are 3 of the club's top five leading scorers from last year as well as Xavier Parent and top defenceman Jocktan Chainey but that gives way to a new top line and an all-European second line. With Benoit-Olivier Groulx still away at Anaheim Ducks camp, these two groups will be messed up for this weekend at least. The Sea Dogs will most likely have another hard year but with their core a year older they should make games difficult for other teams all season. Saint John will have a special pre-game ceremony tonight as they are 'opening' their newly named arena with TD bank buying the naming rights of Harbour Station over the summer.

This is the first game of the season between these two teams. Last season, Halifax was 8-0-0-0 against the Sea Dogs while Saint John had a 0-6-1-1 record versus the Mooseheads. The last match-up between these two teams was on March 15 with Halifax winning 5-4 on home ice in a shootout.

Overall records
Mooseheads: 0-0-0-0 = 0pts (T1st in Maritimes division, T1st overall)
Sea Dogs: 0-0-0-0 = 0pts (T1st in Maritimes division, T1st overall)

Leading scorers
SNB: n/a
HAL: n/a

Out of Town
Titan vs. Eagles   7:00pm
Islanders vs. Wildcats   7:30pm
Foreurs vs. Armada   8:00pm
Tigres vs. Remparts   8:00pm
Phoenix vs. Saguenéens   8:00pm
Drakkar vs. Oceanic   8:30pm
Voltigeurs vs. Olympiques   8:30pm

After the Buzzer
The Mooseheads will travel to the island to take on the Charlottetown Islanders tomorrow night. Puck drops at 7pm.

CHL Announces Pre-season Top 10

With the real games beginning tomorrow night, the Canadian Hockey League released it's pre-season top 10 rankings on Wednesday. Surprisingly, the Memorial Cup champion Rouyn-Noranda Huskies did not make the list. Will be interesting to see how often we'll see our Mooseheads ranked this season.

Top 10 Rankings - pre-season
1. London Knights
2. Chicoutimi Saguenéens
3. Saskatoon Blades
4. Ottawa 67's
5. Kamloops Blazers
6. Halifax Mooseheads
7. Saginaw Spirit
8. Edmonton Oil Kings
9. Sherbrooke Phoenix
10. Vancouver Giants

Honourable mentions- Peterborough Petes, Moncton Wildcats, Calgary Hitmen

Around the CHL ~ volume #1 preview edition #8

The Canadian Hockey League regular season begins in two days so to get you ready I thought I would recap how last season went. Check back all year long for more stories about the CHL and your Mooseheads. 

here are last year's leaders:
Division champions 2018-19
WHL - Prince Albert Raiders (East) 68 games played, 54-10-2-2 record, 112 points, 307 goals for/112 goals against; Vancouver Giants (B.C.) 68 games played, 48-15-3-2 record, 101 points, 228 goals for/162 goals against; Everett Silvertips (U.S.) 68 games played, 47-18-2-3 record, 99 points, 223 goals for/130 goals against; Edmonton Oil Kings (Central) 68 games played, 42-18-4-4 record, 92 points, 259 goals for/198 goals against
OHL - Ottawa 67's (East) 68 games played, 50-2-4-2 record, 106 points, 296 goals for/183 goals against; London Knights (Midwest) 68 games played, 46-15-6-1 record, 99 points, 299 goals for/211 goals against; Saginaw Spirit (West) 68 games played, 45-17-3-3 record, 96 points, 294 goals for/218 goals against; Niagara IceDogs (Central) 68 games played, 44-17-7-0 record, 95 points, 326 goals for/209 goals against
QMJHL - Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (West) 68 games played, 59-8-0-1 record, 119 points, 320 goals for/138 goals against; Drummondville Voltiguers (Central) 68 games, 52-13-2-1 record, 107 points, 338 goals for/173 goals against; Halifax Mooseheads (Maritimes) 68 games played, 49-15-2-2 record, 102 points, 300 goals for/164 goals against; Baie-Comeau Drakkar (East) 68 games played, 49-15-2-2 record, 102 points, 306 goals for/189 goals against

League championships 2019
President's Cup - Rouyn-Noranda Huskies vs. Halifax Mooseheads  (Huskies won series 4 games to 2 games)
J. Ross Robertson Cup - Ottawa 67's vs. Guelph Storm (Storm won series 4 games to 2 games)
Ed Chynoweth Cup - Prince Albert Raiders vs. Vancouver Giants (Raiders won series 4 games to 3 games)

Memorial Cup 2019
Teams - Guelph (OHL champion), Halifax (hosts), Prince Albert (WHL champion), Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL champion)

Final May 26, 2019 Halifax vs. Rouyn-Noranda 4-2

ROUYN-NORANDA HUSKIES WIN 2019 MEMORIAL CUP!!!


Team changes
The Kootenay Ice of the Western Hockey League were relocated to Manitoba and named the Winnipeg Ice. The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles were renamed the Cape Breton Eagles. 

Rouyn-Noranda will look to repeat as Memorial Cup champions. This year the Memorial Cup will be held in Kelowna, home of the Kelowna Rockets who will be in the tournament no matter what. Prospects will look to continue impressing scouts as some will be eligible to be invited to World Junior camps in early December, which might include a few Halifax Mooseheads. The 2020 Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects game will be hosted by the Hamilton Bulldogs on January 16.

#Our18: Halifax Mooseheads

The QMJHL has been doing some previews of each of their 18 clubs this month and today was finally our Halifax Mooseheads turn. The biggest headline for this year's team is that they are now out of the spotlight of being Memorial Cup hosts but should still be competitive and they have a new head coach.

From QMJHL.ca

The Halifax Mooseheads captivated the national junior hockey stage last spring. After coming within two games of a President Cup title and two periods of a Memorial Cup championship, the current edition of the club should remain competitive while taking the first steps towards reaching those lofty heights once again.

Last year saw the Moose capture the Eastern Conference crown on the final day of the regular season thanks to a 49-win, 102-point campaign. Though a veteran-laden squad, no less than a dozen players from that roster will make their way back to Halifax to start the year.

Up front, this includes Anaheim Ducks prospect and former first-overall QMJHL selection Benoit-Olivier Groulx. He’ll be joined by 2019 Edmonton Oilers draftee Raphael Lavoie and overager Maxim Trepanier. 2018 QMJHL first rounder Samuel Dube will embark on his first full season in the “Q” while Belgian Senna Peeters makes his debut after being selected in the 2019 CHL Import Draft.

On the back end, four players from last year’s squad will be in the lineup. Detroit Red Wings prospect Jared McIsaac, still recovering from off-season shoulder surgery, will likely miss much of the first half of the season. On opening night, 2020 NHL Draft prospect Justin Barron and 20-year-olds Walter Flower and Patrick Kyte should be ready to go. Joining them will be Jason Horvath, acquired from the Shawinigan Cataractes during training camp, as well as Cameron Whynot, picked up from Sherbrooke in the off-season after being drafted 9^thoverall by the Phoenix at the 2019 QMJHL Draft. Between the pipes, the tandem of Alexis Gravel and Cole McLaren is back to hold down the fort for a second consecutive year after allowing just 164 regular season goals in 2018-19. 

Overseeing all of this is a new head coach, the franchise’s fifth in as many years. Former NHL defenseman and QMJHL Hall of Famer Jean-Jacques Daigneault will be tasked with guiding this transitioning Mooseheads squad.

Although the spotlight will not shine quite as bright on the Mooseheads this season, make no mistake; this year’s edition should be more than capable of holding its own against the rest of the league.

2018-2019 Mooseheads Stats:
Team Record               49-15-2-2 - 102 points
Division Ranking        1st Maritimes
Conference Ranking   1st Eastern
League Ranking          3rd
Home Record              25-5-2-2
Away Record               24-10-0-0
GF                               300
GA                              164
PP (Overall)                (69/246) 28.0%
PK (Overall)               (39/270) 85.6%
Leading Rookie (Pts)  Barinka (7-11-18)
Leading Scorers (Pts)  Asselin (48-38-86)
                                     Groulx (31-49-80)
                                     Durandeau (38-35-73)
                                     Lavoie (32-41-73)
                                     Morand (22-48-70)
2019 Playoffs              *Lost in final (2-4 vs. ROU)



Forward Benoit-Olivier Groulx, rookie defenceman Cameron Whynot and head coach Jean-Jacques Daigneault preview the upcoming season.

Top 5 Plays of 2018-2019