HOME COOKING WORKING FOR THE MOOSE
The young Halifax Mooseheads have done something that the team hasn’t done since the 1998-1999 season…win their first four games on home ice.
“You know it’s special especially with the Memorial Cup team and a couple of other teams that were really good,” said third star Barrett Dachyshyn.
In what was by far the most technically sound game of the season thus far for Halifax, the Mooseheads (4-2) exacted some revenge on the Charlottetown Islanders (4-3) with a 5-2 victory at Scotiabank Centre on Saturday night. The Isles had previously trounced the Moose 9-2 on October 2nd. The win pulls Halifax even with Charlottetown and Saint John atop the Maritimes Division with eight points.
“We had to rebound from our last game against Charlottetown and the boys had a little fire in their stomachs and I think we came out hard and played within our DNA.”
The game was very even with the teams tied at 2 until 20-year-old Anthony Sorrentino broke the deadlock by going top corner with just 8:48 remaining in regulation. The goal was created by a determined effort on the puck by Keigan Goetz who held off a pair of defenders to get it to a hard charging Sorrentino.
Alex Gravel made his first career start between the pipes for the Mooseheads and was very solid in making 35 saves and earning the first star of the game. He was able to do it in front of his mother Marie-Josee who was visiting the city for the Thanksgiving long weekend.
“I think we really played better and kept it simple and allowed less shots on net,” said Gravel.
Rookie import forward Nico Hischier got the home team on the board first when he scored his first career goal at 5:32 of the opening period. Hischier was stationed in front of Islanders goaltender Blade Mann-Dixon and took a centering pass from Bradley Kennedy to cash in and get the supportive crowd into it early.
The Isles bounced back when Jake Coughler got one on the power play just under five minutes later with his league leading eighth goal of the season. Halifax retook the lead early in the second period with a power play goal of their own when Connor Moynihan picked up the first of his two tallies on the night with Hischier and Arnaud Durandeau setting him up. However once again Charlottetown fought back to tie it 2-2 as Shawn Boudrias scored another goal with the man advantage.
The teams played 2-2 hockey for the next 27 minutes and change until Sorrentino’s game winner which was followed up by an insurance tally by the second star Moynihan who scored his fourth goal in four games and Dachyshyn lifted a backhander into an empty net from a tricky angle with 1:41 to play.
The Mooseheads have a chance for a fifth consecutive win at Scotiabank Centre to start the season when they entertain Vitalii Abramov and the Gatineau Olympiques on Thanksgiving Monday at 3pm.
Purchase your tickets today at the Ticket Atlantic Box Office at Scotiabank Centre, select Superstore Outlets, TicketAtlantic.com or by phone at 902-451-1221.
Halifax Mooseheads Full Season and 15-Game Ticket Packages for the 2016-17 season are on sale now. Get yours at the Mooseheads Season Ticket Office in Scotia Square Mall, by phone at 902-429-FANS(3267), OR by email at [email protected].
