Wildcats Lead Q Final 2-0 After Weekend Wins
May 12, 2025 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Moncton Wildcats News Release
GAME 1 - MON 4 / RIM 1
Inspired by a boisterous sellout crowd at their Avenir Centre home, the Moncton Wildcats skated to a dominating 4-1 win over the Rimouski Oceanic in the first game of the best-of-seven Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League win Saturday.
The Wildcats got goals from Juraj Pekarcik, Markus Vidicek, Vincent Collard and Preston Lounsbury, outshooting the Oceanic 38-13 in the process. Maxime Coursol replied for Rimouski, breaking goaltender Mathis Rousseau's shutout bid with a third period marker.The Wildcats dominated from the opening whistle, leading 1-0 after one period and 3-0 through 40 minutes. The Oceanic didn't register their first shot on goal until the game was almost 16 minutes old.
The Cats had already broken the ice by then, Pekarcik converting a nifty pass from linemate Caleb Desnoyers, projected to be a top-10 pick in the upcoming NHL entry draft. The assist gave Desnoyers the scoring lead in the playoffs, with nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points in 14 post-season games. The goal was Pakarcik's seventh of the playoffs. The Wildcats improved to 13-1 in the post-season with the victory.
The Cats stretched the lead to 3-0 through 40, outshooting the Oceanic 17-4 and adding goals by Vidacek at 6:22 and Collard at 17:57, much to the delight of the 8,512 fans in attendance.
The Oceanic provided a brief flicker of hope in the third, Coursol scoring his fifth of the playoffs at 8:36 and pressing the Wildcats briefly, but Lounsbury hit the empty net with 1:07 left.
GAME 2 - MON 4 / RIM 3 2OT
Veteran Vincent Collard's goal at 2:34 of the second overtime period lifted the Moncton Wildcats to a 4-3 victory over the Rimouski Oceanic and a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League final series Sunday at the Avenir Centre.
Julius Sumpf, Markus Vidicek and Juraj Pekarcik scored in regulation time for the Wildcats. Jack Martin, Mathieu Cataford and Jonathan Fauchon replied for the Océanic. Goaltender Rudy Guimond remained unbeaten as a Wildcat, making 28 saves to run his record on the season to 24-0.
Caleb Desnoyers had three assists on the night, padding his lead atop the playoff scoring race to 28 points on nine goals and 19 assists. The 18-year-old centre, projected as a top 10 draft pick in the upcoming NHL entry draft, has been held off the scoresheet just once in 15 playoff games - 14 of them Wildcats wins.
Sunday, the Wildcats opened the scoring on Sumpf's goal at 7:03 of the first period, but the Oceanic tied it on Martin's marker at 11:21 and took their first lead of the series on Cataford's sixth of the post season with 38 seconds left in the period.
The Cats tied it up with the only goal of the second period, Vidicek scoring for the second straight game. The teams traded third period tallies, Pekarcik giving the Wildcats the lead at 5:03, the Oceanic forcing overtime with Fauchon's marker with 2:40 left and goaltender William Lacelle on the bench for an extra attacker.
The teams battled through a scoreless first overtime period, both goaltenders making clutch saves to send it to a second overtime period, setting the stage for Collard's OT winner, stuffing a rebound from a scramble past Lacelle at 2:40.
The series switches to Rimouski for Game 3 Wednesday night.
Both teams are already booked for the Memorial Cup tournament against the champions of the Western Hockey League and the Ontario Hockey League. Rimouski is the tournament host.
Article by Bill Hunt
Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from May 12, 2025
- Wildcats Lead Q Final 2-0 After Weekend Wins - Moncton Wildcats
- Louis Robitaille Signs with VHL Organization for 2025-2026 Season - Cape Breton Eagles
- Cats Win Wild OT Thriller for 2-0 Final Lead - Moncton Wildcats
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