Cataractes taking shape as MasterCard Memorial Cup hosts
By Aaron Bell
The Shawinigan Cataractes went into the final QMJHL trade period last month as a team on the rise and that as the host team, they would be playing in the 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup when the national championship tournament opens on May 17.
Despite already having that guaranteed berth, the Cataractes went out and picked up three veteran defencemen after Christmas that has shored up their blueline and turned them into a bona-fide championship contender in the QMJHL.
Cataractes GM Martin Mondou first added Jonathan Narbonne from the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and then went out and picked up Morgan Ellis from the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and finally Team Canada standout Brandon Gormley from the Moncton Wildcats.
“To be honest, we started building three years ago after our loss in Game 7 of the President’s Cup,” Mondou told the Halifax Chronicle-Herald. “We had a plan and we said we were going to bid for the (Memorial) Cup in 2012 knowing that it was probably the last time we could afford it.
“For us, we made offers that we weren’t going to make if we didn’t have the (Memorial) Cup. I wouldn’t manage the team like this if we weren’t hosting. It has never been my way of managing in the five years I’ve been here. But, at the same time, it’s such an important season and we will do what we need to do to have a good team.”
Gormley and Ellis have anchored the Cataractes powerplay unit since their arrival and have helped the team jump up to second place in the QMJHL standings and a fifth place ranking in the BMO CHL Top-10 Rankings this week.
Ellis has scored five goals and 17 points in 17 games since joining the Cataractes in December while Gormley has chipped in with five assists in nine games since returning from the World Juniors early in the New Year.
Gormley said that he was already familiar with Ellis and that connection has made the transition to his new team much easier.
“We’re both from P.E.I. and growing up we played against each other and with each other,” Gormley told the PEI Guardian after a game against the Rocket in January. “He’s made the transition very easy.”
The 19-year-old Ellis was the captain of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles but welcomed the trade, which gave him the opportunity to play in the Memorial Cup for the first time.
“You want to go to a team that can win and luckily I went to Shawinigan,” Ellis said. “They’re (hosting) the Memorial Cup so it’s going to be a great opportunity for me. They’ve got a great team and it’s a great organization and I’m looking forward to it.”
“Everyone wants to go to the Memorial Cup. It’s one of the hardest tournaments to win and a lot of great players don’t get the opportunity to play in it. It’s a big privilege for me.”
The Cataractes have just one regulation time loss in their past 10 games and trail the first place Saint John Sea Dogs by just one point in the QMJHL standings with four weeks remaining in the regular season.