Marvelous Mooseheads take 2-0 Series Lead

(Photo Credit: Richard LaFortune)

By: Henry Whitfield

Despite going into their first round matchup with the Moncton Wildcats as favourites, the Halifax Mooseheads had a lot to prove with a talented roster and almost four years since their last win in the playoffs.

The Mooseheads rose to the occasion on the weekend, sweeping the first two games with a combined score of 9-2, riding strong performances from Zachary Fucale to dominate the scoreboard. Fucale stopped 45 of 47 shots faced on the weekend, coming up with the big saves when the Mooseheads needed them.

Halifax fell behind early in the Game 1, with James Melindy scoring on the powerplay, but the Herd tied it up when Nathan MacKinnon scored a highlight reel goal late in the period.

Unable to match the intensity of the Mooseheads, Moncton gave up four more unanswered goals and took 5 straight penalties in the third period on the way to a  5-1 Mooseheads win.

The only setback was a suspension to Konrad Abeltshauser, handed two games for a hit where no penalty was called, which seemed to galvanize the team, who stormed out to a 2-goal lead in less than a minute to start Game 2.

Martin Frk and Alex Grenier combined for the two goals before most of the crowd had even found it’s seat, while Cameron Critchlow added the third goal midway through the third period.

MacKinnon once again stole the show with another brilliant goal, hauled down on the breakaway the Cole Harbour native beat Roman Will on a penalty shot and ignited the nearly 8,000 fans in attendance.

Melindy would later ruin Fucale’s shutout, but that wouldn’t damper the mood as the Mooseheads skated to a commanding 2-0 lead in the best of seven series.

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The Numbers

Alex Grenier  – 1 goal, 2 assists

Nathan MacKinnon – 3 goals, 1assist

Martin Frk – 3 goals, 1 assist

Zachary Fucale – 45 Saves, 1.00 GAA, 0.957 SV%

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The series now heads back to Moncton, where the teams will play back-to-back games on Monday and Tuesday, if needed game five will be played Friday in Halifax.

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Henry is a writer for Sportstream.ca  and part of the Bill McLean Sports Show on 88.1 CKDU  every Thursday Morning at 9am. You can follow him on twitter at @HenryWhitfield , where he live tweets his thoughts during each Mooseheads game.

MooseTalk Monday

(Photo Credit: Richard LaFortune)

By: Henry Whitfield

After stumbling into 2012 with back-to-back losses, the Halifax Mooseheads got back to basics this week and picked up two wins, despite a tough loss to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens.

Here’s what happened over the weekend.

Mooseheads 6 – 2 Voltigeurs: Opening a three game stretch over the weekend, the Moose rode strong goaltending from Zachary Fucale and dominated visiting Drummondville. With members of the Toronto Blue Jays in attendance, Alexandre Grenier lead the way with 2 goals and an assist, while 2^nd overall draft pick Jonathan Drouin scored his first career QMJHL goal.

Moosehead of the Game: Alexandre Grenier

Play of the Game: Scoring his first QMJHL goal and the eventual game winner, Jonathan Drouin took a pass from Grenier and snapped it past the Voltigeurs goalie.

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Mooseheads 4 – 7 Sagueneens: On a night that the whole nation was watching, the Halifax Mooseheads failed to show up and were outplayed for a full 60 minutes.

The Sags dominated through three periods, out shooting the Herd 50-25 and running away with a 7-4 win. A lack of discipline cost the home team, racking up 43 penalty minutes and giving up two powerplay goals.

Moosehead of the Game: Alexandre Grenier

Play of the Game: Opening the scoring, Marty Frk combined with Trey Lewis for a tic-tac-toe play that the Czech forward snapped home and ignited the 6,385 fans in attendance.

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Mooseheads 6 – 4 Screaming Eagles: Bouncing back from a tough game, the Mooseheads had six difference scorers in a game that they trailed 4-3 at the end of the second period.

Goals by Marty Frk, Brad Cuzner and Travis Randell in the third period gave the Moose the win, while Grenier added his fourth goal in three games.

Moosehead of the Game: Marty Frk

Play of the Game: Tying up the game early in the third period, Frk blew past two defenders and snapped home an important goal.

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Coming Up

The Mooseheads head back into action Friday night, they host the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on their annual Teddy Bear Toss night before heading to Saint John to play the Memorial Cup Champions on Saturday night.

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Henry is a writer for Sportstream.ca  and part of the Bill McLean Sports Show on 88.1 CKDU  every Monday Morning at 10am. You can follow him on twitter at @HenryWhitfield , where he live tweets his thoughts during each Mooseheads game.

Mooseheads Embarrassed By Wildcats

 

Terenzio was one of few bright spots on a rough day in Moosecountry

 

(Photo Credit: Richard Lafortune)

By: Henry Whitfield

After a strong outing Friday night against the Saint John Sea Dogs, the Halifax Mooseheads came out and did what they have done best for the last few seasons: Completely embarrassed themselves.

An announced crowd of 4,121, although the Metro Centre was much emptier than that, watched a weak Mooseheads display that saw them lose 5-1 to the Moncton Wildcats.

The scoreline was far  to generous to the Mooseheads, who somehow outshot their opponents 37 to 26.

Instead of a recap of the game, because let’s be serious no one should have to live through that mess of a game again, here are some lowlights of the Herd’s display:

– Konrad Abeltshauser continued his impersonation of a pylon, being beat to the puck all night and showed once again that his patented wrist shot from the point is only useful for giving up a breakaway. He topped off his evening with a sweet interference penalty about 60-feet away from the play. Has San Jose even sent scouts to see this kid play?

– Fresh off a four-game suspension, Sawyer Hannay did in fact have a strong defensive outing, but the so-called ‘tough guy’ on the Mooseheads only helped his team by serving his face on a silver platter to Wildcat enforcer Tyler Howe, who put on a clinic on how to fight.

– So far this season Garrett Clarke has shown a high level of discipline, that went downhill Sunday afternoon when he took a needless slashing penalty late in the game and far away from the action.

There were some bright spots in the game, with Martin Frk showing flashes of brilliance and Carl Gelinas once again proving he is emerging as a top forward in the league.

However, there is one question that still remains: Can Cam Russell take this team any further?

 

With 32 wins, 104 losses over the last two seasons, can he do better?

 

Despite his team being pummelled on the ice and a rash of terrible calls, Russell stood like a statue and showed no reaction.

This is a young team that is in need of a Coach who can take them to the next level, it appears that Russell is content to just go along for the ride and sit back.

 

Check back tomorrow for a new article on Why Cam Russell Must Go.

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Henry Whitfield is a local journalist and avid Mooseheads fan, you can follow him on twitter @HenryWhitfield, listen to him as a regular contributor to the Bill McLean Sports Show on CKDU or check out his blog here.

Mooseheads Thrash Titan in Shock Win

Terenzio was solid in his first Mooseheads start

(Photo Credit: Robert LaFortune)

By: Henry Whitfield

After a pair of disappointing losses in their opening weekend, the Mooseheads were facing a daunting road trip to kick of their season with their first game against league favourite Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

However the Young Herd shrugged off any nerves on their way to a 9-3 thrashing of the Titan, Brent Andrews led the way with four goals and veteran Charles Bety wore the “C” while adding three assists.

The Halifax Mooseheads overpowered the Titan and outshot their opponents 32 to 26 in front of 3,106 disappointed fans.

Freshly drafted 17-year old Anthony Terenzio got the start in net and played exceptionally, being beaten by a couple of power play goals but making twenty-three saves in his league debut.

The Mooseheads opened the scoring with back to back goals a few minutes apart, Pascal Amyot scored his second of the season on a powerplay and then Carl Gelinas added his second of the season.

Both teams traded goals in the second, when Andrews scored his first two of the night and the Mooseheads took a surprise 4-2 lead heading into the third period.

After giving up a 3-2 lead last time the two teams met, the Mooseheads skated much harder in the third and showed a passion that had been lacking in their previous two games. The Moose rattled off three unanswered goals, all setup by Charles Bety who was playing his first game of the season, before the Titan added a consolation goal to put the score at 7-3 for the Moose.

Lewis has established himself as the new 'tough guy'

The Mooseheads were not done there as Andrews added his fourth goal of the night from a nice feed from Mathew Boudreau on the powerplay and Boudreau added the final blow with less than two minutes in the game.

The game featured three fights, with Trey Lewis, Simon Desmarais and Steve Gillard dropping the gloves and showing the teams toughness. Lewis is taking advantage of Sawyer Hannay’s absence and is quickly becoming the go-to enforcer on this squad.

The offensive output was a pleasant surprise for Moose faithful, as many were wondering if the team would get off to a wretched start much like last season. Although not expected to blow many teams away, a big win against a tough opponent will give the team a much needed confidence boost as they continue their road trip.

The Mooseheads head to Saint John where they play Saturday, before heading to Quebec for the rest of their road trip, where they play 4 games in 5 days.

Henry Whitfield is a local journalist and avid Mooseheads fan, you can follow him on twitter @HenryWhitfield, listen to him as a regular contributer to the Bill McLean Sports Show on CKDU or check out his blog here.

A Look Ahead to the 2010/11 Mooseheads Season

Desmarais will be a big part of the young Herd this season

By Henry Whitfield

After a pair of dismal seasons and the changing of the guard in the front office, the Halifax Mooseheads are finally into the next phase of their rebuilding plan.

With Cam Russell anointed by owner Bobby Smith as the GM/Coach, and the team announcing tough times before last season, there has not been much for fans to look forward to.

However, with some interesting trades and hard work by management, there is hope as a Young Herd emerges in Moose Country, giving their fans a positive outlook moving forward.

Here’s a breakdown of some of the big stories heading into this season:

A Battle with the Pro’s – The first couple of the weeks for the Mooseheads will be tough, with drafted players Mathieu Corbeil, Sawyer Hannay and Konrad Abeltshauser off to NHL training camps. This will leave the team with six defensemen, including young Simon Desmarais who forced his way into the roster with great pre-season play.

Young Herd Emerging – Speaking of Desmarais, there are a number of rookies who managed to fight their way into the lineup and are expected to play big roles this season. Luca Ciampini, Andrew Ryan, Francis Turbide, Darcy Ashley and Alex Souligny are all expected to step up and help push this club forward.

Cooler Heads – There was a lot of talk at the end of last season about whether Garrett Clarke had a future in Moose Country, the feisty defenseman had been benched down the stretch due to his irresponsible, hot-headed nature and Cam Russell seemed ready to trade the player. Fast forward to this season, and the same Clarke played maturely in pre-season and lead the team in scoring with 2 goals and 5 points, while still contributing his 21 penalty minutes.

In Frk We Trust – A lot has been said about the 16-year-old Czech hotshot that Bobby Smith managed to bring over

Is Frk the Real Deal?

the pond to play in Halifax. Marty Frk could be the best player that the Mooseheads have had in their lineup since Jakub Voracek and with all eyes on the player; it will be interesting to see if he can light up the league or if he’ll fold under pressure.

Oh Captain! My Captain! – Now that former Captain Tomas Knotek is playing in Europe, there is a void in ‘C’ department. With over-agers Travis Randell and Charles Bety clear favorites to take the vacant spot, it would be interesting if management goes to a younger player like Gabriel Desjardins or Brent Andrews, as the club builds for the future.

The Halifax Mooseheads play the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles this Friday at 7pm, game recap’s and thoughts will be posted after each game day.

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Henry Whitfield is an avid Mooseheads fan and local sports enthusiast, a regular guest on CKDU’s Bill McLean Sports Show, you can follow him on twitter @HenryWhitfield or on his blog here.

Martin Frk Is Coming To Moose Country!

BREAKING NEWS

The Halifax Mooseheads have finally landed their off-season prize.

16-year-old Martin Frk has been picked up by the club, after intense negotiations where owner Bobby Smith was able to pry his much sought after trade pick.

The young Czech player has been compared to Cam Neely and is an exciting young product.

Frk will slot right into the lineup and will be in Halifax for his first Mooseheads practice on Wednesday.

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Henry Whitfield is an avid Moosehead fan who covers everything and anything in the sports world that peeks his interest. You can follow him at his blog or on twitter @HenryWhitfield.

Frk’ing Horrible Day in Moose Country

Although the Halifax Mooseheads were 4-3 winners Sunday night in their pre-season game against Saint John, they recieved some terrible news for the future:

Martin Frk is not coming to Halifax this season, unless Bobby Smith takes the option of buying the young Czech stud out of his contract.

As released by the IIHF this weekend,

Czech 16-year old prospect Martin Frk has a valid contract with Karlovy Vary and can therefore not transfer to the Halifax Mooseheads of the Canadian Hockey League. This has been determined by the IIHF.

The Czech forward was selected third overall in the Canadian Hockey League’s so called Import Draft earlier this summer after he had 55 points and 184 penalty minutes in 38 games at the Czech under-20 level last season. But Frk’s Czech club Karlovy Vary challenged the ensuing transfer request from Halifax stating that the player has a valid and binding contract.

After an investigation the IIHF concluded that the professional player contract was validly signed by the player’s parents and the contract was not terminated according to the terms in the contract, a mutual agreement or a just cause.

As it is determined that a valid professional player contract exists between the player and Karlovy Vary, the player has committed a breach of the contract by leaving the club and going to Canada with the intention to play in Halifax.

According to the IIHF Transfer Regulation section II article 4.5, the IIHF General Secretary, on behalf of the IIHF, decided that the player’s International Transfer Card is not approved.

The Mooseheads had taken a gamble on the young player by choosing him high in the European import draft. Now with Frk not coming to Halifax, not only do the Moose miss out on a young scoring forward they must now plan to fill a void left by former captain Tomas Knotek who went back to Europe after last season.

The only positive in this situation has been the stellar play of forward Gabriel Desjardin’s so far this preseason and the prospect of seeing the likes of Darcy Ashley, Luca Ciampini and Matthew Boudreau in the line-up this season.

The next big question of the Mooseheads is which goalie they will keep for the future, with both Peter Delmas and Mathieu Corbeil fighting for the number one spot.

It appears that Peter Delmas is the safer choice as he can still be moved after Monday, however, if the Moose choose to keep Corbeil they would have to wait until December to move him.

Have Faith With Frk

Will Martin Frk come to Moose Country? His Agent says Have Faith

In today’s Halifax Metro, Mathew Wuerst reported that attempts to sort out the signing of Import Draft pick Martin Frk were not going anywhere.

In the article he wrote that the player is apparently facing contractual issues in the Czech Republic and that his agent Allan Walsh had yet to return phone calls on the issue.

Remembering how active the high-profile agent was during the story-book playoff run by the Habs, he’s the agent for Jaroslav Halak, I took matters into my own hands and fired off a tweet to the agent, who uses the username @walsha:

@walsha How about getting the Frk deal sorted out with the #HalifaxMooseheads so that fans can enjoy his talent! He’s halaktastic! #QMJHL

After a few hours of nervous waiting, Walsh fired me off a reply. It was short but to the point:

@HenryWhitfield Have faith.

Well, there you have it Moose Country, Martin Frk’s agent is telling us to have faith and if all goes well, maybe we will see the young talented forward playing for the Herd this season.

And heck, if you’re reading this Allan Walsh, I’m you’re man if you want to break this story when its done.

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That’s it for now out of Moose Country, but keep you’re eyes on my blog for updates as this story evolves and hopefully for next week’s CKDU show we’ll have more details for you.

You can also go listen to the archives for yesterday’s Bill McLean’s Sport Show where we talked Lebronmania, the World Cup and Baseball.