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QMJHL Charlottetown Islanders

Eagles Make Way to Eastlink Centre for Back-To-Back with Isles

November 13, 2020 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Charlottetown Islanders News Release


Another week, another pair of back-to-back games for the Charlottetown Islanders.

This weekend, the Isles welcome the Cape Breton Eagles to Charlottetown for a pair of home games starting tonight at 7:00pm.

The adjusted weekend schedule in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic has been kind so far to the Islanders (9-2-0-0), who currently sit atop the QMJHL standings. The offense continues to come in droves, with yet another large goal performance last weekend in a 6-4 victory over the Moncton Wildcats. Cedric Desruisseaux continued to play the hero, scoring twice and adding an assist in the victory. With 14 goals on the year, he's now matched his goal total from all of 2019-2020.

Despite the victory, Islanders head coach and general manager Jim Hulton wasn't thrilled with his team's performance over the course of the weekend. The team gave up a last-minute goal Friday night to fall at the hands of the Halifax Mooseheads before having to come from behind against the Wildcats Saturday night. He said it wasn't his team's best performance of the season, but also represented an important learning lesson at this juncture of the season.

"I didn't think we had the earmarks of our team; I didn't think our structure wasn't there, the compete level wasn't at the level where it had been," explained the Isles head coach. "Fortunately we're talented and experienced enough to get one of the wins, but moving forward we have to address those areas."

St. Louis Blues prospect Colten Ellis is on the cusp of setting a new Islanders record this weekend. With another consecutive victory, Ellis will record the longest winning streak by a netminder in franchise history. Currently sitting at seven straight victories to start his Islanders career, he needs just one more to pass Matthew Welsh and set the new record.

Meanwhile, the Eagles (5-4-0-0) are coming off a successful weekend of their own, having defeated the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in consecutive home games. They're receiving contributions mainly from their top line; Shawn Element, Ryan Francis, and Felix Lafrance, along with defense pairing Nathan Larose and Jarrett Baker, account for 28 of the team's 43 total goals scored.

Larose and Element, for their part, have been nothing short of perfect for Cape Breton. Element is tied with Desruisseaux for the league lead in points, while Larose leads all defensemen with 8 goals. Baker, his defense partner, is tied with Lukas Cormier for the league lead among defensemen with 17 points.

In goal, the team has had to rely on rookie goaltender Nicolas Ruccia lately. The 16-year-old first round draft pick in the 2020 QMJHL Draft has held the crease admirably in the absence of starter William Grimard, who has been sidelined with an undisclosed injury. Following back-to-back starts last weekend, Ruccia is sporting a .950 save percentage in the month of November. With Grimard making the trip, it remains to be seen who gets the nod in goal tonight.

To all fans unable to attend tonight's game, all the action can be found on Eastlink Community TV Channel 610 as well as Fair Isle Ford Isles Radio. You can also head to The Factory Downtown and Boston Pizza as always to catch the fun!

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Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from November 13, 2020


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