PREVIEW | Isles host Wildcats then visit Titan in busy March weekend
By Kyle Cotton
The Charlottetown Islanders have a full weekend ahead of them as they host the Moncton Wildcats on Saturday night at 7 p.m. at the Eastlink Centre and they travel to the K.C. Irving Regional Centre in Bathurst to take on the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.
Charlottetown is still looking for their first win of March. They are winless in their last four games but head coach Jim Hulton feels a lot more comfortable now that the team is home after a long road trip.
“It’s a big sigh of relief to be back on home ice. It’s been a tough stretch of road games and particularly hard on the body with a lot of bus hours,” he said. “We have had terrific games against Moncton and we can expect more of the same.”
Hulton has a game plan as the team gears up for a hopeful playoff appearance.
“It’s a pretty simple formula. We need to win as many games as we can down the stretch here,” he said. “For me at this time of year it’s all about playing the game the right way irregardless of where we end up in the standings. It’s about can we be healthy, and can we perform at our best when playoffs hit.”
Islanders report (24-30-4-2)
Carter Bickle has started the majority of the games since Aksels Ozols returned from the World Junior Championships at the start of the season, but Ozols has started to earn his share of starts again.
Bickle (15-22) (wins-losses) is posting a 3.57 goals against average and an .888 save percentage through 39 appearances this season.
Through 26 appearances for Ozols (9-14), he is posting a 3.95 GAA and an .873 SV%. Ozols earned first star in the team’s last game against the Wildcats, stopping 33 of 35 shots en route to a 7-2 victory.
Cole Huckins is inching closer and closer to the 200-point milestone as he has points in six of his last eight games. He is also currently on a three game goal streak. Huckins, who formerly played in Bathurst, has a fight this season against Titan player Blake Pilgrim-Edwards. Huckins hit the 40-point-mark for the second time in his career in the team’s last game against Cape Breton.
Will Allen, born in Moncton, scored last time out against his childhood team. Since being called up from the Miramichi Timberwolves of the Maritimes Hockey League, he has been a high-energy, solid penalty killing forward. His flashy hands has allowed him to pocket four goals and add two helpers in the last thirteen games.
Sophomore forward Alexis Michaud has proven he has more than just a wicked shot. His defensive game has taken a step forward this season, earning more time on the penalty kill. Michaud’s 15 goals surpasses his total of 12 from his rookie season last year, while his 35 points beats last year’s totals of 23.
Max Jardine will be making his return to the lineup as he has served his two-game suspension for fighting in Drummondville. Jardine will fill in the sixth spot that was left open in the Isles’ last game due to an injury from Isaac Vos and the suspension. Vos is ‘doubtful’ for the weekend with a day-to-day injury while Giovanni Morneau remains out long-term due to a lower-body injury.
Leading scorers
| Michael Horth | 30-17-47 |
| Marcus Kearsey | 6-37-43 |
| Giovanni Morneau/Cole Huckins | 17-23-40 |
Power play – 41/193 (21.24%)
Penalty kill – 51/187 (72.73%)
Goals for – 178
Goals against – 234
Wildcats report (34-19-4-3)
Moncton is currently on a two-game winning streak, most recently taking down the Saint John Sea Dogs 6-1 on Wednesday, March 6.
Wildcats forward Alex Mercier has started the month of March off strong. He has back-to-back multi-point games and he doesn’t plan on stopping. However, Mercier has just two points (1g,1a) in seven games against the Isles this season. He will be hungry to improve those stats on Saturday night.
German forward Julius Sumpf has been stellar for Moncton this season. In his first year in the league, he has 19 goals, 31 assists for 50 points through 52 games. Sumpf, who has four game winning goals, scored one in overtime against the Islanders the last time the Isles traveled to Moncton.
Leading scorers
| Yoan Loshing | 37-27-64 |
| Preston Lounsbury | 17-36-53 |
| Vincent Collard | 26-27-53 |
Power play – 56/190 (29.47%)
Penalty kill – 36/175 (79.43%)
Goals for – 249
Goals against – 199
Titan report (27-27-3-4)
Bathurst has been solid as of late, winning four of their last five games, most recently taking down the Halifax Mooseheads at the Scotiabank Centre by the score of 3-1.
Since these clubs last met, Titan captain Milo Roelens signed an entry-level contract with the National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay Lightning. Roelens has started this month off cold for his standards, with just one assist in his first three games. He steps his game up a notch when playing the Isles with four multi-point games against Charlottetown this season.
Defenceman Noah Laberge was the one who opened the scoring for Bathurst in Halifax. Laberge has heated up over the last month with ten points since the beginning of February. He will be looking to continue his recent success against the Isles.
Leading scorers
| Robert Orr | 22-52-74 |
| Milo Roelens | 25-38-63 |
| Colby Huggan | 24-34-58 |
Power play – 33/189 (17.46%)
Penalty kill – 55/230 (76.09%)
Goals for – 198
Goals against – 212
Final notes – Saturday marks the final time the Isles will match up against the Wildcats this regular season, while the Titan and Isles will face off one more time in Charlottetown.
The Islanders continue to chase the Titan in the standings as they sit nine points back of them with just eight games left before the playoffs start.
Puck drop at the Eastlink Centre on Saturday is at 7 p.m. Puck drop at the K.C. Irving Regional Centre is at 3 p.m.
