Well, quite a statement by the Moncton Wildcats tonight at the Avenir Centre.
The CHL #2 ranked Moncton Wildcats
shut out the CHL #4 ranked Chicoutimi Sagueneens in a battle for first place in the QMJHL Eastern Conference by a score of 4-0.
Olivier Rodrique was flawless in net, making several NHL calibre saves on his way to his first shutout as a Moncton Wildcat. Offence was supplied by Jeremy McKenna and Jakob Pelletier with two goals each.
The turning point of the game was in the first two minutes of the second period, when the Wildcats killed a nearly two minute five on three advantage by Chicoutimi. The Sagueneens were playing aggressively (and borderline dirty) and the crowd was heckling the refs for a couple of missed calls. This (and a good open ice hit by Pelletier) inspired the Cats who scored two relatively quick goals to go ahead 3-0.
An outstanding game by the Wildcats - not perfect by any means, but they proved again that they can go toe to toe with the leading teams in the league, and will not be intimidated. The victory was especially sweet given the fact we were down four players.