Preview: October 7 at Bathurst
October 7, 2022 – Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) – Charlottetown Islanders News Release
With Hurricane Fiona slowly becoming a distant memory, the 2022-2023 season can truly get rolling for the Charlottetown Islanders. A stretch of three games in four days begins tonight when the Islanders make a trip to the Port City to do battle with the defending Memorial Cup champion Saint John Sea Dogs.
The Islanders got their season started on the right foot last weekend, taking a 2-1 overtime victory over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Francesco Lapenna was lights out between the pipes for Charlottetown; the 20-year-old made 45 saves to pick up the victory, while fellow over-ager Patrick Leblanc nabbed the game-winner two minutes into the extra frame. Alexis Michaud recorded his first career QMJHL goal while Marcus Kearsey notched his first career QMJHL point with an assist on the game-winner.
Tonight, Lapenna cedes the crease to one of his fellow crease keepers; Oliver Satny will make his season debut for Charlottetown. The Czechia import goaltender picked up 21 victories in his rookie season last year and posted a .893 save percentage in 31 appearances.
The Islanders will get a major boost to the offense tonight as Jakub Brabenec makes his return to the lineup following his stint at Vegas Golden Knights training camp. The reigning QMJHL Rookie of the Year will look to build on his amazing first season in major junior and lead the charge for his team. In addition to Brabenec, the Isles will have nearly a full roster at their disposal, with only Nathan Mossey listed as unavailable for tonight’s game.
Meanwhile, the Sea Dogs (1-1-0-0) have split their first two games of the season, taking a 4-3 win over the Titan back on September 24th before dropping a 4-1 decision to the Moncton Wildcats last weekend. Like Charlottetown, Saint John has also had a handful of games rescheduled due to Hurricane Fiona.
The Sea Dogs are led by PEI product Charlie DesRoches. The Days Corner native was named the newest captain in Sea Dogs history prior to the season, his fifth with Saint John. He joins just a handful of returning players from last season’s run to the Memorial Cup remaining on the Sea Dogs, including Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Cam MacDonald, Peter Reynolds, Marshall Lessard, Vincent Despont, and Nikolas Hurtubise. The six returnees will be heavily relied on by the Sea Dogs to lead a young team into battle on any given night.
You can catch all of tonight’s action on the airwaves with George Matthews and Cory Arsenault on Max 93.1, or by watching along on CHL TV!
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