Wildcats, Sagueneens even semifinal series; post-game incident in Moncton

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MONCTON - The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League semifinals are living up to the hype.

The Moncton Wildcats scored two goals in 51 seconds late in the third period to defeat the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada 5-4 on Saturday at Avenir Centre, evening the series that at 1-1.

Also on Saturday night, the Chicoutimi Sagueneens made a statement, defeating the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 5-2 and outshooting them 35-15 to even that series at 1-1.

Neither Moncton nor Chicoutimi had lost a game in these playoffs until they both dropped their series openers.

Much of the attention on Saturday was on Moncton's third period. Justin Carbonneau scored at 4:45 of the third to give the Armada a 4-3 lead only for Caleb Desnoyers and Evan Dépatie to score at 16:04 and 16:55, respectively, to give the Wildcats a 5-4 advantage – their first lead since they opened the scoring in the first.

Former Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman Max Vilen scored his second goal of the playoffs in the middle frame to tie the game at 3-3. He had four shots and was a +2 in the victory.

💣 https://t.co/QWR6Bn3hJ5 pic.twitter.com/2eVZ6weLS5

— Moncton Wildcats (@monctonwildcats) April 25, 2026

On the Armada side, former Sea Dogs forwards Elliot Dubé and Jacob Beaulieu were held of the scoresheet. Beaulieu was, however, given an unsportsmanlike misconduct penalty for his actions during a wild post-game scuffle between the two teams, which dragged on for several minutes.

Crickard hired by WHL's Broncos

Jeff Parsons/Newfoundland Regiment

Travis Crickard is heading west.

The WHL's Swift Current Broncos named Crickard their new general manager and head coach on Friday. The Broncos had the second worst record in the WHL this past season, finishing 15-44-4-5.

From the Broncos:

“We are extremely pleased to welcome Travis to the Swift Current Broncos,” said Broncos Chairman of the Board Trent McCleary. “Travis brings a wealth of coaching and general manager experience at the CHL level, along with a deep understanding of the standards and expectations within Hockey Canada programs. He understands the importance of building something our fans and city can be proud of and is fully invested in this organization and the people who support it every day. We are confident that his leadership, vision, and dedication will have a lasting impact on our players both on and off the ice, and we’re excited to see where he can help take the Broncos moving forward.” 

“My family and I are truly honoured and grateful for the trust the Broncos Board of Directors have shown in me to serve this storied program and the city of Swift Current,” said Crickard. “We admire the community connection the team has and want to build a team and program the people of Swift Current will be proud to support. The Board of Directors and current staff members have done marvellous work to build a values-driven foundation to help guide the organization. I look forward to helping bring those values to life and make a positive difference in the personal and hockey growth of our players.”

Crickard and the Sea Dogs parted ways on Feb. 26. He had been the team's head coach since the 2022-23 season and was an assistant coach during the 2021-22 campaign, working under Gordie Dwyer and Gardiner MacDougall. The 39-year-old left the Sea Dogs with an 80-158 record as head coach.

Crickard was also Saint John's general manager from Oct. 2024 to Dec. 2025.

This won't be Crickard's first stint in the WHL. He was an assistant coach and goaltending coach with the Kelowna Rockets from 2014 to 2019.

The Broncos, who play in one of the CHL's smallest markets, have not had much success since winning the WHL championship in 2018. Since then, they've reached the 40-win mark once and have only won one playoff series. It will be interesting to see what Crickard can do with the organization, especially in the new recruiting landscape.

Armada win a marathon Game 1

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MONCTON - Maël Lavigne scored at 7:48 of the fourth overtime to give the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada a 3-2 win in the fifth longest game in Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League history on Thursday.

The goal came soon after the Moncton Wildcats were called for too many men on the ice, which was just the fourth penalty of the game and first since midway through the third period.

Historic night in Moncton! 🥵

Maël Lavigne scores in 4th overtime, and Armada de Blainville-Boisbriand wins it 3-2 to end the 5th longest game - 127:48 - of the QMJHL history! Wow! 🤯#QPlayoffs | #proxipic.twitter.com/FtfugKIW9O

— QMJHL (@QMJHL) April 24, 2026

The Armada now lead the best-of-seven semifinal playoff series 1-0. The series has a funky schedule – but it works out now given how long this game went. Game 2 isn't until Saturday night.

Blainville-Boisbriand, the underdogs in this series, were certainly worthy of the win even though they trailed much of regulation. The Wildcats led 2-0 early in the third despite the play leaning towards the Armada.

The Armada outshot the Wildcats 68-40. Shots were 23-8 in favour of the Armada in the final two periods of regulation combined. This was just the second time in these playoffs that Moncton was outshot.

The Armada, who entered the game with the league's worst power play in these playoffs with a rating of 10.3%, went 2/3 on the man advantage.

Former Sea Dogs forward Elliot Dubé had plenty of ice time and finished the game with four shots. Jacob Beaulieu, meanwhile, didn't play much after being on the ice for Moncton's first goal.

On the Wildcats side, Max Vilen had one shot and finished the game a -1. He was on the ice for all three Armada goals.

The QMJHL's other semifinal series between the Chicoutimi Sagueneens and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies begins on Friday.

U18 worlds underway; QMJHL semifinals on deck

IIHF

MONCTON - The U18 Men's World Championship got underway on Wednesday and the semifinals of the Gilles-Courteau Trophy playoffs begin in less than 24 hours.

Here are a few Wednesday evening notes...

• Alexis Joseph and Team Canada opened the U18 Men's World Championship with a 2-1 loss to host Slovakia. It's the first time the Slovaks have defeated Canada at the event. Joseph, playing on Canada's second line, was held pointless and did not record a shot on goal in 16:08 of ice time. Cameron Chartrand did not play. Fredericton's Tynan Lawrence, the younger brother of former Sea Dogs forward Josh Lawrence, was named Canada's player of the game after recording one assist and two shots.
• Sea Dogs prospect Jamie Glance and Team USA also opened the tournament with a loss, falling 3-2 in overtime to Czechia. Glance, playing on USA's second line, recorded four shots in 17:31 of ice time.
• On Thursday, Canada will take on Olivers Murnieks and Latvia at 9 a.m. Atlantic. The Americans have Thursday off and are back in action on Friday against Denmark.
• Also on Thursday, the QMJHL semifinals get going with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada taking on the Moncton Wildcats at Avenir Centre. There will be three former Sea Dogs in the series: Jacob Beaulieu and Elliot Dubé on the Armada and Max Vilen on the Wildcats. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.
• The other semifinal series starts Friday with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies visiting the Chicoutimi Sagueneens.
• Couple interesting stories in the WHL's final four: the expansion Penticton Vees have made it to the conference finals where they'll face the top-seeded Everett Silvertips. On the other side of the bracket, the Medicine Hat Tigers are back in the conference finals without Gavin McKenna. The Tigers will take on the Prince Albert Raiders.
• The OHL's conference finals have the Brantford Bulldogs taking on the Barrie Colts and the Kitchener Rangers facing the Windsor Spitfires.
• The AHL's Calder Cup Playoffs got underway on Tuesday with the Hershey Bears shutting out Matthew Highmore and the Bridgeport Islanders 2-0. Game 2 of the best-of-three series is Thursday in Hershey.
• It hasn't been a great start to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for Sea Dogs alumni. Thomas Chabot and the Ottawa Senators trail the Carolina Hurricanes 2-0 while Mathieu Joseph and the Los Angeles Kings are behind 2-0 to the Colorado Avalanche. Joe Veleno – who has not appeared in any games of the series yet – and the Montreal Canadiens are tied 1-1 with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

U18 men's worlds begin Wednesday

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The IIHF U18 Men's World Championship begins on Wednesday and will feature a few Saint John Sea Dogs in action.

Sea Dogs forward Alexis Joseph and defenseman Cameron Chartrand were named to Team Canada's 25 player roster on Tuesday. It's worth pointing out that Chartrand (and two others) has not been officially registered yet, giving Canada some roster flexibility.

Joseph recorded two assists in pre-tournament action. He'll have plenty of eyes on him as the potential first overall pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.

Joseph posted 24 goals and 36 assists in 54 regular season games with the Sea Dogs. He added another three assists in four playoff matches.

Chartrand, meanwhile, appeared in just 35 regular season games with Saint John due to injuries. He registered two goals and five assists in those games. A strong under-18 tournament could really boost his stock heading into this summer's NHL Draft.

Canada opens the tournament on Tuesday against Slovakia.

Another Sea Dog who struggled to stay healthy this season was forward Olivers Murnieks, who is part of Latvia's registered roster. Murnieks appeared in 31 games with Saint John, posting seven goals and 13 assists – but he hasn't played since Jan. 31.

This will be the second under-18 tournament for Murnieks, who posted two assists in five games last year. He's also played for Latvia at the last two world juniors.

Latvia's first game is on Wednesday against Team Canada.

The United States features forward Jamie Glance, who was a sixth-round pick of Saint John in the 2024 QMJHL Entry Draft. Glance has spent the past two seasons with the USNTDP and is committed to Boston University for the 2027-28 season.

The Americans play their first game on Tuesday against Czechia.

The 2026 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship, which is taking place in Bratislava and Trencin, Slovakia, ends on May 2. All of Canada's games will be broadcast on TSN.

Sea Dogs land fifth overall pick

QMJHL

The Saint John Sea Dogs will select fifth overall in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft.

The Sea Dogs were unable to move up through this year's draft lottery, which was held Tuesday night. Saint John had just one ball in the lottery, giving them a slim 4.8% chance of winning the top pick.

The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, who had the best odds, won the lottery and will select first overall while the Halifax Mooseheads, who had the second best odds, slid to third.

Here's what the top-five picks currently look like.

Here they are! The Top 5 picks of this year's #QDraft! pic.twitter.com/S3TTP1BacT

— QMJHL (@QMJHL) April 21, 2026

This was the third straight year that the Sea Dogs were in the draft lottery. They also picked fifth overall in 2024 (William Yared) while last year they won the lottery to pick first (Alexis Joseph).

The Yared selection in 2024 is the only previous time the Sea Dogs have picked fifth overall.

The 2026 QMJHL Entry Draft takes place June 5-6 in Halifax.

Remarkably, this will be the first time the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies select first overall. The Huskies, who are set to play the Chicoutimi Sagueneens in the QMJHL semifinals this weekend, previously acquired the pick from the Baie-Comeau Drakkar.

The Sea Dogs also own the 15th overall pick.