Balance has paved way for Wildcats' success
Published Friday November 21st, 2008
Moncton Wildcats goaltender Nicola Riopel has the best goals-against average (1.75), best save percentage (.940) and most wins (16-2) in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
He's the only member of the Wildcats who really stands out when it comes to the league's individual statistical categories. Honorable mention goes to Matt Eagles who's tied for ninth in the scoring race, Sasha Famin who's tied for ninth in rookie scoring and Mark Barberio who's tied for ninth in defencemen scoring.
Moncton, No. 3 in the Canadian Hockey League rankings, doesn't have a proven 50-goal scorer or a proven 100-point producer. Nobody that can kill you, but lots of guys that can hurt you is a good description of this well-balanced club which sits second overall in the QMJHL at 18-2-2-0.
"We knew from the beginning that we were going to have to win with a solid team effort because we probably didn't have that one game-breaker type of guy,'' said Wildcats head coach Danny Flynn, whose club faces the Acadie-Bathurst Titan tonight at 7 p.m. at the Moncton Coliseum.
"You can still be a very successful team if you get good balanced scoring and you have a good two-way effort. By and large, that's what we've received from our group. We've been a good hard-working, two-way team with lots of pride in our defensive zone play and we've relied on scoring by committee.''
Moncton and Acadie-Bathurst are both looking to snap a two-game losing streak tonight. The Titan, 10-11-4-2, are fourth in the Atlantic Division and they've played their last four games on the road, earning four of a possible eight points.
The Wildcats posted a 7-2 road win in their only game against the Titan.
"They're coming off a pretty solid road trip,'' said Flynn. "They've got a real solid blueline and perhaps their team is not getting the attention they deserve. They have a very good base of young players and a good blend of veterans.
"(Head coach) Ron Choules does a very good job with that team. We have a good rivalry with Bathurst. Every game against them is always a battle.''
Moncton is at the one-third mark of the regular season and it's off to a sensational start, earning 38 of a possible 44 points. The club is coming off a 1-2-0-0 road trip -- a 4-3 shootout win over the Quebec Remparts followed by 3-2 losses to the Drummondville Voltigeurs and Montreal Juniors.
The Wildcats established franchise records for best start to a season with points in the first 20 games and most consecutive road wins with 10.
The Wildcats have five players currently on pace for 20 goals: Matt Eagles (46), Scott Brannon (37), Sasha Famin (28), Matt Brown (22) and Ted Stephens (22). They have six players now on pace for 50 points: Eagles (99), Brannon (62), Mark Barberio (55), Pierre-Marc Lessard (55), Randy Cameron (55) and Stephens (53).
"Each of our lines has led the way offensively on different nights,'' said Flynn. "I think that's created some good chemistry on our team and everybody knows they have to be part of the team's success. It also makes it tougher for opponents to try to match lines or focus on one line in particular.
"This is a balanced team and a younger team that we're hoping will continue to improve as the season goes along. We have 10 guys in their first season in major junior and two of our veterans are 17 years old. That's why I think we have a lot of room for growth as a team.
"I think if a 50-goal scorer fell out of the sky we would find a way to pad his landing here in Moncton. I think down the road a couple of these guys have potential to score 40-plus goals, but right now with the team that we have it's going to be scoring by committee and needing everyone ready to go every game.''
It would be an extremely tall order for Moncton to maintain the same torrid pace over the final two-thirds of the regular season. Next to impossible really.
But here's some food for thought:
The Wildcats are currently on pace to set single-season franchise records for most points with 117 (107 in 2005-06), most wins with 56 (52 in 2005-06), fewest losses with 12 (18 in 2005-06) and fewest goals against with 133 (175 in 2004-05).
Nicola Riopel is currently on pace to set single-season franchise records for best goals-against average at 1.75, most wins with 49 and most shutouts with nine. Corey Crawford had a 2.47 average in 2004-05 and 35 wins in 2003-04. Crawford in 2004-05 and Simon Lajeunesse in 1999-2000 had six shutouts.
Moncton is third best offensively (4.13 goals per game) and best defensively (1.92 goals-against average) in the QMJHL. What can the club do for an encore after a sensational opening one-third of the regular season?
"I think we have to continue to work on our overall game and make sure we're ready to go for 60 minutes,'' said Flynn. "We have a good group of competitors and we know there's certainly areas of our game that need to get better.
"I think as a team we have to continue working on our five-on-five game. We have to try to generate more scoring chances off good transition and off a persistent forecheck. All our opponents are bringing their 'A' game against us so we have to be ready to meet the challenge.''
Cat Tracks
n The Wildcats will have goaltender Louis Domingue, defenceman Brandon Gormley and forward Matthew Bissonnette back for tonight's game. Domingue and Bissonnette were away this week at Team Quebec's selection camp for the 2009 World Under-17 Hockey Championship. Gormley played in this week's ADT Canada-Russia Challenge.
n Wildcats defenceman Simon Jodoin will miss the next two games with a concussion and then be re-evaluated. Jeff Bell will take his spot in the lineup.
n Neil Hodge is a Times & Transcript sports reporter who covers the Moncton Wildcats.
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