QUEBEC CITY P.Q.—The Moncton Wildcat won their two meetings with Drummondville Voltigeurs in 2009-10 regular. This Quarter-Final will begin in Drummondville with the Voltigeurs topping the Wildcats in the regular season standings..
For the second consecutive year, the Wildcats ended the regular season with the best defensive statistics allowing only 164 goals and the best power play at 27 percent. In shorthanded situations, Moncton ended the year with 83 percent efficiency. The Wildcats not only play very well with a man short but they are also very dangerous offensively scoring 16 times when one or two men short.
Moncton had an impressive record winning 25 of their last 30 games. In fact, the team had a .825 winning percentage losing only seven times.
The Voltigeurs ended this year with the second best defensive effort allowing only 185 goals. So confrontations between these two teams promise to be very interesting one as the two best defensive teams in the league will face each other.
Drummondville won their last 17 home games. Which team was the last to beat the Voltigeurs at home? Moncton on January 23rd. With the series to begin in Marcel Dionne Center, will Moncton be able to win one of the first two games in Drummondville?
The format of the series will be 2-2-1-1-1.
In goal, this series will let fans in both cities see Nicola Riopel defending the net for Moncton. Riopel played 10 games in the 2009-10 postseason winning eight times with a goals against average of 1.97 and a save percentage of 0.934.
Acquired at the trading deadline from Montreal Junior, Jake Allen will have the task of stopping the Wildcats offense for Drummondville. In 9 games, Allen won eight times with a goals against average of 1.92 and a save percentage of 0.901. The Moncton netminder has a calm reputation and can control his emotions. He can also keep his concentration. Allen will have lots of pressure on him.
He knows his new team trade for him in hope he can do what last year netminder (Marco Cousineau) did for the Voltigeurs bringing them at least in QMJHL President Cup final. It will be interesting to see how Allen will play under pressure. Allen likes to be challenge; he likes to prove he can do the job. He will be surely serves plenty in the up coming semi-final against Moncton.
The edge in goaltender goes to Riopel based on experience, maturity, and save percentage.
On defense, Brandon Gormley 11 points in 10 games (0g), David Savard 7 points in 10 games (1g), Simon Jodoin, Alex Wall, Spencer Metcalfe, Patrick Downe and Alex MacDonald form Moncton’s defense. Savard, Gormley and Wall represent the main trio of defensemen on whom Moncton head coach Danny Flynn count the most in critical times.
For Drummondville, Marc-Antoine Desnoyers 13 points in 9 games (5g), Remi Blanchard 5 points in 9 games (1g), Andrew Randazzo 5 points in 9 games (1g), represent the most offensive production from the blue line. Olivier Hotte, Charles Landry and Jonathan Oligny completed the Voltigeurs defensive unit. Desnoyers, Blanchard and Randazzo offered important contributions to their team in preceding series but Hotte; Landry also scored important goals in key moments in other series.
The edge goes to Moncton as a unit. If you can find a way to stop Desnoyers will the other defensemen will be able to bring important contribution offensively? On the other hand, if the Voltigeurs find a way to stop Gormley for example you got Savard.
Offensively both teams seem to have good production, knowing their team might need help on the third line Moncton turned to Quebec and brought former Remparts Captain Kelsey Tessier who plays on the third line with the Wildcats and played well. Moncton added other players like Nicholas Deschamps from Chicoutimi, Gabriel Bourque from Baie-Comeau, all of them are very effective for the Wildcats.
Tessier, with 15 points in 10 games (8g), Mark Barbiero as defenseman 12 points in 10 games (3g), as 16-year old Marek Hrivik 12 points in 10 games (2g), Nicholas Deschamps 11 points in 10 games (4g), Brandon Gormley as defenseman 11 points in 10 games (0g), Randy Cameron 10 points in 10 games (8g) and Gabriel Bourque 9 points in 10 games (7g) represent the Wildcats’ strong nucleus at forward.
Players on third and fourth line can’t be neglected by the opponent when it comes time to score goals because they proved in preceding series they can be counted on by their head coach.
In Drummondville, Gabriel Dumont 17 points in 9 games (10g), Christopher DiDominico 16 points in 9 games (5g), Sean Couturier 15 points in 9 games (8g), Marc-Antoine Desnoyers 13 points in 9 games (5g), Marc-Olivier Vachon 8 points in 9 games (6g), Philippe Lefebvre 6 points in 9 games (2g) represent the Voltigeurs offensive force mostly on the first two lines. The other players on the third and fourth lines also contributed offensively making the Voltigeurs a team well-balanced.
The offensive battle between the two teams will be very interesting to follow. This series promises to be a very good one. Offensively a very thin edge goes to Moncton.
Prediction Moncton Wildcats will prevail in seven games.
Contact the author at: serge.poulin@prohockeynews.com
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