On paper, the decade went out like a lamb for the Halifax Mooseheads.
The rebuiling team dropped a 6-4 decision to the Saint John Sea Dogs in front of 8,070 fans at the Scotiabank Centre on New Year's Eve to end 2019 on a five-game losing skid. But the team's spirit was high on the final day of the year, knowing that everyone is on the same page heading into the second half of the season.
"Team chemistry was great right off the bat and we've got a couple new guys now so we're all for each other out there," said forward Zack Jones. "We're all in it together as a team right now.
"From the outside standpoint there aren't a lot of big expectations but I also think we can shock some people. We're not a team to take lightly and we're all here to keep building for the rest of the season."
After trading several top veterans to contenders the past few weeks, it isn't fair to expect miracles from the Mooseheads at this point. They have a dedicated group of young players who are playing hard but these are the growing pains that come with a major roster overhaul.
A case in point was the way the game against Saint John played out. The Mooseheads put forth the effort and had solid stretches of control but the Sea Dogs are about 18 months further along in their rebuild so that slight advantage worked for them in the long run.
"We've got a young team so we've just got to keep it close and hopefully a couple bounces go our way," said Halifax winger Jeff Burridge.
"We've just got to work hard, outwork other teams and come out every night and perform. Then we'll just see what happens and hopefully get a couple wins."
The Mooseheads led 2-0 after the first period off goals from Jeff Burridge and D'Artagnan Joly but the Sea Dogs took control in the second when they scored four straight. They stretched their lead to 5-2 in the third before a Halifax rally made it 5-4 with about eight minutes left. The Sea Dogs scored an empty-netter with 19 seconds left to lock down their eighth win in their past 11 games.
"We definitely came out slow in the second and they were playing better and got a couple of lucky bounces too so that was a big period for them," Jones said. "The third period was all ours.
We were on top of them but it just wasn't enough in the end.
"It's something we can build on for next game and next weekend. If we'd played better in the second period we wouldn't have had to come back like that in the third so that's something we'll take from the game too."
Jones and Senna Peeters scored in the third period for the Mooseheads. Jeffrey Durocher, with a hat trick, Brady Burns, Jordan Spadafore and Charles Savoie had the Sea Dogs goals and Noah Patenaude stopped 21 shots.
Alexis Gravel and Cole McLaren combined to make 27 saves for Halifax. Gravel got the start but turned the net over to McLaren after the second period with the score 4-2.
The loss drops the Mooseheads' record to 15-18-2-1 with the stacked Moncton Wildcats (26-10-0-0) up next on Friday at home. Former Mooseheads captain Bo Groulx played his first game with the Wildcats on Tuesday. He had two goals and an assist in his debut.
"Hopefully we can get a couple wins in the New Year," Burridge said. "We also have to have guys ready to perform next year. Our 20's will be gone and there will be open spots next year. You're performing now but it also helps for next year to get your spot or move up in the lineup."
