QMJHL Charlottetown Islanders

Charlottetown Comes Home After Four-Game Road Trip for a Back-To-Back Weekend Set

Published on October 13, 2023 under Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Charlottetown Islanders News Release


The Isles return home after a four game road trip tonight as they take on the 4-1-1-1 Drummondville Voltigeurs and the 5-2-1-0 Moncton Wildcats.

Charlottetown is coming off of a 5-1 win in Rimouski off the back of Michael Horth and his league leading ninth and tenth goals. They will look to bring the win streak to three games by the end of the weekend.

The Voltigeurs are coming off of an 11-1 win over the Wildcats Thursday night. That is both of the teams' last game before taking on the Isles.

This will be Charlottetown's first meeting with Drummondville, but the second time facing the Wildcats as they lost 6-2 in a closer game than the score would tell on Sept. 30.

Aksels Ozols will start against the Voltigeurs while it's still undecided who will be starting vs. the Wildcats. Ozols is coming off of a 6-3 loss to Chicoutimi, allowing five goals on 35 shots.

The Islanders have called up Robbie Rutledge from the Summerside Western Capitals as a result of Lucas Romeo receiving a one-game suspension for spearing. Rutledge has been elite in the MHL this season, posting nine goals and 16 points in just seven games.

Lane Hinkley, Sam Bowness, Simon Hughes and Jarett Todd are all out with week-to-week injuries.

Keys to victory(ies)

It may seem simple, but the Isles need to just shoot the puck. In their losses on the road trip, they didn't surpass 20 shots. Rolling into Rimouski, that changed. They buried five goals on 29 shots.

It's also crucial they hit the ice flying. It's best to jump on Drummondville early. With them coming off of an 11-1 win, they're going to want all of the offense they can get as soon as they can get it.

Players to watch

DRU - Former Charlottetown Islander, Peter Repcik, will play his first game at the Eastlink Centre since being traded to the Voltigeurs. Repcik wasted no time getting on the scoreboard early in this season as he has ten points in eight games to start the year. He's coming off of a three-point-performance against the Wildcats and he will surely have motivation to put the puck in the back of his former team's net.

Another former Islander, Drew Elliott, is looking for his first goal of this campaign. He has just one assist in six games so far this year. He'll be looking to get the monkey off of his back. The 20 year old is coming off of a 13 point season. This is his second season in Drummondville.

MON - The Isles will get their second look at the 2023 QMJHL first overall pick, Caleb Desnoyers. Though his first career goal came against Charlottetown in their first meeting, he's gone cold lately with just one point in his last four games. He will be looking to bounce back.

Moncton's captain, Yoan Loshing, is second on the QMJHL scoring list with six goals, six assists for 12 points in eight games. Entering his second-to-last season in the league, Loshing is on pace to shatter his points record of 63 points in 57 games.

CHA - This will be a big test for Rutledge as he will try to prove his talent in the MHL will transfer over to the Q. Rutledge had just five points in 29 games with the Islanders last year before being sent back to the OJHL's Trenton Golden Hawks, where he would put up 13 points in just as many games.

Cole Huckins is due. Coming off of a 28-goal season last year for Sherbrooke, he's bound to start scoring. Huckins thought he had his first goal of the season in Rimouski, but the goal was called back due to goaltender interference. He will be very well motivated to restore that goal on his scoresheet. Huckins has one assist in eight games so far.

Puck drop against Drummondville on Friday is at 7:30 p.m. and at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, taking on the Wildcats.

Fans can tune into both games at MAX 93.1FM.

Check out the Charlottetown Islanders Statistics

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Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from October 13, 2023


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