Jan 16: Top prospects game

On Wednesday, the home arena of your Halifax Mooseheads will host the 18th annual CHL/NHL Top Prospects game at 8pm Atlantic time. The game will pit the top 40 Canadian Hockey League players that are draft eligible in 2013 playing for either Team Orr or Team Cherry. The game will feature a couple of Nova Scotians, including Mooseheads star forward Nathan MacKinnon and Team Orr coach Mike McPhee of Sydney. Three Moosehead players will be playing all on the same team under the coaching eye of Don Cherry. NHL teams will all have scouts at the game to see these exciting draft eligible players, about 200 personnel were already slated to be in attendence by Monday. 20 scouts were at the game on Friday vs. Blainville to see the return of Nate and Joe.

Here are the rosters:
Team Orr (white)
Coached by - Mike McPhee, assisted by Doug MacLean and Dominique Duchrame
Captained by - Seth Jones, alternates Sean Monahan and Hunter Shinkaruk

Forwards: Justin Bailey (Kitchener Rangers), Oliver Bjorkstrand (Portland Winterhawks), Max Domi (London Knights), Anthony Duclair (Quebec Remparts), Adam Erne (Quebec Remparts), Bo Horvat (London Knights), Curtis Lazar (Edmonton Oil Kings), Sean Monahan (Ottawa 67's), Nicolas Petan (Portland Winterhawks), Kerby Rychel (Windsor Spitfires), Hunter Shinkaruk (Medicine Hat Tigers) and Nick Sorensen (Quebec Remparts)

Defencemen: Chris Bigras (Owen Sound Attack), Madison Bowey (Kelowna Rockets), Seth Jones (Portland Winterhawks), Jan Kostalek (Rimouski Oceanic), Shea Theodore (Seattle Thunderbirds) and Nikita Zadorov (London Knights)

Goaltenders: Philippe Desrosiers (Rimouski Oceanic) and Spencer Martin (Mississauga Steelheads)

Team Cherry (red)
Coached by - Don Cherry, assisted by Nick Kypreos, Brian Kilrea and Bert O'Brian
Captained by - Nathan MacKinnon, alternates Jonathan Drouin and Darnell Nurse

Forwards: Cole Cassels (Oshawa Generals), Jason Dickinson (Guelph Storm), Jonathan Drouin (Halifax Mooseheads), Frederik Gauthier (Rimouski Oceanic), Stephen Harper (Erie Otters), Ryan Hartman (Plymouth Whalers), Morgan Klimchuk (Regina Pats), Ryan Kujawinski (Kingston Frontenacs), Nathan MacKinnon (Halifax Mooseheads), Anthony Mantha (Val-d'Or Foreurs), Zach Nastasiuk (Owen Sound Attack) and Valentin Zykov (Baie-Comeau Drakkar)

Defencemen: Samuel Morin (Rimouski Oceanic), Josh Morrissey (Prince Albert Raiders), Mirco Mueller (Everett Silvertips), Darnell Nurse (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds), Eric Roy (Brandon Wheat Kings) and Jordan Subban (Belleville Bulls)

Goaltenders: Zachary Fucale (Halifax Mooseheads) and Tristan Jarry (Edmonton Oil Kings)

Shutouts still evading #1 ranked CHL team

It was a battle of a couple of the top teams in the Q tonight. The home team jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the first period. There was no scoring in the second period. The Moose thought they had scored a fourth goal (and it definitely went in) but the refs said no goal, however the home players stopped playing and the Armada skated down to our end and scored. The goal was reviewed and was still counted as no goal so Blainville's goal stood. The visiting team also had a goal reviewed but it also stood. Despite the best overall record in the league, the red, green and gold still have not been able to record a shutout this season.

Notes: Matt Murphy and Steve MacAulay played for the first time in front of the home fans... Ciampini recorded his 100th career point with a goal in the first period... Only the second time the Herd have been outshot at home this season...

50/50
Congratulations to Jennifer of Shubenacadie who got $14,004 winning tonight's 50/50

Three stars:
3. Lewis (HAL)
2. Roy (BLB)
1. Boudreau (HAL)

Lewis also received Dickies hardest working player of the game.

Attendance: 9,628

Cam Russell presented MacKinnon, Drouin, Frk and Xavier Ouellet with special plaques after representing their countries at the World Juniors with all four boys getting standing ovations.


Score
Armada 2 at Mooseheads 4

UP NEXT: versus PEI tomorrow night at the Metro Centre

Jan 11: Blainville-Boisbriand vs. Mooseheads game preview

Blainville-Boisbriand make their only visit to Moose Country during this campaign. This is also the first game that Halifax will play this second year team this season. This game will feature the top six players in the plus/minus standings. Samuel Carrier (+31) of Blainville leads the QMJHL in this category followed by Mooseheads Ciampini (+30), MacKinnon (+28), Weegar (+28), and Ashley who is tied for 5th with Armada's Tommy Giroux at +27. The line of Ashley, Ciampini and Boudreau will look to continue their hot streak of 2013. The trio has combined for 15 points in the first four games of the new year.
After losing two in a row for the first time this season last weekend, the Mooseheads came back and beat Acadie-Bathurst on Wednesday night on the road, and are now 8-1-1-0 in their last 10 games overall while Blainville is 3-6-0-1 in their last 10. The Herd's home win streak was snapped with an overtime loss a week ago and are now 18-1-1-0 at the Metro Centre this season. This will mark the return of 6 players from Ufa, with Xavier Ouellet (CAN), Nikita Jerpavlos (LAT), and Christian Marti (SUI) returning to the Armada and MacKinnon, Drouin and Frk finally returning to the home team.

Overall record:
BLB: 24-12-1-4 = 53 points (T-1st in Telus West Division, T-3rd overall)
HFX: 34-4-2-1 = 69 points (1st in Maritimes Division, 1st overall)

Top Scorers:
ARMADA: #18 Cedric Paquette (16G, 34A, 50 PTS), #57 Christopher Clapperton (20G, 27A, 47 PTS), #28 Tommy Giroux (23G, 23A, 46 PTS)
HALIFAX: #22 Nathan MacKinnon (22G, 30A, 52 PTS), #27 Jonathan Drouin (19G, 29A, 48 PTS), #48 Luca Ciampini (14G, 32A, 46 PTS)

link to preview on the website: http://www.halifaxmooseheads.ca/article/game-preview-moose-vs-armada-tonight-at-7

Mooseheads make moves at trade deadline

After losing on Friday to Saint John in overtime, Halifax and the Sea Dogs made a trade with each other on Saturday afternoon. The Mooseheads received overager Stephen MacAulay, while Saint John received Halifax's 4th round pick in 2013 and their 2nd round pick in 2014. Monday evening the Moose also traded for defenceman Matt Murphy who played the first half with the Val-d'Or Foreurs. They also received a 2nd round pick in 2014 from the Quebec team which was originally Sherbrooke's pick. The Foreurs received defenceman Randy Gazzola, a 1st round pick in 2014 and 2015. Murphy was selected 5th overall in the 2011 Q draft behind now fellow teammates Nathan and Jonathan.

The team also announced on Wednesday that they have released goalie Anthony Terenzio and defenceman Steve Gillard from the team. Terenzio announced that he will be joining the Whitecourt Wolverines of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. Gillard however will be staying in Nova Scotia to play with the Woodstock Slammers of the Maritime Junior A Hockey League. Steve should make his debut on Friday when the Slammers take on Dieppe.

Look back on Friday for the game preview and the review when Halifax will take on Blainville-Broisbraind and Moose Country will welcome home MacKinnon, Drouin and Frk.

GO MOOSE GO
Ranked #1 in the country (9th week in a row)

Teddy Bear toss-ed

Your Halifax Mooseheads had their home winning streak finished Friday night in overtime to the Saint John Sea Dogs. Tonight's game was the annual Teddy Bear toss, with all teddies going to the Ronald McDonald House. Lindsay was the Moose to score the Teddy toss goal 13 minutes into the second. Saint John tied the game at two with less than a minute left in the third period to force overtime. Very little penalties were called during the game. Despite the low score and losing, the red, white and gold outshot the Dogs by almost double, with shots ending 45-24.

Notes: Brian Lovell recorded his first career Q point with an assist on the first goal... This was the Mooseheads 1300th regular season game of all time... Halifax's home winning streak ended at 18 games...

50/50
Congratulations to someone from Saint John who got $10,702 winning tonight's 50/50

Three stars:
3. Fournier (HAL)
2. Izacky (SNB)
1. Auger (SNB)

Attendence: 8,452

Mooseheads president presented a member of the Atlantic Breast Cancer Foundation a cheque for the money raised October 19th Pink in the Rink game.


Score
Sea Dogs 3 at Mooseheads 2 OT

UP NEXT: versus PEI on Sunday at the Charlottetown Civic Centre

Penalties hurt Moncton but not Halifax

The Halifax Mooseheads started the 2013 part of their season playing the 7th overall Moncton Wildcats and won handily so. Though through the first 30 minutes it seemed like the refs were blind/putting their whistles away, the second half was rattled with penalties many of which game from two fights. Ryan received a penalty shot but was unable to make it a 2-0 game for the home team, who were losing 2-1 after 20 minutes. Moncton's Narbonne was booted out of the game after he banged his stick on the glass while in the penalty box after the home crowd went wild when Fournier scored on the powerplay. After being down 3-1 early in the second the red, white and green finally lead after a Brendan Duke goal which was the third goal in less then 6 minutes for the Mooseheads. Duke was kicked out however in the third period for instigating a fight with Yannick Veilleux, while the Moncton player also got thrown out for fighting and kicking at Duke. The second fight started when Ciampini fell on top of goalie Alex Dubeau late in the third with a Moncton player pulling Luca off the goalie. Everybody on the ice got in it; Dubeau, Ciampini and Racine (I think) were fighting on the ice which resulted in the Wildcat goalie getting booted and will now serve an automatic suspension. 

Notes: Alcalde was not in the line up because of a one game automatic suspension for an incident during Saturday's game... After being out for 11 games and scoring 3 points tonight, Konrad Abeltshauser is now second all time in points by a Mooseheads defenceman... Beachemin now has 11 points on an 8 game point streak...

50/50
Congratulations to Tony of Eastern Passage who got $7,009 winning tonight's 50/50

Three stars:
3. Ryan (HAL)
2. Ashley (HAL)
1. Duke (HAL)

Ashley also received Dickies hardest working player of the game

Attendence: 6,972

Marty Frk and the Czech Republic will play for 5th place in the World Juniors tomorrow while Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin will play for the bronze medal on Saturday.  


Score
Wildcats 3 at Mooseheads 7

UP NEXT: versus Saint John tomorrow night at the Metro Centre

Jan 3: Moncton vs. Mooseheads game preview

Tonight, the Mooseheads are playing their first game of 2013 against the Moncton Wildcats. These two teams have met three times already this season with the Moose winning two of the contests. The latest contest turned out to be a 8-6 win for the red, green and gold on December 15 in Moncton where Matt Boudreau scored a hat trick and Wildcats' Christophe Lalonde got four of Moncton's goals. The only loss for Halifax in this series came in Moncton with the Cats winning 3-0 on the last Sunday afternoon of November.
The Mooseheads are riding a 7 game winning streak and are 9-0-1-0 in their last 10 games overall, while Moncton is 5-4-1-0 in their last 10 and are 9-10-0-0 on the road this season. Halifax still has not lost at home since the opener and is now 17-1-0-0 at the Metro Centre this season with 14 more home games to go after tonight. MacKinnon, Drouin and Frk will not be in the lineup as they are still playing in the World Juniors in Ufa.

Overall record:
MON: 23-14-1-0 = 47 points (2nd in Maritimes Division, 7th overall)
HAL: 31-3-1-1 = 64 points (1st in Maritimes Division, 1st overall)

Top Scorers:
WILDCATS: #19 Allain Saulnier (18G, 34A, 52 PTS), #26 Dmitri Jaskin (23G, 27A, 50 PTS), #21 Alex Saulnier (18G, 29A, 47 PTS)
HALIFAX: #22 Nathan MacKinnon (22G, 30A, 52 PTS), #27 Jonathan Drouin (19G, 29A, 48 PTS), #57 Matthew Boudreau (27G, 13A, 40 PTS)