PEI

Charlottetown Islanders set franchise record with 43 wins

The Charlottetown Islanders set a franchise record with their 42nd win of the season on Saturday.

The team notched its 42nd and 43rd wins over the weekend

The Islanders have six games left in the season and finish it at home on March 17 and 18 against the Saint John Sea Dogs and Acadie-Bathurst Titan. (Charlottetown Islanders)

The Charlottetown Islanders set a franchise record with their 42nd win of the season on Saturday.

They followed up the 3-0 shutout of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada with a 3-1 victory over the Halifax Mooseheads pushing the record to 43.

The previous mark of 41 wins was set in 2012-13 when the franchise was still known as the P.E.I. Rocket. 

'Different hero every night'

Jim Hulton is in his second season as the Islanders general manger and head coach. 

He said the team as a whole has been consistent in their approach to games. 

Charlottetown Islanders head coach Jim Hulton says that team continuity is the reason for their jump in play from last year. (Krystalle Ramlakhan/CBC)

"There's been almost a different hero every night, right from the start," he said. 

"I think anytime you have difficulty pinpointing whose been your best player it means you have a pretty good team."

Hard work pays off

Hulton says that the coaching staff thought that offence would be the team's greatest weakness.

With 271 goals this season, the Islanders are leading the league.

Daniel Sprong has 26 goals and 43 points in 25 games this season. He was the QMJHL's first star in the month of February. (Charlottetown Islanders)

"We thought, ironically, we'd struggle to score some goals until Daniel [Sprong] came back, but the core kids have been here, from day one," he said.

"They came in in great shape. They really committed themselves in the summer preparing for the season and it paid off on the ice."

Record setters 

With six games left in the season, and only three points back of the Saint John Sea Dogs for first in the league, Hulton didn't want to focus on the record number of wins too much. 

"I think it's very gratifying for the whole group," he said.

"It's a group that's worked extremely hard all season and the fact that they can now put themselves in the record book is something that they'll probably grow to appreciate as their careers move on."

The Islanders continue their season on Wednesday night when they host the Moncton Wildcats at the East Link Centre.