Isles host a two-game set at home to finish out the week
The Isles wrap up the week with a two game set at home. It all kicks off tonight as they take on the Gatineau Olympiques.
So far this season, the Olympiques are 1-0 against Charlottetown, taking them down 3-1 in Gatineau on Nov. 1.
The Isles are on a two-game losing streak after dropping their last game 3-0 against the Cape Breton Eagles despite outshooting them 36-23.
Gatineau is coming off of an 8-0 loss in Rimouski and will be looking to bounce back with a win tonight.
Carter Bickle will get his second start in a row for the first time this season after playing well against the Eagles.
In 13 appearances, Bickle is posting a 3.58 goals against average and a .866 save percentage.
Tomorrow night is Hockey Fights Cancer night in Charlottetown as the Saint John Sea Dogs come to town.
Saint John is on a two-game skid themselves, most recently dropping their affair with the Drummondville Voltigeurs 6-1.
The season series between these two clubs is knotted up at one game a piece.
Aksels Ozols is projected to get the nod tomorrow. Through 19 appearances he is posting a 3.66 GAA and a .876 SV%.
Ozols is getting ready to leave for the World Junior Championships in Sweden on Saturday to represent his country, Latvia.
Another import-draftee, Ondrej Maruna, is also representing his country on an international level. He will be wearing the Slovakian jersey in the World Junior A Challenge in Truro, Nova Scotia.
We wish the best of luck to them.
The final roster for both games will be game-time decisions.
Keys to victory
The offence needs to bounce back. In their last two games in Quebec, the Isles put up nine goals, but they were shutout by the Eagles upon returning home. The Islanders were solid defensively, but if the offence gets going tonight, watch out.
Bickle needs to keep doing what he’s doing. His performance against Cape Breton was good when the game settled in. He was sharp and made some high-quality saves to keep the game close.
Players to watch
CHA – Lucas Romeo is one game removed from scoring twice against the Remparts. There’s no question that Romeo knows how to score with eight goals so far this season, but with only two goals in nine games he will be looking to bounce back to his production earlier in the season.
Though Brett Arsenault has just three goals this season, he has been noticeable on the ice. Arsenault’s two-way presence has been solid and the grit he brings to the team is unmatched. He will be hungry to get his name back on the scoresheet.
GAT – Nathan Lévesque is settling in well in his first season with the Olympiques. So far he has 23 points in 29 games to start the year, though it’s been over a month since he has scored a goal. With Lévesque’s solid playmaking ability, eventually he will find a way to get the puck into the back of the net, stopping his scoreless streak.
SNB – Vince Élie is hot. He has 16 points in his last 11 games, but none in his last two. Élie knows how to put up points and some would say he is due for his tenth multi-point game of the season knowing he has five points in two games against the Islanders this year.
Puck drop tonight at the Eastlink Centre against Gatineau is at 7 p.m. while tomorrow against Saint John is at 7:30 p.m.
