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QMJHL Charlottetown Islanders

Big Impact from New Islanders Leads to Victory over Mooseheads

December 28, 2018 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Charlottetown Islanders News Release


It didn't take long for Noah Laaouan to ingratiate himself to the Charlottetown Islanders crowd.

The 17 year-old scored his first goal as a Charlottetown Islander in the third period, Thomas Casey potted a goal and 2 assists, and the Isles exacted a measure of revenge on the Halifax Mooseheads, defeating them 5-2 in front of a raucous hometown crowd.

"I was really excited to just get out there." said Laaouan on his play. "There were a couple of nerves at the beginning of the game, but once I settled in it was good. The team had a really good first period and that certainly helped."

Laaouan, acquired from the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles for Derek Gentile, was paired alongside Lukas Cormier from the start of the game, a pairing that gave the Islanders fans a glimpse in to the future.

"Obviously he's a really good player, he has a lot of skills, and when you're on the ice with him he makes playing the game a lot easier." said Laaouan on his new defense partner. "I look forward to hopefully playing with him some more."

The scoring kicked off for the Islanders in the first period thanks to a beautiful effort by Thomas Casey, slicing through the Mooseheads defenders before sliding a pass to Nikita Alexandrov who made no mistake for his 15th of the season.

Casey was far from done in this game. In the 2nd period, he'd intercept a pass in the offensive zone and slide it to Drew Johnston, and the rookie would bury his second of the season with a snapper that beat Alexis Gravel high.

Daniel Hardie would extend the lead to 3-0 off a beautiful feed from another new face in the lineup. Jordan Maher, acquired as part of the Keith Getson trade, made an impact immediately, despite arriving on PEI just hours before game time.

"It's a bit of a weird situation, playing against your old team in your first game, but it's good to get the win." said Maher on the final result.

Displaying his prowess both offensively and defensively, Maher said it's something that Islanders fans can expect from him going forward.

"They can expect me to be a good two-way player." said Maher. "I'm just going to do whatever the coaches need me to do to help get the win."

The Mooseheads would score twice on the powerplay before the end of the second, but that's as close as they would come. Laaouan would add the fourth goal and Casey would pot the empty-netter, sending the Isles home with a victory.

It was an emotionally charged night from the get-go, with a touching tribute to Keith Getson in his final game at the Eastlink Centre this year. The newest Moosehead wasted little time getting the first real chance of the game, earning a penalty shot early in the first, only to be stonewalled by close friend Matthew Welsh.

Welsh was big throughout this game, making 49 saves in the victory. Alexis Gravel stopped 26 shots in defeat.

The Isles are back on the ice tomorrow to take on the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at 7:00pm from the Eastlink Centre. It's Cyber Saturday; use promo code 2003 at https://boxoffice.eastlinkcentrepei.com to pay the price of a PEI Rocket ticket from their inaugural season. Tickets can also be purchased by phone at 902-629-6625, or at the Eastlink Centre box office.

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Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from December 28, 2018


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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