Alive and Well

The rivalry is alive and well.

Mooseheads vs. Wildcats

A season ago these two proud organizations went head to head off the ice battling to host junior hockey’s holy grail. 

We all know how that ended.

It’s ironic that these two long time bitter rivals face off against each other in Round 2 of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League President Cup Playoffs. 

1st Round Scare 

The Mooseheads and Wildcats enter round two having faced the pressure of a Game 7, check that, the pressure of a Game 6 and Game 7.  (Photo Credit Chronicle Herald)        

 It’s crazy to think that the Herd put themselves in that situation, credit the Remparts, but that series just might be what the doctor ordered for the Moose who are looking to go through the front door at the Memorial Cup as Host and President Cup Champions. 

For the Moncton Wildcats their 1st round upset of a very good Baie-Comeau Drakkar team solidified hockey’s cliché; “beware of a good team that had a sub par regular season in the playoffs.” 

The Wildcats in year three of their rebuild came out the gates on fire, but ended the season 9thoverall.  John Torchetti inherited a team struggling to find its identity, playing with a lack of discipline, consistency and pace. 

The Wildcats nosedive in November is the main reason for their place in the standings, by all accounts they aren’t a 9thplace team. Nevertheless, during the early stages of Torchetti’s reign they played liked one.

 New Coach, New Everything

On the fly, Torchetti integrated new systems, a sense of accountability and pride, but more importantly the veteran bench boss has gotten the best out of every player.  That’s why they upset the Drakkar, that and a veteran netminder that played out of this world. 

Torchetti and the entire Cats coaching staff deserve a lot of credit for righting the ship and getting a skilled team to buy in and play the right way. (Photo Credit Halifax Mooseheads)

The Wildcats played inspired hockey in the 1st round, the team emptied their tank, so it should be interesting to see how they game plan against a very good Mooseheads team that have gone through their share of “new coaches” over the past few years. 

Eric Veilleux has also experienced his fair share of ups and downs in his first season with the Herd, mostly dealing with a vast array of injuries and balancing extremely high expectations. 

The Moosehead haven’t played with their full roster in a long time and it just seems that when they do get somewhat healthy another impact player goes down. 

This series will showcase some great coaching and systematic play. Both coaches like to pressure the puck, play an in your face defensive style and like to transition and stretch out their opponent.  

When it comes to specialty teams both the Moose and Cats have their share of offensive weapons, but one would have to give the edge to Halifax’s second unit power play, which rivals many QMJHL teams top units. 

Both teams have their share of injuries right now so depth and bench management will play a massive role in this series. 

A Game of Will

Will the Wildcats bring the same intensity and opportunistic scoring as Round 1? 

Will the Mooseheads buy into Veilleux’s systems and follow the game plan? 

Throughout the season it appeared that the Herd sometimes got away from their new bench boss’ systems which led to disjointed play and a lack of urgency in their game.

Similar to the Wildcats, the Mooseheads sometimes rely to heavily on their skill and forget to bring their work ethic. 

The Herd’s lack of urgency usually appears without the puck and on occasions with the man advantage.  The Wildcats will have to pounce on those systematic lapses to have success in the series.

Halifax’s forecheck is exceptional and when they decide to outwork their opponent and roll all four lines they are almost an unstoppable force. 

The Wildcats will have to handle their forecheck, and win battles along the half boards in their own zone. Look for the Moosehead D-corps to be very engaged pinching down low on every occasion. 

If the Mooseheads push the pace of play, the Cats will definitely struggle and give up a lot of goals. Halifax is shiftier and move the puck with more speed and precision than the Drakkar.

It’s going to be a short series if the Wildcats can’t adjust and adapt to the Herd’s offensive pressure, cycle game and puck movement. (Photo Credit Halifax Mooseheads)

For the Cats to have success they will have break the puck out exceptionally well and capitalize on their odd man rushes. 

Look for the Cats to try to catch the Mooseheads pinching D with smart indirect passes by overloading the strong side with their weak side winger, and center support. That will certainly push the Herd’s D back and alleviate the pressure down low. 

The Moosehead do track back to the puck a lot better than the Drakkar, so the Cats will have to manage the puck when attacking in order to take advantage of any odd man rushes. 

Behind the Mask

Alexis Gravel vs. Francis Leclerc

Gravel has been under the microscope all year long, while Francis Leclerc has been in the spotlight. As in any playoff series, it all comes down to goaltending. 

Some will give the upper hand to  Leclerc especially coming off an outstanding performance vs. Baie-Comeau. (Photo Credit Acadie-Nouvelle)

By many accounts Gravel struggled to find his consistency vs. the Remparts and will have to regain the swagger he displayed throughout the regular season. 

Look for Halifax to key in on Leclerc’s stick side. The Drakkar capitalized on a few occasions and many teams throughout the season have looked to shoot on that side.

On the flip side look for the Cats to shoot a lot of pucks at the feet of Gravel and try to get the Chicago Blackhawks 6th rounder moving laterally. Gravel’s mobility has vastly improved from a season ago, but when activity and traffic intensify some old habits start to creep back into his game. 

Look for the Wildcats to also try to out wait Gravel and exploit his glove side. It’s also interesting that Cats will be facing back-to-back right handed catching goaltenders. 

Battle Tested 

            With both franchises coming off emotionally driven and draining series, one shouldn’t expect Game 1 or 2 to be exceptionally well-played defensive battles. 

Both teams love to score.

 These two long time rivals hate one another, so expect a lot of rough stuff after the whistle in the first two games.

Call it what you want, intimidation or physicality, both teams will try to impose their will early on. This series is going to come down to the team that takes the most pride defensively. 

The Mooseheads D-corps is arguably one of the best in the league while the Wildcats D-corps will have to be better than they were vs. Baie-Comeau and let’s face it, they were spectacular. 

Both teams are battle tested, both teams have highly skilled forwards, however, Halifax have more! Both teams have great puck movers on their backend, and solid goaltending, this series will come down to both teams will to win.

It’s playoff time, the rivalry is alive and well.