It’s not the NHL playoffs, but there is major hockey excitement in Halifax as another Q-League final gets underway.

Like the Saint John Sea Dogs for the last couple of years, the Halifax Mooseheads are representing the Maritimes in the battle for the President Cup.

The Mooseheads have been preparing for what could be an epic battle with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar this weekend.

“It’s going to be a tough series. They have a tough team,” says Jonathan Drouin. “But tonight’s going to be a really good start to the series.”

It’s also a special series for Nathan MacKinnon, who is playing against his former team.

“It feels surreal, but we definitely feel like we deserve to be here, and looking forward to the challenge,” says MacKinnon.

The Mooseheads have had a stellar season, making this the third time in franchise history the team has reached the President Cup finals.

“Everybody’s playing well every single night, so consistency is what’s helped us out,” says Cam Russell, the team’s general manager.

He says their game plan is to simply stick to the game plan.

“We want to make sure that we’re as good as we can be,” says head coach Dominique Ducharme. “We’re going to look at it, and make sure we’re better in game two and so on.”

Hockey fans flocked to the box office this week and tickets for Friday and Saturday night’s games went fast, selling out in 20 minutes.

“Me and my buddy are going to the game tonight and we have to show our support,” says fan Alex Newman. “I imagine a lot of people are going to be showing their support with the Mooseheads, so we want to be one of them.”

Die-hard fan Joe Archibald is disappointed he missed his chance to watch his team.

“I’m kind of sad that I didn’t get a ticket but happy that the support is there and I’ll be watching it online, or on Sportsnet,” he says.

Tickets are popping up on Kijiji and EBay and businesses are preparing for what’s expected to be a busy weekend in downtown Halifax.

“Since the Memorial Cup we haven’t come this close, so it’s good,” says business manager Dan Fougere. “There’s a real buzz out there. It’s good for us.”

A pre-game rally will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday by the clock tower on Citadel Hill.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Felicia Yap