Charlottetown Islanders Fall to the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in Pre-Season Action
By: Ryan MacEachern
With Dakota Lund-Cornish getting the start for the Islanders and Kevin Mandolese in goal for the Screaming Eagles, the Isles found themselves in an early 1-0 hole.
Cape Breton’s Ryan Francis took advantage of the team’s first power play and fired a shot passed a screened Lund-Cornish at the 8:11 mark of the first period.
Less than five minutes later the Islanders answered back as rookie Nikita Alexandrov snapped a wrister high glove-side tying the game at 1-1.
Unfortunately, that is as close as the Islanders would come.
The second period was owned by Cape Breton and saw them score three consecutive goals. Francis’ second of the game opened the scoring 10 seconds in, and was followed soon after by goals from Cape Breton’s Declan Smith and Mathias Laferriere. The Eagles went into the third up 4-1.
The Isles came out with a spark to start the third but is wasn’t enough, as a rebound goal from Cape Breton’s Kyle McGrath sealed the deal. The Screaming Eagles would go on to win the game 5-1.
The Islanders were out-shot 27-21 after 60 minutes and went 0/6 on the power play.
With two more pre-season games remaining, the Isles will get another chance to play Cape Breton next Saturday at 7 p.m. in Montague before ending their pre-season at home in the Eastlink Centre against the Acadia Bathurst Titan at 3 p.m. on Sunday, September 17.