Halifax Mooseheads set for playoff battle against rival Charlottetown

The Halifax Mooseheads had a big win off the ice Thursday when it was announced the 2019 Memorial Cup tournament would be played in Halifax.

Tonightthe team is hoping for a big win on home ice as the second round of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey Leagueplayoffs will see the Mooseheads up against Maritimes Division rival Charlottetown Islanders.

Halifax goes into the series with more rest. It's been a week since they eliminated Baie-Comeau in five games in Round 1. The Islanders went seven games in their back-and-forth series against the Quebec Remparts, whichwrapped up Tuesday night in Quebec City.

One of the best players for the Islandersin that series was goaltender Matt Welsh of Halifax. Charlottetown's MVP in the regular season knows he will need to play well against his hometown team.

"It's going to be really exciting because I always enjoy playing in Halifax, but this is a bigger stage because it's playoffs," said Welsh, a finalist for the Marcel Robert award forQMJHLScholastic Player of the Year.

"We know the crowd is going to be huge and loud but we also know it's going to be that way when we head back to theEastlinkCentre too."

Welsh will likely have a busy series. Halifax has a very deep offence led by snipers Filip Zadina, Max Fortier, Otto Somppi, Raphael Lavoie, Arnaud Durandeau and Benoit-Olivier Groulx.

They also have a good compliment of physical players in their lineup.

"We're ready and really excited to get it underway," said forward Connor Moynihan, who is in his fifth and final season of junior hockey with the Mooseheads.

"We've been pouring over a lot of video trying to find their weaknesses and we'll have to match their work ethic because they are a hard working team."

Game 2 will be played in Halifax Saturday night.

The series will shift back to Charlottetown for games three and four Tuesday and Wednesday.

Only four teams will survive the second round of the QMJHLplayoffs, which features four teams from the Maritimes Division.

Other series starting tonight will have Moncton playing at Blainville-Boisbriand, Acadie-Bathurst hosting Sherbrooke, and in an all-Quebec series Victoriaville will play Drummondville, a team coached by former Mooseheads bench boss Dominique Ducharme.