QMJHL Charlottetown Islanders

Isles Lose Third Battle of the Year with Halifax 6-2

Published on October 28, 2023 under Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Charlottetown Islanders News Release


The Islanders lose their third matchup of the year with Halifax, 6-2, despite Isles pressure throughout the game.

Carter Bickle defended the Charlottetown net with his seventh start of the season.

The Isles came out of the gates hot and notably Robbie Rutledge had a few chances early, but Mosseheads goaltender, Mathis Rousseau, turned everything away.

P.E.I. native, Brett Arsenault was a two-way force tonight and it started from his forechecking in the first period.

Against the flow of play, the high-flying Halifax offense got to work. Brody Fournier was able to get the puck on his forehand in tight of the Islanders net, allowing him to open the scoring, beating Bickle five-hole on just the second shot for Halifax.

The momentum was still in the Isles favour, but once again the Mooseheads came back the other way with a three-on-one. Mooseheads forward Markus Vidicek buried a slot pass under Bickle's arm to extend the Halifax lead to two.

At the end of the first, the Isles were outshooting the Mooseheads 11-6 despite being down 2-0.

Giovanni Morneau opened the second period with more high-level chances. But once again, Rousseau turned them away.

Just over two minutes into the frame, Ross Campbell took a five-minute major penalty for checking from behind, resulting in a game misconduct. Moosehead Braeden MacPhee took a roughing minor penalty on the play as well.

On the Halifax three-minute power play, the Isles penalty kill didn't allow the Mooseheads to record a shot.

After the penalty expired, Vidicek doubled up for his second of the game to put Halifax up 3-0.

Despite multiple other chances from the Islanders, Rousseau sent the Mooseheads into the second intermission without conceding a goal.

Charlottetown led in shots after the second period 23-11.

The Mooseheads quickly extended their lead to four goals as reigning QMJHL points leader, Jordan Dumais, snapped a shot over Bickle.

The puck went right back into the Halifax zone. The Isles kept firing on Rousseau, and eventually one got through. Cole Huckins let it go from the blue line and the seeing eye shot beat Rousseau for his first goal of the season. Matthew Butler and Ondrej Maruna assisted on the goal.

Head Coach Jim Hulton knew this was coming for a long time.

"He's familiar with putting the puck in the back of the net," he said. "He scored 28 last season so it was only a matter of time."

Just two minutes later, Morneau scored his second goal in just as many games, ripping it past Rousseau, bringing the Isles back within two. Marcus Kearsey also added his eleventh assist.

This led to constant Islanders pressure, but chance after chance was stopped by first-star, Rousseau.

Eventually, Halifax came the other way, and Mathieu Cataford tapped one through Bickle, restoring a three-goal lead.

Then, just 19 seconds later, Jordan Dumais ripped the puck just over Bickle's right shoulder, which would secure the win for the Mooseheads.

6-2 was the final score, but the Islanders had momentum throughout most of the game. They outshot Halifax 38-16.

Despite the loss, Hulton isn't discouraged.

"You would expect a 6-2 score based off of a 38-16 shot game, just the other way around."

Both teams were 0/2 on the man advantage, and Charlottetown outhit the Mooseheads 16-13.

The Islanders will go on the road for five games with their second Quebec swing of the year. They will be stopping in Gatineau, Rouyn-Noranda and Val'd'or, as well as stops in Moncton and Saint John.

Fans will be able to tune into the Isles on the road by listening to MAX 93.1FM.

Check out the Charlottetown Islanders Statistics

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Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from October 28, 2023


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