BATHURST, N.B. — Thomas Belgarde scored a short-handed goal that was the winner as the Acadie-Bathurst Titan edged past the Halifax Mooseheads 2-1 Friday to advance to the second round of the QMJHL playoffs.
The Titan went down 2-0 in their best-of-five first-round series with the Mooseheads, but stormed back, winning three games straight to take the series.
Belgarde's goal came at the 9:01 mark of the third period.
He picked off an errant pass from Halifax as the Mooseheads' power play was set to expire in the middle of the Titan's defensive zone. He then took off, racing past two Moosehead skaters and around Halifax goalie Mathis Rousseau, who came out of his net in a desperate attempt to poke-check the puck away, before burying the game-winning goal.
Rousseau made 43 saves for Halifax, but his decision to leave his cage as Belgarde was coming racing in appeared to be ill-advised.
Ben Allison opened the scoring in the game with less than two minutes to play in the first period, giving Acadie-Bathurst a 1-0 lead.
Halifax's Attilio Biasca tied the game at 1-1 at 6:26 of the third.
The Titan see the Charlottetown Islanders in the second round.
