Eagles Fend off Mooseheads Comeback Attempt
December 30, 2022 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Halifax Mooseheads News Release
The Mooseheads rallied from a pair of two-goal deficits in Cape Breton on Friday night only to come out on the wrong end of a 6-5 overtime final score at Centre 200. Samuel Johnson of the Eagles completed a hat trick when he scored with 8.6 seconds remaining in the extra period to give the home squad a win in the first of back-to-back games in Sydney between the Nova Scotia rivals. The teams will battle again in a 2pm New Year's Eve matinee on Saturday.
Zachary L'Heureux helped the Herd fight back to force overtime with two goals late in the third period to even the score 5-5. The Nashville prospect tapped one in at the side of the net with 7:18 remaining in regulation after a nice feed from Jordan Dumais for Halifax's fourth goal of the contest. L'Heureux then tied it up at the 18:06 mark when he carried the puck out from behind the net and tucked it behind goalie Gio DiMattia. The late Mooseheads goals were part of a 46-shot barrage on DiMattia, but the goalie weathered the storm by finishing with 41 saves.
The wild affair started with a Markus Vidicek goal midway through the first period with newcomer Alexandre Doucet grabbing the assist. The newly acquired Doucet forced a turnover in the slot before poking it ahead to Vidicek who roofed a backhand shot from the top of the crease. Cape Breton pulled even before the end of the period on a goal by Ivan Ivan.
The Eagles built up their first two-goal lead in the middle stanza on Charles Boutin and Samuel Johnson tallies 3:49 apart and the Herd had their work cut out for them. Doucet cut into the deficit when he sniped a shot at 12:37 with assists going to Jordan Dumais and Jake Furlong. Then it was Vidicek grabbing his second goal of the game and 18th of the season when Mathieu Cataford spotted him across the ice, giving Vidicek a wide-open net to shoot at. Furlong grabbed another assist on the power play marker.
With the score tied 3-3 and still in the second period, Cape Breton took back the momentum with back-to-back goals 21 seconds apart in the dying moments of the frame. Samuel Johnson and Angelo Fullerton scored at 18:49 and 19:10 to bring the Centre 200 crowd into a frenzy. L'Heureux did all of the scoring in the third period with Mooseheads assists going to Furlong, Dumais, Josh Lawrence and Brady Schultz. It was Furlong's second career game with three assists. Dumais upped his QMJHL scoring lead to 65 points, which is seven more than his teammate Doucet.
Brady James was between the pipes for all six Eagles goals and finished with 27 saves on 33 shots. Both teams scored once on the power play with Halifax going 1-for-3 and Cape Breton 1-for-2 on the man advantage. General Manager Cam Russell swung a deal with Shawinigan earlier in the day to acquire a 2025 8th round draft pick in exchange for 20-year-old Stephane Huard Jr. The move was necessary since Halifax had been carrying four overage players, one over the limit, in Huard Jr, Evan Boucher, Josh Lawrence and Alexandre Doucet.
The Mooseheads' record stands at 22-7-4-1 heading into Saturday's rematch. The Herd will play an another road game on Friday, January 6th in Saint John before returning to Scotiabank Centre ice on Sunday, January 8th vs Cape Breton. Tickets are on sale now at TicketAtlantic.com.
Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from December 30, 2022
- Auger Leads Wildcats to Road Win on the Island - Moncton Wildcats
- Eagles Top Mooseheads in OT Thriller at the Nest - Cape Breton Eagles
- Eagles Fend off Mooseheads Comeback Attempt - Halifax Mooseheads
- World Juniors Are Home Away from Home for Mooseheads, Wildcats - Moncton Wildcats
- Stephane Huard Jr Dealt to Shawinigan - Halifax Mooseheads
- Sea Dogs Acquire 1st Round Selection and 2nd Round Selection for Cam MacDonald - Saint John Sea Dogs
- Spice up Your Game Is Tomorrow - Saint John Sea Dogs
- Preview: December 30 vs. Moncton Wildcats - Charlottetown Islanders
- Eagles Host Mooseheads for Battle of Nova Scotia at Nest - Cape Breton Eagles
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