Dubois makes return to the Nest

Cape Breton hosts Armada, Mooseheads in back-to-back games

The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles will have to contend with former star Pierre-Luc Dubois when his current club, the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, roll into town tonight.

Dubois, dealt to the Armada in a blockbuster deal during the holiday trade period, has upped his game since joining his new club. The Columbus Blue Jackets draft pick has 14 goals and 15 assists for 29 points in 20 games in the black and white.

But Screaming Eagles overage forward Massimo Carozza says he and his teammates will focus on their own game once the puck drops tonight at Centre 200. Game time is 7 p.m.

“We know there’s eight games left in the regular season before playoffs start, so we’re not too focused about him,” said the 20-year-old from Montreal, who’s second in team scoring with 57 points (22 goals, 35 assists). “We’re more focused about our first period and how we’re going to play, so the focus is on us, not him.”

The Screaming Eagles (3323-2-2) are seventh overall in the standings and fourth in the Maritimes Division. They face an Armada club that’s 9-1-0-0 in their last 10 games, and are fifth overall at 37-16-4-2.

Cape Breton is coming off a 3-2 overtime victory over the league-leading Saint John Sea Dogs on Friday on home ice. Carozza said the dramatic win was a huge boost for his club.

“The last time they came in here, they won in our barn, so we wanted to take it to them,” he said. The Sea Dogs won their previous meeting at Centre 200, 7-0, on Feb. 4. “It was nice to come back and it was a good game for the fans also.”

Friday, the Screaming Eagles will host the Halifax Mooseheads for the final time this season for their 20th anniversary celebration game. Tickets will be rolled back to 1997 prices, the inaugural year for the team in Cape Breton. There will also be prizes, live entertainment, a kid’s fan zone and more to mark the occasion.

Puck drop for Friday’s contest is 7 p.m.