Ryan Taplin/Metro File

Mooseheads rookie Carl Gelinas potted two goals and was named the game's first star.

Where did this come from?

After losing 19 of their first 20 games, the Halifax Mooseheads have suddenly manufactured an impressive and unexpected four-game winning streak, their longest stretch of success in almost two years.

The Mooseheads dumped the Baie-Comeau Drakkar 4-1 on Saturday night at the Metro Centre in the final stage of a four-game home-stand that might turn the last-place club’s season around.

“It feels so good … Four games in a row, we’ve never had that before,” said forward Charles Bety. “We have confidence inside of us right now and it feels so great … We’ll just try to keep working hard.”

The last time the Mooseheads won four straight was January 2008. They haven’t won five straight since November 2007.

The Mooseheads, who have allowed just a single goal in all four victories, continued to play gritty, defensive hockey in front of goalie Mathieu Corbeil, who continued to back them up when called upon.
 
The Mooseheads pounced on an opponent that had lost eight straight games coming in, scoring twice in the opening five minutes. Tomas Knotek beat Simon Giroux from between the circles at 2:03 and Charles Bety popped in a rebound of a Matt Stoddard shot at 3:07.

“That was huge for us,” said defenceman Spencer Metcalfe. “We were talking about it in the room, we needed to have a good start and we did. Everyone played solid and everyone was confident.”

Carl Gelinas struck for a pair later, sandwiching Simon Olsson’s goal for Baie-Comeau, and Corbeil made 32 saves.

The Drakkar came hard at the Mooseheads in a rugged physical contest that saw four fights and 77 penalty minutes handed out. Mooseheads defenceman Steve Gillard was viciously crunched from behind by Guillaume Goulet in the first period and miraculously wasn’t injured. Goulet earned a match penalty for the infraction and will be suspended.

Making the win that much more impressive was the fact the Mooseheads were without top defencemen Garrett Clarke and Konrad Abeltshauser --- both on the sidelines with knee injuries.

“We have some solid D here,” Metcalfe said. “I think we’ll be OK until they get back, and hopefully they’ll be back soon.”

With a 5-18-1 record, the Mooseheads have moved to within two points of crawling out of the QMJHL basement. The Drakkar are actually the team ahead of them in the standings, with a 5-16-3 record and 13 points.

The Mooseheads are back in action Friday when they kick off a three-games-in-three-days road trip against the Montreal Junior.

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