Family excited as hockey brothers star in Game 7 wins for Q league rivals

Chris and Christina Welsh of Halifax admit things have been a little crazy over the last two weeks.

They have two sons who play in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and both are in the middle of playoff runs.

"It has been crazy, there's no doubt about it," said Chris Welsh, who travelled to Quebec to watch his sons play early in the first round. "I make a point of not logging how many miles we drive because I just don't want to know. But we've enjoyed every minute of it."

Nick Welsh, 20, captains the Moncton Wildcats. Matthew Welsh, 18, plays goal for the Charlottetown Islanders. On Tuesday, both helped their teams to the second round with Game 7 wins.

Nick Welsh scored the game-winning goal and added two assists to lead the Wildcats to a 6-3 upset win in Rimouski. The Rimouski Océanic finished 31 points higher than Moncton in the regular season.

"I had a good game; I think it was my best game of the series, to be honest with you," said Nick Welsh.

Exciting night for parents

Meanwhile in Quebec City, Matthew Welsh kicked out 36 shots as the Islanders won 8-3 over the Quebec Remparts.

"It was really exciting, especially because this is my first year as a starting goalie," said Matt Welsh. "I'm so proud of our guys. We worked so hard."

Having both sons playing elimination games in Quebec made for a nerve-racking night for their parents, who were back in Halifax by then.

"Fortunately the start times were staggered by half an hour so we alternated between games," said Chris Welsh.

Charlottetown will start its second-round series against the Halifax Mooseheads Friday night at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax. Matthew Welsh is in his third season with the QMJHL and it's his first trip to the second round. 

He was named the Islanders' regular season MVP and is among the finalists for the Marcel Robert Trophy, given to the QMJHL scholastic player of the year.

Matthew Welsh will be playing in his hometown against a Mooseheads team that took out the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in five games in the first round.

"I'm excited for that, it's always fun to play back in Halifax," said Matthew. "They have a great building and great fans and I know it'll be really loud in there."

His father says he has been blown away by how popular his son has become on Prince Edward Island. "The community really appreciates him and he loves it and it's become a second home to him now."

Meanwhile older brother Nick will lead his Wildcats into a tough series against the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. The Armada were the best team all season and strengthened their lineup with a trade for world junior star Drake Batherson.

Younger brother could follow 

A third Welsh brother could also be playing in the Q league soon. Zach Welsh is 14, but the defenceman is taller than both his older brothers. He just finished his second year of major bantam hockey in Halifax.

"It's just fun to watch my boys and I really don't know what I would do otherwise," said Chris Welsh. "That's what's so great about hockey because we have made so many friends along the way and they are friends for life."

Chris Welsh says he and his wife will watch as many games as they can over the next two weeks as they continue to log mileage between Halifax, Charlottetown, Moncton and maybe another trip to Quebec.

If both teams make it to the Q league finals, it could get even more exciting/stressful for the parents, as the Welsh brothers could wind up playing each other.