Goalies: Hockey's New Snipers

Hockey is a sport that sees a lot of trends comes and go every year. Whether it's the ups and downs of a specific team, the ebb and flow of momentum in games, or the analytics of long-term statastics, there's no denying that hockey has trends that emerge as the game marches through time. The current trend appears to be goaltenders scoring goals as Strauss Mann kicked things off on Wednesday as he scored for Laval against Rochester while the player to the left kept that trend going tonight with his goal in the QMJHL game between Halifax and Rouyn-Noranda! Who is that masked man? Let's find out and see the highlight of this goaltender goal which marks the second time a goalie has scored in three days!

19 year-old Mathis Rousseau suited up for the Halifax Mooseheads tonight for the game against the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, and things were going well late into the third period as he had helped Halifax to a 5-3 lead. Rouyn-Noranda decided to pull their netminder for an extra attacker with 3:59 to play as they needed a couple of goals to tie the game. With their goalie on the bench, the Huskies flipped the puck into the Halifax zone where Matias Rousseau went to work.

Officially, Mathis Rousseau scored at 16:38 of the third period to put Halifax up 6-3 in a game that would end as a 6-4 decision in favour of the Mooseheads. Rousseau stopped 38 of 42 shots he faced, earned the win for his team, and scored the insurance goal in the game he won. The goaltender from Boisbriand, Quebec is officially the first goalie to record a goal of any kind in Mooseheads history!

I went searching through the weeds of the internet, and it's rather hard to believe that no one has posted the list of goalies who have scored in the QMJHL. I know that François Brassard scored twice in one season as he turned the trick with both Cape Breton and Gatineau in the 2014-15 season and I know that former Quebec Remparts goalie Thomas Sigouin was the first goalie in QMJHL history to score in the playoffs when he did it in 2021, but there isn't a full list of QMJHL goalies who have recorded a goal in a game that I could find. Don't ask me why this is - I couldn't find a list no matter what terms I searched.

In any case, Rousseau is now in the Halifax history books and he'll join a handful of other goalies who have been credited with a goal in the QMJHL. It's always a good night when one can score a goal, get a win, and make a little history, so Rousseau will likely talk about this evening's effort for a long time. The best part? He's now one goal away from tying Brassard's QMJHL goalie record of two goals in a season! Could we see that happen?

Congratulations to Mathis Rousseau on a night he won't soon forget!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!