Islanders earn big road win
Charlottetown to meet Moncton in home-and-home series
The Charlottetown Islanders’ improved play in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) continued Feb. 22 with a 3-1 road win over the Cape Breton Eagles.
It marked the Islanders’ third win in a row and the team’s fourth in the last five games.
The Islanders improved to 23-26-3-2 and moved to within two points of the seventh-place AcadieBathurst Titan (24-27-3-2) in the Eastern Conference. The Titan, who lost 3-2 to the Moncton Wildcats (31-17-43) on Feb. 22, has played two more games than the Islanders.
Next up for the Islanders is a home-and-home series with the Wildcats. The teams play in Moncton, N.B., on Feb. 24 and at Eastlink Centre in Charlottetown on Feb. 25 at 3 p.m.
BICKLE SHINES
Before 1,764 fans at Centre 200 in Sydney, N.S., Islanders goaltender Carter Bickle continued his strong play in the second half of the season. Bickle stopped 35 of 36 shots, including all 19 directed at the Charlottetown goal in the third period.
Bickle has allowed three or fewer goals in 11 of his last 17 starts.
Team captain Michael Horth scored his 26th and 27th goals of the campaign to stake the Islanders to a 2-0 lead after one period.
Cam Squires of Charlottetown netted a power-play goal 7:41 into the second period to get the Eagles on the board, but Alexis Michaud answered back 33 seconds later to restore the Islanders’ two-goal lead at 3-1.
Isaac Vos (2), Giovanni Morneau, Marcus Kearsey, William Shields, and Owen Conrad earned assists for Charlottetown.
The Islanders also registered 36 shots on Cape Breton goaltender Jakub Milota.
The Islanders were 1-for-3 on the power play while the Eagles had a 1-for-4 summary with the man advantage.
The game’s three stars were: 1. Michael Horth (Islanders); 2. Olivier Houde (Eagles); 3. Carter Bickle (Islanders).