May 19, 2023 – Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) – Halifax Mooseheads News Release
The Herd entered the night down three-games-to-one in the QMJHL Finals to the Quebec Remparts and used big efforts from Zach L’Heureux and Markus Vidicek to fight their way to a 3-2 victory on the road at Videotron Centre on Friday night to force a Game 6 back in Halifax on Sunday at 5pm ADT.
L’Heureux was reinserted into the lineup after missing Game 4 with an upper body injury and was a force with a goal and an assist to equal the effort from Vidicek who has been one of the best players in this series. Mathis Rousseau earned the first star honours with 35 saves to preserve the victory.
Halifax opened the scoring 61 seconds into the contest when Vidicek battled for the puck in front of the net and slid the puck across the line as he fell to the ice for a lead that was never relinquished. Vidicek has been an absolute warrior for the Mooseheads in the Gilles Courteau Trophy Finals, often doing the little things that don’t show up on the stats sheet. Halifax made it a 2-0 lead just 1:19 into the second period on a breakaway goal by Evan Boucher after he was sprung with a lead pass from L’Heureux. Boucher has scored goals in back-to-back games.
Quebec cut into the lead not long after Boucher’s tally when James Malatesta netted his fourth of the series to cut the Halifax lead to 2-1 at the 2:40 mark of the second period. The Moose dug deep once again and Vidicek angled the puck off the boards to a waiting L’Heureux who skated in on a partial break to beat goalie William Rousseau for a 3-1 Herd advantage. The Remparts scored the last goal of the game midway through the second period off the stick of Jeremy Langlois on a four-on-three power play but Mathis Rousseau and the defensive effort from the Mooseheads put the game on lockdown the rest of the way.
This man was made for the playoffs.
Attilio Biasca and David Moravec missed the game with upper body injuries and have no timetable for a return. Game 6 will be played Sunday at 5pm at Scotiabank Centre. Tickets go on sale Saturday morning at 11am at TicketAtlantic.com.
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