Published Apr 09, 2025 • Last updated 8 hours ago • 5 minute readHalifax Mooseheads captain Brady Schultz, right, and Rouyn-Noranda forward Benjamin Brunelle battle for the puck during a QMJHL game at the Scotiabank Centre during the regular season. Photo by Halifax MooseheadsThere’s barely time for the Halifax Mooseheads to catch their breath at the moment but you won’t catch anyone complaining.The Mooseheads pulled off one of the biggest upsets in league history by beating the Drummondville Voltigeurs in seven games in the first round. It’s well-known by now it was the first time ever a No. 16 seed won a QMJHL playoff series and Halifax’s reward is another Goliath in the second round.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentThe Mooseheads get a short two-day break, which will include travel to Northern Quebec, before going at it again with another team that was miles ahead of them in the regular season standings. The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies finished in a tie for fifth place overall with a 37-19-3-5 record and 82 points, giving them a 34-point advantage over the 16th-place Mooseheads (19-35-8-2).But that was the same script in the opening round against the third-overall Voltigeurs and the Mooseheads did not flinch. The players and head coach Andrew Lord beat the drum all series about the confidence they have in themselves and they didn’t fold even after losing several regulars to injuries.“I don’t think we’ve blinked once,” Halifax captain Brady Schultz said during the Drummondville series. “There’s been belief in this group from the start. We knew even before playoffs, no matter who we got we could give anybody a run for their money if we play hard and buy in.”So with the brief interlude rapidly coming to a close, here’s what to expect leading up to Game 1 in Rouyn-Noranda on Friday:Article contentOffence: This is the most pronounced mismatch heading into the series. The Huskies produced the second-most goals in the league during the regular season (258), while the Mooseheads were second-to-last (155). Rouyn-Noranda overager Antonin Verreault (85 points) and Bill Zonnon (83) both finished in the top seven in the Q scoring race and Lars Steiner was the second highest-scoring rookie (60). The Huskies had 12 players with double digit goal totals so there is also depth.Halifax’s top scorer was Quinn Kennedy with 47 points, which put him 57th overall in the league. Liam Kilfoil (46) and Shawn Carrier (44) both hit the 40-point plateau but the next highest-scoring forward was Braeden MacPhee with 28 points. Winning close, low-scoring games was the Mooseheads’ bread and butter against the Voltigeurs so they’ll need to execute that same formula in round two.Defence: This is where the statistical comparison is almost a wash. Rouyn-Noranda gave up the 11th-most goals (210) during the regular season, finishing just slightly ahead of Halifax (231, 13th). And if you remove the Mooseheads’ 6-0 loss in Game 6 in the first round, they only surrendered 13 goals the rest of the series for a per-game average of 2.17.Article contentThe kingpins on the Huskies blueline are overagers Ty Higgins and Alex Carr. Higgins led all Q defencemen with 67 points and Middle Sackville’s Carr had 45 points and was plus-29. Carr is also the team captain and originally played for the Mooseheads after they took him in the fourth round of the 2020 draft. Halifax traded him to Rouyn-Noranda for a fourth-round pick during training camp in 2021.Schultz leads his team in playoff scoring with six points and holds the franchise record for career points by a defenceman. Owen Phillips, Mathieu Taillefer and Carlos Handel all raised their game in the first round, while Lincoln Waugh and affiliate Ryan Fletcher were outstanding in expanded roles after replacing Eddy Doyle and Justin Chiras because of injuries.Goaltending: Jacob Steinman was the first star three times and the second star once for the Mooseheads against the Voltigeurs, which speaks to his importance to the team. He faced an average of 38 shots per game in the first round and finished with a .943 save percentage and 2.43 goals against average. Beyond that, the 20-year-old is universally respected inside the dressing room and is a tremendous leader. There is no debate about who the Mooseheads’ playoff MVP is so far.Article contentSamuel Meloche is only 17 years old but was the third goalie drafted in 2023 so he has a sterling pedigree. He appeared in 51 of 64 regular season games and won 30 of them, then lowered his goals against average to 1.93 in the playoffs and has a .917 save percentage so he shouldn’t be an issue for the Huskies.Special Teams: As you’d expect, the numbers favour the Huskies on paper so discipline will be critical for the Mooseheads. Rouyn-Noranda had the third-best power play during the regular season (27.2 per cent) and the sixth-best penalty kill (79.5). Halifax was 15th with the man advantage (17.4) and 13th while shorthanded (76.9).Coaching: Just like the last series, there is an ex-Mooseheads coach running the opposing team’s bench. Steve Hartley was an assistant in Halifax for three years, including with the 2012-13 QMJHL and Memorial Cup champions. Like Dominique Ducharme and Sylvain Favreau, he went on to coach the Voltigeurs for several seasons and is now in his second year at the helm in Rouyn-Noranda.Article contentAndrew Lord is off to a phenomenal start in his first year in Halifax. Guiding the Mooseheads to the epic first-round win was icing on the cake after transforming the league’s youngest roster into a competitive, close-knit group well ahead of schedule.Miscellaneous: Neither of the teams’ regular season meetings ended in regulation time. The Mooseheads won 2-1 in a shootout on Nov. 11 and the Huskies responded with a 4-3 overtime victory in their rink two weeks later. … Rouyn-Noranda’s Glencore Arena has the smallest ice surface in the league – 190 by 85 feet. Standard rink dimensions in North America are 200 by 85 feet. … Game 2 is in Rouyn-Noranda on Saturday at 5 p.m. and the next three are scheduled for Halifax on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday next week. If necessary, Games 6 and 7 are back in Rouyn-Noranda on April 21 and 22. … The Huskies are 12-1-1-0 in their past 14 games. Their only loss in the first round was in overtime. They eliminated the Gatineau Olympiques in five games. … The current injured Mooseheads are Doyle, Chiras, Will Bent and Caylen Blake. … It’s worth noting Drummondville captain Luke Woodworth is the league scoring leader after the first round with 13 points. The Bridgewater native was a 20-year-old this season so he’s out of junior eligibility but he’ll continue his hockey career in the NCAA with the University of Nebraska-Omaha.Article content
QMJHL PLAYOFFS: Mooseheads ready to take on next Goliath: ‘I don’t think we’ve blinked once’
