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Wildcats – the third season 1998-1999
It was the year the “Battle of New Brunswick” began. The Laval Titan had not drawn well in the Quebec City and the K.C. Irving Regional Centre in Bathurst became the team’s new home. The move set the stage for an in-province rivalry that created intensity, excitement and bragging rights as the best team in the province. Two Wildcats were selected in the NHL draft. Kensington, P.E.I. native Morgan Warren was picked by the Toronto Maple Leafs, while Jacques, (a.k.a. Killer) Larivière went to the New Jersey Devils. During the season, the Wildcats found themselves involved in a problem with European players. They drafted Dmitry Afanasenkov and Dmitri Kalinin, a first draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres. Alexi Tezikov, who had played for the Wildcats the season before, failed to gain a professional contract and returned to the Moncton line-up. The move meant one of the three Euros had to go and Afanasenkov was sent to the Sherbrooke Castors. The situation became more complicated when Tezikov negotiated a contract with the Sabres in late December and was assigned to Rochester of the American Hockey League. Réal Paiement, the coach and general manager of the Wildcats protested the move but to no avail. With Kalinin as the lone European, Moncton acquired 20 year-old Halifax native Clark Udle, to help in the stretch run and the playoffs. Sébastien Roger added two more personal records to the team’s record book counting 6 points in one game and 6 assists in another. Roger remains the third highest scorer in Wildcats history with 271 points behind Steve Bernier and Simon Laliberté. Larivière rewrote the penalty records for a Wildcat, accumulating 306 minutes in the sin-bin. Noted as the team’s tough guy, Larivière enjoyed his time in Moncton, “I had a good time playing in Moncton with the Wildcats. I tried to play a physical type of game and I still remember the good fights against Carlyle Lewis, a guy I respected a lot.” In the first round of the playoffs, the Wildcats were favored to defeat the Rimouski Oceanic, whose most talented player was P.E.I. native Brad Richards. The Oceanic surprised the Wildcats sweeping them four straight and ending the dream of an extended post season run. Team Photo
View Individual Stats
QMJHL Standings 1998-99
1998 QMJHL Entry Draft
1998 CHL Import Draft
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With playoff experience under their belt, the Wildcats launched year three with high expectations. For the first time they accomplished the goal of finishing over .500 with 38 wins, 25 losses and 5 ties. In the 14 team QM JHL, the Wildcats finished in sixth place with 81 points.
