Isles Double-Up on the Armada, Winning 4-2
February 17, 2024 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Charlottetown Islanders News Release
The Charlottetown Islanders pull away with a 4-2 win over the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada Saturday night at the Eastlink Centre.
Carter Bickle stopped 26 of 28 shots en route to his 13th win of the season.
Isles lead, double Armada in shots after first
Ross Campbell recorded the games first shot 40 seconds in and from then on, the Isles didn't trail in shots for the rest of the game.
Armada goaltender Olivier Ciarlo had to be on his a-game early as the shots started to pour on. Will Allen and Will Shields each tested Ciarlo early but he was up for the test.
The Isles were awarded the first power play of the night as Eliot Ogonowski was called for hooking.
Alexis Michaud and Shields had chances, but once again Ciarlo didn't back down.
Then, not long after the penalty expired, Allen rushed up centre ice and dropped it back for former Armada James Swan who shot it on goal. The rebound popped out to Ondrej Maruna who buried his sixth of the season and his first of 2024.
Swan had a chance one-on-one with Ciarlo to score against his former team, but was stopped by Ciarlo.
The Isles went into the first intermission up 1-0, while doubling the Armada's shot totals 14-7.
Controversy in second, but Charlottetown leads by 2
The fourth line went to work again to start the second period. Swan and Maruna had chances to open the frame but were stopped.
The Armada started to come back with some chances of their own and eventually scored a controversial goal against Bickle.
Islanders defenseman Carl-Etienne Michel was knocked down by an Armada skater into Bickle, taking him out. Then Philippe Fauchon got the puck through for his third of the season to tie the game.
Charlottetown would go to the power play not long after though, and Shields capitalised. He scored his seventh of the season while a man up to restore the Islanders' lead. Michaud and Owen Conrad assisted on the marker.
"It was a big goal to gain the lead. I was lighter on my toes today, I got a haircut today so I'll credit it to that," Shields said.
Soon after, Campbell and Vincent Desjardins took coincidental minors for roughing to initiate four-on-four play.
Michael Horth took advantage of the open ice, shooting his 25th of the season to double the Isles' lead to two goals late in the middle frame.
Charlottetown still lead in shots after the second period, 25-16.
Penalty kill shuts it down in the third
Campbell took a penalty early in the final stanza to send Blainville to the power play and they made no mistake.
Jonathan Fauchon managed to get it past Bickle to bring the game back within one.
Penalties continued to be an issue for the Isles as Swan went to the box for hooking, but Bickle kept the door shut.
Maruna ended up being called for slashing behind the play not long after, sparking confusion after the whistle.
Charlottetown's penalty kill unit was sharp, denying Blainville once again of another power play goal.
But they gave them another chance as Simon Hughes took a cross-checking penalty.
The Isles kept the puck away from high-danger chances and their strong defensive play with the help of a big hit from Max Jardine.
The Armada pulled Ciarlo with just over a minute to go in regulation and Giovanni Morneau put the puck into the empty cage to seal the 4-2 win for Charlottetown.
The Isles hit the ice next on Sunday in a matinee affair on Islander day against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Head coach Jim Hulton comments;
"It's going to be a great day. It's going to be a playoff atmosphere. I'm sure there's going to be lots of energy in the building and we're going to feed off of that," he said. "It's a Bathurst team we know quite well, we have a rivalry with them and they're obviously one spot ahead of us in the standings and it's a proverbial four-point game."
Puck drop at the Eastlink Centre on Monday is at 2 p.m.
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Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from February 17, 2024
- Isles Double-Up on the Armada, Winning 4-2 - Charlottetown Islanders
- Islanders Host Armada in First Meeting of Season - Charlottetown Islanders
- Wildcats Get Back to Winning Ways on Avenir Centre Ice - Moncton Wildcats
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