QMJHL Charlottetown Islanders

Mooseheads Come to Town for Afternoon Affair at the Eastlink Centre

January 7, 2024 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Charlottetown Islanders News Release


Charlottetown, PE - After a one day rest day, the Charlottetown Islanders are back in action as the fourth placed team in the Q, the Halifax Mooseheads come to town. The Isles are looking to bounce back after a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Islanders report (17-19-1-1) - Aksels Ozols (8-10) should be making his return to the lineup after his time away at the World Juniors in Sweden. Through 20 appearances, Ozols has posted a 3.62 goals against average and a .879 save percentage.

In his two games since Jim Hulton acquired him in a trade, William Shields has been noticeable. But he is yet to get on the scoreboard. Shields, a highly touted prospect, was selected 11th overall in the 2022 QMJHL Draft. He has eight points through 35 games with Cape Breton this year and will be looking to make an impact with his new squad.

Assistant captain Marcus Kearsey has been stellar this year. The draft-eligible defenceman has already surpassed his point totals in his rookie season with four goals, 27 assists and 31 points in 38 games. Kearsey had 10 points in the month of December alone and will look to continue his strong play into the dog-days of the season.

Head coach Jim Hulton stated in a post-game interview in the loss to Saint John that veterans Giovanni Morneau and Michael Horth, as well as defenceman Anton Topilnyckyj, are all day-to-day with sickness/injury. They will be game-time decisions this afternoon.

Mooseheads report (24-10-4-1) - The team announced yesterday via X that goaltender Mathis Rousseau and all-star forward Jordan Dumais will not be with the team. Rousseau is at home in Quebec spending time with his family while Dumais is in Columbus tending to an injury suffered at the World Juniors.

Since joining the Mooseheads, Peter Reynolds has been somewhat disappointing with just two assists in his four games. Reynolds, the former captain of the Sea Dogs, will be looking to return to form as he was scoring at an elite rate with Saint John, putting up 44 points in 32 games. Though, note that Reynolds did not play last night against Moncton due to injury/sickness.

Rookie netminder, Jack Milner (8-11), has done a fine job backing up Rousseau this season. Milner has a 3.29 GAA and an .894 SV% in 19 appearances so far. Don't be surprised if the Antigonish native gets his second start in just as many days against the Isles.

Special Teams - CHA - A bright spot this season for the Islanders is their power play. While a man up, they have been producing at a strong 24.4% rate, putting them in a tie with Chicoutimi for fourth in the QMJHL. The penalty kill has been serviceable, sitting at 78.7%.

HFX - Halifax' power play is always a threat with their lethal offence coming from players like Markus Vidicek or Mathieu Cataford, but is sitting at 22.3% on the season. The Mooseheads are near the bottom in terms of penalties taken in the league, but their penalty kill is strong when they need to be at 81.8%.

Final notes - The Islanders have fended off last years' Gilles-Courteau Trophy runner ups quite well so far this season. They are 3-1-0-1 against the Mooseheads this year and looked good in the losses.

After the game, there will also be the Isles' first family skate in some time. Any family can come and skate around the rink with their favourite Islanders players free of cost.

Puck drop at the Eastlink Centre is at 3 p.m. Fans can tune into the game at MAX 93.1FM and purchase tickets.

Check out the Charlottetown Islanders Statistics



Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from January 7, 2024


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