Charlottetown Islanders start big week with home games vs. red-hot Halifax Mooseheads
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CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI — After taking points from two Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) teams on the road last weekend, the Charlottetown Islanders will look to continue that streak against the league’s hottest team.
The Halifax Mooseheads, who are on an 11-game winning streak and are 19-0-2-0 (win-loss-loss-loss-shootouts) in their last 21 games, visit the Eastlink Center for back-to-back games Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. and February 3 at 7:30 p.m
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“They’re historic over there, and it’s the old saying that all good things come to an end,” Islanders general manager and head coach Jim Hulton told SaltWire Network in a Jan. 31 phone interview. “We’re hoping the end (of the Mooseheads’ streak) is near and we’re the team that can blow them away.
“These are fun little challenges. Of course, it’s a long season, and you have to look for specific things to have fun with. I think here we will try to be the underdog team and try to take out the big dog.”
The Mooseheads are 33-7-4-1 standings and are second in both the Eastern Conference and standings, six points behind the Quebec Remparts (37-6-1-2).
“You’ll hear that a lot all along the route, whether it’s Cape Breton, Saint John or Bathurst. These are teams we must (against) win against if we are to control our own destiny.” – Jim Hulton
road route
The Islanders, who had three away games in under 72 hours, lost 5-3 to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (17-23-5-2) on January 27 before losing two straight overtime games – 2-3 against the Victoriaville Tigres (30-12-1-3), who share fourth place overall, on January 28 and 2-1 against the Remparts on January 29.
“If you look at the big picture, we have points in five of our last six games and a three-game win streak on home ice,” Hulton said. “We dropped one in Blainville that we would have liked but played real playoff-style hockey in Victoriaville and Quebec.
“It’s a similar template that we need to use against Halifax. We don’t have to worry about the shot clock, lock down the middle of the ice and capitalize when we get our chances.”
A big reason the Islanders picked up individual points against Victoriaville and Quebec was goalkeeping from Dixon Grimes and Jakob Robillard. Grimes stopped 38 of 41 shots while Robillard saved 46 of 48 shots, including 38 of 40 in the last two periods of regulation and overtime against the Remparts.
“The only reason we got points on the road trip was because they were both dating,” Hulton said. “Robillard in Quebec was beyond outstanding; He made five or six incredible saves and looked really good.
“Dixon wasn’t far away in the Victoriaville game. It’s been a high volume of shots in both games and both give us confidence with the netminding we’re going to have.
build up trust
Islanders forward and captain Keiran Gallant said the team felt they could play with any team after games against Victoriaville and Quebec.
Gallant understands the test the Islanders face against the Mooseheads.
“They’re a fast offensive team,” Gallant said. “We need to make sure we end their onslaught, limit turnover, and also limit time in our own zone.”
The Islanders end a busy stretch with an away game against the Cape Breton Eagles on February 5 in Sydney, NS.
“It’s a very important point,” Gallant said. “It is a team that we will fight against in the general classification. They’ve also shown some good games lately.”
The Eagles (18-25-2-1) are seventh in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the Islanders and Acadie-Bathurst Titan (15-24-5-2), who are tied for last place in the playoffs are. The Saint John Sea Dogs (16-27-1-1) are also in contention for a playoff spot.
“You’ll hear that a lot all along the route, whether it’s Cape Breton, Saint John or Bathurst. These are teams we must win against if we are to control our own destiny,” Hulton said. “A look at the table shows that there is not much choice. It’s going to be a typical playoff-style game.”
Jason Simmonds is Sports Editor at the SaltWire Network in Prince Edward Island. He can be reached by email at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @JpsportsJason.
