Moose beat Cape Breton in thriller
By Willy Palov - Sports Reporter
The Chronicle Herald
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Sports/1166359.html

It’s rare for a Halifax-Cape Breton game not to provide any entertainment and Saturday’s game at the Metro Centre was no exception.

The Mooseheads and Screaming Eagles gave the 7,202 fans in attendance plenty to talk about in a back-and-forth game that ultimately ended in an exciting 3-2 Halifax win.

"That was a big win, if not the biggest of the year," said Mooseheads forward Gerrad Grant. "I thought we should’ve had last night’s game too (5-4 shootout loss to Saint John) but we came out flying tonight and capitalized on our chances.

"It was good to see all the fans here tonight and give them a win that they deserve for coming to all the games."

The Mooseheads got the early jump, outscoring the Eagles 2-1 in the first period on a pair of nice plays by captain Tomas Knotek. He converted a Travis Randell rebound on a two-on-one to open the scoring and then set up Grant later in the period with a beautiful individual effort. Luke Adam found the back of the net for Cape Breton between the two Halifax scoring plays.

Knotek also hit the post on a brilliant between-the-legs shot on a breakaway midway through the second period. He was dangerous all night and was named the game’s first star.

"He played great," Grant said. "He’s one of those guys that brings it every night. He’s just always out there making something happen. No matter what he’s doing, there’s always a scoring chance whenever he’s on the ice."

There was no more scoring until 5:49 of the third period when Halifax’s Gabriel Desjardins scored on a shot from a sharp angle to make it 3-1. Cape Breton’s Jan Piskacek cut the lead to 3-2 with a goal at 11:27 of the third period, but the Mooseheads dug deep defensively and held on through a tense finish.

"That’s a veteran team and they’ve got some guys who have been in that position before," said Mooseheads defenceman Paul Dimitruk. "But we responded well and we came out with the win.

"I thought played a strong all-around game. We stayed pretty disciplined, I thought we were solid in our own zone and we buried our chances in the offensive. That was a key for us tonight, making the most of our chances and that’s why we came out with the win."

The win snaps a three-game losing streak for the Mooseheads and also gives them their first victory over the Eagles this season. Cape Breton went into the game with a perfect 5-0 record this year in head-to-head action.

"I think they said it was the first time in 15 games that we’ve beaten that team and that’s a good cross-province rival so it feels good," Dimitruk said. "They’re a pretty elite team and they’re going to go deep in the playoffs so that’s a great win for us."

Peter Delmas made his second straight start on home ice because Mathieu Corbeil bruised his knee in the pre-game skate on Friday.

Delmas stopped 28 shots and Cape Breton rookie Alexandre Verroneau made 34 saves.

Delmas played another excellent game but it might have been the team’s best defensive performance all season.

"It all starts at the back end, from the goalie up," Grant said. "Our defence played really well. Konrad (Abeltshauser) and (Pascal) Amyot, our top two back there, shut down their top line all night and that’s what we really need in these last few games trying to make a playoff run."

The Mooseheads (12-37-1-4) are now 10 points out of a playoff spot with just 13 games left in the season. They play their next game on Wednesday when they host the P.E.I. Rocket.

"You never say die," Dimitruk said.

"That’s kind of the attitude we have right now. You can’t ever give up and I think we’ve responded to that kind of attitude. We had a pretty good weekend in Quebec last weekend, we got one on the road, and I think we could’ve had four points here this weekend. But for us to get this big victory here tonight, especially after getting a point from the number one team in the country last night, is a big emotional victory for us."