Halifax Mooseheads fans will be out in full force tonight as their team looks to win the President Cup in front of a sold-out crowd.
The Mooseheads lead the best-of-seven series against the Baie-Comeau Drakkar 3-1 and, with a victory tonight, the team will win the franchise’s first ever President Cup.
“The Mooseheads have had a spectacular season,” says fan Mike Edwards. “They’ve got a better team, they play a better form of hockey than Baie-Comeau, they’re gonna win, no doubt.”
The herd took to the ice for their usual morning skate today, looking to keep things business as usual.
“You can make a mistake getting too excited, too high, players can get tight, you've got to treat it like it's a normal hockey game," says general manager Cam Russell.
“We come into every game with the same mindset, speed, hard work, getting pucks behind the defence. To be honest, there is nothing that changes from game to game that way,” says right-winger Stefan Fournier. “We really worked toward something all season and we just have to keep focused.”
While today may be all about routine and focus for the Mooseheads, the players acknowledge there is an advantage to playing at home, with 10,000 fans cheering you on.
“We have the best fans in the league. We're really excited to get going here and have this opportunity today," says left-winger Luca Ciampini. “Our fans are always there 100 per cent. They are always loud and they are always respectful of us. We feed off their energy for sure.”
Violence on the ice has been an issue throughout the series, along with accusations that officiating has been biased in favour of the Drakkar.
“We gotta control the things we can, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” says Fournier.
“It’s all behind us, we’re focusing on tonight,” says Mooseheads head coach Dominique Ducharme. “I think we are a character team. We can play in any kind of situation.”
With files from CTV Atlantic's Ron Shaw
