Eagles Fall To Wildcats As Road Trip Comes To End
NOTES FROM THE GAME
– A Cape Breton Eagles comeback fell short as a three point night from Julius Sumpf led the Moncton Wildcats to a 5-2 victory on Sunday afternoon in Moncton.
– Joey Henneberry & Émile Ricard scored for the Eagles, while Cole Burbidge collected two assists.
– Jacob Steinman stopped 35 of 37 shots in the win, while Jakub Milota stopped 34 of 38 shots in addition to an empty net goal.
There was just one goal in a fast-paced first period. Moncton defenseman Adam Fortier-Gendron jumped into the play and beat Milota to give Moncton a 1-0 edge in the first five minutes, and it remained so at the end of the first period.
The middle stanza was more eventful with each team notching a pair of goals. Before the five minute mark, Moncton scored twice in 31 seconds. Julius Sumpf struck first, zipping up the left wing and blasting it by the Eagles goalkeeper. Then Riley Sampson scored the eventual game winning goal in a scrum in front of the goal to make it 3-0.
Following the goal, Eagles coach Louis Robitaille opted to a call a timeout and it produced quick results. Not long after, the Eagles drew a penalty, and seven seconds into the power play- and 49 seconds after Sampson’s goal- Henneberry found the back of the net. A point shot from Tomas Lavoie snuck through Steinman, and Henneberry was there to push it over the line.
It was a 3-2 game heading into the second period after Ricard’s goal. The Eagle forward converted a drop pass from Burbidge and ripped it over the Moncton goalkeeper.
The Eagles pushed to tie the game in the third period, outshooting Moncton 17-11, but the only goals came from the home team. It was Markus Vidicek getting an insurance marker on the power play, finding the puck beside Milota’s pad and pushing it over the goal line. In the final three minutes, Milota was lifted for an extra attacker, but could get no closer as Juraj Pekarcik found the open net to finish the scoring.
The Eagles are next in action on Friday night against Saint John, featuring Sydney native Darien Reynolds and NHL drafted players Eriks Matieko (Washington), Tyler Peddle (Columbus), Matteo Mann (Philadelphia).
Puck drop is at 7 PM. Tickets can be purchased at https://shorturl.at/fFq5a They are also available for purchase in person at the Centre 200 box office and by the phone during box office hours at 902-564-2200
THREE STARS OF THE GAME
1. Julius Sumpf (Moncton) 1 goal, 2 assists, +2
2. Markus Vidicek (Moncton),1 goal, 5 shots, 13/22 on faceoffs
3. Riley Sampson (Moncton) Game winning goal, 2 shots
Scratches For Cape Breton: Ales Zielinski (injury), Callum Aucoin,, Logan Quinn, Noah Larochelle
Scratches For Moncton: Keegan Warren, Isiah Shantz
Final Shots On Goal: 39-37 in favour of Moncton
Cape Breton Power Play: 1/7
Moncton Power Play: 1/5
