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    • Halifax Mooseheads desperate to win at home – The Hockey Writers – LHJMQ
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    Halifax Mooseheads desperate to win at home – The Hockey Writers – LHJMQ

    Pabio Posted on

    Halifax Mooseheads head coach Andrew Lord spent the first month of the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) season trying to transform his team into a cohesive unit. Unfortunately, the team has had a revolving door of players due to injuries. Despite issues with retooling, injuries and a new coaching staff, Halifax has had some success this season. They got off to a good start with four straight wins to kick off the season and put in some outstanding individual performances that led to victories.

    Related: The Halifax Mooseheads reorganize for the 2024-2025 season

    The team is coming back from a tough road trip where the wins weren’t there, but now they begin a four-game homestand. There is hope that home cooking and rest can help the club achieve victories and see the team return to full health. The opening weekend of the home game provided fans with some exciting moments.

    Courageous victory for the Moosheads Above the Huskies

    The Mooseheads began their home stay on Friday, November 1 by welcoming the scoring champion of the 2023-2024 season. Antonin Verreaultthe only QMJHL player to have collected more than 100 points over the season (107) and his Rouyn Noranda Huskies. The game started as you would expect from a team settling in at home, as Halifax were a bit slow and disorganized. They looked nervous as they tried to do too much, with several small mistakes leading to turnovers that the Huskies turned into scoring chances.

    Rouyn threw wave after wave of pressure on the attack, but goalie Mathis Rousseau stood tall and closed the door. The Huskies controlled the pace of play throughout the first half, which continued for most of the game. The Mooseheads didn’t get a shot on goal until noon into the first game, and it was their only shot in the frame.

    The second period wasn’t much different as the Huskies felt some hesitation, but it didn’t last long as Liam Kilfoil took charge after being the target of a very heavy hit. He was back the next shift and returned the favor, then continued to play a more physical game.

    Braeden MacPhee followed up with some energy changes to get the crowd pumped with big hits and scrums after the whistle. Rookie and local boy Danny Walters scored his first home goal when he converted a stellar two-on-one pass from fellow rookie Amelio Santini midway through the second period. Meanwhile, Rousseau remained perfect

    It was only in the third period that Rouyn resolved Rousseau on a goal from Bill Zonnon, in the 41stst shot on the net.

    Rousseau shut the door for the rest of the game, including overtime (48 saves), stopping all three shootout attempts before Kilfoil scored the game-winner to lead Halifax to a 2-1 victory.

    Could the Mooseheads trade Rosseau?

    If the Mooseheads continue to inch closer to the final playoff spot in the Maritime Division, a QMJHL team looking to contend for the league title and even the Memorial Cup could begin to put an end to availability of Rousseau as the best goaltender in the league. Although he is undersized at 5-foot-11, he makes up for it with his athleticism, competitive level and ability to track pucks in a crowd.

    Halifax must refuel

    Halifax continued its stay at home on Sunday by welcoming the former Mooseheads forward. Markus Vidicek and defenseman Dylan MacKinnon, both of whom were traded to the Moncton Wildcats in the off-season as part of the team’s retooling. The Herd came into action on Sunday still full of energy after Friday’s win, buoyed by Rousseau’s 48 save performance, but it didn’t take long for Halifax to fall behind in this game, as Moncton had a lot more firepower to deal with.

    Vidicek scored the first goal after forcing a turnover and providing a perfect pass to Alex Mercer. The Mooseheads got a taste of their own medicine as they fought back with stellar play in the first period, but were stymied by goaltender Jacob Steinman.

    Moncton, however, continued to play hard into the third period, and with the score tied at 1-1, they opened the doors and turned the game into a wide-open race. Halifax simply couldn’t keep up with the breakneck pace and were forced to take several penalties. This gave Moncton the opening they needed with two power play goals from Vidicek and the winning goal of Caleb Desnoyers. There were two more goals, one into an empty net and a goal in wasted time, as they outscored the Mooseheads 41-31.

    The Herd fell to seventh in the Marine Division and went 8-7-2 with the loss. Meanwhile, division rival Moncton, led by Desnoyers, improved to an impressive 13-2-2 record to capture sole position atop the division. Halifax will be back in action on Saturday, November 9 against the visiting Baie-Comeau Drakkar as part of Military Appreciation Night at the Scotiabank Center to continue their home game.

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