Wildcats win QMJHL championship !
MONCTON, Sunday, May 14, 2006 (QMJHL) – With a 3-2 win tonight over the Quebec Remparts, the Moncton Wildcats became the second team from the Maritimes to win the President Cup Trophy, after the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in 1999. The 6th game of this Final series was played in front of 6900 spectators at the Moncton Coliseum.
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Michal Sersen scored early in the first period to give the Remparts a 1-0 lead. Wildcats forward Jérôme Samson tied the game up with his sixth of the playoffs a few minutes later.
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A high intensity second period ensued as both teams skated up and down the ice at a frantic pace. The Wildcats scored with 1:02 remaining in the second period, having previously been disallowed two goals, the first was negated due to a high stick, while the second was pushed behind the red line with a skate.
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Midway through the third period, Martins Karsums scored to put Moncton up by two goals. Brent Aubin cut the lead to one less than one minute later, but that was all the Remparts could muster.
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Following the end of the game, forward Martins Karsums received the Guy-Lafleur Trophy as the playoffs’ most valuable player. Then, the Commissioner of the QMJHL, Gilles Courteau, presented the President Cup to Wildcats captain Christian Gaudet.
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Finally, the next step will be the Memorial Cup tournament, presented this year in Moncton. This event will start with the opening game next Friday, May 19th, when the QMJHL finalists, the Quebec Remparts, will battle the Peterborough Petes (Ontario Hockey League champions – OHL). On Saturday, the QMJHL champions and host team of the tournament, the Moncton Wildcats, will play against the Vancouver Giants (Western Hockey League Champions – WHL).