The Moncton Wildcats have made the playoffs for the fifth time under Coach Daniel Lacroix.

The Wildcats have a total of 73 points and 33 wins thus far and Lacroix says the team has been playing well in his eyes with a solid first half of the season.

“We had a lot of question marks heading into the season and now with nine games to go I think the second half of the season since the trade deadline we’ve been up and down has a team and looking for some traction in different areas of our game,” said Lacroix.

“There are teams around us that are really making a strong push and really approved, and we like to measure our team against the top teams but I’m happy with the energy that our guys have shown.

“There’s a lot of games we almost had chances to give up games and I don’t think that’s happened for us, so overall I’m extremely pleased with the way we play.”

The Wildcats are currently second in the Maritimes Division behind the Halifax Mooseheads and sixth overall in the QMJHL standings.

The team has nine more games left in the regular season and Lacroix knows the first opponent will be tough because that team will make significant changes.

“When we look at the possibilities right now, there’s a lot of scenarios between teams so things can and will change heading into playoffs, said Lacroix.

“We’re facing some adversity with suspensions and injuries, but we were lucky we didn’t go through a big injury spell, and when you head into playoffs anything can happen and different guys need to step up and contribute to our team.”

Lacroix’s goal every year is to win the Memorial Cup, and this year’s goal is no different. He said he’ll take it a step at a time staying focused and taking it game by game.

“Our goal is to always keep your eyes on the prize, and I want our guys to believe that and to stay focused on the long-term goal, and then it’s my job to bring it back to the short-term goals for ourselves,” said Lacroix.

The Wildcats last regular season game is March 23 at home against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.