QMJHL Charlottetown Islanders

Casey's Late Goal the Difference as Isles Defeat Titan

Published on October 31, 2020 under Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Charlottetown Islanders News Release


The Charlottetown Islanders now sit atop the QMJHL standings.

In a much-anticipated matchup with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, the Islanders emerged victorious by a score of 4-2 thanks to solid goaltending and opportunistic scoring from Thomas Casey late in the third period.

The Islanders came ready to play in this game, firing shot after shot on Titan starter Christian Sbaraglia to start the first period, with nothing coming the other way from the Titan. Bathurst wouldn't record their first shot of the game until the final three minutes of the first period. Fortunately for the Titan, Sbaraglia came up big in that first period, stopping everything that was fired his way.

That trend didn't keep up in the second period thanks to Cedric Desruisseaux. Arguably the hottest player in the league, the 20-year-old would once again go to work on the powerplay and make no mistake. He'd receive a perfect pass from Oscar Plandowski and unload a one-time shot that blows past Christian Sbaraglia for his league-leading 11th goal on the year. The tally extends Desruisseaux's consecutive goal streak to eight games.

A turning point in the game came midway through the period when Titan forward Mathieu Desgagnes, threw a dangerous hit from behind on Plandowski. The play rightfully earned Desgagnes, the QMJHL's leading scorer, a game misconduct and a huge blow to Bathurst's attack.

The Islanders would take advantage of that not long after and extend their lead. On a 4-on-4 scenario, Lukas Cormier would receive a great pass from Justin Gill and uncork a wrist shot from the point that beat Sbaraglia cleanly. The goal gave Cormier his fourth goal on the year and extended the lead to 2-0.

That lead wouldn't last long as the Titan would capitalize on a rare powerplay gaff from the Islanders. Liam Kidney would eventually find a pinching Marc-Andre Gaudet in the slot and he'd beat Colten Ellis cleanly for his first career QMJHL goal, bringing the score to 2-1 before the end of the period.

Bathurst would complete the comeback early in the third period. Cole Huckins found a loose puck amidst a flurry of action in and around Ellis after some great sustained pressure by the Titan and make no mistake, burying the puck for his sixth goal on the season, tying the game up.

The two teams would prove why they're the top two in the QMJHL throughout the third, generating great opportunites in both directions. Eventually, a late high-sticking penalty issued to Bennett MacArthur was the difference. Off the ensuing faceoff, Thomas Casey rushed into the scrum and emerged with a puck. The Charlottetown native fired a quick wrist shot low that caught Sbaraglia by surprise and got past him.

Casey's goal was his eighth of the season, extended his season-long point streak to the first nine games of the season, and served as the game winner. Brett Budgell would put the game on ice with a late empty netter and secure the Islanders a tie for first overall in the QMJHL with the Titan.

Ellis would make 23 saves for his sixth straight victory to start the season, the longest such streak by an Islanders netminder in franchise history. Noah Laaouan would finish with two assists while Cormier also finished with a goal and a helper. Gill, Plandowski, and Zac Beauregard each picked up single assists.

"We showed good resolve today by sticking to our game plan for a full 60 minutes," said Islanders head coach and GM Jim Hulton on the victory. "We played solid and smart in all areas of the ice. It was a good way to wrap up a successful weekend."

The Islanders will have another full week of practice ahead of them before another pair of back-to-back games next weekend, starting Friday night in Halifax against the Mooseheads. You can watch that game live at Boston Pizza or the Factory Downtown, or listen along on Fair Isle Ford Isles Radio on YouTube!

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Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from October 31, 2020


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