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Cape Breton Eagles

Screaming Eagles Clipped in Overtime Thriller in Halifax

January 22, 2018 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Cape Breton Eagles News Release


All of the scoring in the opening period was contained in a span of two minutes and five seconds. After an evenly played opening five minutes, the Mooseheads would develop some sustained pressure and it would result in Otto Somppi banging in a rebound past Kevin Mandolese for the game's opening goal at the 8:15 mark.

Then special teams would become the story of the game. Less than a minute later, the Eagles equalized the contest on a point shot from Leon Gawanke from the blueline, on the first power play of the game for either side. Not long after the goal Cape Breton's Jordan Ty Fournier was sent off for four minutes for high sticking, and Halifax would score in the first minute of the power play on a shot from Jake Ryczek. The second half of the double minor wouldn't yield any goals for the Mooseheads, as it was cut short when Connor Moynihan took a double minor of his own.

There would be no further scoring in the first period, but there would be more activity on the scoresheet in the form of fisticuffs. Cape Breton's Sacha Roy and Halifax's Benoit-Olivier Groulx were shown the penalty box after a fight in the final two minutes of the period that saw Roy land most of the blows.

Halifax would push the lead to 3-1 on a nice individual effort from Raphaël Lavoie at the 6:36 mark of the middle frame. However the Screaming Eagles would fight back to tie the game. The second goal from the Eagles would come from Ian Smallwood, his first as an Eagle, when the defenseman skated up the right wing, and using Olivier Bourret as a decoy, flipped a shot over Blade Mann-Dixon.

The tying goal would come on the power play. Declan Smith would cut in from the side boards for a perfectly timed tip on a Mathias Laferrière shot. Earlier in the day, Smith was named as the second Screaming Eagles alternate captain for the second half of the 2017-18 season.

In addition to the scrap at the end of the first period, tempers would periodically flare throughout the night between the two long time rivals. One such incident bordered on unusual, beginning with a hit to the head by Jocktan Chainey of Halifax. Predictably a scrum ensued, improbably involving Mandolese. The Eagles goaltender and the Mooseheads defenseman were both given two minute minors, but no one scored in the ensuing four on four. The home team would be given a key power play opportunity with under six minutes to play in regulation. Cape Breton's penalty kill rose to the occasion in the early going, not just denying Halifax entry but earning a short handed go ahead goal. Tyler Hylland came up the wing, and threw a pass through two defenders to Fournier who would deke around Mann-Dixon to put his side. With the pressure now really on to produce on the power play, the Mooseheads would do just that as Somppi would corral another rebound to knot the game at four. The Finnish forward would then get in his own penalty trouble, but the Eagles couldn't convert on the late power play and the game headed for extra time.

Cape Breton would begin the extra period on the power play, on yet another four minute penalty for high sticking, this time to Benoit-Olivier Groulx. It would not be an uninterrupted four minutes as Jared McIssac would draw a tripping penalty on Laferrière to set the teams back to three on three. After the Groulx penalty elapsed there was one minute remaining in overtime with the score still tied at 4. Incredibly there was still one more twist, and one key power play remaining. Hylland would called for holding and the Mooseheads would have 36 seconds to work with the power play. It took just 15 seconds for Chainey to blast a shot from the top of the circle and send the home crowd happy.

Mann-Dixon stopped 30 of 34 shots in the win. Mandolese turned aside 36 of 41 shots in the loss. It was Mandolese's first appearance in goal for the Screaming Eagles since January 6th, when he left Cape Breton's game against Rimouski with an upper body injury.

THREE STARS OF THE GAME 1. Otto Somppi (Halifax) 2 goals, 2 assists, 6 shots 2. Mathias Laferrière (Cape Breton) 2 assists, +1 3. Jocktan Chainey (Halifax) Game winning goal, 1 assist.

Scratches For Cape Breton: Kyle McGrath, Gabriel Proulx, Ross MacDougall (lower body injury). Scratches For Halifax: Joel Bishop (upper body injury), Ryan Barbosa, Justin Barron.

Final Shots On Goal: 41-34 in favour of Halifax.

Cape Breton Power Play: 2/7.

Halifax Power Play: 3/5.

Check out the Cape Breton Eagles Statistics

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Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from January 22, 2018


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