Moosehead's Regular Season

[Uwey]

Moose acquire coveted goalie

MATTHEW WUEST
The Daily News

The Halifax Mooseheads acquired overage goalie Pier-Olivier Pelletier from the Drummondville Voltigeurs on Wednesday.

Pier-Olivier Pelletier is on his way to Halifax.

The Halifax Mooseheads acquired the 20-year-old star goaltender from the Drummondville Voltigeurs last night in a transaction that had been rumoured for months.

In the deal, Pelletier comes to Halifax along with the Voltigeurs' fourth-round draft pick in 2009. Going to Drummondville is 20-year-old forward Garrett Peters, the odd man out among Halifax's overagers with the acquisition of Pelletier.

Also, the Voltigeurs receive a third- and seventh-round pick in 2008.

Pelletier, a former Phoenix Coyotes second-round draft pick who attended training camp with the Detroit Red Wings earlier this month, was at his home in Saint-Louis-du-Ha-Ha, Que., last night, and is scheduled to fly to Halifax today.

He plans to attend his first practice tomorrow.

"I'm really excited," Pelletier said. "They told me they are going for it this year. We have a very good team in Halifax. That's a good thing for me, personally, if I want to sign an NHL contract, and every junior player wants to be on a winning team and go to a Memorial Cup.

"It looks like if the guys come together, we have a good chance."

Mark Yetman will comprise the other half of the Mooseheads' new goaltending team. Roger Kennedy asked to be placed on waivers when he heard the trade took place.

Mooseheads general manager Marcel Patenaude told Yetman and Kennedy about the trade yesterday afternoon. Patenaude said a decision hadn't been made at that point on who the other goalie would be.

"It wasn't (Kennedy) third or Mark third," Patenaude said. "We felt three goaltenders was too much, but Roger, point-blank, asked us to be released.

"For us to give Roger a chance to play somewhere else, I think would be beneficial for him."

The Mooseheads are a veteran team that is 2-0 early in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League season. Goaltending questions surrounded the club during the summer, but Pelletier has the track record to solve that.

His stats last season placed him in the top five in the QMJHL in many categories. The former Canadian under-18 team stopper started 51 games, going 29-18 with one shutout, a 2.97 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage.

"He gives us more experience and more depth at the goaltending position," Patenaude said. "I feel Pelletier, with the comments I heard from pro scouts, did very well in Detroit. It's a surprise to me that he's back in junior. So, we had a chance to acquire him."

Pelletier knows former Mooseheads goaltender Jeremy Duchesne, who gave the team, the city and the Metro Centre a glowing review.

The six-foot-two, 194-pounder said he is a "hybrid, butterfly goalie" who likes to stay on his feet and doesn't "like to get beat post-to-post."

Voltigeurs general manager Dominic Ricard said earlier this month that Pelletier is one of the top two goaltenders in the QMJHL, behind Lewiston Maineiacs starter and reigning playoff MVP Jonathan Bernier, who may end up playing for the Los Angeles Kings this season.

"This year, physically, I'm in the best shape I've ever been and my physical testing has been great," Pelletier said. "Mentally, I feel strong. I had a good camp with Detroit and I have a lot of expectations. This team has a lot of 19-year-olds, so it could be a great year in Halifax."

There was a lot of pressure on Patenaude from fans and media to make this move to improve the team's goaltending situation. And while happy to land Pelletier, Patenaude also said if a deal couldn't get done during the season for a goaltender, he was still confident "Roger and Mark would be able to lead us to a championship."

"I don't want to say it's because of the people that we made the trade, but it was always a question mark about our goaltending situation," he said. "I think we've addressed that." - with files from Philip Croucher.

mwuest@hfxnews.ca

[Uwey]

Best Moose team yet to open season

CHRIS COCHRANE

AFTER 13 SEASONS OF frustrating endings, could this be the year when the Halifax Mooseheads finally win a QMJHL title?
The Moose are certainly loaded with talent for the 2007-08 season in a league that doesn’t appear dominated by any opposing super teams. Past Mooseheads clubs, including those in seasons where the team flirted with huge playoff success, didn’t look this good out of the gate.
The 1996-97 squad nearly made it to the league final. That team, featuring the likes of a young Alex Tanguay, goalie star Jean-Sebastien Giguere and feisty Jody Shelley, won a pair of playoff series before losing Game 7 in the division final in a year when the Q league sent two teams to the Memorial Cup. But that was an overachieving club, one that at the start of the season gave little indication of the heroics that were ahead.
The 2002-03 team had a spectacular season, eventually losing in the league final in seven games to Hull. It was a solid team, led by the likes of Brandon Benedict and Petr Vrana. It got much stronger with the controversial Boomerang Trade with Cape Breton during the Christmas trade period, adding Stuart MacRae, Steeve Villeneuve and George Davis. But again, at the start of that season, the club wasn’t regarded as being as powerful as this year’s team.
The 2004-05 edition was another strong Moose squad and perhaps the one that best rivals this year’s team at the start of a season. That club had 17 returning players from the previous year and also got three stars — Alexandre Picard, Marc-Andre Bernier and F. P. Guenette — back from Cape Breton in the final instalment of the Boomerang Trade.
That team was ranked in the CHL’s Top 10 during the Christmas trade period, but management opted not to add any big-name pickups to strengthen the squad for the playoff run. The reasoning appeared to be that the 2004-05 season was also the final year of Sidney Crosby in junior and there was speculation, well-founded speculation as it turned out, that his Rimouski team was unbeatable. Whatever the reason, Halifax basically stayed with the lineup it had and compiled a strong regular season. The team made it to the Q final. But it fell to Rimouski in four straight as Crosby dominated the series.
This year’s edition compares favourably with any of those squads. The forward lines are deep and talented. The defence is solid. And the goaltending, with this week’s trade for Pier-Olivier Pelletier, becomes a plus position that the 2004-05 squad didn’t have to start the year. This team can eventually add another impact forward and maybe another veteran defenceman if it needs those additions, but there’s plenty of time to ponder such moves before the Christmas trade period.
On paper, this is a stacked Halifax team, with the likes of Andrew Bodnarchuk and Guillaume Monast leading the defence; veterans such as Bryce Swan, Jakub Voracek, Ryan Hillier and Logan MacMillan up front; and Pelletier in net.
History has shown that simply starting a year as a Q favourite doesn’t necessarily mean it will end the same way. There are plenty of pitfalls — bad dressing-room chemistry, injuries, faulty building strategy, too much management interference in on-ice matters and the emergence of a surprisingly strong opponent — that can derail the best plans.
But as far as the potential of a Moosehead team entering its home opener, rate this club as the best yet.

Chris Cochrane is a columnist with The Chronicle Herald sports.

[Uwey]

Moose Notes — Mooseheads centre Logan MacMillan is still out with post-concussion syndrome and is two weeks away from making his debut. Defenceman Stephen Lund is now taking full practice after recovering from his concussion but Russell said he’ll need at least a week to get back into game shape. ... Former Mooseheads winger Kenzie Sheppard, a native of Howie Centre, is now playing for the OHL’s Peterborough Petes. He scored two goals and was named first star in his debut earlier this week. Sheppard, 20, spent the past two seasons with the Quebec Remparts but was released at the end of last season. ... Mooseheads defenceman Andrew Bodnarchuk made his preseason debut with the Boston Bruins in a 3-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. But he was cut by the Bruins on Friday and will be home in time to play tonight.

[Uwey]

Moose can depend on rookie

MATTHEW WUEST
The Daily News

"I'm willing to do whatever for this team," freshman Travis Randell says about the Halifax Mooseheads.

During the pre-season, Travis Randell got a tap on the shoulder from the Halifax Mooseheads' coaching staff.

The team was undermanned because of injuries and game misconducts. Their request was daunting for a 16-year-old rookie forward: Could he fill in on the blue line for a couple of shifts?

"I said, 'Sure, why not?'" Randell recalled.

As it turns out, it wasn't unfamiliar territory.

The Twillingate, N.L., native is a natural defenceman. He started his career on the blue line, and only switched to forward three seasons ago because he thought it would give him a better chance of making his provincial team.

But the fact that he acquitted himself well as a defenceman in one of the first games of his fledgling Quebec Major Junior Hockey League career was an early sign of things to come.

"We've had him playing centre, wing and defence, and he hasn't looked out of place at any of them," Mooseheads head coach Cam Russell said. "He's proven to be a player we can put on the ice and feel comfortable having out there."

That's the ultimate rookie compliment, and Randell has earned it so far, demonstrating versatility and two-way maturity that belie his youth.

With many Mooseheads veterans away at NHL camps, the five-foot-11, 184-pounder took shifts as a checker, scorer and penalty-killer, registering two assist and a plus-2 in his first six games.

"Being a 16-year-old, it's work ethic you've got to show," said Randell, who was selected in the second round (28th overall) in June's draft.

"It's tough to show your skill at 16 in this league. Working hard is the biggest thing."

Randell's ice time will take a hit now that the Herd has a full 24-man roster at its disposal for the first time all season, but Russell said Randell has a "good chance" of staying in the lineup.

That's all Randell wants.

"I don't care how much ice time I get as long as I'm in the lineup," Randell said. "I'll just try to show a positive attitude and, even if it's one or two shifts every game, just work hard."

Even if it means playing on the blue line again.

"At least it would mean getting some ice time," he said. "I'm willing to do whatever for this team."

Randell has been compared to fellow Mooseheads forward Logan MacMillan, who was drafted in the first round (19th overall) by the Anaheim Ducks. That suits him just fine.

"If that's what they see me as ... I'd be happy to go in the first round, too," Randell said with a laugh.

Russell has his own comparison, drawing on his days on the blue line with the Chicago Blackhawks during a 10-year NHL career.

"He reminds me of a cross between a Dirk Graham and a Brent Sutter," Russell said, naming a couple of longtime character forwards in the NHL. "When he gets older, he'll be on in the last minute of the game, whether we're up a goal or down a goal. He's just a team-first, dependable guy."

mwuest@hfxnews.ca

[Uwey]

Voracek’s back

By WILLY PALOV

The Halifax Mooseheads celebrate a goal by Andrew Bodnarchuk in a victory over the Saint John Sea Dogs in QMJHL action at Metro Centre on Friday. (Eric Wynne / Staff)

Jakub Voracek gave the 6,221 fans at the Metro Centre on Friday a good demonstration of why he almost made the NHL this year.
The 18-year-old Czech forward scored a pretty first-period goal and assisted on two others to lead the Halifax Mooseheads to a 5-2 win over the Saint John Sea Dogs. It was his first game since being reassigned by the Columbus Blue Jackets earlier this week and he was every bit the dominant player people expect him to be.
"I was pretty excited before the game and I think we played a good game," he said. "We scored a lot of goals and had a lot of scoring chances.
"I love the fans here and I’m excited for every game I play in front of them."
Voracek was treated to a loud welcome from the crowd after being introduced for the opening line-up and did not let them down one bit. He created scoring chances almost at will and had the puck on a string virtually all night. It was obvious he was still flying high after spending the better part of a month with the Blue Jackets and was still playing the game at that elite level.
"The biggest difference is the game in the NHL is stronger and you don’t have time on anything," Voracek said. "Everything is so tight and it’s pretty quick. But I’m glad to be back and I’m looking forward to a good season."
Voracek made his biggest impact on the power play, where he quarterbacked the play masterfully from his spot on the point. He controlled the puck for the majority of Halifax’s possessions, making countless soft passes to teammates for scoring chances. The Mooseheads converted three of their nine chances.
"It’s an awesome spot back there. I feel like I can do a lot of different things on the point, passing to a lot of different places," he said. "Today everybody was moving with the puck and we had a lot of shots so I thought it was good.
"Logan MacMillan told me in February ‘maybe next year it will be the same PP’ and right now it is. We scored three power-play goals and had a lot of scoring chances. We all felt pretty good about it."
MacMillan also made his season debut but said he is still not quite in game shape. He missed a month because of a concussion and was the first to admit he does not have his timing down yet.
"It’s good to get back in the line-up, it’s better than sitting in the press box," MacMillan said. "But I still have some work to do to get back to the level I was playing at last year and hopefully I can get past that. I might be a little while but hopefully the sooner the better.
"I felt good skating last week so I thought I’d be able to kind of hop right in, but it just wasn’t the case. The other fellas picked up the slack."
Ryan Hillier was one of the guys to fill the void, scoring twice and assisting on one other Halifax goal. Bryce Swan and Andrew Bodnarchuk also scored for the Mooseheads, who outshot the Sea Dogs 40-21. Matt Stoddard and Payton Liske were Saint John’s goal scorers and Travis Fullerton made 35 saves.
Pier-Olivier Pelletier had another strong game in the Halifax crease, stopping 19 shots for the win.
"We hung him out to dry a couple of times," said MacMillan. "We got a little lazy and he came up with some big stops for us and kept the game the way it was."
The Mooseheads host the P.E.I. Rocket tonight in the second meeting between the teams this season.
Screaming Eagles 7, Titan 0 — At Sydney, 16-year-old goaltender Olivier Bellavance-Roy has now gone 157 minutes and 44 seconds without allowing a goal after stopping 30 shots for his second straight shutout.
Dean Ouellet had two goals and two assists and linemate Robert Slaney had a goal and two assists. Olivier Dame-Malka added a pair of goals and Nick MacNeil and Nicolas Chouinard scored one each to help the first-place Screaming Eagles improve to 7-2.
Notes — Forward Shawn O’Donnell was serving his automatic one-game suspension for taking an aggressor penalty in Halifax’s last game. Forward Eric Louis-Seize and defencemen Ben MacAskill and Richard Greer were healthy scratches.

wpalov@herald.ca

[Uwey]

Bodnarchuk named Mooseheads’ Captain
Monday, October 22, 2007
-www.halifaxmooseheads.ca

Nineteen-year-old Mooseheads’ defenseman Andrew Bodnarchuk has been named the team’s Captain for the 2007-2008 QMJHL season, Head Coach Cam Russell confirmed today.fficeffice" />

Bodnarchuk is in his third season with the Mooseheads and currently leads Mooseheads’ defensemen with eight points.

At the same time, Russell announced that the Assistant Captains will be 20-year-olds Bryce Swan and Colby Pridham, along with 18-year-old Jakub Voracek. While Pridham is out with his current injury, Ryan Hillier will wear the third “A”.

“We had a difficult job in determining who would wear the letters for the Mooseheads this year,” Head Coach Cam Russell said. “There are a number of players who are showing great leadership on this team. League rules allow only three Alternate Captains and in the end we selected these players. We are confident that their leadership qualities, along with their on-ice talents, will lead the Halifax Mooseheads to a great season.”

[Uwey]

Mooseheads trio BFF

By Patrick King, Sportsnet.ca

Standing in front of an open closet, Brad Marchand thumbs through his collection of jerseys trying to decide which one to wear for a game of shinny.

Among the jerseys are those of the Toronto Maple Leafs, a Sidney Crosby Rimouski Océanic jersey and one of his hometown team, the Halifax Mooseheads.

Marchand makes his pick, throws on the jersey and heads over to a friend's house in the Halifax, N.S. suburb of Hammonds Plains.

As Marchand laces up his skates in the shed located next to the backyard rink, he sees his best friends, Ryan Hillier and Andrew Bodnarchuk, doing likewise. Little did Marchand know he would one day be doing the same with his two best friends at his side in the Québec Major Junior Hockey League.

"It's weird the situation we've been in," Marchand said. "We grew up watching the Mooseheads and now we all play together. It's a crazy story."

It's a story that started when the three were in their early teens. Although Marchand and Hillier had spent a lot of their youth playing with and against each other, the trio was formed when Bodnarchuk, originally from Drumheller, Alta., moved to Hammonds Plains at age 13.

Without knowing a soul upon his arrival, it didn't take Bodnarchuk long to get acquainted with his future teammates in the small community. As he quickly learned, they had one similarity which helped bind their friendship: their passion for hockey.

It was this mutual passion that propelled Hillier's father, Dave, to turn the swampy area in their backyard into a rink. Recognizing the joy skating and playing hockey brought his son Ryan, Dave Hillier went to work on a rink that has since been a staple in the community.

The backyard rink, which is 150 by 100 feet, isn't your average family pond. The rink is surrounded by boards, lit for nighttime use and comes with a heated shed a few steps away. Inside the shed is a TV, a couch, a stove and a fridge.

As Marchand put it, "they have a sweet set-up."

It's no surprise then that the trio used the backyard rink to help hone their skills. While practices with their teams were used to shore up fundamentals, the backyard rink provided an outlet to explore their creativity.

"That's where you can really work on things that you need to work on," Marchand said. "When you're on the pond, all you worry about is dangling around and trying to embarrass the other guy with your moves. You get to work on your one-on-one skills and that's why Hillier's unbelievable one-on-one."

A recent bout of warmer winter weather has prevented the trio from getting back to their roots on the backyard rink.

However, had it not been for a trade with the Val-d'Or Foreurs in mid-December, Marchand likely wouldn't even have the opportunity. As a 19-year-old who is likely playing in his final season of junior hockey on a rebuilding team in Val-d'Or, Marchand was available via trade.

With a talented, veteran-laden team vying for a championship, the Mooseheads pulled off the blockbuster trade, reuniting the trio.

It was no secret where Marchand wanted to conclude his junior career and although the trade made sense for both teams, it was far from a guarantee.

"(Marchand) was nervous that his team, they were looking in their best interest, so if Halifax wasn't giving them what they wanted, he wasn't going to come," Hillier explained. "We weren't 100 per cent sure he was coming to Halifax until close to the deadline."

Halifax was not only enticed by Marchand's elite talent level but also by his reputation. Everywhere he has gone, his team has competed for a championship. Marchand was a member of the Moncton Wildcats team that won the league title in 2006. He went to the league finals with Val-d'Or last season and he has won back-to-back gold medals with Canada's world junior team the past two years.

Marchand's list of accomplishments also includes championships in minor hockey with his current Mooseheads teammates. The trio won two provincial championships together, one with the Tasa Mighty Ducks and another with the Dartmouth Subways. Three years ago, when they were 16, they helped lead Team Atlantic to its first medal in the under-17 tournament with a bronze.

Although he's the smallest of the three, Marchand's distinction among his friends is not for his gold medals or even for his league championship with Moncton.

No, Marchand's claim to fame from his minor hockey days comes from a game in Chebucto, N.S. when the then 13-year-old achieved a first.

"Brad had the first fight I ever saw in hockey," Bodnarchuk said. "We obviously wore facemasks then so Brad was just hollowing off on the guy's cage like a bonehead but we had a good laugh about it."

"The boys talked about it for a pretty long time," Marchand continued. "I don't want to ruin my career by busting up a hand and not being able to play anymore so I try to stay away from that but I definitely have bragging rights for the first fight."

Bragging rights aside, Marchand, Hillier and Bodnarchuk appear to have solid National Hockey League careers in their future. Coincidentally, Marchand and Bodnarchuk could be suiting up for the same team in the NHL as both are draft picks of the Boston Bruins.

If the reunion is about to take place in the NHL, a trade will need to be made as the New York Rangers currently hold Hillier's rights after drafting him in 2006.

Although each is pleased with their destinations, they can't help but joke about getting back together in the NHL.

"I was sitting with Hills and I jokingly told him he was going to get traded because (the Rangers) have too many great prospects," Marchand said. "I told him to get traded over to Boston so the three of us could room together."

"Hillier makes the jokes a lot too," Bodnarchuk added. "He looks at the depth on the Rangers and he makes a joke about getting a trade but it's always a joke and nothing more than a joke. I think we're all happy with where we are (going)."

Since they will be splitting up for their professional careers next season, it's clear what the goal is this season. They all realize just how special an opportunity it is to not only play together on a team in junior, but to also play for their hometown team.

"To win a championship in this league is unreal alone but to do it with two people you grew up with your whole life would be unreal too," Bodnarchuk said.

"It would be a dream come true to be able to win the Memorial Cup with two of my best buddies on the team I grew up watching in my hometown," Marchand added.

As Bodnarchuk concluded, the story of three childhood friends, playing together for their hometown team is the chance of a lifetime and an opportunity the trio is looking to take advantage.

"I don't know if any people have gone through what we have gone through as far as being together throughout their careers," he said. "It would just complete the whole story… The chance is there and it would be a great story to tell."



http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/junio...oseheads_trio/