Wildcats Squander Two Goal Leads, But Come Out On Top In Exhibition Play

The Acadie Bathurst Titan were able to erase 2-0 and 3-1 deficits, but in the end it was the Moncton Wildcats who finished on top. The Wildcats used a empty net goal by Karl Blain with exactly one minute remaining on the clock to seal the win for the home team.

The Wildcats held the advantage in the first period, outshooting the Titan 14-11. It was Julien Tremblay who got the Cats on the board first to make it 1-0 at 5:34. Matthew Bissonnette and Jordan Lane got the assists. It was a powerplay goal. The Cats then went up 2-0 at 18:09. Andrew Roski gets his first goal of this exhibition season. Karl Blain was awarded the assist. Before the period was up though, Bathurst cut the lead to one when Mathieu Jean-Bouliane got the puck past Louis Domingue. The score was 2-1 after 20 minutes.

Bathurst held the edge in play in the second period, outshooting the Wildcats 15-7. But it was Moncton getting on the board at 5:56 on the powerplay. Patrick Downe was able to beat Titan netminder Frederic Piche, with Andrew Roski and Brandon Gormley assisting on the goal. The Titan would come back and score two goals in under two minutes. Jordan Bernier got his first goal at 8:42 and then Vincent Arseneau tied up the game at 10:07. Arseneau's goal was on the powerplay.

Bathurst took its first lead of the night when Jonathan Lessard scored a powerplay goal 5:12 into the final frame. Their lead wouldn't last long though. Guy Carteciano drew the Cats even at 9:13. Michael Sicilia and Jordan Lane drew the assists. Moncton then went back on top for good at 12:44 on an unassisted goal by Julien Tremblay. It was Tremblay's second goal of the night. Moncton then sealed the win with an empty netter in the final moments of play. The Titan outshot the Cats 16-9 in the final 20 minutes.

And it just wouldn't be an exhibition games without a little bit of fisticuffs. The anticipated bout of Jordan Lane and Marshall Worden wasn't much of a tilt. Lane had a hard time keeping his balance, which hampered him from really being able to get any quality shots in. The other tilt between Andrew Roski and Jeremy Martin had a little more fireworks. Both players got some decent shots in.

Each team split goaltending duties. Louis Domingue started, while Wendell Vye came in for the second half of the game. While Bathurst started Frederic Piche and replaced him half way through the game with Guillaume Nadeau.

Final shots on goal :
Bathurst - 11 + 15 + 16 = 42
Moncton - 14 + 7 + 9 = 30

Three Stars:
1 - Moncton - Julien Tremblay
2 - Bathurst - Jordan Bernier
3 - Moncton - Andrew Roski

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Moncton returns to exhibition action tomorrow ( Monday ) night when they travel to Bathurst to take on the Titan.

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My general thoughts on the game and on players . .

It was a scrambly game, but that's to be expected in these rookies first game. I thought the line of Bissonnette, Roski and Tremblay were really good. I thought they played really well together. This line got half of the goals. I'd really like to see Roski stick. He's got some skill and he's also the type that can be a bit of an agitator.

I thought Gormley had a good game. I don't think he really looks out of place. He has a decent shot when he can get it off.

Dimitruk also played well I thought. I think you could see him in the top 4 D by the end of the season.

Lane . . I was really anxious to see this kid play. I was kind of disappointed. He's a very slow skater. Kind of looked awkward. When it came to the fight, his balance didn't really help him. I'd love to have someone of his size on the team, but from what I've seen, he doesn't really bring anything to the table.

I think O'Brien may have a shot at breaking the lineup. I seem to notice him a lot out there.

My First Taste of Training Camp . .

Got a chance to take in some training camp on Saturday night. I attended the Red vs White scrimmage. It was my first look at the players in camp.

Here are a few of my comments on some of the players, as I posted on the  QMJHL Atlantic Division forum .

Team White

Dimitruk - Looked like a veteran out there. Really wish this kid could've been here last year. Makes good decisions out there.

Bell - Big kid. Looked good out there. Could sure use his size.

O'Brien - Hit the scoresheet a few times. 

Sill - No real comment on his play, just looking forward to seeing him as captain.

MacAusland - Looked good there. He seemed to control the play at times. Looking forward to seeing what he can do this year, if he's healthy.

Domingue - He's a big kid. Played real well. I think he'll be the guy to back up Riopel.

Team Red

Gormley - I don't think he played too bad. He needs to bulk up some and fill out. Interested to see what he developes into.

Biduke - The guys looking good. He's dropped 15 pounds they say.. it could be more. He's dropped weight and he's a bit faster. With the shape he's in and his touch around the net, I hope he can produce 30-40 goals.

Bissonnette - He had some good shifts. Might not make this squad, but he will be a part of the Wildcats in the future.

Barberio - His skating has improved and I just love watching this kid. And he's still only 18!

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No cuts have been made official yet, however, it's been said over on the  QMJHL Atlantic Division Forum  that 5 cuts were made after last night's scrimmage. No names are known. Also, it's been said that Matt Irving has left camp.

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The Wildcats will host the Acadie Bathurst Titan at the 4plex tonight in preseason action. The Wildcats will be using a full rookie roster, while it looks like Bathurst will be doing pretty much the same. This is the tentative roster that Bathurst will be going with tonight . .

Goaltenders

Guillaume Nadeau 

Frédéric Piché

Defence

Marc-André Dupuis
Keven Levesque
Mitchell Kerr
Samuel Lachance
Jeremy Martin
Grégoire Arsenault

Forwards

Jonathan Lessard
Jordan Bernier
Mathieu Jean-Boulianne
Vincent Arseneau
Jérémie Malouin
Kevin Talbot
Mark DiCarlo
Gabriel Côté
Andrew Widdington
Francis Hevey
Marshall Worden
Joseph Moffa

I'll be attending the game and there will be a game recap to follow.

Wildcats Add Two More Free Agents

The Wildcats have added two more free agents to their training camp roster.  The club has signed goaltender Rob Kidd (18) and forward Michael Sicilia (17) to free agent tryouts. Both played Midget AAA in Toronto last season. Each club may invite 20 free agents to camp. The Cats currently have 14.

In other news, it has been confirmed that Yasin Cisse will not be attending camp. Also, defenceman Matt Furlotte and forward Brett Frazee will both not be attending. Furlotte will be undergoing surgery soon and will be out most of the season. Frazee plans on playing Junior A in Truro this season. 

The Wildcats open camp on Friday. There will be scrimmages from 9am-11am and again from 6:30pm-8:30pm.

The New Season is Fast Approaching!

The Wildcats will be looking to turn things around in the 2008-2009 season after a year that seen them struggle and miss the playoffs. The Cats have a good core of players returning from last season, along with some new faces that were acquired in the draft.

The schedule for training camp is not yet out, however I have posted the exhibition game schedule. Once I know the schedule of events for camp, I will post it.

Meanwhile, for season ticket holders.. tickets are available for pick up August 28 & 29 from 10am - 8pm and again on August 30 from 10am - 1pm. Tickets can be picked up in the Coliseum lobby in front of the Wildcats office.

For more information on your Moncton Wildcats, check out  http://www.moncton-wildcats.com/ .