Islanders Complete Thrilling Comeback, Top Eagles in Shootout at Centre 200
QMJHL Charlottetown Islanders

Islanders Complete Thrilling Comeback, Top Eagles in Shootout at Centre 200

Published on January 25, 2026 under Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Charlottetown Islanders News Release


The Charlottetown Islanders showed resilience, erasing multiple deficits and outlasting the Cape Breton Eagles in a dramatic 4-3 shootout win at Centre 200.

Less than 24 hours after a frustrating loss in the opener of the back-to-back, the Islanders responded in a big way, battling through adversity, overcoming injuries, and finding a way to secure two critical points in the standings.

Much like Saturday night, Charlottetown wasted no time establishing control. The Islanders outshot Cape Breton 9-0 in the opening nine minutes and generated sustained pressure on Eagles goaltender Sam Berthiaume, making his QMJHL debut. Despite the strong start, the Isles couldn't find an early breakthrough.

For the second straight game, the Eagles capitalized on their first shot of the contest. Reece Peitzsche opened the scoring at the 9:11 mark of the first period, giving Cape Breton a 1-0 lead against the run of play. Berthiaume continued to hold firm, and the Islanders headed to the intermission trailing despite a 13-7 edge in shots.

The second period proved difficult for Charlottetown, as Cape Breton slowly found their footing. Brady Peddle was hit from behind with no call, and moments later the Eagles doubled their lead to make it 2-0. While the Islanders' penalty kill remained sharp - shutting down all three Eagles power plays - they entered the third period still searching for offence, down two goals.

The Islanders came out desperate in the third, throwing everything they had at the Eagles' net. Nathan Leek finally broke through at the eight-minute mark, finishing off a strong shift to cut the deficit to 2-1 and breathe life into the Charlottetown bench.

Momentum swung further moments later when Ross Campbell buried a power-play goal at 14:17, tying the game 2-2. Marcus Kearsey and Will Shields picked up the assists on the Islanders' first power-play goal of the afternoon.

Cape Breton answered late, scoring on the power play with just over four minutes remaining to regain a 3-2 lead. But the Islanders refused to go away.

With time winding down, Owen Conrad blasted home a one-timer off a perfect feed from Leek at 17:21, knotting the game at 3-3 and silencing the matinee crowd. Regulation ended with the teams deadlocked, and overtime solved nothing.

After a scoreless overtime that saw chances at both ends, the game moved to a shootout. Marcus Kearsey opened the scoring, and Jack Carter turned aside multiple Eagles attempts besides one.

With the shootout tied, Butler stepped up and calmly beat Berthiaume to seal the comeback victory, completing one of the Islanders' most impressive wins of the season.

Carter was steady once again in goal, backstopping Charlottetown through pressure-filled moments and the shootout, while the Islanders finished the afternoon with a 35-29 advantage in shots.

Nathan Leek was named the game's second star after recording a goal and an assist in the third-period rally. He is up to 33 goals on the season!

Short-handed and facing adversity, the Islanders showed exactly what they're made of, earning a split of the weekend and valuable points in a close Eastern Conference.

Charlottetown now turns its attention back home to Hockey Island, carrying momentum and confidence.

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Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from January 25, 2026


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