Eagles Season Ends After 3-2 Loss To Halifax
NOTES FROM THE GAME
– A shorthanded goal by Alexandre Doucet in the second period broke a 2-2 tie and stood up as the winner as the Mooseheads topped the Cape Breton Eagles 3-2 to sweep their first round series.
– The Eagles goals came from Charles Boutin & Olivier Houde.
– Eagles defenseman Tomas Lavoie left the game with an upper body injury and did not return. Halifax’s defenseman Dylan MacKinnon, who played the first three games of the series, did not dress due to injury and was replaced by Dylan Chisholm (Valley Wildcats) who was recalled for the game.
– Both goaltenders made timely stops, with Cape Breton’s Oliver Satny stopping 30 of 33 while Mathis Rousseau turned aside 29 of 31.
– With the elmination of the Eagles, the major junior careers of 20 year old players Ivan Ivan, Samuel Johnson, and Trevor Thurston have come to an end. The Cape Breton Eagles would like to thank & congratulate them for their time in Cape Breton and wish them the best in the rest of their hockey careers.
Both teams had their opportunities in the opening 20 minutes in a period that was played almost entirely at even strength. Halifax opened the scoring when Jordan Dumais converted a cross-crease pass.
It wasn’t a power play, but penalties would factor into the tying goal. There was extra open ice with the teams playing four on four- Boutin circled the zone, came out to the right faceoff circle and wired a tying goal over Rousseau.
The Eagles finished the opening period on a power play after Halifax’s Jake Furlong took a minor penalty, but couldn’t the home side couldn’t capitalize on either side of the intermission. Before the five minute mark, Halifax took the lead on a goal by Markus Vidicek.
Once again, the Eagles battled back- this time Olivier Houde redirected a Zach Biggar shot and the game was tied at 2. Halifax would score the next goal- but not until the pendulum would swing multiple times.
Halifax thought they had a power play opportunity with Trevor Thurston in the penalty box, but the Eagles killed the first 1:28 off the minor, and with Ivan Ivan racing into the Halifax zone, Dumais took a minor for holding Ivan Ivan. In the aftermath, Zachary L’Heureux was sent off for unsportsmanlike conduct, setting up a four on three power play that would become a five on three man advantage when the Thurston minor ended.
With the teams playing five on three, Halifax created a short handed opportunity in transition. Josh Lawrence came up the right wing, found Doucet at the side of the net and he tapped in the go ahead goal. The Mooseheads killed off the remainder of the penalty and took a 3-2 lead into the third period.
Both teams had ample opportunity to add to their margins in the third period, with the Eagles unable to cash in on a power play in the middle of the third stanza. With 1:33 remaining, the Eagles lifted Satny from the bench for an extra attacker and pressed for the game tying goal.
While the home side created chances, the tying goal could not be found and Halifax held on for a 3-2 victory and a 4-0 series sweep. The Mooseheads’ second round opponent will be determined after the conclusion of the Moncton/Baie-Comeau & Chicoutmi/Rimouski series, as the Quebec Remparts have also advanced to round two after their victory over Charlottetown tonight.
The Eagles would like to thank their great fans for their support during the 2022-23 season. Stay tuned to the Eagles social media feeds for all news about the team during the offseason. The Eagles will now look ahead to the QMJHL draft which will take place on June 10th in Sherbrooke.
The Eagles would wish their fans a safe and happy off-season- Go Eagles Go!
THREE STARS OF THE GAME
1. Alexandre Doucet (Halifax) 1 goal, 1 assist
2. Josh Lawrence (Halifax) 2 assists
3. Oliver Satny (Cape Breton) 30 saves on the 33 shots
Scratches For Cape Breton: Cameron Henderson, Owen Arnold
Scratches For Halifax: Cameron Whynott (injury), Dylan MacKinnon (injury), Liam Welsh, Jarrett Todd
Final Shots On Goal: 33-31 in favour of Halifax
Cape Breton Power Play: 0/4
Halifax Power Play: 0/1
