Moncton Wildcats vs. Halifax Mooseheads

(Second playoff round)

Schedule

(Note that * indicates if necessary)

Game 1: Today at 4 p.m. (Moncton)

Game 2: Sunday at 4 p.m. (Moncton)

Game 3: Tuesday at 7 p.m. (Halifax)

Game 4: Thursday at 7 p.m. (Halifax)

*Game 5: Friday at 7 p.m. (Moncton)

*Game 6: April 16 at 2 p.m. (Halifax)

*Game 7: April 18 at 7 p.m. (Moncton)

Moncton playoff history

The 11-year-old franchise is in the playoffs for the seventh time. The Wildcats have won eight series and lost six. They have an overall record of 39 wins and 34 losses.

Getting to know you

This is the first time that Moncton and Halifax have ever met in the playoffs. Here is a look at the Wildcats lifetime record against each opponent they've faced: 5-11 vs. Rimouski, 7-8 vs. Quebec, 4-2 vs.

Chicoutimi, 4-0 vs. Acadie-Bathurst, 4-0 vs. Baie-Comeau, 4-2 vs. Prince Edward Island, 1-4 vs. Gatineau, 4-2 vs. Drummondville, 2-4 vs. Rouyn-Noranda and 4-1 vs. Victoriaville.

Regular season

Moncton: 52-15-0-3 for 107 points. First in the Eastern Division and first overall in the 18-team league.

Halifax: 35-33-1-1 for 72 points. Fifth in the Eastern Division annd 11th overall in the league.

Head-to-Head

Moncton won all six games against Halifax in the regular season.

Ones to watch (playoffs)

Moncton: Centre Philippe Dupuis (7-10-17, 5 games); left winger Martins Karsums (5-6-11, 5 games); left winger Stephane Goulet (3-7-10, 5 games);

defenceman Keith Yandle (2-7-9, 5 agmes); right winger Adam Pineault (6-2-8, 5 games) ; centre Christian Gaudet (4-3-7, 3 games) and defenceman Oskars

Bartulis (0-5-5, 5 games).

Halifax: Right winger Rane Carnegie (3-6-9, 6 games); right winger Bryce Swan (2-5-7, 6 games); defenceman Luciano Lomanno (2-3-5, 6 games); defenceman Franklin MacDonald (3-1-4, 6 games); centre Frederik Cabana (1-3-4, 6 games) and centre Justin Saulnier (1-3-4, 6 games).

Offence entering last night

Moncton: Best among eight clubs still in the playoffs with an average of 7.20 goals per game.

Halifax: Seventh best with an average of 3.00 goals per game.

Defence entering last night

Moncton: Worst among eight clubs still in the playoffs with a 3.20 goals-against average.

Halifax: Third best with a 2.17 goals-against average.

Special teams entering last night

Moncton: Second best among eight clubs still in the playoffs on the power play at 28.8 per cent; seventh best in penalty killing at 78.8 per cent.

Halifax: Sixth best on the power play at 14.6 per cent; second best in penalty killing at 89.8 per cent.

Are any of these guys good enough to play in the NHL yet? Is the Wildcats a "A" team or are they just not good enough to play in the big leagues?

Celeste wrote:

Are any of these guys good enough to play in the NHL yet? Is the Wildcats a "A" team or are they just not good enough to play in the big leagues?

The wildcats would get their asses kicked in the big leagues because they don't have the same experience. It's called the Quebec Major JUNIOR Hockey League. Maximum age is 20.

Some of those guys will make it to the NHL, most won't get to play more than a handful of games.

So, in other words, they are playing for the heck of it? I think most of them want to but why do they not have theat opportunity, given the amount of time spent playing in the Jr.s.

They're playing to prove themselves in front of the scouts in order to get picked by an NHL team. This is one of the most important stages of their career. Most of them get the opportunity but not all of them make the cut.

the score was 5 -0 FOR MONCTON LAST i HEARD.

It ended with the Wildcats taking it 7-0

woo hoo,maybe we will take it all this year.

Cats make it look easy

By NEIL HODGE TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF

                                                                                                                                                         These games looked like identical twins.
Two dominant performances in all aspects of the play from start to finish, two shutouts for goaltender Josh Tordjman and stellar contributions from all four lines. The Moncton Wildcats had it all and overpowered the Halifax Mooseheads in convincing fashion to grab a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoff series.

Moncton won 5-0 yesterday and 7-0 on Saturday in a pair of contests at the Moncton Coliseum. Consider these telling facts: The Wildcats held a combined 80-33 shots edge, their dozen goals came from 10 players and nobody had more than two points in either game.

"Yeah, a little bit because Halifax has been playing great lately. We thought these were going to be close games," said Wildcats left winger Brad Marchand when asked if he was surprised at the lopsided nature of the two games.

"Last week in practice, we worked a lot on our defensive zone coverage because we kind of let down there in the opening round. We wanted to re-focus our game to play better defensively. We played great in our defensive zone and allowed less than 20 shots against in both games.

"The first two games we were strong on the forecheck. We were always on the puck. We were hounding the puck and keeping the play in the offensive zone. We weren't letting them get near our net to get too many shots so that's a great sign."

Halifax head coach Al MacAdam refused to speak with the media after both games. He told reporters they should interview the referee after Game 1 and then simply offered a "no comment" after Game 2.

The Eastern Division semifinal resumes with 7 p.m. games tomorrow and Thursday at the Halifax Metro Centre. Game 5, if necessary, will be on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Moncton Coliseum.

Marchand scored twice to help Moncton to a 3-0 lead after the first period yesterday in front of 4,688 fans. The Wildcats burst out of the gate in outstanding fashion in both games, outshooting the Mooseheads 38-11 and outscoring them 5-0 in the two first periods combined.

"The first goal of the game is always an important one," said Marchand.

"It brings momentum to the team. They didn't have their best game on Saturday. Today, we thought they were going to come out a lot harder so getting the first goal was really key for us. We wanted to come out strong off the bat and take it to them from the start."

Moncton held a 41-18 shots edge yesterday against a frustrated looking Halifax squad, which took numerous undisciplined penalties for the second consecutive game. On the power play, the Wildcats were 1-for-10 and the Mooseheads were 0-for-8.

Stephane Goulet, Philippe Dupuis and Martins Karsums rounded out the scoring for the Wildcats. Eleven players managed points in the game.

Moncton held a 17-5 shots edge in the first period and led 3-0 at the intermission. Marchand beat Mooseheads goaltender Jeremy Duchesne on a shot from near the top of the left faceoff circle at 4:29 and then converted on a rebound at 18:23.

In between those goals, the Wildcats were handed a gift. Duchesne came well out to play the loose puck, his clearing attempt hit Goulet and Goulet desposited a shot into the wide open net at 12:52.

Moncton owned a 15-6 shots edge in the second period and Karsums extended the lead to 4-0 midway through the frame. The hometown squad led 9-7 in shots in the third period and Dupuis completed the summary by making it 5-0 during a two-man advantage at 6:21.

"I think we played really well defensively in both games," said Wildcats captain Christian Gaudet. "Everyone's working hard. Every game we're trying to bring 20 guys to the table and we're going to have to keep battling like that because we expect two tougher games in Halifax.

"I thought all four lines were flowing really well in both games. No matter which line was out there, our intensity was high and we were solid in all three zones. These are the type of performances we're looking to copy."

On Saturday, Moncton showed off its explosive offence by scoring five goals in an 8:37 span en route to a 7-0 win in front of 5,221 fans. It wound up with a 39-15 shots edge.

The Wildcats' damage was wide spread: They were 3-for-12 on the power play, they added a shorthanded goal and 14 players registered a point. The Mooseheads were 0-for-8 on the power play.

Oskars Bartulis, Andrew MacDonald, Keith Yandle, Martins Karsums, Josh Hepditch, Adam Pineault and Matt Marquardt scored for Moncton.

Moncton held a 21-6 shots edge in the first period and scored on its final two shots for a 2-0 lead at the intermission. Bartulis converted on a 40-foot slapshot at 18:54 and MacDonald followed up with a slapshot from the blueline on the power play at 19:25.

The Wildcats held a 9-6 shots edge in the second period and continued their scoring derby.

Yandle cashed in on a bad-angle shot in the opening minute. Gaudet showed a great effort to set up Hepditch for a shorthanded goal at 4:19. The Wildcats were leading 25-6 in shots when Karsums extended the lead to 5-0 on the power play at 7:31.

That completed an outburst of five goals on just six shots in an 8:37 span, prompting the Mooseheads to make a goaltending change. Duchesne was pulled in favour of Roger Kennedy.

Moncton never let up with a 9-3 shots edge in the third period. Pineault streaked down the middle, split the defence and scored a pretty goal on the power play at 7:24 and Marquardt completed the damage by making it 7-0 at 16:47.

"(Head coach) Ted (Nolan) mentioned in the room that he wanted us to remember what happened in Victoriaville (in the opening round) when we came out a little overconfident and lost Game 1," said Wildcats defenceman Nathan Welton, who had two assists.

"We wanted to make sure that we came out confident, but not cocky to begin this series. We wanted to play tough against these guys. Halifax has a good team. We just have to make sure that we're ready each game to come out and play hard."

Halifax left winger Colby Pridham offered his assessment.

"We didn't come out the way we wanted to in the first period of either game," he said. "We made some mistakes and they capitalized on them which put us in a hole early. Moncton's a quality team and it's tough to battle back against them.

"I think in both games we got frustrated at times and took some bad penalties. We need to do a better job of keeping our composure and playing with discipline. Going home now, I think we've just got to settle down and get back to our game plan like we did in the first round."

Moncton has won all eight games against Halifax during the regular season and playoffs combined. The Wildcats have outscored the Mooseheads 43-11 in the process.

So, how do the Mooseheads draw some confidence that they can get back in this series?

"Well, I mean it's going to be tough," said Pridham. "But this is the playoffs so we've just got to find some confidence somewhere. I think we have to start taking more pucks to the net and get in around their goalie. That's something we haven't done much of in the first two games."

Twenty-four teams remain in the hunt for the 2006 Memorial Cup, which takes place from May 19-28 at the Moncton Coliseum. The tournament features Moncton, a second QMJHL representative and the champions of the Ontario Hockey League and Western Hockey League.

In other QMJHL playoff series: Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2, Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 0; Quebec Remparts 2, Shawinigan Cataractes 0; Chicoutimi Sagueneens 1, Gatineau Olympiques 1.

In the OHL playoffs: Peterborough Petes 2, Sudbury Wolves 0; Barrie Colts 2, Brampton Battalion 1; London Knights 1, Owen Sound Attack 1; Guelph Storm 2, Plymouth Whalers 0.

In the WHL playoffs: Medicine Hat Tigers 2, Saskatoon Blades 0; Calgary Hitmen 1, Moose Jaw Warriors 1; Vancouver Giants 1, Portland Winter Hawks 1; Everett Silvertips 1, Kelowna Rockets 0 entering last night.

(RON WARD/TIMES & TRANSCRIPT) Jerome Samson of the Moncton Wildcats gets hooked by Frank MacDonald of the Halifax Mooseheads during second perod action at the Moncton Coliseum yesterday.

By NEIL HODGE TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF

Moncton still leads series 2-1 despite 3-2 setback



HALIFAX - Halifax Mooseheads left winger Kevin Cormier was all smiles and for good reason.

"For sure, it's a really big weight off our shoulders to finally get our first win against them," he said following a 3-2 triumph over the Moncton Wildcats in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoff action last night in front of 6,045 fans at the Halifax Metro Centre.

"It means a lot to us that we can compete against the best team in the country. All the credit to Moncton. They've got a lot of good players and that's why they're geared for the Memorial Cup. Tonight was just a sign for them not to take us lightly. We won't go down without a fight."

Moncton leads 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. The Eastern Division semifinal continues tomorrow at 7 p.m. at the Halifax Metro Centre with Game 5 set for Friday at 7 p.m. at the Moncton Coliseum.

"They got lucky the first two games and we wanted to send them a message tonight," said Cormier, a 19-year-old from Cap-Pele. "Maybe it was our stupidity (with bad penalties) or a lack of confidence going into this series, but tonight we gained our confidence back and it's going to be a big tilt again on Thursday.

"It was a really big embarrassment for us being shut out in the first two games of the series. The playoffs are the most exciting time of our lives and we have to take advantage of it. We don't want to be thinking back this summer about the things we should've done. We have to do it now."

Cormier played a role in Franklin MacDonald's game winning goal at 18:05 of the second period. Cormier carried the puck to the net hard and Moncton defenceman Keith Yandle took a penalty on the play.

The Mooseheads jumped ahead 3-2 on the ensuing power play. David Brine made a nice play to center a pass and MacDonald let go a 30-foot, one-timer slapshot that beat Wildcats goaltender Josh Tordjman, who posted shutouts in 7-0 and 5-0 home wins to open the series.

Moncton had defeated Halifax in all eight of their meetings in the regular season and playoffs combined prior to last night. The Wildcats outscored their opponent 43-11 in the process.

"It was probably in the back of our minds a little," said MacDonald when asked if the Mooseheads were ever questioning whether they had the ability to beat Moncton.

"We didn't bring the same effort in Moncton in the first two games of the series as we did tonight. We've just got to bring that effort every night and try to limit our mistakes because every chance they get they seem to bury. We just want to come out strong and battle hard like we did tonight."

Ryan Hillier and Jiri Suchy also scored for Halifax. Josh Hepditch notched both goals for Moncton, which held a 36-30 shots edge.

On the power play, Moncton was 0-for-6 and Halifax was 1-for-5.

"You have to give them credit," said Moncton head coach Ted Nolan. "They played a lot better. We played okay. It wasn't one of our better games. That's what the playoffs are about and that's why it's a best-of-seven series. The mental lapse that we had late in the first period cost us.

"Offence is like the weather. Some days it's there, some days it's not. We just couldn't find a way to get that equalizer after falling behind, but like I said give them credit. They worked harder tonight and we didn't work as hard as we normally do."

It was 14-14 on the shots clock and 2-2 on the scoreboard after an exciting first period. It was evenly played with both clubs taking turns controlling the momentum, but Halifax had the momentum going into the intermission after scoring twice in the final minute.

Moncton played a fair amount on its heals in the opening 10 minutes. The club survived some scrambly play and close calls around its own net and then got two goals in 51 seconds from its third line to grab a 2-0 lead.

Hepditch fired a shot from the slot that beat Halifax goaltender Jeremy Duchesne high to the glove side at 13:53. The 20-year-old forward did more damage when he picked up the puck in a scramble in front of the net and cashed in at 14:44.

The Wildcats scored the first 14 goals of the series and the tide of momentum seemed to be continuing in their favour with a 2-0 lead despite some sporadic play. The Mooseheads then battled back with two goals in the final minute of the first period to create a 2-2 tie at the intermission.

Rane Carnegie fired the puck toward the side of the goalmouth and Hillier provided the redirection as the Mooseheads scored their first goal of the series at 19:24. Suchy followed up just 15 seconds later to make it 2-2.

Moncton held a shots edge of 13-10 in the second period and 9-6 in the third period. Halifax scored the lone goal in the final 40 minutes when MacDonald potted the winner at 18:05 of the second period.

"I think we've got to get a little bit more hungry," said Nolan. "We played, but we didn't play with any urgency. We didn't play with any energy. We just played and in the playoffs you can't just play. You've got to play with some spirit and energy which we didn't do tonight.

"They capitalized on two turnovers we had in our zone in the final minute of the first period and that was the difference in the game. We had a 2-0 lead, but one thing about sports there's nothing under control until the game is over."

Moncton center Philippe Dupuis offered his assessment.

"We knew it would be a lot tougher playing in Halifax with the crowd behind them," he said. "They were pumped up and now they're back in the series. We all said it from the beginning that it's going to be a long series. We have to put this game out of our mind and start preparing for the next one.

"We didn't do all the little things like in the first two games. We all know what to do. We just didn't execute today. They came out a lot harder tonight and now it's up to us to make adjustments for the next game."

Moncton, the second best club offensively in the QMJHL this season, was held off the scoresheet for the final 45 minutes of the contest. It's one of the rare times that's happened this campaign.

"I think they played good defensively tonight," said Dupuis. "I don't think our top two lines had many chances to put the puck in. The third line did the job by scoring both our goals. We'll work on things and see what we can bring offensively next game."

 Great teams are able to find different ways to win.

The Moncton Wildcats turned in a defensive gem and shut down their opponent over the final two periods en route to a 4-1 victory over the Halifax Mooseheads in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoff action last night in front of 6,901 fans at the Halifax Metro Centre.

The Wildcats grabbed a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Division semifinal. They will look to clinch the series tonight at 7 p.m. at the Moncton Coliseum.

"We've been working since November on how to play with the lead and protect it when we're ahead going into the third period," said Moncton head coach Ted Nolan. "It's a matter of knowing what to do and how to handle the situation. I thought the guys played it to perfection tonight.

"I thought it was one of Jerome Samson's best games all season. Adam Pineault and Philippe Dupuis were great and Josh Tordjman made some big saves. You can go right through the whole lineup. Everybody played well and played smart."

Pineault scored twice to spark Moncton, which held a 33-26 shots edge. Samson and Oskars Bartulis accounted for the club's other goals.

Rane Carnegie countered for Halifax, which trailed 3-1 after the first period. The only goal over the remainder of the contest came with 19 seconds remaining when Pineault beat Mooseheads goaltender Jeremy Duchesne with a weak shot from a few feet inside the blueline.

On the power play, Moncton was 2-for-6 and Halifax was 0-for-5.

"We want to be poised, we want to be confident and we want to be determined," said Nolan. "We don't want to sit back tentatively trying to protect the lead. Sometimes when you sit back trying to protect the lead strange things happen.

"We wanted to keep going with our normal game plan in the final two periods, but being more cautious of making sure we don't give up any turnovers and odd-man rushes. It was one of those games where we played really smart and did a lot of things right."

Moncton posted 7-0 and 5-0 wins on home ice in the opening two games of the series. Halifax struck back with a 3-2 home triumph on Tuesday.

"On Tuesday night, we didn't come to play and it showed," said Pineault, who leads the Wildcats with nine goals in the playoffs.

"Tonight we followed our game plan from start to finish and it showed. When we got ahead 3-1, we had to shut them down and that's what we did. When you get a lead like that, you should already have enough goals to win so you should think more defence than offence."

Moncton has won 13 of the past 15 games and that included six consecutive playoff triumphs, all by at least a five-goal margin, before Tuesday.

"I think we just kept pushing once we got the 3-1 lead," said Wildcats defenceman Nathan Welton, who had two assists. "We didn't sit back and wait for them to come to us. We want to keep taking the play to their end and be strong defensively at the same time.

"I don't think we had our best game on Tuesday night by any means and they deserved to win. They played really well and outworked us for sure. We were determined to come back strong tonight and match, if not be better, than their intensity."

Moncton held a 16-8 shots edge in the first period and went 2-for-4 on the power play. That was the recipe for a 3-1 lead at the intermission.

The Wildcats were on their heals early, but scored on their only shot in the opening 10 minutes. Brad Marchand sent a pass across the front of the net and Pineault fired a close one-timer shot past Duchesne on the power play at 3:57.

The Mooseheads made it 1-1 at 8:49. David Brine won the faceoff cleanly and Carnegie quickly let go a one-timer shot that beat Wildcats goaltender Josh Tordjman.

The Wildcats took a 2-1 lead at 17:49. Samson carried the puck down the wing, showed determination to cut sharply to the front of the net and directed a shot on goal. The puck deflected off the goaltender, off a Mooseheads player and into the net for what proved to be the game winner.

The Wildcats made it 3-1 on the power play at 19:04. Matt Marquardt didn't get a point on the play, but he was instrumental in providing a screen that enabled Bartulis to score on a shot from a few feet inside the blueline.

Halifax held a 10-8 shots edge in the evenly played and scoreless second period.

Moncton led 9-8 in shots in the third period and rounded out the summary on Pineault's goal at 19:41. Fact is, the Mooseheads had difficulty setting up in the offensive zone and generating sustained pressure in the final two periods.

Moncton has won nine of 10 games against Halifax in the regular season and playoffs combined. Now, the Mooseheads must win the next three games to avoid elimination.

"I think we were embarrassed how we lost the first two games of this series in Moncton getting outscored 12-0," said Mooseheads defenceman Luciano Lomanno. "We have a lot of character and pride on this team and I think we showed that in these last two games at home.

"The biggest thing we have to do now going back to Moncton is to play like we did at home with the same intensity. If we can keep the game close (tonight), then maybe we'll have a chance to win. We're a much better team than we showed in the first two games so definitely we have something to prove (tonight) in Moncton."

Moncton has outscored Halifax 18-4 in this series.

"We knew coming into this series that their power play is dynamite," said Lomanno. "We knew that if we gave them too many opporunities they would capitalize. They made us pay again in this game by scoring two power play goals. We're disappointed.

"Going into (tonight's) game, we know what we have to do ... stay out of the penalty box. Just play five-on-five against them."

Twenty clubs remain in the hunt for the 2006 Memorial Cup, which takes place from May 19-28 at the Moncton Coliseum. Moncton will be joined in the four-team tournament by a second QMJHL representative and the champions of the Ontario Hockey League and Western Hockey League.

In the QMJHL, the Acadie-Bathurst Titan swept the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 4-0 in the other Eastern Division semifinal. In the Western Division semifinals, the Quebec Remparts lead the Shawinigan Cataractes 3-1 and the Gatineau Olympiques lead the Chicoutimi Sagueneens 3-1.

Chicoutimi finished tied for second overall in the league, but it's now on the verge of elimination. Gatineau is threatening to pull off a significant upset after winning the past three games of the series, including 1-0 in overtime on Tuesday.

If Moncton wins its series, it will advance to face the lowest seeded survivor from the Western Division in the league semifinal. They are seeded as follows: Quebec (No. 1), Chicoutimi (No. 2), Gatineau (No. 4) and Shawinigan (No. 6).

In the OHL playoffs, the Peterborough Petes and Barrie Colts have advanced to the league's final four. In other series, the London Knights and Owen Sound Attack are tied 2-2 and the Guelph Storm lead the Plymouth Whalers 3-1.

In the WHL playoffs, the regular season champion Medicine Hat Tigers have moved on to the league's final four. In the other series, the Calgary Hitmen and Moose Jaw Warriors are tied 2-2, the Everett Silvertips lead the Kelowna Rockets 3-1 and the Vancouver Giants led the Portland Winter Hawks 2-1 entering last night.
Moncton Wildcats forward Phillipe Dupuis crashes the Halifax net as Mooseheads goalie Jeremy Duchesne slides over to make a save during QMJHL playoff action last night in Halifax.

Anyone have the online link to watch games online? Someone at work mentioned it to me, I had forgotten to ask him for the web address.

theres a link in thge hockey thread in the canada sub section but it only shows the highlights.I did not realize you could watch the actual gameonline.i would certainly appreciate it if you post that link if you ever get it from your freind.

I'm off for the long weekend, I'll have to remember to ask him on Tuesday.

thats awesome ,thanks.

The first-ever playoff series between the Moncton Wildcats and Halifax Mooseheads certainly won't be remembered as a classic.

Moncton posted a 5-1 triumph in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action last night at the Moncton Coliseum, winning the best-of-seven Eastern Division semifinal 4-1. The Wildcats were simply overpowering in this second-round matchup and for the most part made it look easy by outscoring the Mooseheads by an overall total of 23-5.

"We have a very strong team and every team knows that," said Wildcats left winger Brad Marchand. "A lot of teams are intimidated just by the names we have on paper. If we go out there and we work hard, there's not too many teams that will even think they have a chance against us.

"I think that's probably what happened to Halifax. They knew we have a great team. They looked at our stats and our players and when we started outworking them they just kind of gave up."

The league semifinals are now confirmed. It will be Moncton versus the Gatineau Olympiques in a series that's expected to open on Friday at the Moncon Coliseum and the Acadie-Bathurst Titan will square off against the Quebec Remparts.

In other action last night, Quebec defeated the Shawinigan Cataractes 9-3 and Gatineau dumped the Chicoutimi Sagueneens 4-2 to complete an upset. Quebec and Gatineau won those Western Division semifinals 4-1.

Moncton is guaranteed a berth as host team in the 2006 Memorial Cup, which takes place from May 19-28 at the Moncton Coliseum. The four-team tournament will be rounded out by a second QMJHL representative and the champions of the Ontario Hockey League and Western Hockey League.

If the Wildcats make it to the QMJHL final, their opponent would automatically qualify for the Memorial Cup.

"Every round gets a lot tougher," said Marchand. "Guys get more worn down and teams are a lot stronger. It's the best teams and everyone's battling for a spot in the Memorial Cup. We want to win the President Cup (as QMJHL champion). The hunger is the same even though we're assured a spot in the Memorial Cup.

"We don't just want to be in the Memorial Cup because we're hosting it. We want to be champion of our league and show everybody that we deserve to be there."

A crowd of 5,906 was clapping its hands, cheering and using noisemakers as the final minute ticked down in last night's game. The song "Farewell To Nova Scotia" blared and it was a party atmosphere in the building as fans broke into a loud "Go Cats Go" chant after the final buzzer.

"We knew that Halifax would come out really strong tonight because it was a do-or-die situation for them," said Marchand, who had one goal and two assists to spark the series clinching win. "We turned in another strong performance defensively. Especially in the final two periods, we did a good job of shutting them down."

Keith Yandle, Martins Karsums, Matt Marquardt and Jean-Philip Chabot also scored for Moncton, which held a 34-27 shots edge. Ryan Hillier countered for Halifax.

On the power play, Moncton was 3-for-10 and Halifax was 0-for-7.

The Wildcats were first overall in the QMJHL at 52-15-0-3 and No. 1 in the final Canadian Hockey League rankings. They ended up winning 10 of 11 games against the Mooseheads in the regular season and playoffs combined.

Moncton held a 14-9 shots edge in the first period and took a 3-1 lead into the intermission.

It was mostly special teams play in the frame and that proved to be the difference on the scoreboard. The Wildcats were 2-for-4 and the Mooseheads 0-for-3 on the power play.

The Wildcats killed off two penalties in the opening five minutes and then converted on their first power play at 6:19. Yandle carried the puck down the right wing over the blueline, showed tremendous patience while working his way deep into the zone and then finished off his rush by firing a close wrist shot past Mooseheads goaltender Jeremy Duchesne.

Hillier fired the rebound past Wildcats goaltender Josh Tordjman to pull the Mooseheads into a tie at 8:45.

The Wildcats struck back quickly and made it 2-for-2 on the power play to grab a 2-1 lead at 9:11. Philippe Dupuis used a great diving play to keep the puck in the offensive zone, Stephane Goulet then quickly sent a pass to the front of the net where Karsums provided the finishing touch.

The Wildcats made it 3-1 at 18:47. Brad Marchand shot the puck toward the front of the goalmouth and it deflected off Marquardt into the net.

"We killed off two penalties early in the game and then came back and scored on our first two power plays," said Moncton head coach Ted Nolan.

"It caused a big momentum swing and there's no question that helped set the tone for this game."

Halifax held an 11-9 shots edge in the scoreless second period.

Moncton owned an 11-7 shots edge in the third period and added two more goals.

The Wildcats basically put the game away by extending their lead to 4-1 on an individual highlight reel goal midway through the frame. Marchand showed outstanding determination to carry the puck from the corner to the front of the net with a defender draped over him and he then worked himself free to score on a close shot.

The Wildcats made it 5-1 on the power play at 18:22. Chabot finished off a scrambly play in the goalmouth and from his knees tucked in the rebound.

Moncton has won 14 of the past 16 games, including an 8-2 record in the playoffs. The club has won all six home games in the playoffs.

"We want to make sure that we play with confidence," said Nolan. "From the get-go, we said we didn't want to just walk into the Memorial Cup as host team and take that for granted. We want to earn our way in as league champion.

"This is a dedicated group of players we have and they work hard. We seem to be getting better and better as the playoffs go. There's no question we played much better as a team against Halifax than we did in the first round (in a 4-1 series win over the Victoriaville Tigres)."

Moncton defeated Halifax 7-0 and 5-0 in the opening two games of the series. The Mooseheads won 3-2 in Game 3, but then suffered 4-1 and 5-1 losses.

"We got woke up in the first two games, then turned it around and made ourselves a more difficult opponent in the final three games," said Mooseheads right winger Rane Carnegie. "We left everything we had on the table and unfortunately it wasn't enough.

"It's tough when you're playing against a great team that's playing as hard as they were. Moncton has a great power play and that really hurt us. At the end of the day, we played our hardest and wore our hearts on our sleeve. Moncton wore their hearts on their sleeve, too, and they came out on top."

There's plenty of reasons to smile when you dominate an opponent to this degree.

The Moncton Wildcats did more than just grab a 2-0 lead on the Halifax Mooseheads in their Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoff series. They delivered a message in the way they controlled every aspect of the play while outscoring their opponent 12-0 and holding an 80-33 shots edge over the course of those two contests.

"I think the first thing is we're really pleased with the way (goaltender) Josh Tordjman responded in these two games," said Moncton associate coach Danny Flynn. "He was solid when he had to be. I thought he managed his game really well. He had good composure and that was good to see.

"The second thing is we said going into this series that we wanted to create pressure by hounding the puck. I thought we did a good job of that in the first two games. By hounding the puck and pressuring them, we either generated scoring chances or we generated penalties when they tried to get the puck back from us.

"I think that's the key for our team, our forecheck and our pursuit of the puck. We're not going to score a lot of fancy goals off the rush. Most of our goals are scored below the top of the circles and it comes as a result of hard work. We were able to get the puck deep and work them down low in both games."

The best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal resumes with 7 p.m. games tonight and Thursday at the Halifax Metro Centre. Game 5, if necessary, will be on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Moncton Coliseum.

Tordjman was shaky in a 4-1 series win over the Victoriaville Tigres in the opening round of the playoffs. With two consecutive shutouts against Halifax, the 20-year-old veteran improved his playoff stats to a 2.50 goals-against average and an .874 save percentage.

"The guys are playing great hockey in front of me so far in this series against Halifax," said Tordjman. "I didn't get a lot of work, but I think the games that you've really got to focus hard is when you only have 15 or 18 shots. You've got to mentally stay in the game.

"It's good for my confidence to play two pretty good games at home. I felt more comfortable out there than in the first round. Definitely, I think last week went really well in practice (as I prepared for the second round). I worked really hard and I think that's an important part of my game that I have to emphasize."

Moncton defeated Halifax 7-0 and 5-0 in the opening two games of this series. The Wildcats used a wide-spread offence: Consider that 10 players accounted for their 12 goals, nobody had more than two points in either game and 17 of 18 players in their lineup registered points.

"I thought all four lines were solid," said Flynn. "In Game 1, we got seven goals from seven different players. We got goals from all four lines and three defencemen so that's as balanced as you can get."

Moncton held a 21-6 shots edge and a 2-0 lead after the first period in the series opener. It converted a 17-5 shots edge into a 3-0 lead after the first period in Game 2.

"We had good, solid starts in both games," said Flynn. "I think the guys understand how we have to play to win, the mental approach we need to prepare for each game. We've tried to stress winning habis from Day 1 this season.

"We've talked about the things that winning teams do and we're sure seeing signs of them. We've got good veteran leadership on this team. The coach can have all the plans in the world, but it's the veterans that ultimately decide how much the team buys in. We've got good leaders that believe in the same thing that we do and want the same things that we do so that's a big step in the right direction."

Halifax left winger Kevin Cormier, a 19-year-old from Cap-Pele, offered this assessment of what went wrong for his club in the opening two games.

"We didn't do the little things right," he said. "The little things we learned in atom and peewee, we didn't do them and it cost us 12 goals in two games. We're not happy about the series, but we hope that in front of our fans we can do a better job and get momentum on our side.

"What the coach says stays in the dressing room. We all know what it is. We're not executing anything that he told us."

Moncton has won all eight games against Halifax in the regular season and playoffs combined. The Wildcats have outscored their opponent 43-11 in the process.

Still, Cormier remains optimistic the Mooseheads can battle back in this series.

"We've got 10 guys that went to the league final last season," he said. "We're capable of doing it, but we're so stupid that we can't listen to what the coaches say. It's frustrating. We can play 10 times better than this. That wasn't half our team on the ice so far in this series."

Wildcats left winger Brad Marchand talked about the club having to guard against overconfidence.

"We've got to stay focused because I expect these next two games in their building to be tougher," he said. "When we get all four lines rolling, we're hard to stop. All our lines are capable of keeping the play in the other team's zone."

Wildcats defenceman Luc Bourdon, who suffered a broken ankle on Feb. 10, returned to the lineup for this series following a two-month layoff.

"My ankle feels good," he said. "I felt my play was better in the second game than the first so that's positive. I think the more I play the better I'm going to feel. My timing was a little better in the second game."

The Acadie-Bathurst Titan lead the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 2-0 in the other Eastern Division semifinal. Game 3 is tonight in Sydney.

In the Western Division, the Quebec Remparts lead the Shawinigan Cataractes 2-0 and the Chicoutimi Sagueneens and Gatineau Olympiques are tied 1-1. Those series resume tonight in Shawinigan and Gatineau.

Here's the Ontario Hockey League playoff series picture: Peterborough Petes 3, Sudbury Wolves 0; Barrie Colts 2, Brampton Battalion 1; Owen Sound Attack 2, London Knights 1; Guelph Storm 3, Plymouth Whalers 0.

This is the Western Hockey League playoff series scenario: Medicine Hat Tigers 2, Saskatoon Blades 0; Calgary Hitmen 1, Moose Jaw Warriors 1; Vancouver Giants 1, Portland Winter Hawks 1; Kelowna Rockets 1, Everett Silvertips 1.

The 2006 Memorial Cup takes place from May 19-28 at the Moncton Coliseum.

The tournament will feature Moncton, a second QMJHL team and the champions of the OHL and WHL.