Islanders Set for Double-Header against Baie-Comeau and Moncton
November 22, 2023 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Charlottetown Islanders News Release
The Isles are taking on the third ranked team in the country as the Baie-Comeau Drakkar come to town tonight.
The Isles are coming off of a 5-0 loss to the Cape Breton Eagles on Sunday, Nov. 19 while the Drakkar are red hot, winning their last four games. Most recently, beating the Gatineau Olympiques 4-3.
Carter Bickle will start his tenth game of the season and will appear in his eleventh. In that span he is 4-5 and is posting an .867 save percentage and a 3.53 goals against average.
Bickle is looking to bounce back from allowing four goals in Saint John.
The final lineup changes will be a game time decision. Sam Bowness, Ross Campbell and Lucas Romeo have been sidelined for some time now.
Then, tomorrow night, the Islanders roll into Moncton to take on the Wildcats.
In their last matchup, the Isles took down the Wildcats 6-5 in a shootout, erasing a 5-2 deficit. Charlottetown leads the season series 2-1.
The Wildcats are coming off of a 2-1 win over the Eagles and will be well rested as they played last on Saturday, Nov. 18.
Aksels Ozols will start at the Avenir Centre in Monton. Through 14 appearances, he is 6-7 with an .879 SV% and a 3.65 GAA and is also looking to bounce back after allowing four goals in Cape Breton.
Keys to victory
The man-advantage unit needs to return to form for the Islanders. The once top two in the league has not scored in their last 14 attempts. If the Isles want to take down the top two offences in the QMJHL with Baie-Comeau and Moncton, the power play will have to click.
The defence has to be rock solid as Baie-Comeau and Moncton sit top two in the league in goal scoring. Players like Marcus Kearsey and Owen Conrad have to show their top potential if they want to slow these two high-scoring teams down.
Players to watch
CHA - As just mentioned, Marcus Kearsey has to be on top of his game. His offence has been picking up as of late, but he needs to shut both the Drakkar and Wildcats offence down. The 17-year-old has shown he is elite defensively and if he can play as well as we all know he can, it gives the Isles a chance to win night-in and night-out.
The captain Michael Horth needs to show his leadership now more than ever. He needs to lead by example. He has 17 goals so far and shows no sign of slowing down. If he gets going, the team will follow.
BaC - Raoul Boilard is red hot as he has nine points in just his last four games. The rookie has proven to be a huge threat offensively and helps give Baie-Comeau a lot of depth offensively.
Defenseman Émile Chouinard has just one goal this season to go along with seven assists but has been scoreless in his last four games. Expect Chouinard to be hungry to get back on the score sheet tonight.
MON - Vincent Collard recorded a hat trick in his last matchup against the Islanders and has seven points in his last five games. Collard is hot right now and the Isles need to shut him down to prevent another hat trick.
In his two games since returning from the World U-17 World Hockey Challenge, Caleb Desnoyers has four points, picking up right where he left off. Last year's first overall pick has been nothing less than stellar so far for the Wildcats and will be a test for the Islanders defence.
Puck drop in both games is at 7:00 p.m. Fans can tune into both games at MAX 93.1FM and can purchase tickets for tonight's affair against the Drakkar.
Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from November 22, 2023
- Isles Drop Season Finale Against Baie-Comeau 5-3 - Charlottetown Islanders
- Starting Our 5-Game Homestand Thursday - Moncton Wildcats
- Islanders Set for Double-Header against Baie-Comeau and Moncton - Charlottetown Islanders
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