SYDNEY, N.S. — The injury-riddled Cape Breton Eagles managed to secure a point in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action at Centre 200 in Sydney on Tuesday.
With six regular players out of the lineup with injuries and four call ups, the Eagles were defeated 4-3 in overtime by the Halifax Mooseheads.
Zack Jones scored the overtime winner at 2:00 of the extra frame, while Robert Orr, Zachary L’Heureux and Elliott Desnoyers added single markers for the Mooseheads (9-13-3-3).
Connor Trenholm, Émile Hegarty-Aubin and Nathan Larose replied with goals for the Eagles (11-13-1-0).
Halifax’s Brady James made 16 saves. Cape Breton’s William Grimard turned aside 40 of 44 shots.
The Mooseheads opened the scoring midway through the first period with L’Heureux scoring his 10th goal of the season on the power play, before Trenholm tied the game off a nice dish by Mark Rumsey breaking to the net for his seventh of the campaign.
Cape Breton took its first lead of the game 24 seconds into the second period with Hegarty-Aubin going five-hole on James on a breakaway after turnover at the Halifax blueline by Desnoyers, making the score 2-1 shorthanded.
The Eagles extended their lead on the power play with Larose’s point shot finding the back of the net, before Orr and Desnoyers on the power play – his first since Nov. 18 – tied the contest for the Mooseheads prior to the completion of the middle stanza.
Cape Breton and Halifax remained tied through the third period, despite the Eagles’ Dawson Stairs being awarded a penalty shot, which was stopped by James 28 seconds into the frame.
Jones would win it for the Mooseheads with his fourth of the season beating Grimard high on the blocker side, giving Halifax the extra point.
Halifax outshot Cape Breton 44-19 while going 2-for-4 on the power play. The Eagles were 1-for-3 with the man-advantage.
Cape Breton and Halifax will return to action on Friday when the two teams meet at 7 p.m. at Centre 200.
GAME NOTES: Forwards Davis Cooper, Jacob Santerre and Logan Camp as well as defenceman Jarrett Baker, Jérémy Langlois and Zach Welsh all missed Tuesday’s game with upper-body injuries; Cape Breton West Islander James Beaton and Truro Bearcat Tanner Greatorex made their QMJHL debuts Tuesday. Both never recorded a point in the contest. Meanwhile, Michael McQuaid and Sydney’s Trey Sturge were also called up for the game.
- Jeremy Fraser is the sports reporter for the Cape Breton Post. Follow Jeremy on Twitter @CBPost_Jeremy.
