New Captain leads Cats to road victory in Cape Breton
Not long after he was officially named Wildcats captain, veteran centreman Markus Vidicek led by example with three goals and one assist propelling the Wildcats to a 6-3 victory over the Cape Breton Eagles Thursday night in Sydney before 4,100 fans at Centre 200.
Vidicek’s hattrick gives him 26 goals on the season. Gabe Smith had a strong game with two goals (13th & 14th) and Maxime Cote scored his 14th. Preston Lounsbury contributed a pair of assists and Alex Mercier extended his points streak to 16 games with an assist.
Mathis Rousseau recorded the win, outduelling Alexis Cournoyer. The Cats outshot the Eagles 32-21. Not in the lineup were #88 Juraj Pekarcik, #55 Simon Mullen & #16 Logan Crosby.
Three Stars:
⭐️ #6 MARKUS VIDICEK
⭐️⭐️ Andrew Brown, CAP
⭐️⭐️⭐️ #9 GABE SMITH
Along with Vidicek’s appointment as captain, alternate captains’ were named: #14 Dyllan Gill, #18 Caleb Desnoyers and #15 Vincent Collard.
Tonight’s win was game 1 of three straight meetings with the Eagles — the second round moves to the Avenir Centre Saturday night at 7pm. Cape Breton also returns next Thursday, FEB 6, at 7pm. On the season, the first-overall Cats improve to 35-8-2-0 after 45 games.
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Article by Marty Kingston
Photo: JaimeLee Gouthro
