[plaugher]

Game 5: Moncton 4 @ Halifax 3 (SO)

Atlantic division battle to stay out of the basement, as Moncton is winless and Halifax is 1-3. Moncton has been having similar top-end scoring troubles, as Conor Garland has only 1 point in 4 games. Scoreless through 1, despite Halifax pumping 13 shots at Zachery Fortin. Cavan Fitzgerald broke the tie early in the second, banging in a rebound in the slot on a Timo Meier shot. Danny Moynihan made it a two-goal lead shortly thereafter, wristing one home from the top of the circle. Potential turning point late in the second as Walter Flower was ejected after a hit to the head, which Askew capitalized on for Moncton before the end of the period to bring the Cats within 1. Meier and Klima traded goals midway through the third, and Tesink evened the score burying the puck past Brassard with four minutes left. OT solved nothing, so time for shootout! The big guns couldn't get the job done; Putintsev deked out Fortin with the 3rd shot, but Klima saved the day. Donaghey and Murphy traded goals. A Somppi miss and a Bower five-hole goal won the game for Moncton, their first.

1-0 HFX Fitzgerald (1) (Meier, Donghey) 25:56
2-0 HFX D.Moynihan (1) (Meier, Fortier) 32:01 PP
2-1 MCT Askew (1) (Johnson, Klima) 39:07 PP
3-1 HFX Meier (1) (Crossley) 44:34
3-2 MCT Klima (2) (Askew) 50:29
3-3 MCT Tesink (1) (Garland, Murphy) 56:07
SO: Meier (n), Garland (n); Fortier (n), Johnson (n); Putintsev (y), Klima (y); Donaghey (y); Murphy (y); Somppi (n); Bower (y).

HFX: Brassard 21/24, PP: 1/6 ; MCT Fortin 30/33, PP: 0/10
3 stars: 1. Askew; 2. Meier; 3. Klima

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Game 6: Cape Breton 3 @ Halifax 4

The Battle of Nova Scotia kicks up for another season, with the Eagles rolling into town. Halifax nearly made it through a first period 18-shot barrage, before Evgeni Svechnikov tipped in a Lazarev wrist shot 30 seconds before the buzzer for a 1-0 lead. Vince Watt evened the score banging in a loose puck at the right post early in the second to tie up the game. The goals came fast and furious in the second half of the middle frame, with Svechnikov, Max Fortier, Brett Crossley and Maxim Lazarev trading goals in a five minute span, sending the game into the third knotted at 3 (despite CB only having two second period shots -- both goals). Cape Breton lost all of their puff in the third, going SHOTLESS. Putintsev buried a late goal on a two-man advantage to seal the deal. Brassard did not make a save in the final 42 minutes of the game, but still got the W. Let that sink in for a minute...

0-1 CAP Svechnikov (2) (Lazarev, Gosselin) 19:26
1-1 HFX Watt (3) (Somppi, Taillefer) 23:30
1-2 CAP Svechnikov (3) (Leblanc, Gosselin) 29:59
2-2 HFX Fortier (1) (Meier, Ford) 30:41
3-2 HFX Crossley (1) (Taillefer, Ford) 33:21
3-3 CAP Lazarev (4) (Beaudin, Svechnikov) 35:27
4-3 HFX Putintsev (4) (Somppi, Crossley) 56:51 PP

HFX: Brassard 17/20, PP: 1/5 ; CAP: Belanger 29/33, PP: 0/3
3 stars: 1. Taillefer; 2. Svechnikov; 3. Somppi

Notes:
- Big trouble for the Remparts, as #1 goalie Callum Booth will be out for a month with a bruised kneecap, meaning they will be running with two rookie goaltenders for the next while
- Glad to see Meier get off the schneid this week, with four points in two games.
- Bizarre stretch for Brassard v. CB. Such a barrage early on (with the shots being 18-3 for the Eagles in the first) outshot 30-2 in the last two periods, and Brassard gave up goals on three straight shots. Eek.
- Sherbrooke's Julien Pelletier was named the Player of the Month for September, putting up 7 goals, 4 assists in 6 games. Marc-Antoine Turcotte of Saint John was the month's top goaltender, with a 4-0 record (including two shutouts).
- Sherbrooke and Saint John both top the table with matching 6-0 records through the end of September. Shawinigan's Anthony Beauvillier leads the scoring race with 14 points.