Game Recap: PEI Rockets vs. Halifax Mooseheads

PEI Rockets vs. Halifax Mooseheads

Final Score
PEI - 3
Halifax - 7

Goalscorers
PEI: Louick Marcotte, Jimmy Oligny, Matthew Bursey
Halifax: Brent Andrews, Stefan Fournier, Trey Lewis, MacKenzie Weegar, Matthew Boudreau (2), Martin Frk

Goalies
PEI: Maxime Lagace (L)
Halifax: Chris Clake (W)

Fireball Player
(He's so hot, nothing is gonna put this guy out)

Matthew Boudreau - Pretty much because of his two goals that separated him from basically anyone else on the team.

Snake Bitten Player
(No amount of sucking will help get the poison out of him)

Austyn Hardie (?) - There was really no bad player this game as the team was either playing good or just under good as a unit. Hardie gets the nod only because of his two bad penalties.

Play of the Game
(Every game has a defining moment, this is probably it)

The three minute span that involved: Stefan Fournier scoring the go-ahead goal for Halifax, goal review for a MacKinnon shot (was ruled no goal both before and after the review), Trey Lewis extending the lead for Halifax on the ensuing faceoff, PEI getting a bench minor BEFORE the next faceoff, Jimmy Oligny scoring shorthanded for PEI, Halifax answering back with a MacKenzie Weegar point shot on the powerplay, and Matthew Bursey finally ending the madness and keeping PEI close.  

Notes

• It's about Frk-ken time Martin hit the back of the net. FYI, I will beat the "Frk" jokes to death this season.
• Abeltshauser had a great defensive shift, denying two PEI players a chance on offense just seconds apart.
• I can see why Trey Lewis was named captian. With just over 5 minutes left, Patrick MacGrath (PEI) wrestled down one of the Mooseheads, Lewis showed up and fought MacGrath seconds after the incident.
• Moment were I felt for a ref: Calling interference on MacKinnon. The ref got booed out of the building for that call.
• MacKinnon update: 1 assist, -2, 2 PIM. Not much magic tonight, but can't be good all the time right?
• On both Brodreau goals, Ashley and Ciampini recorded assist (in that order). 
• Along with the 3 minute madness explained above, Halifax scored their last three goals in a two minute span. In this game, the scoring came in bunches.

Pictures

Oligny attempting to get at MacKinnon.

Obligatory Abeltshauser shot (right before Frk's goal too)

What I could get of the Lewis-MacGrath fight.

Game Recap: Chicoutimi Sagueneens vs. Halifax Mooseheads

Between MDK scraping the cartoon predictions, a reluctance in covering the (ever depressing) CBA news, and kind of wanting to do something involving the local hockey scene in Halifax, I will attempt to do game recaps for the Halifax Mooseheads.

There is a catch though.

As away games I can't see (although I might try to do a road trip during the season) and some home games I will not be able to attend, I'm going to stick to recapping games I could attend. At the end, you can figure out if this will be more annoying than me clogging twitter feeds with constant updates of the game.

Chicoutimi Sagueneens vs Halifax Mooseheads

Final Score
Chicoutimi - 2
Halifax - 6

Goalscorers
Chicoutimi: Guilliaume Asselin, Lukas Sedlak
Halifax: Jonathan Drouin (3), Nathan MacKinnon, Trey Lewis, Darcy Ashley

Goalies
Chicoutimi: Francis Desrosiers (L)/ Mathieu Duquette
Halifax: Zach Fucale (W)

Fireball Player
(He's so hot, nothing is gonna put this guy out)

Jonathan Drouin - What a game Drouin had. Along with his usual hard working play, he ended up netting a hat trick. His second goal (more on that in a sec) was the spark the Mooseheads needed after a lackluster first period (the second period was better, but left something to be desired).

Snake Bitten Player
(No amount of sucking will help get the poison out of him)

Martin Frk - My god, I get that he usually tries to do too much, but there are times when it's best to just lay back a bit. Tonight, trying too much just backfired. The play he made to MacKinnon was great, but that is the only one he connected on. Frk tried to redeem himself with a nice one-timer from the high slot in the 3rd, but Duquette saved it. The late hit at the end of the 2nd period and the scrum/half-hearted fight near the end of the game showed how frustrated he was with his play. On the bright side he did get two assist. Still, this was not his night.

Play of the Game
(Every game has a defining moment, this is probably it)

Drouin's second goal - There is an argument for to be made for Fucale's breakaway save in the first after giving up 2 goals beforehand, but Drouin's second goal gets the nod. While the first two goals by Halifax did put them back in the game, Drouin scoring the go-ahead goal just lit a fire under Halifax, as they dominated the shift after and kept the pressure on Chicoutimi's defense. It forced Chicoutimi to call a time out and try to kill momentum. It didn't work, as Drouin completed the hat trick moments later.

Notes

• I thought Christopher Gibson go the start but the QMJHL site says Francis Desrosier. I apologize for the mistake. If you pay attention to my Saturday Night Hockey post then you'll see I have a less than stellar record for picking starting goalies.
• This win now brings the Mooseheads winning streak to 12.
• The near-ending of the game was weird. It was basically went from a scrum, to a wrestling match, to Asselin attempting to fight someone while being held back, to him hassling the linesman. He is probably suspended for Chicoutimi's next game. 
• MacKinnon Watch: 1 goal, 1 assist. Had a good game but nothing too spectacular. Still 1st overall material.
• Craig Button was in town and did an interview before the game. He was asked who MacKinnon could be compared too. His answer: Ovechkin. As I joked, he's probably lucky no one else heard him, Halifax would probably riot if anyone but Crosby wasn't the answer.
• I kind of agree with Button though, MacKinnon is like Ovechkin (just less physical).
• Halifax has the sloppiest start of the season in the first, making countless mistakes. I blame the CHLPA for this (bonus: possible post on them later in the week).

Pictures

MDK drinking beer, being a jerk. No, he's jealous!

Obligatory Abeltshauser picture. You've been warned!

Near end-of-game scrum. Video below.

Showing Some International Love: World Championship Division III Qualification Review

Well, damn if that didn't (almost) end up like I predicted. There were a few surpising things though. What you ask? Well just look below.

(All data courtesy of the IIHF website)

Standings

United Arab Emirates    3W - 0L - 9PTS - +11GD
Greece                         2W - 1L - 6 PTS - +14GD
Mongolia                      1W - 2L - 3PTS - +2GD
Georgia                        0W - 3L - 0PTS - -27GD

Results

October 14
Mongolia 6 - Georgia 0
United Arab Emirates 2 - Greece 0

October 15
Greece 13 - Georgia 0
Mongolia 2 - United Arab Emirates 3

October 17
Greece 5 - Mongolia 2
Georgia 1 - United Arab Emirates 9

Team Analysis

United Arab Emirates: Congrats to UAE for winning the group. They pulled off what I would consider the "biggest upset" of the tournament and shutting out Greece 2-0. UAE was then almost  upset themselves, having to fend off a Mongolian team attempting to come back. If they can carry this momentum (and roster size) into Division III then they could be a dark horse.

Greece: Congrats to Greece for qualifying for Division. It is a little weird to see them finish second though. While the wins against Georgia and Mongolia were predictable, the shutout loss against UAE seemed unusual for them. Greece has been a Division III punching bag (when Mongolia isn't around) in the last few years, this seemed like the perfect opportunity for them to regain some confidence heading into the actual Division III group. At least the lost was game one and they build off their last two games heading into April.

Mongolia: My helmet is off to Mongolia. Not only did they finally get a win in Divison III-ish competition (albeit against a put-together Georgian team), they were able to hang around with the two teams. They attempted to comeback against UAE and kept Greece tied going into the third (were they eventually lost the game). Progress for Mongolian hockey is still very slow, but this tournament showed they are heading in the right direction.

Georgia: Congrats to Gocha Jeiranashvili for scoring Georgia's only goal in this tournament, and first for the national team in two years. Other than that, the tournament went pretty much as expected for a Georgian squad that really doesn't have international experience.The good news is now they should be in the IIHF's world ranking.

Showing Some International Love: World Championship Division III Qualification Preview

Yeah, they brought it back: QUALIFICATIONS!!! TO DIVISION III!!! AND THERE ARE NEW TEAMS!!! AND WHY DID I FORGET TO TURN OFF CAPS LOCK???

Anyway, lets have a look at what countries get to have the chance to get their ass kicking in Division III in April.

(all infomation courtesy of the IIHF website)

World Ranking

44. Greece
46. Mongolia
47. United Arab Emirates
Georgia (Unranked)

Roster

(Rosters as of October 14)

Greece

Goalies: Georgios Foitakis (Iptameni Athens), Ntalimpor Ploutsis (Iptameni Athens)
Defense: Nikolaos Chatzigiannis (Iptameni Athens), Antonios Kanellis (Avantes Athens), Nikoloas Papadopoulos (PAOK Thessaloniki), Diogenis Souras (Iptameni Athens), Orestis Tilios (Iptameni Athens), Ioannis Ziakas (Iptameni Athens)
Forwards: Georgios Adamidis (PAOK Thessaloniki), Kyriakos Adamidis (PAOK Thessaloniki), Lazaros Efkarpidis (Iptameni Athens), Eleftherios Fournogerakis (Mad Cows Athens), Dimitrios Kalyvas (Iptameni Athens), Georgios Kalyvas (Iptameni Athens), Ioannis Koufis (Iptameni Athens), Georgios Kouleles (Iptameni Athens), Dimitrios Malamas (Aris Thessaloniki), Alexandros Valsamas-Rallis (Iptameni Athens)

Mongolia

Goalies: Munkhbold Bayarsaikhan (Zaluus San), Baatarkhuu Bazarvaani (Continental)
Defense: Altanbayar Altankhundaga (Khangarid), Erkhbayar Altansan (ZandT), Boldbayar Bayajikh (Jalam Khar), Tamir Ganbold (Zaluus San), Och Sukhbaatar (Zaluus San), Batgerel Zorigt (ZandT)
Forwards: Tserenbaljir Baatarkhuu (Khangarid), Zolboo Dorjsuren (Continental), Bayarjargal Enkhjargal (Continental), Munkhzaya Enkhtur (ZandT), Bayarsaikhan Jargalsaikhan (Zaluus San), Batbold Munkhbayar (Zaluus San), Mishigsuren Namjil (Khangarid), Batzaya Purevdorj (Khangarid), Od-Erdene Zorigoo (Khangarid)

United Arab Emirates

Goalies: Ahmed Al Dhaheri (Abu Dhabi ISC), Bader Al Shamisi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Khaled Al Suwaidi (Abu Dhabi ISC)
Defense: Mohammed Al Dhaheri (Abu Dhabi ISC), Ali Al Haddad (Abu Dhabi ISC), Mohammed Al Shamisi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Turki Al Shamsi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Faisal Al Suwaidi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Mohamed Al Zaabi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Ebraheem Bu Debs (Abu Dhabi ISC), Mohamad El Jachi (Abu Dhabi ISC)
Forwards: Faisal Al Blooshi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Salem Al Darmaki (Abu Dhabi ISC), Juma Al Dhaheri (Abu Dhabi ISC), Rashed Al Dhaheri (Abu Dhabi ISC), Abdulla Al Harmoodi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Yahya Al Jneibi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Ahmed Al Mazrouei (Abu Dhabi ISC), Ali Al Mazrouei (Abu Dhabi ISC), Mubarak Al Mazrouei (Abu Dhabi ISC), Saleh Al Menhali (Abu Dhabi ISC), Suhail Al Mheiri (Abu Dhabi ISC), Aeyez Al Muhairbe (Abu Dhabi ISC), Obaid Al Muharrami (Abu Dhabi ISC), Saeed Al Nuaimi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Salem Al Romaithi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Ali Al Sarour (Abu Dhabi ISC), Omar Al Shamisi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Theyab Al Subousi (Abu Dhabi ISC)

Georgia

Goalies: Kakha Ambrolava (Mimino Bakuriani), Alexander Vashakidze (Ice Knights Tbilisi)
Defense: Arkady Arushanov (Ice Knights Tbilisi), Nikoloz Bakhtadze (Grey Wolves Tbilisi), Mikheil Davitashvili (Grey Wolves Tbilisi), Giorgi Gogoladze (Mimino Bakuriani), Demuri Gurgenidze (Ice Knights Tbilisi), Mamuka Shergilashvili (Grey Wolves Tbilisi), Mikheil Vedyapin (Ice Knights Tbilisi)
Forwards: Gurami Archvadez (Ice Knights Tbilisi), Ilia Davidov (Grey Wolves Tbilisi), Amiran Geperidze (Mimino Bakuriani), Giorgi Gigauri (Ice Knights Tbilisi), Vakhtang Gogichashvili (Mimino Bakuriani), Giorgi Jeiranashvili (Mimino Bakuriani), Gocha Jeiranashvili (Mimino Bakuriani), Paata Kavkasidze (Ice Knights Tbilisi), Irakli Natroshvili (Ice Knights Tbilisi), Gia Oganeziani (Mimino Bakuriani)

Schedule

October 14
Mongolia vs. Georgia
United Arab Emirates vs. Greece

October 15
Greece vs. Georgia
Mongolia vs. United Arab Emirates

October 17
Greece vs. Mongolia
Georgia vs. United Arab Emirates

Last 5 International Matches

Greece: Win (Mongolia) - Loss (Luxembourg) - Loss (North Korea) - Loss (Ireland) - Loss (Turkey)
Mongolia: Loss (Greece) - Loss (Ireland) - Loss (Luxembourg) - Loss (Turkey) - Loss (North Korea)
United Arab Emirates: Win (Kuwait) - Win (Bahrain) - Win (Kuwait) - Win (Bahrain) - Win (Oman)
Georgia: Loss (Armenia) - Loss (South Africa)

Notables

• It’s cool that the IIHF allow unranked Georgia to participate, but why isn’t Bosnia and Herzegovina or Chinese Tapei (two teams that are ranked) in this? They haven’t participated in a WC event in years. 
• Yes, all players on UAE play for Abu Dhabi ISC.
• Also, all but 2 players on UAE have a last name starting with Al.
• I’m not 100% on this, but there are probably 2 father/son combos in this tournament. Gocha and Giorgi Jeiranashvili on Georgia, Georgios and Kyriakos Adamidis on Greece.
• With a few same last names themselves, there could be a couple father/son or sibling combos on UAE.
• Last UAE note: They are the only team to max outtheir roster (26 players, 3 goalies)
• Georgia hasn’t played as a national team since 2010, playing 2 games. The last time they played before 2010? 1962, as part of some type of Eastern Bloc Olympics.
• Oldest Player: Greek forward Georgios Adamidis (1965)
• Youngest Player: UAE defenseman Mohammed Al Dhaheri (1994)

Prediction

1 (Qualify) - Greece
2 (Qualify) - United Arab Emirates
3 - Mongolia
4 - Georgia

Pretty straight forward, as Greece is my pick for finishing first. They were somewhat able to hold their own during last years Division III tournament. They are the most experienced team in the group. What bugs me is that their roster pulls off the near impossible by looking both too old and too young. Having 16 skaters might be a problem later in games too. Overall, Greece should have no problem securing a qualifying spot.

Before doing my research on these teams, I had Mongolia finishing second and UAE finishing third. I wasn’t confident in that selection. Now after looking at both teams, UAE gets bumped up. They only participated once in a WC event (back in 2010), but they have a full roster. UAE also holds a head-to-head advantage against Mongolia, winning both times these two teams met. UAE is more likely to finish second.

Mongolia is picked to finished third. I wish I could find evidence to help their case, but I don’t. They have been participating in Division III tournaments since 2007, but have yet to win a game. They also had to withdraw twice. Last year was the first time they showed any type of improvement, holding Luxembourg and Greece to 5 goals or less. This team is still young (the oldest player[s] are 29) and could hit their stride in a couple years. It also doesn’t help that they are carrying the smallest roster at 15 skaters and 2 goalies. For now, Mongolia has a long way to go to show it can hang with the boys in Division III.

The only team that Mongolia has a shot against is Georgia. As mentioned in the Notables, Georgia hasn’t played internationally since 2010. The only thing that might put Georgia over Mongolia is that (and this is my opinion, I don’t have anything to back this claim up with) is that Georgia has a more established domestic league, so their players maybe more skilled. Until Georgia can prove...well...anything, they are probably going to end up last.

QMJHL Saturday Night Pick - October 6

MDK is away but left me the picks to post. So here is a rushed MS paint job to show you. Enjoy!