A little adversity can go a long way, but some teams may have faced a little more adversity than they had hoped in the opening round of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs.
Those teams got some key performances in Round 1 and will look to carry over the success into their second round matchups.
Eastern Conference
Halifax Mooseheads vs. Moncton Wildcats
Head-to-head: Halifax 7-1-1
Last meeting: Halifax beat Moncton 5-3 on March 13
Halifax Player to Watch: Overage forward Keith Getson had a pair of multi-point games in the opening round and it came in the two most important games for the Memorial Cup host team. Getson scored a pair of goals as the Mooseheads avoided elimination in Game 6 against the Quebec Remparts and proceeded to score a goal and an assist in the Mooseheads’ Game 7 victory.
Moncton Player to Watch: Overage goaltender Francis Leclerc stopped 38 shots in Game 7 as the Wildcats upset the Baie-Comeau Drakkar. Leclerc finished the series with 232 saves, which included a 47-save performance in the series opener.
Rimouski Oceanic vs. Cape Breton Screaming Eagles
Head-to-head: Cape Breton 2-0-0
Last meeting: Cape Breton beat Rimouski 4-3 in overtime on Oct. 18
Rimouski Player to Watch: Dmitry Zavgorodniy (Calgary Flames) tied for the team lead in goals in Round 1 against Chicoutimi with four in four games.
Cape Breton Player to Watch: Goaltender Kevin Mandolese (Ottawa Senators) was solid in the opening round for the Screaming Eagles in a six-game series win over the Charlottetown Islanders. The netminder posted a .919 save percentage in six starts.
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Western Conference
Rouyn-Noranda Huskies vs. Victoriaville Tigres
Head-to-head: Rouyn-Noranda 4-0-0
Last meeting: Rouyn-Noranda beat Victoriaville 2-1 on Dec. 15
Rouyn-Noranda Player to Watch: Offensively-sound defenceman Noah Dobson (New York Islanders) fit in well with the high-scoring Huskies after a trade from the Acadie-Bathurst Titan and his play continued into the playoffs. His experience with the Titan in a Memorial Cup run last season is a key asset for the Huskies.
Victoriaville Player to Watch: Olivier Mathieu had the overtime winner in Game 7 to help the Tigres advance over the Val-d’Or Foreurs, but it was trade deadline acquisition Anthony Poulin who led the way offensively with five goals for Victoriaville.
Drummondville Voltigeurs vs. Sherbrooke Phoenix
Head-to-head: Drummondville 6-0-0
Last meeting: Drummondville beat Sherbrooke 4-2 on March 16
Drummondville Player to Watch: Joseph Veleno (Detroit Red Wings) had five goals for the Voltigeurs in a five-game series win over the Gatineau Olympiques in Round 1 including a pair of game winners.
Sherbrooke Player to Watch: Draft-eligible forward Samuel Poulin carried over a strong regular season offensively into Sherbrooke’s opening round win over the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. Poulin scored five times and had nine points in five opening-round games against the Armada.