Tuesday, April 26, 2005 | By Philip Croucher, Halifax Daily News

The Halifax Mooseheads know they're in a good spot.

They also know it isn't time for a let-up either, because their opposition - the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies - are back home and in desperate need of a win.

"They're going to come out, I would imagine, very aggressive," said Mooseheads forward Rane Carnegie, as Halifax goes into tonight's Game 3 at the Dave Keon Arena in Rouyn-Noranda leading the best-of-seven Quebec Major Junior Hockey League semifinal series 2-0. "Theyre going to play an in-your-face style, and we just have to stay disciplined, stay out of the penalty box and capitalize on any chances they give us."

Pair of wins at home

The Mooseheads are up 2-0 thanks to a pair of victories at the Halifax Metro Centre. In Game 1 on Friday, Halifax dumped the Huskies 6-0. Then the following night, the Mooseheads posted a hard-fought 2-1 win.

Game 3 goes tonight at 8:30 p.m. Game 4 is tomorrow, also in Rouyn-Noranda, at 8:30 p.m. Both games can be heard live on AM 920 CJCH.

"Just take it one game at a time. Hopefully get a win up there," said Carnegie, who leads the Mooseheads in playoff scoring with five goals and three assists. "Just work hard and try and capitalize on our opportunities. We know they're a very good home team, so we just want to capitalize on the opportunities they give us."

The Dave Keon Arena was built in 1939 and seats just 2,150 spectators. It also has one, if not the smallest, ice surface in the league, so the Mooseheads will have plenty to adapt to in Games 3 and 4.

"It's a smaller ice surface and the corners are pretty square there. Our defence is going to have to watch dump-ins and stuff," said Mooseheads blueliner Alexandre Picard. "I expect it to be a physical game (too). And I don't know what the fans are like up there, but I expect they're going to rock the place."

Halifax's defence has been outstanding thus far in the series. Facing the league's third-highest scoring team in the regular season, the Mooseheads have allowed just one goal and 46 shots.

Their best defensive effort came in the opener when Rouyn-Noranda had just 21 shots on net.

"It's something we're really proud of. We take a lot of pride in it," said Picard, the team's leader on the blueline. "Two games, and they got two lines that can really score everytime they're on the ice. Allowing just one goal in two games is big for us."

As for the Huskies, they don't want to fall behind 3-0 to a powerful team like Halifax, so they should come out flying tonight in front of their home fans.

In their only meeting in Rouyn-Noranda during the regular season, the Mooseheads posted a 4-3 win.

"We're excited to (be) home and playing now," said Huskies forward Justin Munden, a former Moosehead who is from Hatchet Lake. "We're staying positive and confident. We're looking forward to Game 3."