Fans in both Saint John and Moncton are celebrating, as their teams continue on to the third round of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs. However, for another Maritime team it was a disappointing end to a season.

Winning in the playoffs has been a challenge for the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, who have only made it to the semi-finals in three of their 19 seasons.

“It's more than frustrating,” says Todd Riley, Eagles fan. “I think if you talk to a lot of the people around here would say the same thing. They love their Eagles, I love the Eagles, but at the end of the day it comes down to one thing and that's winning.”

After leading their series against the Saint John Sea Dogs 3-2, the Eagles failed to capitalize on home ice advantage in game six and then suffered a 6-2 defeat in game seven at Harbour Station in Saint John.

Many Cape Breton fans had believed this was the year their team would go deep into the playoffs, with what many considered to be the top line in the Canadian Hockey League.

Pierre Luc Dubois ranked first among North American skaters for the National Hockey League’s June draft. Skating alongside Dubois was the highly-touted Russian Maxim Lazarev and Detroit Red Wings prospect Evgeny Svechnikov.

“Everybody kept saying this is our year, this is our year. I think this could have been,” says Cyril MacDonald, Eagles fan. “They could have went further, could have gone all the way. Who knows, they could have won a Memorial Cup.”

The team’s early exit from the playoffs has left some fans calling for change.

“I'm not a big fan of wearing two hats, coaching and being GM,” says Riley, “I've seen the success in Halifax with Ducharme and Russell, you see it in the Saint John model and the model with Moncton, those guys are continuously competing.”

Team sponsors are also starving for success. Jim MacDonald has been advertising with the team since day-one and will continue to do so, but says a new plan needs to be put in place.

“For me it's not just about what happen in this playoff series, it's what’s happened the last 19 years,” says MacDonald. “We haven't had success. A team like Saint John has got a Memorial Cup, two President Cup wins and I think we should be better than that.”

With Saint John and Moncton still on the road to the President's Cup, Cape Breton fans can only hope next year will be their turn.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Kyle Moore