Moose take shootout at Scotiabank Centre
The Halifax Mooseheads are riding some hot goaltending these days and have made it five wins in six games with an exciting 2-1 shootout win over Drummondville on Friday night on home ice.
Alex Gravel picked up where Blade Mann-Dixon left off and earned the first star of the game with 37 saves that included 10 in overtime as he gave his team a chance to grab the victory. Jared McIsaac was the only player for either team to score in the shootout and Halifax leapfrogged the Voltigeurs for 11th place in the overall standings. The Mooseheads’ record is now 20-19-1-2 thanks to the surge to start the new year.
Both goaltenders played well in a fast-paced, defensive battle and the second star was handed to Drummondville starter Olivier Rodrigue who made 31 saves. The two 16-year-old netminders were teammates last winter with Team Canada at the Youth Olympics in Norway.
After a scoreless first period it was the Volts that opened the scoring when defenceman Nicolas Beaudin went coast to coast, splitting Mooseheads defencemen Jordan Lepage and Brett Crossley before slipping the puck by Gravel at 7:33 of the second period.
Halifax was able to pull even early in the third period on a determined effort by Max Fortier. The QMJHL’s leading scorer took the puck from the left circle and beat Rodrigue on a sharp angle much to the delight of the 6,777 boisterous fans in the building. Lepage and Otto Somppi grabbed the assists. Fortier’s 24th goal of the season gave him nine points in his last five games.
The Mooseheads paid tribute to former Head Coach Dominique Ducharme prior to the game with a touching video presentation focusing on the Memorial Cup winning season and his accomplishments with the franchise. Ducharme, coaching for the opposition for the first time since leaving Halifax, received an extended standing ovation from the loyal fans before coming to centre ice where he was presented with an award for his Silver Medal with Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship.
The Herd will have a chance to keep their hot play going on Sunday afternoon at home when they entertain Maxime Comtois and the Victoriaville Tigres at 3pm.
Tickets are available now at the Ticket Atlantic Box Office at Scotiabank Centre, select Superstore Outlets, TicketAtlantic.com or by phone at 902-451-1221.
