They say adversity is a good thing in hockey, and the Halifax Mooseheads have some of their own to deal with heading into the first round of the QMJHL playoffs.
The Mooseheads got some bad news on Wednesday, announcing team captain defenceman Jake Furlong will miss the entire playoffs due to an injury that requires shoulder surgery.
“This is a major loss for our team. He is a leader for us both on and off the ice,” said Mooseheads General Manager Cam Russell. “This is a disappointing way for Jake to end his season, but his health is first and foremost for the future of his hockey career and we wish him all the best.”
The injury, suffered on Mar. 16, could mark the end of Furlong’s Moosehead career as the Upper Tantallon native was a fifth-round pick of the San Jose Sharks in 2022. His surgery will be done in San Jose in the coming weeks, according to the Mooseheads.
“He’s the guy that wears the “C” for this team, he was I think arguably one of the MVP’s last year for the Mooseheads during that incredible playoff run,” said CityNews 95.7 play-by-play announcer Garreth MacDonald of Furlong. “Injuries have been an issue for the Mooseheads all season long, it’s kind of been that next-man-up mentality.”
Halifax is expected to get some firepower back from the injured reserve early in the playoffs. Last year’s MVP, Jordan Dumais, will be eligible to return for game two on Saturday night. The star winger is healthy after getting injured at the World Juniors late last year, but was handed a five-game suspension after being arrested and charged with driving under the influence in Halifax early in March.
Halifax’s first-round opponent is no push-over either. Although the Mooseheads finished ahead of Acadie-Bathurst in the standings and have home-ice advantage, the Titan have come out on top in four of the past five regular season games between the two clubs.
“I think there is an element that we often see when it comes to the Mooseheads, when it comes to teams from away playing at the Scotiabank Centre, they always get up for those games,” MacDonald said.
Halifax still has a star between the pipes. Goalie Mathis Rousseau set a franchise record with a .925 save percentage this season and was one of the big reasons The Mooseheads made it to the QMJHL finals last year.
The team will also rely on the scoring of Mathieu Cataford, who scored 40 goals this season, and Markus Vidicek, who potted 45.
The wait is almost over. Halifax welcomes the Titan for game one on Friday night at 7 p.m., and game two goes just 24 hours later.
You can catch all the action on your radio on CityNews 95.7, starting with the Mr. Lube pre-game show at 6:30 p.m.
