Patrick King

The Moncton Wildcats and Saint John Sea Dogs are set to clash in a soon-to-be classic QMJHL final.

Danny Flynn chose his words carefully but there was no reason to understate the importance of this series.

Flynn's Moncton Wildcats and Gerard Gallant's Saint John Sea Dogs will determine the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League championship in the first all-Maritimes final in league history. A berth in the Memorial Cup is at stake in what will no doubt be one of the most memorable finals ever.

"It's shaping up to be maybe the biggest series in the history of hockey in New Brunswick," the Wildcats' head coach said. "There's an enormous amount of excitement in every corner of the province."

The series will feature alternating home dates, given the close proximity. The first game in each building is already sold out, needing just 90 minutes to reach that feat for Moncton's home game on Sunday.

While Flynn didn't hide the significance of the series, his adversary chose to downplay it. Saint John's head coach, Gallant, is keeping his troops grounded in advance of the highly-anticipated final and isn't getting caught up in the hype.

"There's going to be a lot at stake, but the way we look at it, we're just going to play another game," he said. "We're hoping we come out on top, but it's just another hockey game."

Provincial pride spilled over into the QMJHL the last two decades after the Maritime provinces began adopting major junior franchises. New Brunswick had previously been home to several American Hockey League franchises before the QMJHL welcomed the Maritimes with open arms. The Halifax Mooseheads became the first franchise granted to the Maritimes in 1994 and the Wildcats followed a year later.

The league expanded five years ago with teams in Saint John and St. John's, Nfld. The Fog Devils then relocated to Montreal three years later.

Both the Wildcats and Sea Dogs turned into powerhouses in recent years, but it didn't take long for rivalries to build even through the rocky first few years.

"This has been a strong rivalry from day one and this year both teams were strong and made the rivalry even more intense," Flynn said.

A Saint John-Moncton final appeared destined from the outset. The Sea Dogs were the quickest team out of the gates this season and never looked back after posting a 22-game winning-streak.

Moncton, who stopped Saint John's impressive streak on Dec. 13, struggled with consistency early. The Wildcats shifted their focus towards building a winner after the surprise addition of last year's league Most Valuable Player, Nicola Riopel at Christmas.

Saint John was criticized for a relatively quiet trade period while their arch-rivals were stocking the coffers with some big-name additions. The Sea Dogs were quiet but made some noise with the acquisition of overage goaltender Marco Cousineau during the trade period.

Cousineau backstopped the Voltigeurs to the championship a year ago and was named the Memorial Cup's Most Outstanding Goaltender. His championship-winning experience is invaluable to the Sea Dogs.

"That's the main reason why we got him with his playoff experience from last season," Gallant explained. "He's been nothing but great for us so we're very happy to get him."

While both teams possess dynamic offensive firepower, each team knows goaltending could be the determining factor in the series. Cousineau enjoyed team success while Riopel's trophy case is loading with individual accomplishments.

Riopel is on the verge of reaching four milestones for best career and single playoff save percentages and lowest goals against averages.

The Sea Dogs will have home ice in the series by virtue of winning the Atlantic Division and regular season crowns. By finishing with seven more points, the Sea Dogs not only gained home ice, but avoided a tougher trip to the final. Moncton needed to beat Cape Breton, Rouyn-Noranda and defending league champion Drummondville just to advance to the final whereas Saint John defeated P.E.I., Gatineau and Victoriaville.

"That's what you play the regular season for," Gallant said. "It was a tough schedule for them and hopefully it will catch up to them in the final."

"They're the best team we've seen this year and we've played some good teams," Flynn added.

Very little separates these two teams. The season series was split with four wins apiece, five of which were decided by one goal.

Gallant is wary of trading chances with the Wildcats who pose their most serious threat in transition.

"I think for us to be successful we have to make sure we're working hard at both ends of the rink and sometimes when we get away from that it costs us," he said. "Against Moncton, we won't get away with it like we did against other teams."

In a season where this rivalry means more than provincial pride, the two combatants will fittingly determine the league's champion and Memorial Cup participant.

"I think regardless of where you're from, you would feel the emotion of the building in this series," Flynn said. "This series will receive heavy focus not only in New Brunswick, but in all of Atlantic Canada."