QMJHL's Islanders eliminated from playoffs after 7-1 loss to Drakkar
- reegmacaulay
- Apr 4, 2024
- 4 min read
April 4, 2024
The Charlottetown Islanders were eliminated from the 2024 President's Cup Playoffs in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League on Wednesday, April 3 after a 7-1 loss to the top-ranked Baie-Comeau Drakkar at the Eastlink Centre in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
It was a do-or-die night for the young Islanders after losing game three (5-3) of the best-of-seven series at home on Tuesday. Charlottetown started the game very strong, leading the shot count 7-3 in the first period, but once Baie-Comeau regained ground and scored their first goal late in the first period, the rest of the game was a routing.
Head coach Jim Hulton was disappointed about the loss, saying the team lost its spirit.
"It happens, it's human nature, but I was disappointed. I felt bad for fans. I feel on behalf of our staff, we owe an apology to our fans because I thought competitively, I would've liked a better effort.
"In a really strange way, this is the best tonic for them. One of the best learning experiences to play in the playoffs, and not just in the playoffs, but against a powerhouse, older, experienced team that, quite frankly, plays the game the right way. Wonderful learning ground and I liked to see the growth. I talked about it a lot through this series, watching young guys come in. Some made mistakes, but part of learning and growing is making mistakes, and I have no problem with the mistakes. Get back out there and get going," Hulton said.
Overage players Cole Huckins and Giovanni Morneau played their final career QMJHL game while Michael Horth sat in the stands with an injury. Huckins scored Charlottetown's only goal of the game at 5:25 in the second period, finishing a nice play set up by Marcus Kearsey and Alexis Michaud.
Hulton said it was going to be a difficult night for the three overagers.
"It's the end of the road. Sarc reality hits, particularly for Michael (Horth), who was the last remaining link to a championship-run team. To have him end (his career) on the sidelines was difficult to watch. It was emotional to watch.
"For Cole (Huckins) and Gio (Morneau), they're just honest guys who worked really hard for us. They're role models in the dressing room, the peers look up to them. They were great people, I'm proudest of that they were led by example in terms of on and off the ice. They were good people and that's what I'll remember of them," Hulton said.
All three players thanked the fans for their support over their time spent in Charlottetown. Morneau and Horth will move on to USPORTS competition next season, with Morneau committing to the Carleton University Ravens in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) men's hockey league, and Horth committing to the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus in the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) men's hockey league. Huckins, a former National Hockey League (NHL) draft pick, will evaluate his options during the summer.
Cole Huckins, one season (2023-24): "I don't think it's fully set in. Obviously not the result we wanted. I love those guys, I loved the way we battled. I think we can keep our heads held high. Obviously something to take and learn from and move on. Think I'm gonna step away, get some time for myself, and see what my options are (for the future). Thanks for all the support, thanks for welcoming me into the Charlottetown Islanders family, it meant a lot, and I loved playing in front of you guys every night. It's a special place and I'm glad I was a part of it."
Giovanni Morneau, two seasons (2022-24): "I'm upset it's over, but all good things gotta come to an end. Super happy with my time here. Excited to go play USPORTS next year, will be going to Carleton (University) and I look forward to that new step. Fans treated me so well, I had such a good time, super grateful that they took me with open arms and treated me so well."
Michael Horth, three seasons (2021-24): "It was a great effort. (Baie-Comeau) was a pretty good team. They're old, mature, and play very well. Couldn't do much, we battled till the end. I'm going to have a good summer, get a lot of rest, get some things fixed, and hopefully get healthy again. Very thankful for everything, very good runs, fans were very nice to me. It's a sh***y feeling to finish like that."
It took nearly 19 minutes for a team to score, as Drakkar forward Justin Poirier scored his third goal of the series at 18:46. Matyas Melovsky added another goal at 2:33 in the second period to extend Baie-Comeau's lead. After Isaac Dufort received a hooking penalty, the Islanders took advantage of their power play with a Cole Huckins goal to close the score gap to two.
The Islanders seemed to have rediscovered their earlier momentum, but just like game three the previous night, the second period saw another multi-goal burst by the Drakkar. Former Islander Justin Gill scored at 8:49 while Poirier added his second goal of the game at 9:14. Isaac Dufort scored two goals in the third period at 5:09 and 17:46 to seal the deal, sending Baie-Comeau to the second round of the playoffs, where they will face the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, who swept the second-ranked Halifax Mooseheads in their first-round series.
With Charlottetown's season now done, coach Hulton returns to primarily focusing on the general manager role. He said some tough decisions will need to be made over the offseason.
"I'm excited that we're now even more experienced than we were at the start of the year, which sounds weird. The season's barely ended here and we're now focusing on next year. We have to do a better job in certain areas this summer from a management-team perspective. Make sure that, to surround the existing pieces we have, we have to do a good job of thinking about the free agent market, and potentially import players. A lot of things we have to assess moving forward. It's an important offseason for this franchise," Hulton said.
The Islanders will take two months off to reset and prepare for the QMJHL Entry Draft on June 8, 2024, at the Avenir Centre in Moncton, N.B.
As for the Drakkar, more news on their upcoming second-round playoff series against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan will be determined in the near future.
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