Mooseheads deliver second straight solid win

The Halifax Mooseheads are quietly trending in the right direction. 
They beat the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada 3-0 at the Scotiabank Centre on Saturday to give them their second win in a row and make them 6-3-1-1 in their past 11 games. Their overall record has now inched up to 13-11-2-1.
"When we're winning it's helping us to have fun and that's when you keep playing good hockey," said Halifax winger Maxim Trepanier. "When you have a good atmosphere like that, you feel like you can keep everything going. Tonight was another good game for us."
After a sleepy first period by both teams, the Moosheads took control with two goals in the second. They added another in the third period and then made sure to keep the defensive side of the ledger perfect. Alexis Gravel finished with 32 saves for his first shutout of the season.
"He stepped up big tonight," Trepanier said. "He's playing really good lately so we're lucky to have him. It's good for his confidence to get that shutout."
Trepanier, Raphael Lavoie and Gavin Hart, with his first of the season, had the goals for Halifax. Emile Samson faced 46 shots in the Blainville-Boisbriand net.
"We played a heck of a game," Trepanier said. "We kept their scoring chances low and we did the job up front. It was a great effort."
All-star defenceman Jared McIsaac also played his first game of the season after needing off-season surgery to repair his injured shoulder. He had an assist on Halifax's second goal.
"It took the first period and then part of the second to feel as right as possible," McIsaac said. "But I think I did a pretty good job of managing the game. And (assistant coach Jon Greenwood) did a good job of managing my ice time.
"Six months without a game was tough. It wears on the mind, for sure. It was definitely nice to get into it tonight."
McIsaac will likely only play in three more games with the Mooseheads before leaving for the Canadian world junior team tryout camp, so there isn't much time to ease back into it.
"That was the thing in Detroit," said the Red Wings second-round pick. "I went hard for two-and-a-half months and the goal was to get back for this game. That was the date we had in mind after surgery. I was thankful to be back this early."
The Mooseheads travel to Charlottetown on Sunday to face the Islanders. It's an afternoon game so it's a short turnaround for the Mooseheads.
"We're getting up early tomorrow and then we'll probably sleep on the bus," Trepanier said. "It's another big game tomorrow and then we're off until Friday so it would be nice to win that one."
Notes: Lucas Robinson, Said Abi-Faycal, Brendan Tomilson and Cole Foston did not play for Halifax. ... Hockey Canada will announce its invitations to the world junior team tryout camp on Monday. ... Trepanier extended his points streak to 12 games and Bo Groulx stretched his to 11 with two assists. Groulx now has 201 points in his Mooseheads career, putting him in eighth place on the franchise's all-time list. Brandon Benedict is the leader with 303 points.