Goalie Goal & 5 Point Night from Dumais
Published on October 20, 2023 under Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Halifax Mooseheads News Release
Fans inside Scotiabank Centre witnessed history on Friday night in Halifax as the Mooseheads put on a show while defeating the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 5-4.
Reigning QMJHL MVP Jordan Dumais made his return to the Mooseheads lineup after being sent back to the team from the Columbus Blue Jackets and had a huge game with a hat trick and two assists for five points. If that performance wasn't enough, the 7,562 fans let out their biggest roar of the night when goalie Mathis Rousseau scored the first ever goalie goal in Mooseheads history when he handled the puck off a dump-in by the Huskies and launched one the length of the ice and into the empty net to seal the victory with 3:22 remaining in regulation.
The crowd went wild for Rousseau as he celebrated with his teammates and led the high-five line down the bench in a historic moment for the franchise. Not only did he score, but the 19-year-old goalie was key in preserving the victory with 38 saves.
Markus Vidicek and Reece Peitzsche had the other Mooseheads goals and the Herd used the power play to their advantage by striking three times in five chances with the extra man.
The Huskies made the final score a little closer with a goal by Thomas Verdon with 11 seconds remaining, but Rousseau and the Moose had already celebrated the eventual victory. The remaining Rouyn-Noranda goals came from Louis-Philippe Fontaine, Antonin Verrault and Jeremy Langlois in the first battle between the two contenders for the QMJHL title. Coming into the season, the Huskies were pegged as the favourites to win the Gilles Courteau Trophy while the Mooseheads are also expected to challenge for the championship.
Halifax passed the test in the measuring stick game and gained some major momentum in the second period when they scored goals 2:32 apart. Jordan Dumais tallied his second of the night at the 10:41 mark and then set up Reece Peitzsche for another goal on the power play at 13:13 to make it a 4-2 Halifax lead.
Dumais finished off the hat trick on the man advantage late in the third period as the Herd jumped in front 5-2. Rouyn-Noranda struck back less than a minute later and showed they would not go away quietly but Rousseau's empty net goal brought the house down and put the final stake in the hearts of the Huskies.
Just like that, the career franchise points record watch is back on for Dumais who continues to chase down the all-time mark of 303 set by Brandon Benedict in 2003. The Blue Jackets prospect increased his total to 283 in his career and is only 20 back of Benedict. Dumais has scored at an incredible rate of 1.91 points per game in his last 133 career games.
He was one of four Halifax players to record two assists in the win with Jake Furlong, Markus Vidicek and Brady Schultz also grabbing two helpers. Jack Martin and Mathieu Cataford had one assist each.
Logan Crosby missed his third consecutive game with an upper body injury and is week-to-week. He's expected to be out for approximately one month after suffering the injury on the road in Baie-Comeau last week.
Fans can see what the Mooseheads have up their sleeves for an encore on Saturday night when they entertain Val d'Or at Scotiabank Centre at 7pm. The first 3,000 people at the game will receive free 30th anniversary t-shirts. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.ca.
Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from October 20, 2023
- Goalie Goal & 5 Point Night from Dumais - Halifax Mooseheads
- Eagles Blank Foreurs for Friday Night Win at the Nest - Cape Breton Eagles
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