'Topes Lose!, 'Topes Lose!

After being unbeaten in their last 12 home games, the Moncton Wildcats ended up on the losing end of their final round-robin game at the 2006 Memorial Cup.

The much-hyped matchup between the country top 2 junior teams, who battled fiercely in the QMJHL final, was a tense affaire after the coaches went at it in the media. Patrick Roy got under Ted Nolan's skin when the former superstar goaltender said that the Wildcats goaltender, Josh Tordjman, was "playing over his head" and that he was due to have a bad game.

Nolan took Roy to task with this reply: "He's the one who put his arms up in the air and walked out of Montreal," said Nolan. "For him to say something against a teenager, it's classless. We're going to go out (tonight) and play our game. We're not too concerned about what Patrick Roy is saying."

Even with the unconditional support of their coach, the Wildcats were still not able to beat the Remparts and, as a result, they will have to play a semi-final game against either Peterborough or Vancouver before they get another crack at Roy and his Remparts in Sunday's final.

In the past, it was almost guaranteed that the team getting the bye straight to the final would end up winning the Cup. This year, tournament organizers have added an extra day between the semi-final and the final.

This is a significant change that, hopefully, will help the Wildcats.