Vidicek hat-trick leads Mooseheads to CHLGOTW victory
Photo credit: Trevor MacMillan
Markus Vidicek’s first QMJHL hat-trick led the Halifax Mooseheads to a 4-3 win over the Drummondville Voltigeurs in the CHL Game of the Week.
Owen Phillips also scored for Halifax while Jack Milner made 28 saves. Mikael Diotte, Luke Woodworth and Vsevolod Komarov scored for the Volts while Riley Mercer stopped 19 shots.
Markus Vidicek completes the hat-trick and the @HFXMooseheads lead 4-3 with 2:05 to play! 👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/VsRoWhXw24
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) December 8, 2023
A burst of two goals from Vidicek in 37 seconds gave Halifax a 2-0 lead with 2:21 left in the first period; the 2024 World Juniors hopeful converted down low after a drive to the net at 17:01 before he buried Jordan Dumais’ (CBJ) setup after he shifted through two Volts defenders.
However, Drummondville got on the board with 3.2 seconds left in the frame as Diotte fired low for his fifth of the season on the power play.
Phillips restored Halifax’s two-goal lead at 15:45 of the second after an end-to-end rush that saw him finish from a tight angle before Nova Scotia native and Voltigeurs captain Woodworth buried a backhander after Milner had initially stopped Mikael Huchette just 37 seconds later.
Owen Phillips went for a skate and snapped one home from a tough angle! 📐 #CHLGOTW | @HFXMooseheads pic.twitter.com/WymJesWogR
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) December 8, 2023
New Voltigeurs d-man Komarov levelled the scores 1:45 into the third as he scored for the second straight game on a wrister from the slot but Vidicek would have the last laugh as he found a loose puck in Mercer’s pads with 2:05 left to bury the game-winner.
With the win, Halifax becomes the second team in the QMJHL to reach the 20-win mark. Drummondville dropped to 18-9-4 in defeat.
Pre-game, Dumais was honoured with a commemorative puck as he was recognized as the Mooseheads’ new franchise leader in points.
Ahead of tonight's #CHLGOTW, #CBJ prospect Jordan Dumais was recognized as the @HFXMooseheads' new franchise leader in points! 👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/6dgtarTkpZ
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) December 7, 2023
