Islanders Fall 5-2 to Sherbrooke Phoenix
The Charlottetown Islanders’ recent momentum came to a halt last night as the Sherbrooke Phoenix walked away with a 5-2 victory at the Eastlink Centre Charlottetown. After back-to-back wins over Halifax and Rimouski, the Islanders were looking to continue their strong run, but Sherbrooke proved resilient, capitalizing on key mistakes and powerplay opportunities.
Charlottetown started strong, controlling the early pace and pressuring the Sherbrooke defense. Nathan Leek opened the scoring with his 32nd goal of the season at 3:35, assisted by Ivan Ryabkin. The Islanders’ early dominance was evident in the shots, outshooting the Phoenix 4-2 at that point.
However, the Islanders’ first powerplay of the night backfired, as Sherbrooke’s Chad Bellemare scored shorthanded to tie the game 1-1. Later in the period, a major boarding penalty on Éloi Bourdeau gave Charlottetown a prime powerplay opportunity. Marcus Kearsey took advantage of the chaos with a stunning end-to-end goal, giving the Islanders a 2-1 lead heading into the second period. Shots favored Charlottetown 14-6 after a fast-paced opening frame.
The second period was a different story. Sherbrooke came out aggressive, scoring just two minutes in to even the game 2-2 off a turnover.
The Islanders’ penalty troubles mounted, including calls on Nathan Leek and Ross Campbell, and the Phoenix capitalized once more with Sydney Gagnon scoring to take a 3-2 lead.
Charlottetown had multiple chances on the powerplay, including a five-minute major, but were unable to convert. By the period’s end, Sherbrooke had seized control despite Charlottetown outshooting them 23-21.
Sherbrooke extended their lead early in the third, with Ilya Kolmakov scoring 1:42 in to make it 4-2. Charlottetown had a few opportunities but couldn’t break through, and penalties continued to hinder their momentum.
Brandon Delarosbil added a powerplay goal midway through the period, giving the Phoenix a 5-2 lead. Compounding the Islanders’ struggles, Ivan Ryabkin left the game with an injury late in the period. The game ended 5-2 in favor of Sherbrooke, with shots nearly even at 30-28.
The Islanders will look to regroup as they prepare for a trip to Cape Breton this weekend, addressing the turnovers and penalty issues that plagued them against Sherbrooke. Despite the loss, Charlottetown still has a talented lineup led by Nathan Leek and Ivan Ryabkin, who will be key as the team looks to get back on track.
