Moose Push Sherbrooke to the Brink of Elimination
Published on May 6, 2023 under Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Halifax Mooseheads News Release
The Halifax Mooseheads are on the cusp of advancing to the QMJHL's Gilles Courteau Trophy Finals after a third straight dominant victory over the Sherbrooke Phoenix to take a 3-2 series lead in their semi-final matchup.
The Herd got a 26-save shutout performance from Mathis Rousseau in Game 5 to push the Phoenix to the brink of elimination. Defenceman David Moravec scored twice in the victory and added an assist while Zach L'Heureux had one goal and two helpers to help the Mooseheads take their first lead in the series. The tide has taken a drastic turn since last weekend when Sherbrooke stole the first two games at Scotiabank Centre. Since that time, Halifax has turned up the intensity ten-fold and has outscored their opponents 15-4 over the last three games which included a pair of 5-2 victories on the road in the Eastern Township city.
The Saturday afternoon crowd of 8,437 brought tremendous energy into Scotiabank Centre right from the start and continued to stand and cheer well after the final horn as the Mooseheads skated around the ice to salute their supporters. Chants of "Rousseau, Rousseau" could be heard throughout the game as the 18-year-old goalie continued to make dazzling saves while completely frustrating the Phoenix attackers.
Halifax has used constant puck pressure, great defence and physicality to their advantage in the last three wins, much like Sherbrooke did in the opening two games of the series. For now, it appears that the Phoenix are entirely off their game and lacking confidence thanks to the relentless waves of pressure from the Herd. Sherbrooke goalie Olivier Adam was pulled for the second time in three games after giving up three goals on 14 shots in just over 22 minutes of action on Saturday. Samuel St-Hilaire came on in relief and allowed two goals on 12 shots.
David Moravec opened the scoring in the first period when he bolted down the left wing and wired one by Adam just 2:55 into the contest to get the crowd buzzing. Evan Boucher added his fifth goal in six games later in the period when Josh Lawrence centered the puck from behind the net to a waiting Boucher who was parked in the slot. The overage forward from Ontario has five points in this series.
The Mooseheads were rewarded again early in the second period on an Attilio Biasca deflection tally. Brady Schultz let a shot go from the point that hit Biasca in traffic and beat Adam to chase the goalie from the game. Braeden MacPhee picked up an assist on the play for his first point since returning to the lineup on Thursday. David Moravec got his second of the game and second of the playoffs with 4:07 remaining in the middle period when Zach L'Heureux threaded a pass across to the wide open defenceman who made no mistake on his shot. L'Heureux then capped off the scoring in the third period by jamming in his own rebound and it was all but over for the Phoenix who could do nothing but try to instigate some trouble for the Herd after the whistles.
The teams boarded a QMJHL chartered plane two hours after the game to head back to Sherbrooke together for another meeting on Sunday at 6pm Atlantic time. Fans can watch on Eastlink Community TV, the CHL TV webcast or listen on City News 957. Game 7, if necessary, would be held back in Halifax on Tuesday night at 7pm.
Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from May 6, 2023
- Moose Push Sherbrooke to the Brink of Elimination - Halifax Mooseheads
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