HALIFAX — The Halifax Mooseheads received some offensive output from unexpected sources to win the opening game of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League final.
Trey Lewis and Ryan Falkenham each scored their first of the post-season as Halifax defeated the Baie-Comeau Drakkar 4-0 in Game 1 Friday.
The Mooseheads’ three top scorers in the playoffs — Jonathan Drouin, Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Frk — combined for a single assist in the game.
“I think we have a lot of depth on this team, that’s why we’re so good this year,” said Drouin.
Halifax opened the scoring at the 16:20 mark of the second period as defenceman Konrad Abeltshauser shovelled a puck in off a goal-mouth scramble.
The San Jose Sharks sixth-round pick scored a power-play goal that looked like a curling draw to the button as the puck creeped slowly into the net.
“I took one or two whacks at it and it finally crossed the line,” said the lanky German blue-liner. “It was a little bit slow-motion for me seeing the puck going at the net and when it crossed the goal-line, I was just overwhelmed.”
It was the fifth goal of the playoffs for Abeltshauser, who has been a clutch scorer in the post-season with 13 goals in 32 QMJHL playoffs games. He has just 28 in 219 regular season games.
Lewis gave Halifax a 2-0 lead 5:52 into the third and checking forward Falkenham potted his first career QMJHL playoff goal to make it 3-0. Stefan Fournier added the empty-netter.
Fucale, the top-ranked goalie for this summer’s NHL draft, made 28 saves to earn his third shutout of the post-season. He made some nice saves to preserve a lead in the third.
“He didn’t let them come back,” Abeltshauser said. “He had a couple of huge saves to prevent goals that could have given them some momentum.”
It was a tight-checking game, but Drouin said he and his teammates expected that.
“They have big defencemen and they don’t leave a lot of space in the neutral zone, so we’ve got to get puck deeps and play down low,” Drouin said.
Baie-Comeau coach Eric Veilleux said he thought the result could have been different if some of his players had capitalized on their scoring chances earlier in the game.
“We can be better than that,” Veilleux said. “I thought we had a few players were a little bit nervous.”
Veilleux said he was surprised that Drouin didn’t get a major penalty and a game misconduct for his hit on Alexandre Ranger in the first period.
He said Drakkar general manager Steve Ahern will ask the league to review the hit.
Drouin, who received a minor penalty, said he’s not worried about further punishment.
“He was facing me the whole time,” Drouin said. “Then he turned his back, so it’s his fault.”
Game 2 is Saturday in Halifax.
