Wildcats take Game 1; U18 worlds underway

MONCTON - It was far from their best performance, but the Moncton Wildcats were good enough to take Game 1 of their third round playoff series.

Mathis Rousseau made 36 saves to lead the Wildcats to a 5-3 win over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies on Thursday at Avenir Centre. 

The Wildcats were outshot 39-24 by the Huskies, which included a rough opening period where Moncton was outshot 17-5 and trailed 1-0 heading into the second.

Moncton quickly recovered from their rough start. Captain Markus Vidicek scored 1:37 into the middle frame on a power play and then Caleb Desnoyers put Moncton up 2-1 at 2:15.

The Huskies had a good finish to the second with Ty Higgins tying it back up at 18:13.

Goals from Loke Johansson and Maxime Côté in the first half of the third period made it 4-2 Wildcats. Even though the Huskies got within one, it felt like the Wildcats remained in control until the buzzer sounded.

Game 2 is Friday night at Avenir Centre.

The QMJHL's other semifinal, which will feature Eriks Mateiko and the Rimouski Oceanic taking on Vince Elie and the Shawinigan Cataractes, begins Friday.

Some other Thursday night news and notes...

• Team Canada defeated Slovakia 9-2 in their first game of the 2025 IIHF U18 World Championship in Texas. Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Travis Crickard is an associate coach with Canada. The Canadians take on Latvia on Friday.
• On Wednesday, former Sea Dogs forward Florian Schenk scored two goals for Switzerland in their 10-3 loss to Sweden. Things didn't go much better for Switzerland on Thursday, falling 10-0 to the host Americans.

  Florian Schenk has his second of the game, but Sweden still leads 6-2. #U18MensWorlds pic.twitter.com/y6xRit2hZP

  — Steven Ellis (@SEllisHockey) April 23, 2025

• In the Calder Cup Playoffs, William Villeneuve had two assists in the Toronto Marlies 4-3 overtime loss to the Cleveland Monsters on Thursday. The Monsters lead the best-of-three first round AHL playoff series 1-0. 
• Nicolas Guay, Vincent Sevigny and the Trois-Rivieres Lions completed a first round sweep of the Reading Royals in ECHL playoff action on Wednesday with a 5-2 win. Both Guay and Sevigny had goals in the series clinching win.
• Kelly Bent had his second fight of the ECHL playoffs in the Orlando Solar Bears' 3-2 overtime win over the South Carolina Stingrays on Wednesday. The Stingrays won Game 5 on Thursday to take a 3-2 series lead.

  Kelly Bent and Jackson Van de Leest have a dance at center ice in Orlando! #ECHL #HockeyFight pic.twitter.com/4deznmXD8u

  — Brews’d & Battered Pod (@BrewsdBattered) April 24, 2025

• The Iowa Heartlanders defeated Matt Murphy and the Fort Wayne Komets 5-2 on Thursday to take a 3-2 series lead. Murphy scored Fort Wayne's opening goal. Game 6 is Sunday in Fort Wayne.

  🚨 MURPHY 🚨
  
  Bank shot off the defender for our first of the night#LetsGoKomets | @Mpmurphy22 pic.twitter.com/S6Qumm0CoX

  — Fort Wayne Komets (@FWKomets) April 25, 2025

• The Kansas City Mavericks defeated Drew Elliott and the Tulsa Oilers 2-0 on Thursday to take a 3-1 series lead. Game 5 is Friday.
• The Edmundston Blizzard defeated the Pictou County Weeks Crushers 3-1 on Thursday to complete a sweep of the Maritime Hockey League final. It's Edmundston's second MHL title and first since 2018.

  The @BlizzardEdston defeated the @weekscrushers 3-1 tonight to capture the @MetalfabFire MHL Cup with a four-game sweep. Edmundston will now prepare for the @cjhlhockey #CentennialCup in Calgary from May 8-18. pic.twitter.com/TFK97SSYGh

  — The MHL (@THEMHL) April 25, 2025