Recap: Mooseheads Take Down Eagles Thanks To Stellar Mertz Performance

Fridays are always busy in the QMJHL, and the first one in November was no different, featuring six games across the league.

There were a few upsets and decisive wins in there, but one key clash was a Nova Scotian battle between Halifax and Cape Breton.

The battles between the Eagles and Mooseheads have been pretty fierce in 2026-27, with some memorable moments coming out of their battles in the early days.

This one started with Brady Smith's first QMJHL goal giving the hosts an early lead, before Reece Peitzsche answered to level the game for Cape Breton minutes later. That would be all the action from the first, which was a pretty back and forth period.

In the second, the Mooseheads started pretty hot, finding an Owen Phillips goal to give them the lead back. From there, Cape Breton gained momentum, but couldn't get anything else past Carson Mertz as the teams went into the intermission with the score holding at 2-1.

The third was all Eagles. They basically cut the ice in half, and piled chance after chance towards Mertz, who continued to stand tall in goal. With under three minutes to go, it would be Mateo Nobert to put the dagger home for Halifax, beating Lucas Beckman to extend the lead to 3-1.

Cape Breton would add a few more chances, before Quinn Kennedy potted one into an empty cage with seven seconds left to seal the win for good. The shots in the third were 20-4 in favour of the visitors, but Mertz stopped all 20, and 39 of 40 in the game to steal a win for the Mooseheads.

Moncton (3) - Newfoundland (2) (SO)
Blainville-Boisbriand (3) - Chicoutimi (5)
Rimouski (2) - Quebec (4)
Gatineau (2) - Rouyn-Noranda (4)
Shawinigan (0) - Sherbrooke (5)

Player of the Night

Ilya Kuzminykh (SHE) - 3 goals, 1 assist

Blainville-Boisbriand at Baie-Comeau - 4 PM ET
Drummondville at Chicoutimi - 4 PM ET
Victoriaville at Val-d'Or - 4 PM ET
Cape Breton at Charlottetown - 6 PM ET
Saint John at Halifax - 6 PM ET

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