Moncton skate past the Mooseheads in Sunday matinee

CITYnews halifax / By Coulson Ward

On Sunday, The Mooseheads hosted Markus Vidicek and the Moncton Wildcats at the Scotiabank Centre in the first game of a three-game homestand for the Herd. The Mooseheads come off a 3-0 loss to Moncton on Friday evening at the Avenir Centre.

Moncton controlled the first period, having an early chance on a penalty shot after Brady Schultz took down Alex Mercier. Mathis Rousseau was able to deny Mercier to keep the game scoreless, but 17:27 into the first period, Etienne Morin lit the lamp for the Wildcats, giving them a 1-0 lead entering the intermission.

The Mooseheads tied up the contest 3:57 into the second period as Jake Todd capitalized on a turnover behind the Moncton net and fired a shot past the Wildcats netminder for his first of the season. The Beaver Bank native missed time earlier in the season battling injuries, dressing for only 11 games with the Mooseheads. Moncton responded less than two minutes later with an odd-man rush where Riley Sampson beat Rousseau to restore the Wildcat’s lead. Moncton continued to pressure the Herd, Pier-Etienne Cloutier, scoring 12:45 into the second.

There was some concern on the Mooseheads bench as Brady Schultz went down at the end of the second period after taking a late hit by Wildcats forward Gabe Smith. The Halifax captain left the ice on his power and returned for the third period.

Moncton continued their scoring touch in the third as Gabe Smith lobbed a puck on the Moosehead net 10:15 into the period that found its way past Rousseau and into the Herds goal. Dylan MacKinnon added another for Moncton against his former team just 40 seconds later, giving the Wildcats a 5-1 lead and victory.

With the loss, the Mooseheads fall to 11-20-5 while the Wildcats improve to 29-5-2.

Mathis Rousseau was awarded 1st of the afternoon with a 36-save performance in the loss, the 2nd star went to Wildcats defender Etienne Morin, and Riley Sampson claimed 3rd star.

The Mooseheads will continue to look for their first win of 2025 on Thursday, Jan 9th, as they host the Drummondville Voltigeurs at the Scotiabank Centre. Puck drop is 7 p.m., and you can listen to all the action here on 95.7 NewsRadio.