PREVIEW | Isles and Mooseheads go head-to-head for the last time this season
The Charlottetown Islanders and Halifax Mooseheads will face off tonight for the final time this season tonight at the Scotiabank Centre.
The Mooseheads are leading the season series five games to three and have won their last three meetings.
Islanders report (24-31-5-2)
The Isles have lost six straight games dating back to Feb. 28, most recently losing 5-2 to the Acadie Bathurst Titan.
They will be without Giovanni Morneau as he continues to recover from a lower-body injury. The d-core is still down to four defenders as Isaac Vos, Anton Topilnyckyj and Carl-Etienne Michel are all suffering from various injuries.
Carter Bickle will start in goal for the Isles. Bickle, who has 15 wins, has a 3.59 goals against average and an .887 save percentage through 40 appearances.
NHL-draft eligible defenceman Marcus Kearsey has gone point-per-game in his last nine, including two multi assist games. Kearsey has launched into second place in team scoring with 46 in 62 games. Kearsey is sixth in defender scoring in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.
Kyle Powers is coming off of his first multi goal game on Sunday against Bathurst. Powers has 21 assists to go along with his six goals on the season. If Powers can keep his goal scoring up, it can only mean good things heading into his first ever playoffs.
Simon Duguay was one of just four defenseman in the lineup for Charlottetown against Bathurst last Sunday. The 17-year-old rookie also added an assist to his totals just two games ago in Cape Breton. Duguay will be looking to continue cementing his role in the Isles defence-core for years to come.
Leading scorers
Michael Horth | 31-17-48 |
Marcus Kearsey | 7-39-46 |
Cole Huckins | 17-24-41 |
Power play – 43/201 (21.39%)
Penalty kill – 51/191 (73.3%)
Goals for – 183
Goals against – 243
Mooseheads support (40-16-7-1)
Halifax has been solid over their last ten, going 7-3 in that span. They are coming off of a 3-1 win over the Moncton Wildcats on Sunday.
Brady Schultz has solidified himself as a top tier defenceman in the league since the start of February. He was named QMJHL defenceman of the month and is coming off of a three-assist performance against the Wildcats. Schultz ranks third in defender scoring in the league with eight goals, 47 assists for 55 points.
Jan Sprynar has been a good top six forward for Halifax since coming over from Shawinigan during this years’ trade period. In 24 games, he has nine goals, eight assists for 17 points. Throughout the whole year, Sprynar has four points against the Islanders in five games split between the Cataracts and Mooseheads.
Team leader in scoring Mathieu Cataford has points in each of his three games since the start of March. Cataford is looking to break 90 points for the first time in his career. He is also one goal away from the coveted 40-goal mark.
Leading scorers
Mathieu Cataford | 39-45-84 |
Markus Vidicek | 41-40-81 |
Peter Reynolds | 27-35-62 |
Power play – 46/193 (23.83%)
Penalty kill – 33/167 (80.24%)
Goals for – 210
Goals against – 169
Final notes – Cole Huckins now sits just five points back of 200 in his career. He has also surpassed Morneau in scoring for third place on the team.
James Swan is only two points back of hitting 100 in his career and three goals back of 50.
Puck drop at the Scotiabank Centre is at 7 p.m.