Halifax will look to make things tough against a loaded Chicoutimi side.
A battle in the Eastern conference sees two teams with differing expectations facing off in the 2v7 battle.
To put it simply, Chicoutimi has gone all in this year, and are hoping to win some silverware at the end of it. Halifax is building a project for a couple of years down the road.
Despite a 39-point, 20-win gap in the standings, the Mooseheads have pulled big comebacks before. The Saguenéens may be favoured, but they'll have to respect their opposition and keep on their toes.
Halifax's Liam Kilfoil and Chicoutimi's Mavrick Lachance line up for a faceoff in a January 15 meeting. (Photo: Trevor MacMillan)What to expect from Chicoutimi
When you hear the phrase "all in," you hear the mentality of the 2025-26 Sags.
Already stacked with talent such as Jean-Béliveau Trophy winner Maxim Masse, Thomas Desruisseaux, Emile Guite, Alex Huang, Emmanuel Vermette, Nathan Lecompte and more, they decided to load up even more during the holiday trade period.
That entered Lucas Beckman in goal, Tomas Lavoie and Jordan Tourigny on the blue line, and Mavrick Lachance and Liam Lefebvre up front, to create one of the most stacked rosters in the entire CHL.
They just obliterated teams down the stretch, including a five-game stretch where they outscored their opponents 54-6 at the start of March.
But, they couldn't keep pace with the Moncton Wildcats, and despite a 103-point campaign have to settle for the second seed in the East.
That leads them into this series. Expect Chicoutimi to come out firing to try and keep up their dominant form as the playoffs begin.
What to expect from Halifax
The Halifax Mooseheads are a fairly young team. Led by rookies Oleg Kulebiakin, Jasu Mensonen, Malik L'Italien and Nicolas Graham-Cirka, this is a group with a lot of promise for the coming years.
For now, though, it's a group that doesn't have too much hope heading into the postseason. Some veterans like Shawn Carrier, Quinn Kennedy, Liam Kilfoil and Carlos Handel give them a solid base, but they got a very tough draw with falling into the seventh seed and having to play the powerhouse Sags.
This is a .500 team that has some upside, but doesn't stick out at one particular thing that could lead them to beating Chicoutimi.
Maybe, they can channel the 2024-25 Halifax magic to score another upset.
Schedule
Game one: Friday, March 27, 7:00 PM EDT @ Chicoutimi
Game two: Saturday, March 28, 7:00 PM EDT @ Chicoutimi
Game three: Tuesday, March 31, 6:00 PM EDT @ Halifax
Game four: Wednesday, April 1, 6:00 PM EDT @ Halifax
Game five*: Friday, April 3, 6:00 PM EDT @ Halifax
Game six*: Monday, April 6, 7:00 PM EDT @ Chicoutimi
Game seven*: Tuesday, April 7, 7:00 PM EDT @ Chicoutimi
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