The IceCaps are coming off a rough road trip, losing four out of six games away from Newfoundland. During the second half of their road trip, the St. John’s IceCaps concluded their Eimskip Port-to-Port Challenge against the Portland Pirates. The Pirates seemed to have the IceCaps number, sweeping the series in four straight games, and stealing the title from last years champions.
They suffered the same fate when facing the Hartford WolfPack, who devoured the IceCaps 4-1. After a four-day break, the IceCaps are heading back home, aiming to put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Next Up: Utica Comets February 5 and 6.
Kicking off their six-game home stand this weekend, the IceCaps are breaking out their brand-spanking new Tribute Jerseys. The new jersey was designed to pay tribute to the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Beaumont Hamel.
The #IceCaps pay tribute to the Regiment in upcoming series vs. the @UticaComets
DETAILS: {https://t.co/ba6PCJziFS} pic.twitter.com/pDvag8JL7Y
— St JohnScott IceCaps (@IceCapsAHL) February 3, 2016
The stylish look stays true to the team’s colour palette, but the IceCaps logo has been replaced with a black silhouette of a Royal Newfoundland Regiment soldier kneeling before a bridge. It is encircled by the words “Royal Newfoundland Regiment 1916-2016.” An alternate IceCaps logo will be displayed on one shoulder, with the Newfoundland flag on the other.
“Even though it’s comparing a very happy moment to a very tragic moment, it’s 100 years ago to the year that the Montreal canadiens won their first Stanley Cup, so there is some parallelism,” said IceCaps CEO Danny Williams.
Last time they met: January 2nd (3-1 Win)
In their first game of 2016, the IceCaps came out strong, netting two goals in the first five minutes. Lucas Lessio started off the scoring just over a minute into the game with an unassisted breakaway. Not far behind was Jeremy Gregoire, with help from Markus Eisenschmid and Morgan Ellis, putting the IceCaps up 2-0 with just two shots on net.
The Comets narrowed the gap before the first period ended, but the game was already over. Brandon McNally notched his first goal of the season to extend the lead. Josiah Didier seemed to be a marked man on the ice, taking a few hard knocks prompting his teammates, Stefan Fournier and Mac Bennett, to drop their gloves in Didier’s offense after a particularly wicked hit.
Goaltender Dustin Tokarski had a first-star performance allowing just one goal in 27 shots. Coach Sylvain Lefebvre was happy with his team and the results they produced. “When you have good games like that from the support cast, it shows that it’s a team effort.” He said.
The IceCaps are currently undefeated against the Utica Comets, taking home the win in both previous match-ups, also defeating the Comets during their first meeting with a 2-1 OT win.
In the North Division, the IceCaps keep teetering between third and fourth place. Currently they’re sitting in fourth (tied with the Syracuse Crunch) at 47 points. The Comets have moved up to third place, just one point ahead.
