Wildcats Eliminated

There won't be a Maritimes based team in the President Cup final this year.

The Moncton Wildcats, the last non-Quebec team remaining, had their season come to an end last night with a 7-0 loss to the Quebec Remparts. The Remparts swept the semifinal series in four games, outscoring the 'Cats 20-5.

Quebec, this year’s Memorial Cup host team, has been steadily improving ever since their seven-game first round series against the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. The Remparts have now won nine straight games and swept their past two series.

Moncton’s season ending means an end to former Sea Dogs forward Noah Zilbert’s season. He had eight goals and eight assists in 33 regular season games with the Wildcats and added another two assists in 12 playoff games.

The Remparts feature former Sea Dogs forward Marcus Cuomo but he has not played since the first round.

Meanwhile, in the other semifinal, the Rimouski Oceanic lead the Val-d’Or Foreurs 3-0 heading into game four tonight. With Quebec advancing to the league final, the winner of the Rimouski-Val-d’Or series will automatically earn a trip to the Memorial Cup.

Some other news and notes…

• Tomas Jurco and the Detroit Red Wings are in Tampa Bay tonight to face the Lightning in game seven of their first round series. The winner will go on to play Nathan Beaulieu and the Montreal Canadiens in the second round.
• Charlie Coyle and the Minnesota Wild will face the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round while Simon Despres and the Anaheim Ducks will take on the Calgary Flames. The Anaheim series begins tomorrow and the Minnesota series on Friday.
• Mike Hoffman finished the playoffs with one goal and two assists in six games with the Ottawa Senators.

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation