Islanders embark on wild and wacky week
Charlottetown plays four games in six days this week in QMJHL action
It’s a weird and wacky stretch for the Charlottetown Islanders as the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League club hosts a game then tackles a three-game-inthree-night road swing through Quebec.
It starts Tuesday when Charlottetown (14-9-1-0) welcomes its Maritimes Division rival, the Acadie-Bathurst Titan (15-7-3-2), to the Eastlink Centre’s cozy confines. Game time is 7 p.m.
Charlottetown is coming off a 5-2 loss to the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on Sunday while the Titan engineered a 5-4 come-from-behind win over the visiting Halifax Mooseheads, thanks in part to Summerside native Noah Dobson’s goal and two assists. The division-leading Titan overcame 2-0 and 4-2 deficits along the way.
In 27 regular-season games, the sophomore defenceman has 25 points – two goals and 23 assists – tied for second in team scoring and third among blueliners in the league. Dobson leads the league in assists.
Keith Getson and Saku Vesterinen are tied for Charlottetown’s scoring lead.
Three games
The Isles start a three-night tear through Quebec with games against league-leading BlainvilleBoisbriand (17-5-2) on Friday, Quebec (17-9-2) on Saturday and last place overall Shawinigan (818-1) on Sunday. Charlottetown swept it last venture into Quebec, beating Victoriaville, Sherbrooke and Drummondville on consecutive nights.
On Sunday, in Sydney, N.S., Declan Smith scored three times, including into an empty net, Sunday to lead Cape Breton to a 5-2 victory.
Egor Sokolov and Brooklyn Kalmikov also scored. Phelix Martineau had two assists while Ryan Francis, Alexis Sansfacon, Olivier Bourret, Justin Lazure and Mathias Laferriere each added one.
Samuel Meisenheimer and Matthew Grouchy scored for Charlottetown. Hunter Drew had two assists while Brendon Clavelle and Getson each had one.
Kyle Jessiman made 17 saves for the win while Dakota LundCornish stopped 19 shots in the loss.
Cape Breton held period leads of 2-0 and 4-0.
Islanders captain Pierre-Olivier Joseph received a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for slashing with 30 seconds to play.