PREVIEW | Isles wrap up Quebec swing with weekend set
The Charlottetown Islanders continue their final Quebec swing as they pull into Drummondville to take on the Voltigeurs on Friday night. Then, Saturday evening, they will be in Victoriaville to take on the Tigres.
The Isles are looking to rebound after a rough start to the road trip, losing 6-1 to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada on Wednesday night.
Islanders report (24-27-4-2)
The goaltending for the Isles has been solid as of late. Aksels Ozols earned first star in his most recent start, allowing only two goals on 35 shots in a 7-2 win over the Moncton Wildcats last week.
Since the start of February, Carter Bickle has posted a .915 save percentage and has gone 4-3 in that span. The fan favourite netminder seems to have found his footing in Charlottetown.
Kyle Powers has played his gritty role well since the start of the season. Although the goal scoring isn’t there as much as he’d like it to be, his playmaking ability has been solid as well as being a physical presence on the ice. He has 24 points in his rookie season and has been a +3 since the start of last month.
Will Shields has solidified his spot in the top-six forward lines since coming over from Cape Breton. Shields has seven goals, six assists for 13 points in 21 games since joining the club, including two goals in his last three games.
Anton Topilnyckyj has been great defensively for the Isles this season, but he remains as the only rostered player without a goal. Though having nine assists through 48 games and being a +7 in February, he’s still hungry for his first marker of the season.
Cole Huckins continues to inch closer and closer to the 200 career point mark as he sits just nine points back. But if the veteran wants to hit the milestone he will have to pick up the pace as he has just one goal, three points in the last 28 days.
Leading scorers
Michael Horth | 30-15-45 |
Marcus Kearsey | 5-37-42 |
Giovanni Morneau | 17-23-40 |
Power play – 40/183 (21.86%)
Penalty kill – 45/175 (74.29%)
Goals for – 170
Goals against – 216
Voltigeurs report (40-11-5-1)
The Voltigeurs have been one of the top teams in the league all season long and are currently ranked sixth in the Canadian Hockey League.
Drummondville is coming off of a 4-1 loss to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, but they have been dominant over their last 10 games, going 8-1-1-0.
The breakout season from former Islander Peter Repcik has been a huge factor in the success of the Voltigeurs. The Slovakian forward has 26 goals and 25 assists for 51 points, surpassing his 32 point total last season. He has four points in his last three games and will be more motivated to score against his former team.
Ethan Gauthier has also been a huge factor in their success. Gauthier went on a 15 game point streak spanning from early December to late January. Recently though, Gauthier has cooled off with just two points in his last six games.
Leading scorers
Luke Woodworth | 21-40-61 |
Sam Oliver | 29-29-58 |
Ethan Gauthier | 30-28-58 |
Power play – 60/227 (26.43%)
Penalty kill – 39/210 (81.43%)
Goals for – 251
Goals against – 150
Tigres report (37-17-3-0)
Victoriaville has also been near the top of the standings throughout the season and have been hot as of late going 7-3-0-0 in their last 10 games.
They are coming off of a 4-1 win over the Quebec Remparts but play the Armada before the Isles visit. They are riding a two game winning streak.
Joseph Henneberry has been a great addition to the team, scoring 10 goals and 21 points in 19 games since being acquired from the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Henneberry just snapped a five game pointless drought with a goal and an assist against the Remparts.
Mathis Aguilar has been a steady presence on the blue line for Victoriaville this season. Although the offence hasn’t been steller with 16 points in 58 games, his defensive ability has led to success for the Tigres. Fun fact: The Charlottetown Islanders traded Aguilar during the 2022 season to the Rimouski Oceanic along with picks to bring in Jeremie Biakabutuka.
Leading scorers
Tommy Cormier | 26-44-70 |
Justin Larose | 33-34-67 |
Maxime Pellerin | 29-37-66 |
Power play – 51/202 (25.25%)
Penalty kill – 44/228 (80.7%)
Goals for – 221
Goals against – 175
Final notes – The Isles have had mixed results against these teams so far this season. They took down the Voltigeurs 5-4 in overtime early in the season while losing 6-3 to the Tigres in 2024 in the only matchup of the season with these clubs.
The weekend set wraps up the final Quebec road trip of the season. They will also visit the Cape Breton Eagles before heading home.
Puck drop in Drummondville at the Centre Marcel Dionne is at 8 p.m. AST and 7 p.m. EST while puck drop in Victoriaville at the Colisée Desjardins on Saturday is at 5 p.m. AST and 4 p.m. EST.