The Atlantic portion of the QMJHL Cup ends with a Team Nova Scotia win
Nova Scotia withstood a late surge from New Brunswick to skate away with a 4-3 victory and win a second consecutive QMJHL Cup at the UNIplex Centre in Dieppe, New Brunswick.
The Atlantic leg of the 2025 QMJHL Cup ended with a much-anticipated matchup between the same two finalist teams from last year. Although Evan Sercerchi made things interesting by hitting the mesh with less than three minutes remaining in the third period, the Nova Scotians’ blue wall held firm.
Phenwick MacLean, Calvin Carver, Charlie MacLeod and Ewan White found the back of the net for the winners, while winger River Welsh picked up two assists. In New Brunswick’s losing effort, Alexandre Caissie and Brayden Waterhouse joined Sercerchi as the team’s goal scorers.
Nova Scotia opened the scoring when MacLean capitalized after just 19 seconds of play. Carver then doubled his team’s lead when he found the back of the net after 4:40 of play in the first period.
In the middle frame, it was New Brunswick’s turn to score twice. Caissie scored first on the power play at 16:32, before Waterhouse made it 2-2 with five seconds left in the second period.
MacLeod and White then made it 4-2 for Nova Scotia in the first half of the third, before seeing Sercerchi cut their lead to a single goal at 17:06. Between the pipes, goaltender Sam Berthiaume was credited with the win, while Dax Robichaud found himself with the loss.
Proud staff members and players
At the end of the final, the champion team’s coach, Kyle MacLennan, mentioned how proud he was of his players’ work throughout the tournament.
“This is a very competitive group of guys. It’s an event they’ve had circled on their calendar for several months already,” points out the man who usually coaches Pictou’s U18 AAA team.
“We didn’t get off to the best possible start, but we improved with each game. Before the final, we told the players: this might be the last time you’ll wear the Nova Scotia colors. Do things the right way and finish on a high note.”
The blue squad’s coach believes that the tournament’s high level of competition enabled the young men to progress.
“This kind of game teaches them how to deal with pressure. We’re all good when the stakes aren’t too high, but it’s a very different game that’s played in such a tough competition,” he says.
“The New Brunswick team scored a late goal to reduce our lead to 4-3, and the pressure was on my players to resist. But that’s how it is in life, you have to find a way to get through situations like that.”
Player of the Game for the winning team, River Welsh, was smiling broadly after the victory.
“This win means everything to me. We worked so hard to get to this point. I’m proud of the way we represented our province. It’s something very special for us,” says the 15-year-old prospect.
“I think we worked hard and wanted to win a little more than they did. New Brunswick played a very good game, but we never gave up. Personally, I wanted to show the scouts that I can compete, and that I hate to lose.”
For the home team, the disappointment was obvious after a second straight defeat in the final against the Nova Scotians.
“This game meant a lot to my players,” said head coach Francis Rochon. “Since the first day, we’d been telling them that we wanted to win the tournament. We were fed up with losing to them in the final. Unfortunately, the result didn’t go our way.”
The presence of numerous scouts made the experience even more enriching for the young players, he believes.
“We told them to keep their concentration on the ice. You know there are people watching you play, and there are a lot of distractions. I think they learned a lot with this big tournament.”
The bench boss of the Northern Moose in the NBPEIMU18HL said he was delighted with his group’s effort throughout the competition.
“They executed the game plan and everything we’ve asked of them since summer camp. We couldn’t have asked for more. We had a really good group of guys.”
The host team’s Player of the Gatch, Dimitri Bélanger, also spoke of an experience he’ll never forget.
“It’s a great honor for me, but I have to give credit to my teammates as well. This kind of tournament allows us to develop as players. As a team, we came together really well, and it was a great experience overall,” explains the one who usually suits up for the Moncton Flyers.
“It was a great chance to show the scouts and coaches what we could bring to their team and our value as players. I think I showed that I can play in all kinds of different [game] situations.”
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GATORADE TEAM OF THE TOURNAMENT
(PHOTOS: Daniel St-Louis)
