Daryl MacCallum stood up to occasion making 30 saves to backstop the Charlottetown Islanders to a 5-2 win over the Sherbrooke Phoenix in Game 3 Monday night at Eastlink Centre.
Islanders starter Mason McDonald suffered what appeared to be a leg injury and left the game 4:57 into the contest and did not return. The Islanders had a 2-0 lead at that point.
MacCallum said he was pretty nervous because it was his first playoff game in the QMJHL.
“Once I made the first couple of saves I felt pretty comfortable in net and the team did a great job in front of me.”
MacCallum calls the game the most special he has ever played.
“Playing my first playoff game meant a lot to me.”
The fans were behind him all game, said MacCallum.
“The fans were special. They kept chanting me on and giving me confidence.”
Islanders forward Daniel Sprong said MacCallum came up big.
“He hasn’t played a lot this season but when he plays he has stepped up for us. You never want to see Mase go down like that. He came in great and made great saves. We rallied around him and used it as momentum and we took the game.”
The Islanders now lead the best-of-seven series 2-1 with the next two games in Charlottetown.
“We did what we had to do,” said Sprong. “Game 4 is Wednesday night so we are going to be practicing tomorrow and get ready to go.”
The Islanders opened the scoring just 2:09 into the game with Guillaume Rioux-Legault scoring his first career playoff goal. Sprong and Filip Chlapik drew assists.
Bradley Kennedy gave the Islanders a 2-0 lead at 3:47 with his first goal of the post-season. Ryan MacKinnon and Rioux-Legault picked up helpers.
At the time of McDonald’s injury, he had made four saves.
With new goalie MacCallum between the pipes, Kameron Kielly extended Charlottetown’s lead to 3-0 with his first goal of the playoffs. Kennedy and Spenser Cobbold drew assists.
Sprong the team’s key to success in the first period was playing the team’s system.
“We are playing with speed. We are a big team but we gotta use our speed too and we’re putting pucks no net and we’re just playing our game.”
In the second period, the Phoenix made it a 3-1 game with Cameron Darcy’s fourth goal of the series at 6:48. David Storto and Aaron Hoyles drew assists.
Darcy struck again at 9:09 with his fifth of the series at 9:09. Daniel Audette and Storto drew assists.
Sprong gave the Islanders a 4-2 lead at 16:50 with his fourth goal of the playoffs. Alexandre Goulet and Dexter Weber drew assists.
The 18-year-old native of Amsterdam, Netherlands has scored in all seven playoff games the Islanders have played. He has eight career playoff goals.
In the third period, Cobbold re-gained the three-goal lead for the Islanders with his fourth goal of the series at 11:09. Kielly and Kennedy drew assists.
Evan Fitzpatrick took the loss in the Sherbrooke goal making 30 saves.
Game 4 goes Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
Notes:
-Islanders registered 27 hits vs. Sherbrooke’s 15.
-Ross Johnston led the game with six hits.
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