Preview: October 8 vs. Halifax
October 8, 2022 – Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) – Charlottetown Islanders News Release
Fans of the Charlottetown Islanders will finally have their chance to see their team in action tonight, as the team plays their first home game of the season against the Halifax Mooseheads at 7:00 pm.
The Islanders will look for a bounce-back performance following a 7-4 defeat in Saint John to the Sea Dogs last night. The Isles found themselves behind the 8-ball with a 3-0 deficit in the first period before climbing back into it, only for Saint John to pull away in the third period. Giovanni Morneau scored his first career QMJHL goal and added an assist in the defeat, while Michael Horth, Jakub Brabenec, and Patrick Leblanc each also had multi-point games.
Back between the pipes for Charlottetown will be Francesco Lapenna. The one they call Franky was sterling in his season debut last week, making 45 saves in a 2-1 victory over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan back on October 1st. The big netminder will be one of the team’s leaders this year and will be relied on as a backbone for a young corp.
One player to keep an eye on for Charlottetown is Owen Hollingsworth. The 19-year-old forward was signed by the Islanders prior to last night’s game and picked up an assist on the Morneau goal. Hollingsworth spent last season split between the Nepean Raiders (Ontario Jr. A) and the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves; he recorded one assist in seven games with the Wolves, and with 35 points in 41 games, was one of the league’s top scorers in his age bracket for the Raiders.
At the other end of the rink, the Halifax Mooseheads will look to live up to the lofty expectations placed upon them this season as front runners to win the Maritimes Division crown. So far, they’re finding success; the Moose are leading the Maritimes Division standings early on with a 2-0-1-0 record. They’re also looking for a bounce-back performance after a 4-3 overtime loss to the Victoriaville Tigres last night.
Halifax has developed a three-headed monster on their top line; Mathieu Cataford, Markus Vidicek, and Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Jordan Dumais have been electric to kick off the season, accounting for the lion’s share of the points thus far. Between the three, the line has accounted for 9 of the team’s 14 goals.
On defense, the Moose are led by a pair of NHL prospects; Jake Furlong (San Jose Sharks) and Cameron Whynot (Calgary Flames) are expected to do some heavy lifting this year as veteran players on the blue line. They’re joined by highly-touted prospects Owen Phillips and Dylan MacKinnon, the sturdy Brady Schultz, and Czech import David Moravec to form one of the stronger defensive groups in the QMJHL.
There are still tickets available for tonight’s home opener at the Eastlink Centre! Pick up your tickets by visiting the Eastlink Centre box office, by phoning 902-629-6625, or pick them up online by visiting HERE. When purchasing online, take advantage of our Cyber Saturday deal; use promo code JOSEPH to take 15% off your order!
• Discuss this story on the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League message board…
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
