Strong Finish on the Road

2024-11-17

The Mooseheads got off to a hot start in Val d’Or on Sunday and never looked back while holding off the Foreurs for a 5-4 victory to finish a three-game road trip.

Brady Schultz scored just 30 seconds into the contest to begin a big day from the Halifax blueliners who combined to score three goals and five points. Rookie Eddy Doyle contributed his first career tally in the win while Jack Martin’s third period insurance marker turned out to be the game-winner. Defenceman Owen Phillips chipped in with a pair of assists.

Box Score

Forwards Jan Sprynar and Liam Kilfoil also scored in the club’s first win in a Quebec rink this season and the Moose will return home with three out of a possible six points from the trip. The win also snapped a five-game losing skid for the Herd to improve the season record to 9-10-3-0 for 21 points as Halifax jumped back in front of Cape Breton for seventh in the Eastern Conference and fourth place in the Maritimes Division.

Jack Milner made his first start since October 27th and withstood a barrage from the Foreurs by saving 32-of-36 shots against him. Shawn Carrier was a key contributor with two assists while Antoine Fontaine and Patrick McNab also picked up assists.

Schultz got the nine-goal affair off to a quick start when his point shot through traffic beat goalie Emile Beaunoyer on the first shift of the game. The Moose never trailed in the game but Val d’Or made things very interesting by consistently fighting back.

The Foreurs tied the game 1-1 on a Nathaniel Harvey tally just 2:02 after Schultz’s opening goal. Eddy Doyle, the game’s second star, put Halifax back in front midway through the period on another point shot from the left side and the Tignish, PE native showed off a huge smile as he skated down the line in front of the Mooseheads bench in celebration of the first goal of his QMJHL career. The home squad tied it again at 2-2 with only 70 seconds to go in the period when Nathan Brisson beat Milner with a nice shot from in tight.

A quick flurry of goals 41 seconds apart early in the second period from Sprynar and Kilfoil put the Moose ahead for good with a 4-2 advantage. Alexis Fortin cut the lead to 4-3 later in the period but Martin tacked on another goal from the Mooseheads blueline 3:59 into the final stanza for a 5-3 lead and the eventual game-winner. Foreurs overager Noah Reinhart made the Herd sweat a bit when he once again cut the lead to one at 5-4 with 7:44 remaining on the clock but Milner shut the door the rest of the way.