Round one of the playoffs for the 2025-2026 QMJHL season begins tonight for the Moncton Wildcats.
It’s the first time they’ve gone head-to-head in the playoffs with the Saint John Sea Dogs since 2010.
Wildcats General Manager Taylor MacDougall told our newsroom that it’s an exciting time of year, “We’ve got a really good opponent, and it should be very entertaining from the fans’ point of view.”
The Moncton Wildcats were ranked number one to wrap up the regular season, but MacDougall expressed that doesn’t define them in the playoffs, “You’re building throughout the season, and the stakes are a lot higher when the playoffs roll around. The standings get thrown out the window as soon as the playoffs start, so you work all year to try and start a series at home. We’re fortunate to have earned that, but we’ve got to earn everything else past that, and it starts tonight.”
Games one and two at the Avenir Centre
It’s two home games to start the series for the Moncton Wildcats. The puck drops at 7 pm on Friday and Saturday night.
MacDougall expressed that it’s pretty awesome having two New Brunswick teams playing in the opening round of playoffs, “I think it builds a lot of intrigue throughout the province, and obviously, there’s a bit of pride on the line. We want to play hard in those games.”
A lot of Wildcats fans have been following and supporting the team for many years, but that’s gaining even more momentum with the addition of Head Coach Gardiner MacDougall and his son, Taylor, as the GM.
‘Go Cats Go!’
“We’re so fortunate to have the fan base that we do. They’re extremely loyal, they’re extremely passionate, and it’s definitely something the players and the organization rally behind. We played a really big game in Charlottetown a week ago, wrapping up the regular season, and to have a full section of Moncton fans and to hear the ‘Go-Cats Go’ chants on the road, that’s pretty cool,” Macdougall conveyed.
Tickets for the playoffs are still available through Ticketmaster and at the Avenir Centre box office.
