Cape Breton Eagles blank Islanders 3-0
The Cape Breton Eagles shutout the Charlottetown Islanders 3-0 as the Isles return home from a trip through Québec.
Cartler Bickle looked strong in the loss only allowing two goals in the first period while the other was an empty-net marker.
The action started quickly as just two minutes in the Eagles opened the scoring. Brayden Schmitt skated down from the neutral zone and picked up a pass. He took his time and ripped his third of the season.
The first line of Simon Hughes, Cole Huckins and Kyle Powers had a flurry of chances in tight but Eagles goaltender Jakob Milota kept the door shut.
Cape Breton then doubled their lead to 2-0. Olivier Houde found a loose puck behind Bickle and he tapped it in for his seventh of the year.
The Isles then went to the power play. Just nine seconds in though, Michael Horth took a penalty for tripping, turning the man advantage into 4-on-4 play.
It was back and forth with the open ice, but both Bickle and Milota turned aside any chances, sending the Eagles into the intermission up 2-0.
After the first period Charlottetown was outshooting the Eagles 10-9.
Momentum was on the Islanders side to open the second period. They started pouring on the shots with 11 in the first half of the period.
Milota stopped chances from Powers and Marcus Kearsey to keep the two-goal lead.
The Eagles started to press the other way and it was Bickle’s turn to be sharp, stopping a shot from Houde.
Powers then drew the Isles’ second power play of the game but Cape Breton killed it off without allowing a shot.
After the man advantage, Brett Arsenault had a chance in the crease but Milota stayed hot, keeping the Isles off the board.
Charlottetown was awarded yet another power play with 30 seconds left in the frame and would carry it into the third period.
The Isles recorded 15 shots in the second period, bringing their total to 25 as opposed to Cape Breton’s 17.
The Eagles killed off the rest of their penalty but the Isles kept momentum.
Ondrej Maruna, Huckins and Hughes each had chances, but once again Milota said no.
Then, coming back the other way, Bickle let a rebound go in front of the net but recovered well, flashing the leather for a highlight reel stop keeping the deficit at two goals.
With four minutes left, Bickle was pulled for the extra attacker.
From centre-ice, Cam Squires launched the puck towards the empty cage. It banked off the post and in to put the Eagles up 3-0.
That’s how the score would stay to end regulation.
Head coach Jim Hulton isn’t afraid to stick up for his team after the loss.
“It was a valiant effort. It was a pretty tired club. Three games in three days in Québec. These mid-week games are a killer,” he said. “I rarely make excuses for my club but I felt bad for them tonight. They gave me everything they had, they just didn’t have enough in the tank.”
He also knows what to do before going into a back-to-back set against Gatineau and Saint John.
“We just gotta keep our spirits up. We gotta keep a forward focus here,” he said. “It’s a killer stretch in the schedule for us. Everybody goes through it and we just gotta navigate through it.”
The Isles hit the ice next on Thursday, Dec. 7 as they take on the Gatineau Olympiques at home. Puck drop at the Eastlink Centre is at 7 p.m.
