The Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL are heading into two important home games this week after tying the Quebec Remparts 1-1 in the league finals. After being overwhelmed 5-1 in Game 1 in Quebec City, the Mooseheads bounced back to demonstrate their resilience yet again. This was a pattern observed in both their previous rounds of play when they had lost their first game, but then rallied in the second game to come out strong. In the last round, they had been overwhelmed by a 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Sherbrooke Phoenix, only to bounce back and win 3-2 in overtime in the next game.
The Mooseheads will be back in friendly territory in the upcoming home games, grateful to leave behind the rather intimidating sold-out 18,259-seat Videotron Centre in Quebec City. The Mooseheads look forward to the vocal and supportive Scotiabank Centre welcome for their pivotal set of games in this series. Mooseheads winger Alex Doucet said, “We have a great arena with a lot of fans – they’re loud and we love playing in Halifax.” The Remparts will be in for a tough time as they face an extremely motivated Mooseheads team in their home arena.
The Mooseheads cannot wait for the next two home games, and neither can their fans. Doucet added that “We know it’s going to be a lot of fun in the next two games in Halifax.” Mooseheads rally behind their team in their vocal and passionate support. The Mooseheads will need more of such support to help them overcome a talented Remparts team.
The key injury status of some Mooseheads players, namely Jordan Dumais and David Moravec, remains uncertain. Dumais has been out of the game since being injured in Game 2 of the third round, while Moravec left a previous game in Quebec City after being hit awkwardly into the end boards. Despite Russell’s report of Dumais being close to returning, room for optimism remains, and both cases will still require wait-and-see situations.
Mooseheads winger Zachary L’Heureux has led his team with robust play and more physicality in the last game against the Remparts. Making a noticeable difference in the outcome, L’Heureux and his teammates wanted to be aggressive, hit hard and be in the Remparts players’ faces. Doucet noted that despite the increased physicality in the game, the intensity is always up from the previous game in any series.
The Remparts are not fazed by their loss to the Mooseheads, their first defeat since March 7th in the regular season, maintaining confidence in their abilities. Quebec’s legendary head coach and general manager, Patrick Roy, has criticized the league’s scheduling tendencies, stating that the QMJHL is “a bit like dinosaurs as a league” for sticking to playing on back-to-back nights. He believes that there should be a day off built into each team’s set of home dates for better gameplay. Despite his suggestions, the schedule will remain unchanged for now.
In conclusion, the Mooseheads are riding on their experiences to help them find conviction and calm in their upcoming pivotal home games against the talented Remparts team. They are looking forward to the passionate support of their fans and hope to make the most of it. Though plagued by injuries, the Mooseheads are still able to rely on their resilience. The Remparts remain confident despite their first loss in a while and affirm their ability to stick to their style of play regardless of any opponent’s strategy.
