The doors opened.
Question was, would anyone outside of players, coaches and officials walk through?
The scene was Moncton’s Harrison Trimble High School, late April of 2022.
The Moncton Mystics and Fredericton Freeze were testing the Maritime Women’s Basketball Association waters with a pre-season game, the first foray into the fray that would eventually pave the road to a fifth anniversary season in 2026.
The concerns of people coming to that game were quickly quelled, the school filled with the curious to see what the MWBA is all about.
Moncton and Fredericton, locked in historical reference five years ago.
Things have certainly changed since that pre-season experiment, but the Mystics and Freeze will meet Saturday night with something bigger at stake.
A chance for either franchise to appear in their first-ever PRO·LINE Legacy Cup championship game.
Moncton is making its first post-season appearance since 2023 when the league featured six teams. Fredericton is back in the playoffs for the fifth straight season, but has never advanced past the third-place game.
That sets the stage for the semifinal showdown, a 7:30 p.m., tilt at the Richard J. Currie Center on the campus of the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton.
The opening semifinal features No. 1 overall seed Halifax Thunder (9-1) facing No. 4 Halifax Hornets (6-4).
That one unfolds at 5 p.m.
Moncton (7-3) enters as champion of the New Brunswick Division, earning the No. 2 overall seed whole the Freeze (6-4) checks in as No. 3 seed.
The teams split their head-to-head meetings this season.
Moncton downed Fredericton 89-84 at home back on May 17 before the Freeze posted a 105-78 victory in the provincial capital on June 4.
This could absolutely be a track meet.
Two teams blessed with speed and plenty of giddy-up-and-go mentalities.
Moncton comes in armed with the MWBA’s leading scorer. A rookie at that.
Maddie Eustace dropped 20.6 points a game for her teammates and head coach, Troy Mackenzie. She played over 30 minutes an outing. Rookie Eve Kalala wasn’t fooling around, either, with 14.5 points a game and 10.7 rebounds every time out. Then there’s rookie Jesse McCarron at 11.7 PPG. The youth brigade is also helped with Addie Albert, Kate Fillmore, Sadie Bowen.
Mackenzie can also turn to veterans like Jenna Jones, one of the MWBA’s all-time leading scorers. Lindsay Black, Emily MacNeil, Bella Taylor and Nora Miller are part of an all-hands on deck approach for the Mystics.
Fredericton can give the scoreboard operator fits when its on its offensive game.
But the Freeze is also a team that features a punishing defence. You have to work to get inside and even then you can feel the wrath of a ball-hungry team.
Still, there are workhorses for head coach, Bram Russell and that’s where the Freeze go to dine.
Allie McCarthy, Bailey Russell, Ann Bastien and Kristen Taylor all eat minutes, the quartet playing over 30 minutes a game and producing. Russell paced Fredericton in scoring with 18.2 points an outing, second to Eustace overall. McCarthy averages 16.9 points a game and plays over 37 minutes.
If you figure those four out, you get to deal with veteran Eva Tumwine and her big motor playing almost 26 minutes a game and averaging 13.1 points. Paige LeBlanc comes at you inside or outside and bruising Maheva Ngassam loves pursuit of loose basketballs, especially off the Plexi-glass, bring down almost nine rebounds a game.
Three rookies are finding their way in the MWBA, too. Guard Neleh McAloon has grown this season, earning big minutes early when the Freeze encountered injuries. Nicole Campbell scored almost five rebounds a game and played just under 19 minutes in her first MWBA tour. Kiandra MacMullin returned to basketball after a couple of years away and gives Russell help off the bench with 15:20 played a game and 3.0 rebounds. Sophie Doiron was only able to play one half of a game this season, injured in the opener, but remains with the Freeze on the bench. She is on her way to a full recovery.
This one should be fun to determine which team that has never been to a PRO•LINE Legacy Cup final with punch its ticket.
Tickets for the games will be available at the Richard J. Currie Center box office on game days or you can order on-line or over the phone at Moncton is making its first post-season appearance since 2023.
Tickets for the games will be available at the Richard J. Currie Center box office on game days. Or you can order on-line of over the phone at https://goredsgo.ticketpro.ca/en/pages/1695193966?aff=unb&presale=unbtest25
Individual game tickets are not available.
A single day pass is $15 adults to watch both games or $12 for single day passes for seniors and students. A tournament pass for all four games is $30 adults or $25 seniors/students. Children under-14 are admitted free.
If you are unable to make the games, you can watch on Pay Per View by visiting www.ao.live. Individual games are $10 (plus tax) or a tournament package for all four games is $30 (plus tax).
Bill Gibson will provide the play-by-play.
Consolation game is set for 11:30 a.m., Sunday. The hardware will be handed out following the 2 p.m., championship game.
Please note canteen services will be unavailable at the venue.
– Mystics and Freeze are certainly no strangers to each other. (Fran Harris Photo)
