Regiment Lock up 3rd Seed in Win over Halifax
Published on March 20, 2026 under Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Halifax Mooseheads News Release
It was a struggle on the road for the Halifax Mooseheads on Friday night as they opened the final weekend of the regular season with a 6-1 loss to the Newfoundland Regiment at the Mary Brown's Centre.
The Herd had a strong first few minutes of the game but it turned around quickly once Regiment rookie-of-the-year Ben Veitch slipped in behind defencemen Brenden Espenell and Lincoln Waugh to bury his 11th goal of the campaign and set the home team off and running in front of more than 6,500 fans in St. John's.
Six different players lit the lamp for the Regiment as they locked up the Eastern Conference's third seed for Round 1 of the playoffs. Liam Arsenault and Louis-Francois Belanger also scored in the opening period for a 3-0 lead before Dawson Sharkey increased the advantage to 4-0 at 11:19 of the second period. Alexis Mathieu and Marek Danicek also scored for Newfoundland who will await scores from around the league to determine their opponent in the opening round of the playoffs.
Quinn Kennedy scored the lone goal for the Mooseheads with a second period power play strike, giving him 31 goals on the season. Owen Phillips and Oleg Kulebiakin earned the assists.
Final shots were 31-27 in favour of the Mooseheads but Newfoundland goalie Louis-Antoine Denault was the difference with 30 saves. Nick Cirka made his second straight start in goal for Halifax with Owen Bresson serving the second game of a five-game suspension. Cirka made 21 saves while taking the loss.
The Halifax loss means that the Mooseheads are now officially locked in as the seventh seed in the conference and will face the second seed. Moncton scored a win over Charlottetown to at least temporarily put them three points ahead of Chicoutimi atop the conference. The Sagueneens need wins over Quebec tonight and tomorrow and a Moncton loss to Charlottetown tomorrow in order to pass the Wildcats for first place. Otherwise it will be a Mooseheads vs Chicoutimi first round matchup.
No matter the opponent, Halifax will open the playoffs on the road with Games 1 & 2 coming next Friday and Saturday. The Mooseheads will host Games 3 & 4 at Scotiabank Centre on Tuesday, March 31 and Wednesday, April 1 at 7pm both nights. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.ca
Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from March 20, 2026
- Eagles to Honour 20-Year-Olds, Conclude Regular Season Today at Centre 200 - Cape Breton Eagles
- Eagles Top Sea Dogs to Open Final Weekend of Regular Season - Cape Breton Eagles
- Cats Win Another, One More Battle for 1st Overall - Moncton Wildcats
- Eagles Top Sea Dogs to Open Final Weekend - Cape Breton Eagles
- Regiment Lock up 3rd Seed in Win over Halifax - Halifax Mooseheads
- Playoff Tickets ON SALE NOW - Saint John Sea Dogs
- Fan Appreciation Night Caps Regular Season at Home - Charlottetown Islanders
- Eagles Begin Final Weekend with Matchup against Saint John - Cape Breton Eagles
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