If you didn’t know better, you would
have thought it was a Mooseheads home game. Not only were there plenty of loud
Halifax fans decked out in green and red, but the Moose, the 12th
seed entering the playoffs, produced a solid road performance to take a stunning 2-0
series lead over the Moncton Wildcats.
Game three of the series takes place
tonight at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax. Game four is tomorrow.
The Wildcats managed to keep Nikolaj
Ehlers to just two assists on Saturday. Unfortunately the Wildcats’ defence
couldn’t stop much else, allowing Timo Meier and Max Fortier to register two goals and an assist each.
Moncton committed a ton of turnovers in
the game that resulted in goals and quality scoring chances. Even former Sea
Dog Kelly Bent, of all people, had a breakaway. It was an ugly game for the ‘Cats,
and even when they started to gain some momentum, the Moose quickly grabbed it
back.
Halifax deserves plenty of credit as well though. Goaltender Eric Brassard was excellent in net and their defense did a good job at blocking shots and clogging up the slot area. Moncton's Conor Garland, the QMJHL's leading scorer in the regular season, has been held to just three assists in this series so far.
Halifax deserves plenty of credit as well though. Goaltender Eric Brassard was excellent in net and their defense did a good job at blocking shots and clogging up the slot area. Moncton's Conor Garland, the QMJHL's leading scorer in the regular season, has been held to just three assists in this series so far.
Tonight’s game is virtually a most-win
for the QMJHL’s second seeded team – and they’ll have to play it without their
captain
Moncton captain
Stephen Johnson suspended 2 games for "dangerously pushing an opponent
against the boards." Ehlers hit from GM 2, I believe.
—
Willy Palov (@WillyPalov) April
13, 2015
The good news for the Wildcats? They had
the league’s best road record in the regular season and are 3-0 away from home
this post-season.
Moncton fans may not be loving this
series, but plenty of QMJHL fans are. This year’s playoffs have been excellent
compared to past years, featuring lengthy series and upsets.
Every series plays game three tonight, including Quebec visiting Charlottetown. The Remparts lead the series 2-0 following a 4-3 overtime win on Sunday.
That announcer is fired up.
Elsewhere, Baie-Comeau leads Val-d’Or 2-0 and Gatineau and Rimouski are tied 1-1.
Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation
That announcer is fired up.
Elsewhere, Baie-Comeau leads Val-d’Or 2-0 and Gatineau and Rimouski are tied 1-1.
Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation
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