Quebec vs Moncton series preview

The Remparts failed to beat the Moncton Wildcats this season, with the Maritimers having come away with 4-0 and a 3-2 wins over Quebec in 2014-15.

This pending series will not be lacking in the intensity department. On one side are the unpredictable Remparts who quickly dispatched of the Charlottetown Islanders after barely surviving in the opening round against the Screaming Eagles.

“I think the way we played in the first round helped bring out the character of our team. In the games that followed, we started to see our true identity,” said Remparts head coach Philippe Boucher. “Once the first round was behind us, the guys started to feel less pressure and it showed in our results. Playing as well as we did in the second round has also earned some time to rest heading into this series.”

The Wildcats meanwhile had their hands full with the Halifax Mooseheads needing a win in Game 7 to set up this matchup with the Remparts.

“We’d be lying if we said we were fully recovered emotionally from Tuesday night,” admitted Wildcats goalie Alex Dubeau who backstopped his team to a huge 6-3 win in Game 7.

The 20-year-old netminder knows full well that his team will have to quickly come back down to earth given that the Remparts boast four lines capable of scoring.

“Our defence will certainly have their hands full. We will have to be alert and ready. We know Vladimir Tkatchev well having faced him often the last few years. He can hurt us if we don’t watch him carefully. They don’t lack dangerous players either. This is definitely going to be an exciting series,” predicted Dubeau.

Almost there

Boucher wholeheartedly agrees and knows that the Wildcats are a strong team even though his club enters this series as the favorites.

“They have a lot of scoring power with guys like Conor Garland and Ivan Barbashev. Their goalie can also steal a game for them on any given night. We have four solid lines. Our top line has been consistent since the start of the playoffs and the great news is that a guy like Anthony Duclair is starting to hit his stride and he can do even more, said Boucher who hopes his team can make final history at the Colisée Pepsi.

Only weeks away from the arena’s demolition, Boucher would love to raise a banner there for good measure.

“It hasn’t happened here since 1976 and it feels like the right way to end things…”

At this point it’s anyone’s however with all four teams having a legitimate shot at going all the way.

“Now that we’re in the semi-finals we’re so close to reaching our goal. Our motivation couldn’t be higher. We have a team that fuels itself by challenges. In my five years in junior this is by far the best dressing room I’ve ever been a part of. Our team chemistry is very strong. I lived some great things in Shawinigan in 2012, but I wasn’t in the same role. For my last year in junior, I’d love to cap it all off with another ring,” concluded Dubeau who also holds a number of team and league records in both regular season action and the playoffs.

Schedule

Head to Head Stats

Team Stats