Oleg Kulebiakin's Career Night Leads Moose in Baie-Comeau
Published on November 21, 2025 under Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Halifax Mooseheads News Release
The journey to stardom is quickly gaining steam for Russian rookie Oleg Kulebiakin who scored his first career hat trick and added an assist in an eventful 5-4 comeback victory for the Mooseheads on Friday night in Baie-Comeau.
The 2025 1st round CHL Import pick followed up his highlight reel goal from Wednesday in Quebec City with the highest single game scoring output of his young career. His 16 goals and 25 points are both tops on the team while his third goal of the night against the Drakkar proved to be the game-winner.
Halifax scored twice in 17 seconds to rally for the victory as Liam Kilfoil tied the game 4-4 with 7:36 remaining in regulation and Kulebiakin quickly followed it up with his third of the game. Those goals came after Jacopo De Luca netted a pair just 51 seconds apart to give Baie-Comeau a 4-3 advantage in a wild third period which also completed a hat trick for the Swiss import. Mathieu Taillefer's first career goal had given the Herd a 3-2 lead only 39 seconds into the final stanza to help the visitors claw back after falling into a 2-0 deficit.
The last place Drakkar were coming off a 12-1 drubbing at home a night earlier at the hands of the mighty Chicoutimi Sagueneens and had built up a lead on the Mooseheads with tallies from De Luca and Miller Kay. Halifax had a large advantage in shots on goal before beating goalie Lucas Beckman but hadn't given the talented netminder anything too challenging to deal with until Kulebiakin broke through thanks to a nice feed by Jasu Mensonen at the 12:19 mark of the middle period. That was one-of-three assists for Mensonen who enjoyed a terrific outing himself. Kulebiakin struck again 3:12 later to even the game 2-2 and give the Moose some much needed momentum.
They took that momentum into what turned out to be a back-and-forth third period and the club held on for their 13th win of the season - backstopped by Nick Cirka's 18 saves. The final shots on goal were 39-22 in favour of Halifax.
The defensive pairing of Owen Phillips and Mathieu Taillefer both finished with a game-high +4 rating while Kilfoil had a three-point night with one goal and two assists. Carlos Handel had the other helper on the scoresheet.
The Herd are 13-6-1-1 in the standings which is tied for third place in the Eastern Conference with the Moncton Wildcats. Their points percentage of .667 is also third-best in the entire QMJHL and the team has won the first two games of a three-game trip to the province of Quebec. The reward for such a great start to the trip is a visit to Chicoutimi Saturday afternoon at 5pm AST where the juggernaut Sags await. Chicoutimi leads the QMJHL standings with 33 points and have lost just three times in regulation in their 21 games. The Herd will have their work cut out for them if they want a clean sweep of the road trip. Fans can watch the stream on FloHockey or listen on 95.7 NewsRadio. Halifax will then travel to Newfoundland for a pair of games against the Regiment next Friday and Saturday.
The next home game for the Mooseheads is Saturday, December 6th at 7pm against the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. It's the annual Toque Toss game in support of local homeless shelters. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.ca.
Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from November 21, 2025
- Oleg Kulebiakin's Career Night Leads Moose in Baie-Comeau - Halifax Mooseheads
- Regiment Downed 6-1 by Remparts - Newfoundland Regiment
- Third Period Explosion Lifts Cats over Sea Dogs - Moncton Wildcats
- Phoenix Top Eagles to Open Weekend Set - Cape Breton Eagles
- Game Preview - Tonight at 7:00 p.m. vs Wildcats - Saint John Sea Dogs
- Dylan MacKinnon Hits 250 QMJHL Games: a Milestone Marked by Grit, Growth, and Championship Pedigree - Charlottetown Islanders
- Eagles Open Home Weekend against Phoenix - Cape Breton Eagles
- Charlottetown's Comeback Bid Falls Short in Saint John - Charlottetown Islanders
- Sea Dogs Take Down Top Ranked Islanders 6-3 - Saint John Sea Dogs
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