"We broke the season into four parts," he said. "You go through training camp and do your evaluations. Part 2 is the regular season. Part 3 is the playoffs and the experiences you go through finding out how people react to the pressure of big games. This is all a big rehearsal for Part 4 which is the big show in May."
Moncton finished first overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League during the regular season and it established 21 franchise records. This was the best club defensively, the second best offensively and it led the Canadian Hockey League with 107 points.
The Wildcats completed the schedule on a six-game winning streak and they're No. 1 in the final CHL rankings. They outscored opponents 345-184, a differential of 161 that was the biggest spread in the CHL.
"To me, the most exciting part about the playoffs is that it's almost like waking up today," said Nolan. "It's a new fresh lease on life and that's what's so neat for me. You play hard throughout the regular season in order to prepare for the playoffs.
"The slate is wiped clean and everybody starts fresh now. We can be proud of what we accomplished in the regular season, but at the same time we have to forget about it. There's going to be big challenges ahead and we have to focus our attention on right now."
Moncton is guaranteed a berth as host team in the 2006 Memorial Cup, which takes place from May 19-28 at the Moncton Coliseum. The field will be rounded out by a second QMJHL representative and the champions of the Ontario Hockey League and Western Hockey League.
The Wildcats face the Victoriaville Tigres in the opening round of the playoffs, a best-of-seven series that begins with games tomorrow and Saturday in Victoriaville.
This column takes a look at the matchups and gives predictions for the opening round of the QMJHL playoffs. I correctly forecasted 11 of the 12 playoff series winners in each of the past two seasons.
And here's a look back at how I did in my predictions for the regular season:
Eastern Division
Predicted standings - 1. Moncton; 2. Acadie-Bathurst; 3. Cape Breton; 4. Lewiston; 5. Halifax; 6. Saint John; 7. St. John's; 8. Prince Edward Island.
Reality - 1. Moncton; 2. Acadie-Bathurst; 3. Cape Breton; 4. Lewiston; 5. Halifax, 6. St. John's; 7. Prince Edward Island; 8. Saint John.
Western Division
Predicted standings - 1. Chicoutimi; 2. Drummondville; 3. Shawinigan; 4. Quebec; 5. Val d'Or; 6. Victoriaville; 7. Baie-Comeau; 8. Rouyn-Noranda; 9. Gatineau; 10. Rimouski.
Reality - 1. Quebec; 2. Chicoutimi; 3. Rouyn-Noranda; 4. Gatineau; 5. Drummondville; 6. Shawinigan; 7. Baie-Comeau; 8. Val d'Or; 9. Victoriaville; 10. Rimouski.
The playoffs begin tonight with the Quebec Remparts hosting the Val d'Or Foreurs and the other seven series all open tomorrow. Here's a look at each of these matchups:
Eastern Division
Moncton (No. 1) vs. Victoriaville Tigres (No.
Moncton (52-15-0-3 for 107 points) won 6-4 and 4-0 in the only meetings between these clubs. Victoriaville (26-42-1-1 for 54 points) finished ninth in the Western Division and crossed over to become the eighth seed in the Eastern Division for the playoffs.
The only way to analyze this series is to say it's a huge mismatch. (Prediction: Moncton 4-0).
Acadie-Bathurst Titan (No. 2) vs. P.E.I. Rocket (No. 7)
Acadie-Bathurst (43-19-3-5 for 94 points) finished fourth overall in the league and it's 8-3-0-0 since John Chabot took over as head coach. P.E.I. (25-38-4-3 for 57 points) showed improvement at 14-15-2-3 in the post-Christmas portion of the schedule.
The Titan missed the playoffs the past two seasons and the Rocket missed the playoffs last season. The Titan are an upper echelon club and the Rocket are not. So, why were the Rocket 4-2-0-0 in the season series between these clubs? There are some who believe this series is a possible upset, but not me. Reality will set in. (Prediction: Acadie-Bathurst 4-1)
Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (No. 3) vs. St. John's Fog Devils (No. 6)
Cape Breton (40-23-3-4 for 87 points) was third best defensively, it boasts arguably the best goaltender in the league in Ondrej Pavelec and it's a darkhorse team to watch out for. St. John's (30-34-5-1 for 66 points) is very respectable for an expansion team and it's shown steady progress.
This series has a 2-3-2 format - two games in Sydney, then three in St. John's and two more in Sydney. It could be interesting if the Fog Devils split the first two games on the road given their 25-8-1-1 home record. They split their season series with four wins apiece, the home team always emerging victorious. (Prediction: Cape Breton 4-2).
Lewiston MAINEiacs (No. 4) vs. Halifax Mooseheads (No. 5)
Lewiston (36-23-3-8 for 83 points) finished the season on a four-game winning streak while injury-riddled Halifax (35-33-1-1 for 72 points) ended with seven consecutive losses. They split their season series with three wins apiece. The MAINEiacs are stronger on the blueline and that should show in this series. (Prediction: Lewiston 4-2).
Western Division
Quebec Remparts (No. 1) vs. Val d'Or Foreurs (No.
Quebec (52-16-1-1 for 106 points) swept the four-game season series against Val d'Or (28-39-1-2 for 59 points). Remparts part-owner and general manager Patrick Roy took over as head coach six games into the season after firing Eric Lavigne. Lavigne is now Val d'Or's head coach.
This sidebar is the only thing that's interesting about this mismatch. (Prediction: Quebec 4-0).
Chicoutimi Sagueneens (No. 2) vs. Baie-Comeau Drakkar (No. 7)
Chicoutimi (51-15-2-2 for 106 points) was 8-2-0-0 in the season series against Baie-Comeau (30-38-2-0 for 62 points). It's always a great rivalry with heated games when they hook up, but the Sagueneens are simply too strong and they're the hottest club in the league by finishing the season on a nine-game winning streak. (Prediction: Chicoutimi 4-1).
Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (No. 3) vs. Shawinigan Cataractes (No. 6)
Rouyn-Noranda (43-22-2-3 for 91 points) was 5-1-0-0 in the season series against Shawinigan (37-28-3-2 for 79 points). Cataractes goaltender Julien Ellis has been criticized for coming up short in big games. It's time for him to spearhead an upset. (Prediction: Shawinigan 4-2).
Gatineau Olympiques (No. 4) vs. Drummondville Voltigeurs (No. 5)
Drummondville (37-28-3-2 for 79 points) was 5-3-0-0 in the season series against Gatineau (40-23-4-3 for 87 points). The talented Voltigeurs won 15 of their last 18 games and have the potential to be a contender. (Prediction: Drummondville 4-2).
