According to RDS.ca:
http://www.rds.ca/lhjmq/chroniques/220603.html
The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles have acquired 19-year-old defenceman Luc Bourdon from the Moncton Wildcats in exchange for 16-year-old defenceman Mark Barberio and their 2007 1st round pick.
COMMENT AND DEBATE AWAY.
Monday, January 8, 2007
DEADLINE DAY
As someone said to me earlier, today might be the most anticipated day in Eagles' hockey in a long time. Fans, players, and management alike are all quite eager to find out what exactly the final edition of our hockey club is going to look like, and I'm sure most have now grown tired of rumours and speculation and are interested only in learning the facts. We have to wait just a few more hours. Will that big trade with Moncton go down, in any form? Will we make a trade nobody saw coming? Will there be no trades at all? STAY TUNED.
_____________________________________________________________
In their last game before the trade period, Saturday night at the Moncton Coliseum, the Screaming Eagles rebounded from their loss in Halifax with a gutsy 6-5 overtime win over the Moncton Wildcats. This was a back-and-forth game in which the lead changed hands a number of times, and things weren't looking good for Cape Breton when they trailed 5-4 late in the third period, but former Wildcat Oskars Bartluis managed to burn his former team with both the tying goal and the game winner in overtime to give the Eagles a much-needed victory after their upsetting loss the night before. Bartulis's overtime winner was a bit of a lucky one. His shot looked to be going over the net, but Moncton defenceman Nick Emanuele stuck a hand out to try and glove it down and ended up gloving it into his own net.
James Sheppard continued to be absolutely scorching hot for the Eagles, as he notched a hat trick in this game, his third hat trick of the season. He now has an absolutely unbelievable 11 goals in his last five hockey games. As well, a lot of credit has to go to Scott Brannon and Chris Culligan. Despite most likely playing with trade rumours on their minds (both have been frequent subjects of rumours), Brannon ended up notching three assists, and Culligan scored a goal and helped out on another. Dave Davenport earned the win in goal, improving his record to 8-2 in his role as #1 in the absence of Ondrej Pavelec.
The Eagles go into the trade period with a record of 28-13-2 for 58 points, tied for 2nd overall in the division and in the league, but seven points behind the league-leading Lewiston MAINEiacs. The Eagles sit at 1st overall in goals scored, and 2nd overall in Goals Against Average. Their powerplay ranks 2nd in the league, while their penalty kill is tied for 4th. All of these figures suggest a team that is contending for a league title, and today we will find out just how much (or how little) the Eagles improve their chances, and just how much the team gives up (or doesn't) to get a deal done.
As already said, today is one of the biggest days in years for the Eagles and their fans. In the event of any Eagle trades today, they will be announced on here immediately after they become official.
_____________________________________________________________
In their last game before the trade period, Saturday night at the Moncton Coliseum, the Screaming Eagles rebounded from their loss in Halifax with a gutsy 6-5 overtime win over the Moncton Wildcats. This was a back-and-forth game in which the lead changed hands a number of times, and things weren't looking good for Cape Breton when they trailed 5-4 late in the third period, but former Wildcat Oskars Bartluis managed to burn his former team with both the tying goal and the game winner in overtime to give the Eagles a much-needed victory after their upsetting loss the night before. Bartulis's overtime winner was a bit of a lucky one. His shot looked to be going over the net, but Moncton defenceman Nick Emanuele stuck a hand out to try and glove it down and ended up gloving it into his own net.
James Sheppard continued to be absolutely scorching hot for the Eagles, as he notched a hat trick in this game, his third hat trick of the season. He now has an absolutely unbelievable 11 goals in his last five hockey games. As well, a lot of credit has to go to Scott Brannon and Chris Culligan. Despite most likely playing with trade rumours on their minds (both have been frequent subjects of rumours), Brannon ended up notching three assists, and Culligan scored a goal and helped out on another. Dave Davenport earned the win in goal, improving his record to 8-2 in his role as #1 in the absence of Ondrej Pavelec.
The Eagles go into the trade period with a record of 28-13-2 for 58 points, tied for 2nd overall in the division and in the league, but seven points behind the league-leading Lewiston MAINEiacs. The Eagles sit at 1st overall in goals scored, and 2nd overall in Goals Against Average. Their powerplay ranks 2nd in the league, while their penalty kill is tied for 4th. All of these figures suggest a team that is contending for a league title, and today we will find out just how much (or how little) the Eagles improve their chances, and just how much the team gives up (or doesn't) to get a deal done.
As already said, today is one of the biggest days in years for the Eagles and their fans. In the event of any Eagle trades today, they will be announced on here immediately after they become official.
Saturday, January 6, 2007
Eagles blow 3-0 lead in discouraging 6-4 loss to Mooseheads
Last night at the Halifax Metro Centre was one to forget for our Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.
The team built up a commanding 3-0 lead after 6:47 of play on goals by Paul McIlveen, James Sheppard (on a ridiculous individual effort), and Nick MacNeil (as he continues his march towards a 20 goal rookie year).
After that, however, the Eagles seemed to let up and fall asleep a bit, and matters weren't helped by some serious penalty troubles the team got itself into. By the end of the second period, Halifax had clawed its way back into the game and tied it 3-3, and they had Cape Breton on their heels.
Sheppard scored his second of the game on the powerplay early in the third period (giving him nine goals in his last five games, making him easily the hottest Eagle right now) to regain the lead for Cape Breton, but the wheels completely fell off in the final ten minutes. Goals by Andrew Bodnarchuk and Ryan Hillier on harmless-looking point shots that either went through crowds or were deflected put the Mooseheads ahead for the first time, and for good. An empty netter in the final seconds sealed the deal, and the comeback was complete in front of a raucous crowd of over 9400 Halifax Metro Centre fans.
The turning point in this game seemed to be a series of fights, mostly instigated by Cape Breton, shortly after the Eagles had built up their 3-0 lead. These fights were damaging to the Eagles for two reasons. #1, the fights sparked the Mooseheads and gave them some energy, after they had looked VERY lifeless in falling behind 3-0 in the first seven minutes of the game. #2, and perhaps more importantly, the Eagles lost two forwards (Scott Brannon and Brendon MacDonald) to game misconducts as a result of these fights. The consequence of this was that the team's forward lines were quite messed up for the rest of the game, as head coach Pascal Vincent never did seem to find the proper combinations to make up for the losses of those two players. The rest of the game, the forward lines the Eagles were throwing out there clearly lacked chemistry, and that lack of chemistry more than made up for the difference in raw talent between the Eagles and the Mooseheads.
In essence, those fights (perhaps unnecessary when the team was up 3-0) seemed to turn the game around for the Mooseheads last night.
Why were the Eagle players so eager to engage in these fights? The team has hardly fought all season. Perhaps it was a reaction to the previous game, when coach Vincent publicly punished defenceman Jason Swit for failing to fight Halifax's PJ Corsi after he had hit Brendon MacDonald from behind. It is quite possible that the players that fought for the Eagles last night overreacted to the message being sent, and fought when it was probably not a good idea to fight.
Fighting-related theories aside, the fact remains that the Mooseheads were simply the better team in the second and third periods, and that alone made the Screaming Eagles deserving of the loss last night. Late first period penalty problems (again resulting in part from a fight) did not help Cape Breton's cause either, as going on the penalty kill for so long killed the momentum the team had built up in mounting a 3-0 lead.
All in all, it is quite discouraging to once again manage to lose to a Halifax team much lower than us in the standings after defeating them so easily in the previous matchup of the home-and-home set. Sadly, this has been a trend all year in two-game sets between the two teams. Cape Breton wins one game easily, and then somehow manages to lose the other. It happened again this time around.
The most important thing now is how the team reacts to last night's loss, possibly the most frustrating and demoralizing to date this season. Cape Breton has to remember everything it has done right lately in going 10-1-1 in the twelve games prior to last night's result. Hard as it may be to forget a game like last night's, they simply have to put it behind themselves and move forward, as an important matchup with the Moncton Wildcats looms tonight. This matchup is made so important by the fact that the Wildcats actually passed Cape Breton in the East Division standings last night, by virtue of their 4-3 win over the St. John's Fog Devils.
Moncton is a team with average talent that is very scrappy, has great team chemistry, and is extremely well-coached. Cape Breton has defeated the Wildcats in both matchups so far this season, but neither of them was in the confines of the Moncton Coliseum, where the Cats have been so difficult to beat for the past three or four years.
Almost every team has a few demoralizing losses during the season. But the best teams find a way to bounce back. Let's see what our Eagles' team is made of tonight. Let's see how the players and coaching staff bounce back in the face of a stiff challenge from the Wildcats. It's about turning a negative into a positive. Last night's game was a negative, but embracing the challenge of showing a lot of character and rebounding could be a very rewarding positive.
That's all I'll say going into tonight's game.
The team built up a commanding 3-0 lead after 6:47 of play on goals by Paul McIlveen, James Sheppard (on a ridiculous individual effort), and Nick MacNeil (as he continues his march towards a 20 goal rookie year).
After that, however, the Eagles seemed to let up and fall asleep a bit, and matters weren't helped by some serious penalty troubles the team got itself into. By the end of the second period, Halifax had clawed its way back into the game and tied it 3-3, and they had Cape Breton on their heels.
Sheppard scored his second of the game on the powerplay early in the third period (giving him nine goals in his last five games, making him easily the hottest Eagle right now) to regain the lead for Cape Breton, but the wheels completely fell off in the final ten minutes. Goals by Andrew Bodnarchuk and Ryan Hillier on harmless-looking point shots that either went through crowds or were deflected put the Mooseheads ahead for the first time, and for good. An empty netter in the final seconds sealed the deal, and the comeback was complete in front of a raucous crowd of over 9400 Halifax Metro Centre fans.
The turning point in this game seemed to be a series of fights, mostly instigated by Cape Breton, shortly after the Eagles had built up their 3-0 lead. These fights were damaging to the Eagles for two reasons. #1, the fights sparked the Mooseheads and gave them some energy, after they had looked VERY lifeless in falling behind 3-0 in the first seven minutes of the game. #2, and perhaps more importantly, the Eagles lost two forwards (Scott Brannon and Brendon MacDonald) to game misconducts as a result of these fights. The consequence of this was that the team's forward lines were quite messed up for the rest of the game, as head coach Pascal Vincent never did seem to find the proper combinations to make up for the losses of those two players. The rest of the game, the forward lines the Eagles were throwing out there clearly lacked chemistry, and that lack of chemistry more than made up for the difference in raw talent between the Eagles and the Mooseheads.
In essence, those fights (perhaps unnecessary when the team was up 3-0) seemed to turn the game around for the Mooseheads last night.
Why were the Eagle players so eager to engage in these fights? The team has hardly fought all season. Perhaps it was a reaction to the previous game, when coach Vincent publicly punished defenceman Jason Swit for failing to fight Halifax's PJ Corsi after he had hit Brendon MacDonald from behind. It is quite possible that the players that fought for the Eagles last night overreacted to the message being sent, and fought when it was probably not a good idea to fight.
Fighting-related theories aside, the fact remains that the Mooseheads were simply the better team in the second and third periods, and that alone made the Screaming Eagles deserving of the loss last night. Late first period penalty problems (again resulting in part from a fight) did not help Cape Breton's cause either, as going on the penalty kill for so long killed the momentum the team had built up in mounting a 3-0 lead.
All in all, it is quite discouraging to once again manage to lose to a Halifax team much lower than us in the standings after defeating them so easily in the previous matchup of the home-and-home set. Sadly, this has been a trend all year in two-game sets between the two teams. Cape Breton wins one game easily, and then somehow manages to lose the other. It happened again this time around.
The most important thing now is how the team reacts to last night's loss, possibly the most frustrating and demoralizing to date this season. Cape Breton has to remember everything it has done right lately in going 10-1-1 in the twelve games prior to last night's result. Hard as it may be to forget a game like last night's, they simply have to put it behind themselves and move forward, as an important matchup with the Moncton Wildcats looms tonight. This matchup is made so important by the fact that the Wildcats actually passed Cape Breton in the East Division standings last night, by virtue of their 4-3 win over the St. John's Fog Devils.
Moncton is a team with average talent that is very scrappy, has great team chemistry, and is extremely well-coached. Cape Breton has defeated the Wildcats in both matchups so far this season, but neither of them was in the confines of the Moncton Coliseum, where the Cats have been so difficult to beat for the past three or four years.
Almost every team has a few demoralizing losses during the season. But the best teams find a way to bounce back. Let's see what our Eagles' team is made of tonight. Let's see how the players and coaching staff bounce back in the face of a stiff challenge from the Wildcats. It's about turning a negative into a positive. Last night's game was a negative, but embracing the challenge of showing a lot of character and rebounding could be a very rewarding positive.
That's all I'll say going into tonight's game.
Friday, January 5, 2007
Eagles @ Moose on Eastlink TV tonight
The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, 10-1-1 in their last 12 hockey games, take to the ice in Halifax tonight in their first of two weekend road games (the Eagles play in Moncton tomorrow night against the Wildcats). The game also serves as the back end of a post-holiday home-and-home stand with the Mooseheads, with the Eagles having won the first matchup 7-2 at C200 on Wednesday night. Cape Breton enters this game with a record of 27-12-2 for 56 points, good for second place overall and second in the East Division. The club continues to trail the league-leading Lewiston MAINEiacs by five points. Lewiston is at home to the Rimouski Oceanic tonight.
Tonight should be a closer game than the last meeting between the two teams, as the Mooseheads will certainly want to come out strong in front of their home fans after being dominated so thoroughly on C200 ice on Wednesday night. Having said that, this is still a team that the Eagles should beat. Each of the three two-game sets between the two teams this season has resulted in a split, and given where the two teams are in the standings and in the building cycle, it's high time that the Eagles take both games of a two-game set from the Mooseheads.
Lineups should be pretty much the same as they were on Wednesday night, including starting goaltenders David Davenport and Roger Kennedy. The only major lineup difference on either team is that Halifax will see the debut of newly-acquired overager Jean-Sebastien Cote, picked up yesterday in a trade with the Chicoutimi Sagueneends. Cote is an energetic two-way player and effective third liner, and should add some spark to the Mooseheads' lineup. He centered the third line on the 2005 President's Cup champion and Memorial Cup finalist Rimouski Oceanic.
The most important thing to note about tonight's game is that it is being broadcast live on Eastlink Television. This is a rare opportunity for fans to watch the Eagles play on the road from the comfort of their homes. Eastlink does an excellent job of broadcasting QMJHL hockey games, so be sure to tune in, you will enjoy it!
Once again, the main thing for the Eagles tonight is to avoid getting too overconfident after the easy win on Wednesday night, and to be ready to match the intensity that Halifax is likely to come out with after getting embarassed so badly.
____________________________________________________________
It has been announced by the team that defenceman Charlie Pens will be out four to six weeks at the very least with that concussion sustained on Dec. 28 against the Saint John Sea Dogs. It is very much up in the air as to whether or not Pens will return to hockey at all this season. We wish him the best of luck in his recovery.
As well, it should be noted that rookies Stephen Ceccanese and Mickey MacDonald have sat out three consecutive hockey games apiece as healthy scratches, an interesting fact considering that the trading and roster deadlines are fast approaching.
____________________________________________________________
Three more times this season, the Eagles will play back-to-back home games against the same team (Jan 12/13 against the Bathurst Titan, Jan 26/27 against the Lewiston MAINEiacs, Feb 15/16 against the Saint John Sea Dogs). For each of these two-game sets, the Eagles plan to offer fans a special discount ticket package. You will be able to buy both games as a package, receiving a discount of $2.25 on each ticket, or $4.50 in total. This will especially come in handy when Bathurst and Lewiston come to town, as these games will be key divisional matchups for the Screaming Eagles.
That's all for now. Of course, the trade rumour mill is swirling faster and faster with each day, and we will know in just a few short days what exactly the final edition of the 2006-2007 Eagles will look like. Stay tuned!
Tonight should be a closer game than the last meeting between the two teams, as the Mooseheads will certainly want to come out strong in front of their home fans after being dominated so thoroughly on C200 ice on Wednesday night. Having said that, this is still a team that the Eagles should beat. Each of the three two-game sets between the two teams this season has resulted in a split, and given where the two teams are in the standings and in the building cycle, it's high time that the Eagles take both games of a two-game set from the Mooseheads.
Lineups should be pretty much the same as they were on Wednesday night, including starting goaltenders David Davenport and Roger Kennedy. The only major lineup difference on either team is that Halifax will see the debut of newly-acquired overager Jean-Sebastien Cote, picked up yesterday in a trade with the Chicoutimi Sagueneends. Cote is an energetic two-way player and effective third liner, and should add some spark to the Mooseheads' lineup. He centered the third line on the 2005 President's Cup champion and Memorial Cup finalist Rimouski Oceanic.
The most important thing to note about tonight's game is that it is being broadcast live on Eastlink Television. This is a rare opportunity for fans to watch the Eagles play on the road from the comfort of their homes. Eastlink does an excellent job of broadcasting QMJHL hockey games, so be sure to tune in, you will enjoy it!
Once again, the main thing for the Eagles tonight is to avoid getting too overconfident after the easy win on Wednesday night, and to be ready to match the intensity that Halifax is likely to come out with after getting embarassed so badly.
____________________________________________________________
It has been announced by the team that defenceman Charlie Pens will be out four to six weeks at the very least with that concussion sustained on Dec. 28 against the Saint John Sea Dogs. It is very much up in the air as to whether or not Pens will return to hockey at all this season. We wish him the best of luck in his recovery.
As well, it should be noted that rookies Stephen Ceccanese and Mickey MacDonald have sat out three consecutive hockey games apiece as healthy scratches, an interesting fact considering that the trading and roster deadlines are fast approaching.
____________________________________________________________
Three more times this season, the Eagles will play back-to-back home games against the same team (Jan 12/13 against the Bathurst Titan, Jan 26/27 against the Lewiston MAINEiacs, Feb 15/16 against the Saint John Sea Dogs). For each of these two-game sets, the Eagles plan to offer fans a special discount ticket package. You will be able to buy both games as a package, receiving a discount of $2.25 on each ticket, or $4.50 in total. This will especially come in handy when Bathurst and Lewiston come to town, as these games will be key divisional matchups for the Screaming Eagles.
That's all for now. Of course, the trade rumour mill is swirling faster and faster with each day, and we will know in just a few short days what exactly the final edition of the 2006-2007 Eagles will look like. Stay tuned!
Thursday, January 4, 2007
Electrifying first period sends Eagles to another victory
It was all about the first period last night at C200, as the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles took a 5-0 lead after the opening frame en route to an easy 7-2 win over their divisional counterparts, the Halifax Mooseheads. The opening stanza featured some of the most dominant play fans have seen from the Eagles all season, which is saying something given the team's 17-3 record on home ice. Included among these first period thrills were two of the prettiest goals of the season at C200 thus far; we'll get to those in a bit.
Etienne Breton opened the scoring when he took advantage of a key faceoff win by JC Gauthier and stepped into one from the point. His laserbeam shot picked the top left-hand corner for the Eagles' first goal of 2007. It's kind of interesting that, on a team with snipers like Cam Fergus and Paul McIlveen, the team's first goal of the season was scored by Charlie Pens and their first goal of 2007 was scored by Etienne Breton; two of the most unlikely of sources possible!
Cape Breton went ahead 2-0 a very short time later when, on a delayed penalty, the puck came back to JC Sawyer at the point, and his wrister from the point found its way through a screen, through Mooseheads goaltender Roger Kennedy, and in.
Soon afterwards, the Screaming Eagles found themselves on the penalty kill, and after goaltender David Davenport came up with a couple of big saves, we got to see one of the best individual efforts of the season from captain James Sheppard. Sheppard stole the puck around the Halifax blueline and walked in shorthanded against two or three Mooseheads. Two defenders were draped all over him, but he still couldn't be stopped. He took a slash and a high stick, and still didn't break stride. With a pair of Mooseheads almost quite literally hanging off of his back, Sheppard drove to the net and deked Kennedy silly for a shorthanded goal and a 3-0 lead. We have seen a lot of highlights at C200 so far this season, but in my humble opinion, this was the best individual effort we have seen all year. It's only too bad that TSN wasn't in attendance to put this one on its highlight reels!
With fans still in awe of Sheppard's incredible goal, Paul McIlveen scored one almost as pretty to make it 4-0 Cape Breton. After taking a long drop pass from Cam Fergus, McIlveen dipped and dove through the offensive zone, in and around defenders like a waterbug, before firing a laser right along the ice, off the post blocker side, and in. If Sheppard's goal was the best we've seen all year, this one was at least top ten in its own right!
After this goal, Halifax shook things up by replacing Kennedy with rookie Mark Yetman, who was making his first appearance in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Eagles tested him early and often, and finally were able to make it 5-0, as some sustained pressure by the third line resulted in Robert Slaney scoring in a scramble. Cape Breton could have even led by more after the first period, as Dean Ouellet had a couple of near-misses on a late powerplay when parked in front of the net deflecting pucks.
The first period also featured a fight between the Eagles' Spencer Corcoran and Halifax's Bryce Swan. Corcoran went after Swan for a questionable hit on Eagle rookie Nick MacNeil.
Period two was rather uneventful, which is often the case after one team takes a 5-0 lead after the first, although it did see the teams trade goals. Cam Fergus snapped one home from the slot, like he's been doing all year, to make it 6-0, before Halifax newcomer Peter-James Corsi slid one home in a scramble to get the Mooseheads on the board. 6-1 Cape Breton after two.
In period three, Halifax made it 6-2 when Bryce Swan scored off of a Ryan Hillier pass on a two-on-one that was created when JC Sawyer was thought to have been interfered with at the offensive blueline, much to the ire of Screaming Eagles' coach Pascal Vincent. Cape Breton had one more thrill for the fans up their sleeves before they headed for the exits, as Brad Gallant would be awarded a penalty shot after being hauled down on a partial breakaway. With an opportunity to show how soft his hands are when they aren't a fist, Gallant did just that, scoring on a sensational deke to give the fans one last thing to cheer about before heading home with the two points. The crowd (and bench!) reaction for this goal was great, with much of the building hitting their feet in celebration, a somewhat rare occurrence at C200. Everyone appreciated the chance to see Brad Gallant look like Cam Fergus or Paul McIlveen if only for a moment! Who knows, maybe we have a secret weapon on our hands for the shootout. :P
Although the game was kind of over in the first period, it was still a fun night at the rink and a pretty good-sized crowd went home happy with a convincing victory over their historic rivals. For the third straight game, the Eagles put forth a complete, dominating effort. It was also nice to see the third and fourth lines get a lot of ice time and powerplay after the team went up 5-0, and young guys like JC Gauthier and Alex Quesnel looked great with this opportunity to play.
With the win, the Eagles improve to 27-12-2, including a mark of 10-1-1 in their last 12 hockey games. Their 56 points remain second overall in the league and in the East Division, five points behind the first place Lewiston MAINEiacs.
The Eagles next take to the ice in Halifax to complete this home-and-home stand on Friday night at 7:00 PM from the Halifax Metro Centre. This game will be televised live on Eastlink Television, so be sure to take advantage of a rare opportunity to see the Eagles play on the road.
Etienne Breton opened the scoring when he took advantage of a key faceoff win by JC Gauthier and stepped into one from the point. His laserbeam shot picked the top left-hand corner for the Eagles' first goal of 2007. It's kind of interesting that, on a team with snipers like Cam Fergus and Paul McIlveen, the team's first goal of the season was scored by Charlie Pens and their first goal of 2007 was scored by Etienne Breton; two of the most unlikely of sources possible!
Cape Breton went ahead 2-0 a very short time later when, on a delayed penalty, the puck came back to JC Sawyer at the point, and his wrister from the point found its way through a screen, through Mooseheads goaltender Roger Kennedy, and in.
Soon afterwards, the Screaming Eagles found themselves on the penalty kill, and after goaltender David Davenport came up with a couple of big saves, we got to see one of the best individual efforts of the season from captain James Sheppard. Sheppard stole the puck around the Halifax blueline and walked in shorthanded against two or three Mooseheads. Two defenders were draped all over him, but he still couldn't be stopped. He took a slash and a high stick, and still didn't break stride. With a pair of Mooseheads almost quite literally hanging off of his back, Sheppard drove to the net and deked Kennedy silly for a shorthanded goal and a 3-0 lead. We have seen a lot of highlights at C200 so far this season, but in my humble opinion, this was the best individual effort we have seen all year. It's only too bad that TSN wasn't in attendance to put this one on its highlight reels!
With fans still in awe of Sheppard's incredible goal, Paul McIlveen scored one almost as pretty to make it 4-0 Cape Breton. After taking a long drop pass from Cam Fergus, McIlveen dipped and dove through the offensive zone, in and around defenders like a waterbug, before firing a laser right along the ice, off the post blocker side, and in. If Sheppard's goal was the best we've seen all year, this one was at least top ten in its own right!
After this goal, Halifax shook things up by replacing Kennedy with rookie Mark Yetman, who was making his first appearance in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Eagles tested him early and often, and finally were able to make it 5-0, as some sustained pressure by the third line resulted in Robert Slaney scoring in a scramble. Cape Breton could have even led by more after the first period, as Dean Ouellet had a couple of near-misses on a late powerplay when parked in front of the net deflecting pucks.
The first period also featured a fight between the Eagles' Spencer Corcoran and Halifax's Bryce Swan. Corcoran went after Swan for a questionable hit on Eagle rookie Nick MacNeil.
Period two was rather uneventful, which is often the case after one team takes a 5-0 lead after the first, although it did see the teams trade goals. Cam Fergus snapped one home from the slot, like he's been doing all year, to make it 6-0, before Halifax newcomer Peter-James Corsi slid one home in a scramble to get the Mooseheads on the board. 6-1 Cape Breton after two.
In period three, Halifax made it 6-2 when Bryce Swan scored off of a Ryan Hillier pass on a two-on-one that was created when JC Sawyer was thought to have been interfered with at the offensive blueline, much to the ire of Screaming Eagles' coach Pascal Vincent. Cape Breton had one more thrill for the fans up their sleeves before they headed for the exits, as Brad Gallant would be awarded a penalty shot after being hauled down on a partial breakaway. With an opportunity to show how soft his hands are when they aren't a fist, Gallant did just that, scoring on a sensational deke to give the fans one last thing to cheer about before heading home with the two points. The crowd (and bench!) reaction for this goal was great, with much of the building hitting their feet in celebration, a somewhat rare occurrence at C200. Everyone appreciated the chance to see Brad Gallant look like Cam Fergus or Paul McIlveen if only for a moment! Who knows, maybe we have a secret weapon on our hands for the shootout. :P
Although the game was kind of over in the first period, it was still a fun night at the rink and a pretty good-sized crowd went home happy with a convincing victory over their historic rivals. For the third straight game, the Eagles put forth a complete, dominating effort. It was also nice to see the third and fourth lines get a lot of ice time and powerplay after the team went up 5-0, and young guys like JC Gauthier and Alex Quesnel looked great with this opportunity to play.
With the win, the Eagles improve to 27-12-2, including a mark of 10-1-1 in their last 12 hockey games. Their 56 points remain second overall in the league and in the East Division, five points behind the first place Lewiston MAINEiacs.
The Eagles next take to the ice in Halifax to complete this home-and-home stand on Friday night at 7:00 PM from the Halifax Metro Centre. This game will be televised live on Eastlink Television, so be sure to take advantage of a rare opportunity to see the Eagles play on the road.
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Eagles host Mooseheads tonight in first game of 2007
After a brief and well-deserved New Year's break, the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles are back in action tonight at C200 against their historical rival, the Halifax Mooseheads. Cape Breton enters the game with a record of 9-1-1 in their last eleven games, as well a 26-12-2 record overall, and looks to remain hot tonight in their first game of the year 2007.
The Eagles should enter tonight's game with pretty much the same lineup that earned them a 5-2 win over the PEI Rocket in their final game of 2006, with the only real question mark being whether or not third line right winger Brad Gallant will be back after sitting out the last game with some damage to his hand. Defenceman Charlie Pens remains out indefinitely with what looks to have been a concussion after being nailed by Brad's brother Brett Gallant of the Saint John Sea Dogs back on December 28. David Davenport should once again start in goal.
From the other side of the ice, the Halifax Mooseheads are a different squad than the one the Eagles faced six times in the first half, splitting the games 3-3. Halifax has made a number of trades over the past couple of weeks. To summarize...........
Out: Forwards Justin Saulnier and Kirk Forrest, defencemen Luciano Lommano and Philippe Poirier, and goaltender Jeremy Duchesne.
In: Forward Peter-James Corsi, defencemen Stephen Lund and Guillaume Monast, goaltender Mark Yetman.
The most significant of those roster moves is the departure of star goaltender Duchesne to the Val d'or Foreurs. This leaves career backup Roger Kennedy as the new #1 in Moose Country, and I expect him to start tonight. Lund and Monast add depth to the Moosehead defensive corps, which was that team's glaring weakness in the first half of the season. Corsi is a talented player who wasn't fitting in in Val d'or and so far seems to have been rejeuvenated a bit in Halifax.
Cape Breton will counter with the same effective units they have been using of late. A powerful scoring line of Ouellet-Fergus-McIlveen, a versatile two-way line of Culligan-Sheppard-Brannon, a gritty shutdown line of B MacDonald-Slaney-Gallant (or Quesnel if Gallant is unable to play), and a young energy unit composed of JC Gauthier, Nick MacNeil, and either Quesnel or a player like Mickey MacDonald/Stephen Ceccanese as a fourth line. Defensive pairings last game were JC Sawyer-Mark Barberio, Oskars Bartulis-Jason Swit, and Spencer Corcoran-Etienne Breton, with Daniel Fazzalari as the seventh D; they should be fairly similar tonight.
This lineup has been fairly constant all year, but with this being the last home game before the end of the Christmas trading period, tonight could be the last night that C200 fans see this lineup as is; the next time that the Eagles take to home ice, there could be a new face or two in the lineup, and there could be a player or two gone elsewhere.
As mentioned in an earlier blog, it is somewhat disappointing that the Eagles have only managed a split of the six games against the relatively weak Mooseheads so far this season. Therefore, a top performance is expected tonight from the Eagles. With the opposition tonight being a historic rival, and with some people still not having yet finished their holiday break, we could anticipate a decent crowd at the rink tonight, although certainly nothing like the packed house that watched last week's win over the Sea Dogs. To be quite blunt, most games between these two teams this year have been disappointingly dull affairs, with very little hatred or animosity of any kind. One staggering statistic is that there has been just one fight in the six meetings thus far. I for one really challenge the two teams to change all of this in tonight's game.
____________________________________________________________
In other news, goaltender Ondrej Pavelec and his Czech teammates were eliminated in the quarterfinals yesterday at the World Junior Championships, due to a 4-1 loss at the hands of Team Sweden. The loss ends what was somewhat of a disappointing tournament for Pavelec, and as Eagle fans, we have to hope that this does not damage too badly the confidence of our #1 goaltender. We all remember 2004, when goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury never really recovered from a World Junior disappointment, and come playoff time, was a shell of his true self. Let us hope that history does not repeat itself with Ondrej Pavelec. He needs to have a great second half here in Cape Breton and really get into a long-term groove for the first time this season. I am not totally sure at the moment when he will be back with the hockey club but it will certainly be posted in this blog the second that information is known.
The Eagles should enter tonight's game with pretty much the same lineup that earned them a 5-2 win over the PEI Rocket in their final game of 2006, with the only real question mark being whether or not third line right winger Brad Gallant will be back after sitting out the last game with some damage to his hand. Defenceman Charlie Pens remains out indefinitely with what looks to have been a concussion after being nailed by Brad's brother Brett Gallant of the Saint John Sea Dogs back on December 28. David Davenport should once again start in goal.
From the other side of the ice, the Halifax Mooseheads are a different squad than the one the Eagles faced six times in the first half, splitting the games 3-3. Halifax has made a number of trades over the past couple of weeks. To summarize...........
Out: Forwards Justin Saulnier and Kirk Forrest, defencemen Luciano Lommano and Philippe Poirier, and goaltender Jeremy Duchesne.
In: Forward Peter-James Corsi, defencemen Stephen Lund and Guillaume Monast, goaltender Mark Yetman.
The most significant of those roster moves is the departure of star goaltender Duchesne to the Val d'or Foreurs. This leaves career backup Roger Kennedy as the new #1 in Moose Country, and I expect him to start tonight. Lund and Monast add depth to the Moosehead defensive corps, which was that team's glaring weakness in the first half of the season. Corsi is a talented player who wasn't fitting in in Val d'or and so far seems to have been rejeuvenated a bit in Halifax.
Cape Breton will counter with the same effective units they have been using of late. A powerful scoring line of Ouellet-Fergus-McIlveen, a versatile two-way line of Culligan-Sheppard-Brannon, a gritty shutdown line of B MacDonald-Slaney-Gallant (or Quesnel if Gallant is unable to play), and a young energy unit composed of JC Gauthier, Nick MacNeil, and either Quesnel or a player like Mickey MacDonald/Stephen Ceccanese as a fourth line. Defensive pairings last game were JC Sawyer-Mark Barberio, Oskars Bartulis-Jason Swit, and Spencer Corcoran-Etienne Breton, with Daniel Fazzalari as the seventh D; they should be fairly similar tonight.
This lineup has been fairly constant all year, but with this being the last home game before the end of the Christmas trading period, tonight could be the last night that C200 fans see this lineup as is; the next time that the Eagles take to home ice, there could be a new face or two in the lineup, and there could be a player or two gone elsewhere.
As mentioned in an earlier blog, it is somewhat disappointing that the Eagles have only managed a split of the six games against the relatively weak Mooseheads so far this season. Therefore, a top performance is expected tonight from the Eagles. With the opposition tonight being a historic rival, and with some people still not having yet finished their holiday break, we could anticipate a decent crowd at the rink tonight, although certainly nothing like the packed house that watched last week's win over the Sea Dogs. To be quite blunt, most games between these two teams this year have been disappointingly dull affairs, with very little hatred or animosity of any kind. One staggering statistic is that there has been just one fight in the six meetings thus far. I for one really challenge the two teams to change all of this in tonight's game.
____________________________________________________________
In other news, goaltender Ondrej Pavelec and his Czech teammates were eliminated in the quarterfinals yesterday at the World Junior Championships, due to a 4-1 loss at the hands of Team Sweden. The loss ends what was somewhat of a disappointing tournament for Pavelec, and as Eagle fans, we have to hope that this does not damage too badly the confidence of our #1 goaltender. We all remember 2004, when goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury never really recovered from a World Junior disappointment, and come playoff time, was a shell of his true self. Let us hope that history does not repeat itself with Ondrej Pavelec. He needs to have a great second half here in Cape Breton and really get into a long-term groove for the first time this season. I am not totally sure at the moment when he will be back with the hockey club but it will certainly be posted in this blog the second that information is known.
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
A minor news item
A small news item relating to the Eagles today:
Free agent defenceman Collin Carwardine, who was brought in from Ontario on a practice tryout basis, has decided to return home after not having yet been offered a spot on the Screaming Eagles. This puts an end to speculation that this player was going to fill the void on the Eagle blueline that could occur should Charlie Pens be out for an extended period of time.
In other news, the Eagles host the Halifax Mooseheads tomorrow night in the seventh matchup of the season between the two teams. The season series is tied at 3-3, which is a mildly disappointing result for Cape Breton so far considering where these two teams are in the standings. For that reason, nothing short of a win should be expected for tomorrow night.
There are only six days remaining in the midseason trade period, and the Eagles have yet to make any moves of major significance. Speculation should be very high over these last six days, as fans expect to see one or two new impact additions, guys who are not only good players but also good fits, into Screaming Eagle uniforms.
Up next will be a preview of tomorrow night's game against the Mooseheads.
Free agent defenceman Collin Carwardine, who was brought in from Ontario on a practice tryout basis, has decided to return home after not having yet been offered a spot on the Screaming Eagles. This puts an end to speculation that this player was going to fill the void on the Eagle blueline that could occur should Charlie Pens be out for an extended period of time.
In other news, the Eagles host the Halifax Mooseheads tomorrow night in the seventh matchup of the season between the two teams. The season series is tied at 3-3, which is a mildly disappointing result for Cape Breton so far considering where these two teams are in the standings. For that reason, nothing short of a win should be expected for tomorrow night.
There are only six days remaining in the midseason trade period, and the Eagles have yet to make any moves of major significance. Speculation should be very high over these last six days, as fans expect to see one or two new impact additions, guys who are not only good players but also good fits, into Screaming Eagle uniforms.
Up next will be a preview of tomorrow night's game against the Mooseheads.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)