Welcoming a new month: September hasn’t been kind to Cape Breton Eagles this decade

Every team wants to get off to a good start to begin the new season, but the month of September hasn’t been very kind to the Cape Breton Eagles in this decade.

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The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League team wrapped up the month of September last Saturday with a 5-4 overtime win against the Saint John Sea Dogs at TD Station in Saint John, N.B.

It marked their first win of the season, and the only victory during the four-game month, which began on Sept. 18 against the Halifax Mooseheads at Centre 200 in Sydney.

Cape Breton finished the first month of the season with a 1-1-0-2 record, which featured a regulation and shootout loss to the Charlottetown Islanders and a shootout loss to Halifax.

Yes, the Eagles finished the month with four out of a possible eight points, but they easily could have had all eight points, despite a slow start out of the gate in the home opener, running into a hot goaltender in Donald Hickey of Charlottetown on Sept. 20, and a rough third period against the Islanders on Sept. 25.

While there’s plenty of time to make up those points in the standings, the slow start to the season has been a trend for the Eagles in the last three campaigns.

After posting an even 2-2-0-0 record in September of 2023, the Eagles would have a record of 0-3-0-1 after their first four games in September 2024. Last year, the club posted a 1-1-1-1 record during the month.

There were no September games played in 2020, 2021, or 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

September provided a unique challenge for the Eagles as the club was missing forwards Liam Lefebvre and Maxim Schäfer, as well as goaltender Lucas Beckman for the opening weekend of the season as they were attending their respective NHL training camps.

Lefebvre and Beckman made their Eagles debut last weekend, while Schäfer missed all four games during the month while still with the Washington Capitals. He was reassigned to Cape Breton on Sunday.

The month provided opportunities for players like Jacob Hartlin and Brayden Reynolds to showcase their talent, and they stepped up to the challenge.

Hartlin spent time on the top line with Cole Chandler and Reece Peitzsche and had two goals and three points, his best September to date, while Reynolds recorded three assists as he continues to adjust to life in the QMJHL.

The Eagles were ranked No. 2 in the Canadian Hockey League going into the regular season. The team dropped to No. 3 last week. Cape Breton has since dropped two spots and are ranked No. 5 this week in the country.

As a new calendar month begins, the Eagles will have an opportunity to build off their win in Saint John last weekend, but the first weekend of October won’t be the easiest.

Cape Breton will once again face the Sea Dogs, currently ranked No. 9 in Canada, on Friday night in Sydney, before battling the league-leading and currently undefeated Moncton Wildcats, who are seventh in the CHL Top 10 rankings this week.

Another positive the Eagles can look towards entering the new month is the fact the organization will hopefully be one step closer to icing its full lineup with both forward Romain Litalien and defenceman Will Murphy hopeful to return to action in October.

Overall, October will see the Eagles play the Sea Dogs and Wildcats twice: once at home and once on the road. Cape Breton will also have its first Quebec road trip with stops in Chicoutimi (Oct. 9), Quebec (Oct. 10) and Sherbrooke (Oct. 12). The team will play the Mooseheads on Oct. 23 in Halifax, before returning home for their third and final home game of the month on Oct. 25 against Charlottetown.

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