Round 2 match ups set

After the Moncton Wildcats were eliminated by Armada in Game 6 last night, the match ups for Round are now determined.

The match ups had to wait until the winner of the Wildcats/Armada series was determined.

No. 1 Baie-Comeau Drakkar vs. No. 10 Rouyn-Noranda Huskies

The 10th-seeded Huskies were able to upset the No. 7 Quebec Remparts in five games but will have a much tougher task against the Drakkar. The Drakkar swept their series with Shawinigan. Baie-Comeau won all three games against Rouyn-Noranda this season, outscoring the Huskies 10-5.  Expect this series to be a 2-3-2 format to reduce travel. Keep an eye on former Islanders captain Jack Nevins with Rouyn-Noranda.

No. 2 Halifax Mooseheads vs. No. 8 Gatineau Olympiques

Both teams are coming off first round sweeps; Halifax over Charlottetown and Gatineau over Cape Breton. This will be the rematch of last year's second round series between these two teams. Gatineau will play a Nova Scotia-based team for the second round in a row. Both teams had a win against each other in the regular season in two games. Expect this series to be a 2-3-2 format. Former Islanders Alexis Pepin and Deverick Ottereyes will being playing with Gatineau.

No. 3 Val-d'Or Foreurs vs. No. 6 Drummondville Voltigeurs
The Foreurs are coming off a four-game sweep of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan as Drummondville is coming off a 4-1 series win over Victoriaville. These two teams met six times during 2013-2014 season and Val-d'Or finished 3-2-1 over the Volts. Keep an eye for former Islanders Antoine Bibeau and Ryan Graves playing for the Foreurs and also former Rocket Louick Marcotte.

No. 4 Rimouski Oceanic vs. No. 5 Blainville-Boisbriand Armada
Rimouski swept the Chicoutimi Sagueneens as the Armada just recently moved past the Wildcats in Game 6 on Sunday. Both teams were 2-2-0-0 against each other this season with Rimouski taking the latest victory on Feb. 21. Former Islander Matt Bursey is with the Armada as well as former Rocket Jimmy Oligny with the Oceanic.

Nolan's predictions:
Baie-Comeau in five.
Halifax in six.
Foreurs in seven.
Oceanic in six.

The schedule for each series should be released in the coming days.

Mooseheads sweep Islanders with 11-3 win

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. - The Halifax Mooseheads skated to an 11-3 victory in Game 4 to sweep the first round series against the Charlottetown Islanders Thursday night at Eastlink Centre.

Jonathan Drouin led the way for Halifax with two goals and two assists. Islanders had goals from Daniel Sprong, Kameron Kielly and Troy Vance.

Things started out well for the Islanders as they killed off a four-minute double minor to Robert Pelletier for high sticking and didn’t give Halifax too many scoring chances. After the penalty kill, chances came at both ends but it wasn’t until the 14:28 mark of the first period on the power play when Nikolaj Ehlers opened the scoring for Halifax with his third of the playoffs. Jonathan Drouin and Mackenzie Weegar drew assists.

Moments later, Weegar found the back of the net with an unassisted marker at 15:45 for his first of the playoffs. Mooseheads took a 3-0 lead with Timo Meier scoring his first of the playoffs on a lucky bounce at 18:50 with Jesse Lussier and Luca Ciampini drawing assists.

In the second period, things didn’t get any easier for the Islanders. Drouin scored his fifth of the playoffs at 1:27 to give Mooseheads a 4-0 lead before Danny Moynihan made it 5-0 at 2:32 with his third of the playoffs.

The fifth Mooseheads goal would end the night for Mason McDonald after giving up five goals on 16 shots. Eric Brassard came into the game for Charlottetown.

Halifax took a 6-0 lead with Weegar scoring a power play goal for his second of the game at 10:17. Ehlers buried his second of the game and fourth of the playoffs at 12:07 to make it a 7-0 Mooseheads game. Drouin added his sixth of the playoffs just 27 second later for an 8-0 lead. Shots were 22-3 in favour of Halifax for a 34-16 advantage.

To start the third period, Mooseheads took out starter Zachary Fucale and replaced him with backup Kevin Darveau.

Luca Ciampini scored short-handed at 6:19 to put the Mooseheads up 9-0 before Connor Moynihan made it double digits at 8:46.

Islanders got on the board with Sprong’s fourth of the playoffs at 15:51. Pelletier drew the lone assist. Just 21 seconds later, Kielly scored his first of the playoffs to make it 10-2. Mike DiPaolo drew the lone assist.

The Mooseheads added one more goal as Samuel Leblanc scored his first of the playoffs at 18:20 to make it 11-2. The Islanders wouldn’t go away as Vance scored his first of the playoffs at 19:30 on the power play. Anthony Cortese and DiPaolo drew the assists.

Brassard made 23 saves in relief of McDonald in the Islanders net. Fucale stopped all 16 shots he faced through two periods and Darveau made five saves in the third period.

Islanders defenceman Troy Vance skated in his last major junior game of his career. Vance is property of the Dallas Stars and was acquired by the P.E.I. Rocket last year at the deadline from Victoriaville. Thanks to Vance for his time in Charlottetown and good luck to him in the future.

See you in the off season Islanders fans! It was a fun year.







Series recap:
Game 1: Friday March 21, 2014 - Charlottetown Islanders 3 @ Halifax Mooseheads 6
Game 2: Saturday March 22, 2014 - Charlottetown Islanders 1 @ Halifax Mooseheads 7
Game 3: Tuesday March 25, 2014 - Halifax Mooseheads 4 @ Charlottetown Islanders 1
Game 4: Thursday March 27, 2014 - Halifax Mooseheads 11 @ Charlottetown Islanders 3

Game 4: Mooseheads @ Islanders

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. - The Charlottetown Islanders are on the brink of elimination tonight as they host the Halifax Mooseheads in Game 4 of the best-of-seven series.

Brandon Vuic will return to line up for Halifax after serving a one-game suspension in Game 3.

The Islanders kept the game close last night at home in Game 3 holding a 1-0 lead early into the second period and then keeping a 1-1 tie until the third period.

Over the course of the three games, Halifax has outscored Charlottetown 17-5 and have out-shot Charlottetown 142-55. Islanders goalie Mason McDonald, although numbers won't show it, has been excellent in goal for the Islanders giving them a chance to win every game.

In a post-game interview last night's game, McDonald said it felt good to have the fans on their side.

"We had a pretty good crowd tonight. Hopefully more show up tomorrow night and cheer us on."

Halifax has been led by Jonathan Drouin and Nikolaj Ehlers so far through the first three games. Drouin has found the back of the net four times and has helped on five others for nine points. Ehlers has two goals and eight points.

"They're obviously great players," said McDonald on the Halifax duo last night. "Seeing them come down doesn't really scare me or anything it's just a challenge I guess you could say."

Despite being down 3-0 in the series, McDonald believes the Islanders can come back.

"We're going to take it one game at a time. Tomorrow night we are going to take it to them and hope for a win."

Keys to the game:
Charlottetown - Stay out of the box. The did manage this Game 3 but allowed two power play goals on four penalty kills. Also, they must get more pressure on Zachary Fucale and get more shots.

Halifax - Power play. Their power play has been key so far these playoffs. Crack McDonald early.

I'm hoping I can make it to the game tonight. I am still waiting for our laneway to be blown out as there are several high drifts. I haven't made into work yet.

Follow the game live on Twitter by following @islandersgmday.

Date: Thursday March 26, 2014

Opponent: Halifax Mooseheads

Where: Eastlink Centre, Charlottetown, P.E.I.

Time: 7 p.m. AST

TV: Eastlink, Telus Webcast

Summary

Series: Halifax leads 3-0.

Last Game: March 25 - HAL 4 @ CHA 1

Next Game: March 28 in Halifax if necessary

Head to head record for 2013-2014: Halifax 8-1-0-0, Charlottetown 1-7-1-0

Record (RS)	47-18-0-3	21-39-3-5
Standing (RS)	1st Maritimes / 2nd QMJHL	5th Maritimes / 15th QMJHL
Home record (RS)	25-7-0-2	13-15-3-3
Road record (RS)	22-11-0-1	8-24-0-2
Leading points (PO)	Jonathan Drouin - 9 (4-5-9)	Daniel Sprong - 4 (3-1-4) Alex Goulet - 4 (1-3-4)
Leading goals (PO)	Jonathan Drouin - 4	Daniel Sprong - 3
Leading assists (PO)	Nikolaj Ehlers - 6	Alex Goulet - 3
Leading PIM (PO)	Brandon Vuic - 10	Mike DiPaolo - 15
Leading Rookie (PO)	Nikolaj Ehlers - 8 (2-6-8)	Daniel Sprong - 4 (3-1-4) Alex Goulet - 4 (1-3-4)
Best GAA (PO)	Zachary Fucale - 1.67	Mason McDonald - 5.73
Best Save % (PO)	Zachary Fucale - 0.909	Mason McDonald - 0.880
Record scoring first (PO)	1-0-0	0-2-0
Giving up first goal (PO)	2-0-0	0-1-0
Power play (PO)	No. 2 | 10/20 | 50 %	No. 10 | 2/16 | 12.5 %
Penalty kill (PO)	No. 7 | 87.5 %	No. 15 | 50 %

RS - Regular Season

PO - Playoffs

Tonight's game postponed

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. - Tonight's game has postponed due to weather.

The game will be played tomorrow night at 7 p.m. The reschedule will not affect the series as Game 5, if necessary, will be in Halifax on Friday March 28.

It is looking nasty out there. To fellow Islanders and Maritimers - stay off the roads and stay safe.

UPDATED: Tonight's game is a go, will be evaluated after 2 p.m.

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. - Due to the pending storm today, league officials will be meeting at noon to discuss the status of tonight's Charlottetown Islanders and Halifax Mooseheads playoff game.

An update from the Charlottetown Islanders twitter account states the game is still a go after discussions with the league. Weather is being monitored and the status will be evaluated again at 2 p.m.

After discussions with the league the game as of now is still a go. Weather is being monitored and will be evaluated again at 2pm.

— IslandersHKY (@IslandersHKY) March 26, 2014

Photo by The Guardian.

If the game is postponed, it will be played tomorrow night at 7 p.m. If necessary, the remaining games in the series will be played as scheduled.

Matt Rainnie of the CBC tweeted the news earlier this morning.

QMJHL meeting at noon to discuss tonight's @IslandersHKY game. If postponed, game goes tomorrow #pei
— Matt Rainnie (@islandmorning) March 26, 2014

Stayed tuned for the status of tonight's game.

Game 4: Mooseheads @ Islanders - weather permitting

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. - The Charlottetown Islanders are on the brink of elimination tonight as they host the Halifax Mooseheads in Game 4 of the best-of-seven series.

With a storm warning in effect, there is a high chance that tonight's game will be cancelled and will most likely be played tomorrow.

Brandon Vuic will return to line up for Halifax after serving a one-game suspension in Game 3.

The Islanders kept the game close last night at home in Game 3 holding a 1-0 lead early into the second period and then keeping a 1-1 tie until the third period.

Over the course of the three games, Halifax has outscored Charlottetown 17-5 and have out-shot Charlottetown 142-55. Islanders goalie Mason McDonald, although numbers won't show it, has been excellent in goal for the Islanders giving them a chance to win every game.

In a post-game interview last night's game, McDonald said it felt good to have the fans on their side.

"We had a pretty good crowd tonight. Hopefully more show up tomorrow night and cheer us on."

Halifax has been led by Jonathan Drouin and Nikolaj Ehlers so far through the first three games. Drouin has found the back of the net four times and has helped on five others for nine points. Ehlers has two goals and eight points.

"They're obviously great players," said McDonald on the Halifax duo last night. "Seeing them come down doesn't really scare me or anything it's just a challenge I guess you could say."

Despite being down 3-0 in the series, McDonald believes the Islanders can come back.

"We're going to take it one game at a time. Tomorrow night we are going to take it to them and hope for a win."

Keys to the game:
Charlottetown - Stay out of the box. The did manage this Game 3 but allowed two power play goals on four penalty kills. Also, they must get more pressure on Zachary Fucale and get more shots.

Halifax - Power play. Their power play has been key so far these playoffs. Crack McDonald early.

Date: Wednesday March 26, 2014

Opponent: Halifax Mooseheads

Where: Eastlink Centre, Charlottetown, P.E.I.

Time: 7 p.m. AST

TV: Eastlink, Telus Webcast

Summary

Series: Halifax leads 3-0.

Last Game: March 25 - HAL 4 @ CHA 1

Next Game: March 28 in Halifax if necessary

Head to head record for 2013-2014: Halifax 8-1-0-0, Charlottetown 1-7-1-0

Record (RS)	47-18-0-3	21-39-3-5
Standing (RS)	1st Maritimes / 2nd QMJHL	5th Maritimes / 15th QMJHL
Home record (RS)	25-7-0-2	13-15-3-3
Road record (RS)	22-11-0-1	8-24-0-2
Leading points (PO)	Jonathan Drouin - 9 (4-5-9)	Daniel Sprong - 4 (3-1-4) Alex Goulet - 4 (1-3-4)
Leading goals (PO)	Jonathan Drouin - 4	Daniel Sprong - 3
Leading assists (PO)	Nikolaj Ehlers - 6	Alex Goulet - 3
Leading PIM (PO)	Brandon Vuic - 10	Mike DiPaolo - 15
Leading Rookie (PO)	Nikolaj Ehlers - 8 (2-6-8)	Daniel Sprong - 4 (3-1-4) Alex Goulet - 4 (1-3-4)
Best GAA (PO)	Zachary Fucale - 1.67	Mason McDonald - 5.73
Best Save % (PO)	Zachary Fucale - 0.909	Mason McDonald - 0.880
Record scoring first (PO)	1-0-0	0-2-0
Giving up first goal (PO)	2-0-0	0-1-0
Power play (PO)	No. 2 | 10/20 | 50 %	No. 10 | 2/16 | 12.5 %
Penalty kill (PO)	No. 7 | 87.5 %	No. 15 | 50 %

RS - Regular Season

PO - Playoffs

Islanders keep it close at home, lose 4-1 in Game 3

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. - Philippe Gadoury scored three goals to lead the Halifax Mooseheads to a 4-1 win over the Charlottetown Islanders in Game 3 at Eastlink Centre Tuesday night.

Halifax leads the best-of-seven series 3-0.

The Mooseheads broke a 1-1 tie at the 6:59 mark of the third period with Gadoury’s second goal of the game on the power play. The Mooseheads would go on to to score two more goals in the third period.

“It’s frustrating right now,” said Islanders goalie Mason McDonald who faced 40-plus shots. “We gotta group. We know we can hang in there with them for 60 minutes and we can play with them. I look forward to tomorrow night.”

McDonald said it wasn’t too bad facing 42 shots.

“The temperature of the rink actually helped a lot. It was easier to stick a pose and it wasn’t as warm out there.”

Daniel Sprong said it was a tough loss.

“It could have went either way. They capitalized on their chances.”

Once again, the Mooseheads took advantage of their power play scoring twice on four opportunities.

The Islanders need to stick to paying attention to details to shut down the Mooseheads’ power play, said Sprong.

“We just gotta focus on the little details tomorrow.”

Sprong opened the scoring at the 4:08 mark of the first period scoring his third of the playoffs beating Mooseheads goalie Zachary Fucale on a breakaway. Alexandre Goulet drew the lone assist. Shots were 12-8 Halifax.

Gadoury tied things up for the Mooseheads with a power play goal at the 4:42 mark of the second period. Shots were 20-5 in Halifax’s favour for a 32-13 total after two periods.

The Mooseheads took their first lead of the game with Gadoury’s second of the game and fourth of the playoffs on the power play at 6:59.

“There were a few bad breaks,” said McDonald. “The second goal kinda squeaked to the side and they just put it in and that changed the whole momentum of it.”

Jonathan Drouin gave the Mooseheads a 3-1 lead with his fourth of the playoffs at 11:17 before Gadoury completed the hat trick at 17:39.

McDonald made 38 saves for first-star honours in the loss for Charlottetown. Fucale wasn’t tested much, making 16 saves in the winning cage for Halifax.

Game 4 goes Wednesday night at 7 p.m. weather permitting.

To avoid the sweep at home, Sprong said the team needs to play their game.

“We’re going to take it like Game 7 and we’re going to have to play 60 minutes strong and we can’t make any mistakes, it just has to be a very good game from us.”

Sprong was asked if the Islanders can comeback down 3-0.

“Why not us?” replied Sprong.

Stavert and Johnson added to Islanders line up

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. - The Charlottetown Islanders have added forwards Thomas Stavert and Malik Johnson from the Summerside Western Capitals to their line up for tonight's Game 3 against the Halifax Mooseheads.

Both Stavert and Johnson have seen QMJHL action with the Islanders this season due to injuries.

Thomas Stavert with Summerside. Journal Pioneer photo.

Stavert, 18, scored 28 goals and 49 points in 47 games with Summerside of the MHL this season. The Kengsington, P.E.I. native scored a goal in his QMJHL debut on Feb. 26 against the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.

Malik Johnson. Journal Pioneer photo.

Johnson, also 18, scored seven goals and added eight assists in 19 games with the Capitals this season. He appeared in four games with the Islanders this season recording no points but seven penalty minutes and a minus-three rating.

It is unknown if Josh Shatford will be in the line up tonight. 

Game 3 goes tonight at Eastlink Centre with a 7 p.m. puck drop. Playoff action will resume tomorrow night for Game 4 at 7 p.m.

Game 3: Mooseheads @ Islanders

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I - The recent rivalry between these two teams will heat up tonight as the Mooseheads are in town for Game 3. They lead the series 2-0.

Halifax will play without Brandon Vuic as he's been given a one-game suspension for "hitting an opponent who was on the ice at the end of an altercation." That story can be found here.

The Islanders only beat Halifax once on home ice this season and it came during the season home opener back on Sept. 13. It was also the only time Charlottetown beat Halifax this season. Since then it's been all Halfiax, but the Islanders were able to get a point out of the Mooseheads on home ice back on March 11 in a 3-2 overtime loss.

Islanders have been outscored 13-4 in the first two games of the series and have allowed eight power play goals on 16 penalty kills. The Mooseheads scored five power play goals in Saturday's 7-1 win, including four straight in the third period.

If the Islanders want to cut the series in half, they will need to stay out of the penalty box as penalties have literally killed them so far. They can still get under the skin of Halfiax, but stay discipline doing it. At even strength, the Islanders match-up well against Halifax and can put a bit of a scare onto the Mooseheads.

Keys to the Game:
Charlottetown: Stay discipline and don't give Jonathan Drouin and Nikolaj Ehlers space on the ice.
Halifax: Keep up successful power play and keep pressure in Islanders' zone.

You can follow the game live on Twitter by following @islandersgmday.

Series summary:
Game 1: Friday March 21 - Charlottetown 3 @ Halifax 6
Game 2: Saturday March 22 - Charlottetown 1 @ Halfiax 7

#WhyNotUs

Date: Tuesday March 25, 2014

Opponent: Halifax Mooseheads

Where: Eastlink Centre, Charlottetown, P.E.I.

Time: 7 p.m. AST

TV: Eastlink, Telus Webcast

Summary

Series: Halifax leads 2-0.

Last Game: March 22 - CHA 1 @ HAL 7

Next Game: March 26 in Charlottetown (Game 4)

Head to head record for 2013-2014: Halifax 8-1-0-0, Charlottetown 1-7-1-0

Record (RS)	47-18-0-3	21-39-3-5
Standing (RS)	1st Maritimes / 2nd QMJHL	5th Maritimes / 15th QMJHL
Home record (RS)	25-7-0-2	13-15-3-3
Road record (RS)	22-11-0-1	8-24-0-2
Leading points (PO)	Jonathan Drouin - 7 (3-4-7)	Daniel Sprong - 3 (2-1-3) Alex Goulet - 3 (1-2-3)
Leading goals (PO)	Jonathan Drouin - 3	Daniel Sprong - 2
Leading assists (PO)	MacKenzie Weegar - 5	Alex Goulet - 2 Troy Vance - 2
Leading PIM (PO)	Brandon Vuic - 10	Mike DiPaolo - 11
Leading Rookie (PO)	Nikolaj Ehlers - 6 (2-4-6)	Daniel Sprong - 3 (2-1-3) Alex Goulet - 3 (1-2-3)
Best GAA (PO)	Zachary Fucale - 2.00	Mason McDonald - 6.50
Best Save % (PO)	Zachary Fucale - 0.895	Mason McDonald - 0.870
Record scoring first (PO)	1-0-0	0-1-0
Giving up first goal (PO)	1-0-0	0-1-0
Power play (PO)	No. 2 | 8/16 | 60%	No. 9 | 2/13 | 15.4%
Penalty kill (PO)	No. 8 | 84.6%	No. 15 | 50%

RS - Regular Season

PO - Playoffs