Tomas Lavoie of the Cape Breton Eagles, right, works his way into the offensive zone as he’s challenged by Kuzma Voronin of the Moncton Wildcats during Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League action at Centre 200 in Sydney on Friday. Moncton won the game 3-2 in a shootout. JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST Jeremy FraserArticle contentHome openers have not been very kind to the Cape Breton Eagles in recent history and the trend continued on Friday night.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 contentDespite tying the game with less than a second to play in regulation time, Cape Breton was edged 3-2 in a shootout by the Moncton Wildcats in Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League action at Centre 200 in Sydney.Article contentArticle contentThe Eagles have now lost their last six home openers, dating back to Oct. 2, 2020. The club last started the home portion of their season with a victory on Sept. 28, 2019, when they defeated the Saint John Sea Dogs 6-5 at the nest.Article contentArticle contentPreston Lounsbury and Kuzma Voronin netted goals for the Wildcats (1-1-1-0) in regulation time. Rian Chudzinski scored the shootout winner in the fifth round.Article contentReece Peitzsche and Eliot Litaliten replied with goals for the Eagles (1-1-0-1).Article contentMoncton’s Rudy Guimond made 34 saves. Cape Breton’s Félix Hamel stopped 30 of 32 shots.Article contentAfter a scoreless first period, Cape Breton opened the scoring late in the second frame with Peitzsche’s shot beating Guimond on the five-hole for his first goal of the season at the 19:13 mark.Article contentMoncton tied the game midway through the third period with Lounsbury firing a wrist shot over the glove of Hamel for his first goal of the season. The Wildcats took their first lead of the game 28 seconds later with Voronin notching his first career QMJHL goal at 9:45.Article contentWith Hamel on the bench and time running out, Eliot Litalien would slide the puck past Guimond with 0.8 seconds left in regulation time, sending the game to overtime.Article contentArticle contentCape Breton would outshoot Moncton 4-2 in the extra frame but were unable to find the back of the net, forcing the game to be decided in a shootout.Article contentAfter Samuel Boyer, Lounsbury and Romain Litalien missed on their opportunities, Niko Tournas would score, putting the pressure on Cape Breton’s Peitzsche to keep the skills competition alive. He would make no mistake.Article contentCape Breton’s Jack Brauti and Lewis Gendron as well as Moncton’s Voronin would be stopped on their chances, leading to Chudzinski’s heroics.Article contentThe Eagles outshot the Wildcats 36-32 while going 0-for-4 on the power play. Moncton was 0-for-3 with the man-advantage.Article contentCape Breton and Moncton will continue their two-game weekend series on Saturday with the teams hitting the ice at 7 p.m., at Centre 200.Article contentGAME NOTES: Jacob De Ladurantaye (healthy), Derek Andrews (healthy), Logan Quinn (healthy) and Hugo Charron (healthy) were not in the lineup for the Eagles.; Danny Buckley (healthy), Caleb Desnoyers (injured/NHL camp), Dylan MacKinnon (healthy), Dominik Necak (healthy), Riley Sampson (injured/sick) and Gabe Smith (NHL camp) were not dressed for the Wildcats.; Cape Breton’s Samuel Kupec made his Eagles debut after missing opening weekend in Saint John with an injury.; Marc McPhee was called up from junior A by Moncton for the contest.; Attendance for the game was 3,727.Article content
QMJHL: Cape Breton Eagles tie game late, lose to Moncton Wildcats in shootout in home opener
