1. Page 4  MONCTON WILDCATS COLLECTOR’S EDITION  PLAYOFFS 2015
Change of Seasons
When the 2014-15 Quebec Major Junior Hockey
League season comes to an end for the Moncton
Wildcats, it will surely be remembered as one
of the most memorable since Moncton hosted
the 2006 Memorial Cup.
Moncton finished last season 12th overall in
the 18-team league at 33-32-0-3. The Wildcats
were third in the Maritime Division and with
the uncertainty of whether they would have
Russian stars Ivan Barbashev and Vladimir
Tkachev both back not many predicted they
would finish any higher this season.
Someone forgot to tell the Wildcats. Training
camp saw a group of returning veterans like
goaltender Alex Dubeau, defencemen Jacob
Sweeney and Matthew Klebanskyj and centre
Stephen Johnson, a handful of newcomers in
Kyle Tibbo, Cameron Askew and highly touted
rookie defenceman Zachary Malatesta, 40-goal
forward Christophe Lalonde and rising star
Conor Garland.
``The biggest difference in the team this sea-
son is the experience factor,’’ said Klebanskyj.
``Last season, we were younger. Plus, we have
developed chemistry as a team now. I think
everyone is really comfortable in the room and
are enjoying their roles on the ice right now.’’
The Wildcats burst out of the gate at 7-3-0-0
in the opening 10 games this season, but two
road trips through Quebec in mid October saw
the club drop five of the next seven outings.
When October was over, Moncton was second
in the Maritime Division at 10-7-0-0 and five
points behind the Saint John Sea Dogs.
With key snipers Lalonde and Tkachev out of
the lineup due to injuries, by early November
head coach Darren Rumble formed a new line
with Johnson at center, Barbashev at right
wing and Garland at left wing. The impact
was immediate.
Throughout November and December,
the Wildcats were 14-5-0-0 and the duo of
Barbashev and Garland terrorized opposing
goaltenders. New career highs in points were
reached by many players with two weeks
remaining in the season. Sweeney had 46
points and Johnson’s 38 points surpassed his
previous two seasons combined.
``I was told to focus on the offensive part
of my game over the summer,’’ said Johnson,
who returned to the lineup in mid February
after missing almost 10 weeks with an injury.
``So, I shot a lot of pucks during the summer
and it has reflected in my game.’’
Moncton also made a series of deals before
the trade deadline, sending captain Christophe
Lalonde and Mathieu Olivier to the Shawinigan
Cataractes and Vladimir Tkachev to the Quebec
Remparts. The Wildcats acquired veteran for-
wards Taylor Burke from Quebec, Noah Zilbert
from the Gatineau Olympiques and Bronson
Beaton from the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.
``I think when we made the trades for
Beaton, Zilbert and Burke that made our
team official,’’ said Wildcats goaltender Alex
Dubeau. ``(Director of hockey operations)
Roger Shannon and coach Rumble made it
clear that in order for us to be successful we
needed to have the right team chemistry to
go far in the playoffs. I really believe we have
that now. We want to win every game and we
believe we can win every night.’’
Moncton took over sole possession of first
place in the Maritime Division on Dec. 18 and
never relinquished it. The Wildcats continued
to roll through the competition throughout
January and February, stringing together a
series of victories that included a three-game,
four-day sweep in Baie-Comeau, Chicoutimi
and Victoriaville.
Garland amassed nine points on that im-
pressive three-game trip. What’s more, he was
named first star in each of
these outings.
``Every win
is exciting for
this team,’’
said Wildcats
director of
hockey oper-
ations Roger
Shannon. ``I
think part of
our success is
that the guys
are enjoying it
so much. I don’t think there is any pressure
on our guys because no one expected us to
be where we are right now in the standings.’’
March has been filled with highlights for
Moncton. The team claimed the fourth division
title in franchise history, guaranteeing it a
top three finish in the overall league. Dubeau
established a record for career wins by a Wild-
cats goaltender. Garland, who was poised to
win the league scoring title, set a record for
most points in a season by a Wildcats player.
It truly has been a great season and more
excitement is on the horizon with the playoffs.
Reserve your playoff tickets today by calling
the ticket office at 506-382-5555 and watch
the Wildcats do #WhateverItTakes.
ROGER WHITE
MONCTON WILDCATS, PLAy By PLAy ANNOuNCER