BROISBRIAND, QUE. – Matthew Welsh has dreamed of playing in huge games since he was a kid.
The Charlottetown Islanders netminder will get another opportunity tonight in Boisbriand, Que.
“Game 7 are the two best words in hockey,” he said. “This is what we play for.”
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League semifinal gets going at 8 p.m. Atlantic.
The ninth-ranked Islanders and top-ranked Blainville-Boisbriand Armada have gone the distance in this heavyweight battle. Each team has landed body shots and the odd haymaker along the way, but has been unable to land the knockout blow.
“I think it’s just going to come down to who wants it more,” Welsh said. “Both teams have worked so hard and have done everything they can to (earn) their wins. . .
“Both teams deserve to win (the series), but unfortunately only one of us can.”
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The winner will advance to play an Acadie-Bathurst Titan squad, which includes Summerside native Noah Dobson and former Isles forward Mitchell Balmas, in the final.
The Islanders-Armada series has been dominated by the home team with the visitors unable to grab a win on the road. Welsh said they have been really close in the three games in Quebec and a bounce or two could make the difference tonight.
“We’re just going to go out and play our hardest, like we have all series, and see what happens,” he said.
Welsh backstopped the Islanders to a Game 7 victory in Round 1 in Quebec City and helped the Halifax McDonald’s defeat South Shore in the 2014-15 major midget semifinal in the seventh game after falling behind 3-1 in the series.
The Islanders would like to get the lead tonight, but if they don’t, stay tuned.
“I would never count us out,” Welsh said. “We bend but don’t break. We always find a way to come back. There’s a lot of resiliency in our dressing room.”
Asked where that comes from, Welsh suggested it might have something to do with the fact some players have been passed over or not being given a chance in the past.
“We have something to prove – that we’re just as good as anyone else,” he said.
