THUMBS UP-THUMBS DOWN

Thumbs up to...

• to the Dogs who are on a 17 game winning streak.
• to the big boys. Nicholas Petersen and Mike Hoffman get the points while Marc-Antoine Gelinas makes the saves in this weekend's wins.
• to multicultural day at Harbour Station. Saint John isn't the most diverse city but the show seemed to go on without a hitch.
• to the city of Saint John and surrounding area who supported their Sea Dogs this weekend. Great to see and it's about time!
• Patrick Roy who put on a good show as always!
• the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles who have posted video of the Eagles/Titan warm-up fight. See thumbs down for more.
• what looks to be a very interesting and exciting trade period.
• Mike Thomas who played his heart out and then some this weekend. He had to almost be carried off after scoring his empty net goal on Friday night. (Pictured)

Thumbs down to...

• the QMJHL website for having star Rempart Mikhail Stefanovich who isn't listed on the team's roster. Very strange.
• to Mayor Ivan Court who kept blocking my view on Sunday! Get to your set on time Mr. Mayor!
• the Sea Dogs for not having the Sea Dogs logo tarp over the east end entrance. It found its way back up before the game on Sunday.
• the tricycle race intermission event. It's lame and never works.
• the Voltigeurs who dropped three straight on a road trip through Atlantic Canada.
• le Journal de Quebec reporter Gilles Moffit who just stopped writing after the second period. Hopefully he's not unconscious and still sitting in press box.
• the warm-up scuffle in Cape Breton between the Eagles and Titan.

SEA DOGS POST-GAME NOTEBOOK

REMPARTS-SEA DOGS GAME AT A GLANCE
Final Score: Quebec 4, Saint John 6
Saint John Goals: Mike Hoffman (15, 16, 17), Steven Anthony (14), and Nicholas Petersen (15, 16)
Quebec Goals: Mikhail Stefanovich (8), Mikail Tam (7), Mac-Olivier Vallerand (14), Ryan Bourque (12)
Winning Goaltender: SNB - Gélinas, Marc-Antoine (W-17-3-0)
Losing Goaltender: QUE – Delmas, Peter (L-9-5-0)
News 88.9 Top Dog: Stanislav Galiev

THE NUMBERS
Power Play: Saint John 1/3, Quebec 2/4
Shots on Goal: Saint John – 17+18+10=45, Quebec – 11+8+6=25
Attendance: 4,710
50/50 Winning Draw: $4,494

SCRATCHES
Of course, Olivier Ouellet was scratched for the fourth straight game because he is not with the team. Gabriel Bourret was a healthy scratch.

For Quebec Charles Power, Benjamin Martin, Jason Rajotte, and Eric Bourdon were all scratched.

STARTING LINEUP’S
For Saint John: Kevin Gagne, Simon Despres, Stanislav Galiev, Mike Hoffman, and Nicholas Petersen. Marc-Antoine Gelinas started in goal.

For Quebec: Mikael Tam, Samuel Groulx, Mac-Olivier Vallerand, Danick Paquette, and Kelsey Tessier. Peter Delmas started in goal.

A CULTURAL AFFAIR
It was the first ever multicultural day at Harbour Station on Sunday. There was pre-game and intermission music played from around the world as well as dozens of flags covering the concourse. During the first intermission, a young man from Iraq held a hockey stick for the first time and went 2/4 in the shootout.

ROY WAS IN TOWN
Patrick Roy remained relatively calm with the exception of one penalty call in the first period. His hand waving caused a round of boos from the fans. He also still whistles for line changes.

At the end of the game, three Harbour Station security team members huddled around the bench to protect the superstar. The officers also blocked the back exits for a short amount of time again this year.

DELMAS SHOWED HIS PAIN
Peter Delmas appears destined for hip surgery according to le Journal de Quebec earlier this week. The goaltender struggled with his rebound control all night and looked a bit shaky at times.

STEFANOVICH? ARE YOU THERE?
For some unknown reason, Mikhail Stefanovich is not listed on the Quebec Remparts roster on the QMJHL website. He is however listed on the team’s roster on the Remparts website.

WHAT A MONTH
With the win, Saint John acquired a perfect 10-0-0-0 record in the month of November. This makes it the first time the Sea Dogs have had a perfect record in the month. The previous record for most wins in this month came last season when they went 8-6.

THE STREAK IS STILL ALIVE
The win also kept Saint John’s winning streak alive. Their seventeenth straight victory puts the Sea Dogs streak sixth in QMJHL history. The Sea Dogs haven’t lost since October 13 in PEI which is where they play next.

QUICK HITS
The chuck-a-puck featured roughly 50 Chinese school children picking up the orange foam disks. They were down in a matter of minutes… there were over 10 hats thrown on the ice for Hoffman’s hat trick goal in the third period… the crowd was the largest for a Sunday game this season… this was Saint John’s eleventh straight home win which establishes a new franchise record.

NEXT GAME
Saint John Sea Dogs vs PEI Rocket. Wednesday, December 2, at 7:00 pm at Charlottetown Civic Centre.

STARS SHINE IN 17TH STARIGHT

STATION NATION POST-GAME
FINAL: Quebec 4, Saint John 6

SAINT JOHN – In a game filled with future National Hockey League stars, it was an Ottawa Senators prospect that shone on this day. Overage forward Mike Hoffman scored three goals as the Saint John Sea Dogs downed the Quebec Remparts 6-4 on Sunday afternoon at Harbour Station.

In a game that had a little bit of everything, it was the stars of both teams that made the game an entertaining affair. The line of Nicholas Petersen, Hoffman, and Stanislav Galiev were nothing less than fantastic as they combined for five goals and four assists.

Scoring for the Sea Dogs beside Hoffman’s hat trick was Petersen with a pair, and Steven Anthony. The Remparts replied with their big boys in Mikhail Stefanovich, Mikael Tam, Marc-Olivier Vallerand, and Ryan Bourque.

With the win, Saint John has now won 17 straight contests which ties them with last season’s Rimouski Oceanic for sixth all-time. They also set a new team record with their eleventh straight home win.

Quebec opened the scoring with Steven Anthony and Stephen MacAulay in the box at 3:01. MacAulay hauled down a streaking Rempart who was on a partial breakaway and put Saint John’s penalty kill to the test. Stefanovich made no mistake as he walked across the icing line and roofed a shot over a fallen Marc-Antoine Gelinas to make it 1-0 early on.

Just over a minute later Kelsey Tessier walked in alone off a face-off but sent his shot wide while the Remparts were still on the power play. At 5:54 an innocent dump-in from center ice by Michael Kirkpatrick fooled Peter Delmas but could not get past the blue paint.

Saint John tied the game 1-1 at 7:06. Benjamin Lecomte sent a pass through the trolley tracks right to the stick of Petersen. The Penguins prospect skated in and sent a pass to Hoffman who slid the puck into the empty cage.

Dmitri Kugryshev took a selfish penalty after the whistle at 7:12 as he slapped Gelinas in the face with his stick. Steven Anthony scored his fourteenth goal of the season on the ensuing power play after picking up a juicy rebound off a Simon Despres point shot to make it 2-1.

At 16:36 Mikael Tam was called for a high stick which unleashed Patrick Roy’s inner feelings. Roy flung his hands in the air while screaming at the officials from his bench, making the Harbour Station crowd boo and scream at the Hall of Famer. When Tam got out of the box he was sent on a breakaway and had his shot stopped which was followed by Yann Sauve stopping the rebound with his back.

Saint John outshot Quebec 17-11 in the opening frame.

After a slow start to the period for both teams, Lecomte laid a big hip check on Dominic Savoie. At 5:45 a turnover gave Petersen and Hoffman a great chance. Then at 10:16 Zach Phillips made too many moves as he dangled the puck right off his stick in close.

After Kugryshev ringed a shot off the post, Mike Thomas took a very questionable tripping penalty at 11:58. On the ensuing power play, a beautiful tic-tac-toe play with Ryan Bourque and Stefanovich was finished off by Tam at 13:25.

But 50 seconds later Saint John took the lead again thanks to Petersen. A turnover to the side of the Remparts goal was picked up by Galiev who gave a blind spin pass to Petersen in the slot and shot the puck past Delmas to make it 3-2.

Just seconds later at 14:32 the crowd was on their feet at the Station. Mike Hoffman came streaking down the left wing and cut through the crease and beat Delmas with a backhand shot to give the Sea Dogs a two goal lead.

Shots were 18-8 in favour of the port city in the second period.

It became a one goal game again at 7:04. Remparts leading scorer Vallerand was left all alone in the slot and beat Gelinas high glove side to make it 4-3.

Just over a minute later Hoffman was at it again. Petersen sent Hoffman a pass from behind the net who beat a down Delmas low in the corner of the net to make it 5-3. The hat trick caused over 10 hats to hit the ice as well as Fleaburn rubbing his rear-end on the glass behind Quebec’s bench.

Quebec just would not go away on this day and made it a one goal game again at 9:32. Nathan Beaulieu ran into a official causing a two-on-one for the Remparts. A nice passing play was finished off by a spin-o-rama by New York Rangers prospect Ryan Bourque.

Patrick Roy called a time-out at 16:32 and pulled Delmas with 1:30 to go. Saint John’s defense proved too much as Petersen sent a floater from the blue line that found its way into the empty net.

Shots were 10-6 for Saint John in the third period.

With the win, Saint John improved to 25-4-1-0 on the season. Gelinas stopped 21 shots and improved to 17-3-0 on the season. The Sea Dogs went 1/3 on the power play.

With the loss, Quebec fell to 19-6-2-3 on the season. Delmas, who struggled with his rebound control, stopped 39 shots and fell to 9-5-0. Quebec was 2/4 on the man advantage.

NOTES: See Station Nation tomorrow for “Sea Dogs Post-Game Notebook.”

NEXT GAME: Saint John Sea Dogs vs PEI Rocket. Wednesday, December 2, at 7:00 pm at Charlottetown Civic Centre.

PRE-GAME: Quebec Remparts vs Saint John Sea Dogs

Game Day
Quebec Remparts vs Saint John Sea Dogs
Today, November 29, 2009 @ 4:00 pm
Harbour Station

Visiting Team: Quebec Remparts
Record: 19-5-2-3 (1st in Telus Eastern Division)
Last Game: 4-2 Win at Halifax last night
Leading Scorer: Marc-Olivier Vallerand: 29-13-18-31
Notes: The Remparts have a league high seven NHL draft picks: Peter Delmas (Colorado), Kelsey Tessier (Colorado), Dmitri Kugryshev (Washington), Danick Paquette (Atlanta), David Gilbert (Chicago), Samuel Groulx (San Jose), and Ryan Bourque (New York Rangers)… Ryan Bourque is the son of hockey legend Ray Bourque. This is his first year on the QMJHL and played against Simon Despres at the World Under-18’s… Peter Delmas was scratched from last night’s game in Halifax. He is battling through a hip injury and according to Metro Halifax will get the start today…. The Remparts are coached by the out spoken Patrick Roy. He is vice-president, director of hockey operations, head coach, and general manager… were an honorable mention in the CHL Top 10 this week… this is the last game of a three game trip through Atlantic Canada. They played Cape Breton on Thursday and Halifax yesterday… have the league’s best power play with a rating of 28.4%... sit second overall in the QMJHL with 43 points which is six points behind Saint John… 6-2-0-2 in their last 10 games… winners of three straight… have the QMJHL’s second best road record of 10-3-2-0.

Home Team: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 24-4-1-0 (1st in Atlantic Division)
Last Game: 4-2 Win vs Drummondville on Friday
Leading Scorer: Michael Kirkpatrick: 27-6-24-30
Notes: Currently on a 16 game winning streak. The streak is the best in the CHL this season… Ranked second in the CHL Top 10 and second in the Station Nation CHL rankings… have the most wins in the QMJHL and CHL with 24… have the fewest amount of loses in the QMJHL with four… coming off a huge victory on Friday night against the Voltigeurs. Mike Hoffman scored twice and Nicholas Pard had a single… have the league's best home record of 12-2-0-0… with their win Friday night, Saint John tied a franchise record with 10 straight home wins… Stanislav Galiev is second in rookie scoring with 27 points… Olivier Ouellet is still not with the team because of personal reasons… it is unknown if Steven Anthony will play today. He missed Friday’s game because of illness and according to News 88.9 was not in the building. Aidan Kelly was called up from the Saint John Vito’s… owners of the third worst penalty kill in the league with a rating of 74.3%... with a win today, Saint John will have a perfect record in the month of November. The Dogs haven’t lost since October 13 in PEI… lead the league in goals scored with 125… 38 of 77 goals against have been while shorthanded… averaging 3,551 fans per game… Michael Kirkpatrick scored two goals for five points in three games versus Quebec last season.

Saint John vs Quebec:
This Season (GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS):
0-0-0-0-0-0
Home: 0-0-0-0-0-0
Road: 0-0-0-0-0-0
Goals For: 0
Goals Against: 0

Last Season (GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS):
3-0-3-0-0-0
Home: 1-0-1-0-0-0
Road: 2-0-2-0-0-0
Goals For: 9
Goals Against: 16

All-Time- Not Including This Season (GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS):
9-1-8-0-0-2
Home: 4-1-3-0-0-2
Road: 5-0-5-0-0-0
Goals For: 27
Goals Against: 45

Station Nation Facts:

• In 2005-2006 and 2006-2007, the Remparts line-up featured Angelo Esposito and was booed all night by the Harbour Station crowd. Esposito told the Sea Dogs he was going the NCAA route only to have him sign with Quebec.
• In 2007-2008 the lineup featured Esposito again. Telegraph-Journal reporter Andrew McGilligan wrote a story comparing Patrick Roy to the Pope, only to have Saint Patrick call the newspaper asking for an apology. A forgotten tale of the game was the sound system. The sound didn’t work until mid-way through the first period and caused complete confusion. The confusion included the pre-game figue skaters almost being run over by the Remparts.
• Last season the lineup featured Roy’s infamous son Jonathan. After being pulled just a few minutes into the first period, the mini Roy went to the dressing room and smashed a toilet. The Telegraph-Journal reported that the Remparts paid for the damages.
• Goaltender Peter Delmas is likely going to have hip surgery soon. "I don’t feel any pain and I hope it continues that way," Delmas told Le Journal de Quebec earlier this week. "For now, I am not thinking about surgery but about returning to play. I’m going to practise again on Friday and I hope I feel good enough to play next weekend in the Maritimes."
• Fans attending the Sea Dogs - Remparts game today will be treated to an eclectic mix of music from throughout the world. Several local cultural groups have been invited to help cultivate a festive atmosphere. Furthermore, the main concourse at Harbour Station will be decorated with an international flair, featuring flags from around the world. Several attendees are also planning to wear traditional dress representing their cultural background.

Important Info:
Venue: Harbour Station
Capacity: 6,297

Saint John Media: Radio- News 88.9 FM (www.news889.com)
Live Video Streaming: www.qmjhl.mytelus.com
Post-Game Coverage: www.stationnation.blogspot.com, Telegraph-Journal, Le Soleil, Le Journal de Quebec
Post-Game Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/user/seadogstv

SEA DOGS POST-GAME NOTEBOOK

VOLTIGEURS-SEA DOGS GAME AT A GLANCE
Final Score: Drummondville 2, Saint John 4
Saint John Goals: Nicholas Pard (5), Mike Hoffman (13, 14)
Drummondville Goals: Ryan McKiernan (3), Gabriel Dumont (11)
Winning Goaltender: SNB - Gélinas, Marc-Antoine (W-16-3-0)
Losing Goaltender: DRU - Piché, Frédéric (L-4-2-0)
News 88.9 Top Dog: Marc-Antoine Gelinas

THE NUMBERS
Power Play: Saint John 2/4, Drummondville 1/5
Shots on Goal: Saint John – 6+6+9=21, Drummondville – 6+15+10=31
Attendance: 5,074
50/50 Winning Amount: $6,297

VOLTS HAPPY WITH EFFORT
Drummondville head coach Mario Duhamel was pleased with the Volts effort on Friday.

"Tonight we saw the real Voltigeurs. The guys have faced adversity and they fought a fierce battle over the Sea Dogs,” said the Volts coach to L’Express. “This was a great hockey game, but unfortunately it has decided on a lucky goal. It's very frustrating because we deserved a better fate.”

Drummondville has now dropped three of their last four games including a 5-1 loss in Moncton on Thursday night. The Volts finish their road trip Sunday in Cape Breton.

THE GRINDERS
The line of Mike Thomas, Danick Gauthier, and Stephen MacAulay had an excellent night. The trio were hitting everything in sight and were rewarded when Thomas scored the empty net goal. The line was on in the last minute when the score was 3-2.

“I think we can play a better game system-wise, but tonight was one of those games where we had to grind it out,” said Sea Dogs Associate Coach Mike Kelly to the Telegraph-Journal. "I thought when push came to shove, I thought that's what we did,”

STARTING LINEUPS
For Saint John: Stanislav Galiev, Nicholas Petersen, Mike Hoffman, Nathan Beaulieu, and Yann Sauve. Marc-Antoine Gelinas started in goal.

For Drummondville: Philippe Bergeron, Marc-Olivier Vachon, Gabriel Dumont, Marc-Antoine Desnoyers, and Charles Landry. Frederic Piche started in goal.

SCRATCHES
Olivier Ouellet missed his third straight game for Saint John after leaving the team for personal reasons last Thursday. Also scratched was Steven Anthony who was out with “illness.” Aidan Kelly was called up from the Saint John Vito’s for the game and wore number 22. Gabriel Bourret was a healthy scratch.

Scratches for the Volts were import Ondrej Palat and Jonathan Oligny.

QUICK HITS
With Nathan Belliveau now gone as assistant equipment manager, David Kelly appeared to be breaking in a new assistant… there was no Sea Dogs tarp over the entrance at the east end of Harbour Station… the French PA wasn’t his usual self and sounded as if he was battling sickness… before warm-up, there were some problems getting the Drummondville penalty box door open… the pre-game intros featured six minor hockey league skaters instead of the figure skaters who have been absent the last few games… the Sea Dogs announced that there is an autograph signing on Wednesday at Centennial Pontiac but must have been using a recycled script as the Dogs are on the Island taking on the Rocket.

CANADIAN PRESS RECAP
After knocking the Drummondville Voltigeurs out of first place in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the Saint John Sea Dogs earned a little breathing room on Friday night.

Mike Hoffman scored twice as the Sea Dogs tied a club record with their 10th straight home victory, downing Drummondville 4-2.

Saint John (24-4-1) is on a 16-game winning streak and leads the second-place Voltigeurs by four points.

The Sea Dogs have outscored their opponents 77-31 during the streak, which includes a 4-3 shootout victory in Drummondville last Friday.

The Voltigeurs (20-6-2) looked poised to snap Saint John's streak after taking a 2-1 lead during a strong second period, but Hoffman tied the score on a power play late in the second.

Hoffman scored his second of the game with less than two minutes to go in the third period and Mike Thomas added an empty-netter to ensure the Sea Dogs' victory.

At Saint John, N.B., Nicholas Pard also scored for the Sea Dogs, who haven't lost since Oct. 13.

Ryan McKiernan and Gabriel Dumont replied for Drummondville, which lost its second in a row.

Marc-Antoine Gelinas made 29 saves for Saint John, while Voltigeurs netminder Frederic Piche stopped 17 shots.

OUT OF TOWN
Elsewhere in the QMJHL, it was: Acadie-Bathurst 3 Cape Breton 0; P.E.I. 6 Lewiston 4; Rouyn-Noranda 9 Baie-Comeau 4; Rimouski 7 Chicoutimi 4; and Montreal 5 Gatineau 2.

SEADOGSTV HIGHLIGHTS



NEXT GAME
Quebec Remparts vs Saint John Sea Dogs. Sunday, November 29, at 4:00 pm at Harbour Station. It’s Multicultural Day at Harbour Station and the Sea Dogs and SJMNRC will celebrate Saint John's diverse cultural heritage. It will also be Family Fun Day featuring the special 4-for-40 ticket package.

NOT IN OUR HOUSE

STATION NATION POST-GAME
FINAL: Drummondville 2, Saint John 4

SAINT JOHN – With 92 seconds to go in the third, a season high 5,074 fans at Harbour Station jumped to their feet with hands popping up, screams being shrieked, and popcorn flying everywhere. Mike Hoffman ringed a shot off the crossbar just a moment earlier and then scored the game winning goal on a back door play to give the Dogs a 4-2 win over the Drummondville Voltigeurs.

The win gave Saint John an amazing 16th straight victory and tenth consecutive home win which ties a team record.

Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant will certainly take the Sea Dogs 24th win of the season, but should be anything but pleased with it. It appeared some of the glue holding together crafts Rhoda’s Craft Show last weekend leaked unto the ice as the Dogs were flat out lazy with their plays.

Saint John had difficulty all game breaking through what seemed like a brick wall of Voltigeurs defenseman at the red line. But it was the stealer goaltender of Marc-Antoine Gelinas and the hard hits laid by Mike Thomas that won the Dogs the game.

Scoring for the Sea Dogs was Hoffman with a pair and Nicholas Pard. The Volts replied with a goal each from Ryan McKiernan and Gabriel Dumont.

Saint John had a solid scoring chance just minutes into the game when Tomas Jurco broke loose on a partial breakaway. Jurco was hauled down and shoved into the end boards but no penalty shot was rewarded.

At 3:35 Saint John went to the power play but couldn’t muster any good chances. In fact, the Dogs could hardly get it across the blue line and caused a handful of turnovers. Saint John would go 2/4 on the power play in the game.

Four minutes later Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Simon Despres went around two defenseman but was stopped by Frederic Piche. The Volts goaltender made 27 saves in the loss and fell to 4-2-0 on the season.

Mathieu Guertin had a great chance to make it 1-0 Volts as he was wide open in the slot but couldn’t get the puck into the empty cage.

Drummondville captain Marc-Olivier Vachon went to the penalty box at 11:59 after knocking Simon Despres’ stick out of his hand. Saint John finally got their power play rolling with Michael Kirkpatrick and Tomas Jurco having great chances in close.

Saint John finally made it 1-0 at 18:42 on the power play. Kevin Gagne wristed a shot from just above the face-off circle and was tipped by Nicholas Pard. Pard’s tip found its way inside the right post and beat a screened Piche.

The Volts and Sea Dogs both had six shots in the first period. Saint John had the better scoring chances in the period.

At 3:06 Stephen MacAulay gave a great pass to Danick Gauthier in front but couldn’t tip in the pass.

A strange play put Saint John’s second worst penalty killing unit to the test. Mike Hoffman was thrown out of the face-off circle followed by Nick Petersen. The Sea Dogs received a delay of game penalty with Gallant and Mike Kelly furious on the bench.

Drummondville made no mistake on the man advantage at 5:02. Ryan McKiernan’s point shot went by everyone including a screened Gelinas to tie the game 1-1.

At 7:07 a shot lay in the crease with a mad scramble ensuing but no one could beat Piche before it was batted away. Then with Saint John on the penalty kill, Harbour Station exploded in cheers over Mike Thomas’s efforts a man down.

Drummondville took the lead at 12:13 when Gelinas could not hold on to a rebound. A streaking Gabriel Dumont batted the puck over Gelinas to give the Volts a 2-1 lead.

At 14:21 Hoffman ringed a shot off the crossbar. At 17:59 the Ottawa Senators prospect was rewarded for his efforts however. Hoffman blasted a point shot into the corner to tie the game 2-2. The goal gave him his first regulation goal against his former team.

The Volts outshot Saint John 15-6 in the period.

Saint John couldn’t get anything going in the third period. The first eight minutes were all in the Saint John zone and Drummondville outshot Saint John 6-2 halfway through the period.

At 11:16 it appeared the Volts had taken the lead again as a point shot from the point beat Gelinas. The goal went under review and was ruled no goal as someone tipped the puck with a high stick.

But at 18:28 Harbour Station absolutely exploded when Mike Hoffman beat Piche behind the goal to give Saint John a 3-2 lead. The Dogs even pulled out Chris DiDomenico low bench fist punches after the goal.

With under a minute to go Drummondville pulled Piche for an extra attacker. Mike Thomas was able to find the netting as he wristed a shot from just inside the blue line at 19:47. Thomas lay on the ice for several seconds in pure exhaustion.

The Volts outshot the Dogs 10-9 in the period and 31-21 in the game. Marc-Antoine Gelinas picked up the win and improved to 16-3-0. Drummondville went 1/5 on the power play.

PRE-GAME: Drummondville Voltigeurs vs Saint John Sea Dogs

Game Day
Drummondville Voltigeurs vs Saint John Sea Dogs
Tonight, November 27, 2009 @ 7:30 pm
Harbour Station

Visiting Team: Drummondville Voltigeurs
Record: 20-5-0-2 (1st in Telus Central Division)
Last Game: 5-1 loss @ Moncton yesterday
Leading Scorer: Marc-Olivier Vachon: 26-19-19-38
Notes: The Volts have two NHL draft picks and are both Montreal prospects in Gabriel Dumont and Philippe Lefebrve… Sean Couturier is a Bathurst native and son of the Titan’s general manager. He is a top prospect for the 2011 NHL entry draft… 7-2-0-1 in their last 10 games… ranked number four in Canada in the CHL Top 10 and sixth in the Station Nation CHL Rankings… after playing Moncton last night and Saint John tonight, the Volts travel to Cape Breton for a Sunday afternoon affair with the Eagles… scoring for Drummondville in their 4-3 shootout loss to Saint John was Sean Couturier, Ryan McKiernan, and Gabriel Dumont. No shooter could beat Gelinas in the shootout… three points ahead of Victoriaville for first place in the Telus Central… Philippe Bergeron scored for the Volts last night in their 5-1 loss in Moncton… Couturier leads the QMJHL in goals with 20. His team mate Marc-Olivier Vachon is second with 19.

Home Team: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 23-4-1-0 (1st in Atlantic Division)
Last Game: 7-4 Win @ Lewiston on Sunday
Leading Scorer: Michael Kirkpatrick: 27-6-23-29
Notes: Currently on a 15 game winning streak. The streak is the best in the CHL this season and is good for seventh all-time in the QMJHL… ranked second in the CHL Top 10 and second on the Station Nation CHL rankings… have the most wins in the QMJHL and CHL with 23… have the fewest amount of loses in the QMJHL… second worst penalty kill in the league with a 74.1% rating… 37 of Saint John’s 74 goals against have been while playing shorthanded… have the best home record in the league at 11-2-0-0… 9-1-0-0 in their last 10 games at Harbour Station… goaltender Marc-Antoine Gelinas has the best GAA in the league at 2.24… Kevin Gagne, Nicholas Petersen, and Tomas Jurco all scored in Saint John’s shootout victory over Drummondville last Friday. Jurco and Mike Hoffman scored in the shootout… averaging 3,433 fans per game… Olivier Ouellet will be a scratch tonight. He left the team last week for personal reasons and his return is becoming more unlikely every day… Nicholas Petersen leads the league in +/- with a rating of +24.

Saint John vs Drummondville:
This Season (GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS):
1-1-0-0-0-2
Home: 0-0-0-0-0-0
Road: 1-1-0-0-0-2
Goals For: 4
Goals Against: 3

Last Season (GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS):
2-0-2-0-0-0
Home: 1-0-1-0-0-0
Road: 1-0-1-0-0-0
Goals For: 6
Goals Against: 10

All-Time- Not Including This Season (GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS):
8-4-4-0-0-8
Home: 4-2-2-0-0-4
Road: 4-2-2-0-0-4
Goals For: 27
Goals Against: 34

Station Nation Facts:

• In 2008-09, the team beat its own records, when Yannick Riendeau was one of the greatest leaders in franchise history. At the end of the regular season, the Voltigeurs won their first championship title, with 112 points and 54 wins. On May 12, 2009, the Voltigeurs lifted the President Cup for the first time in franchise history in front of a sell-out crowd at the Marcel Dionne Centre. It was a seven-game series to remember between Drummondville and Shawinigan. They finished with a 2-2 record in the Mastercard Memorial Cup.
• Mike Hoffman played for the Volts last season and was traded to Saint John at the draft. The deal completed the Chris DiDomenico trade that saw Saint John acquire Drummondville’s first round draft pick and Hoffman. The Sea Dogs used the pick to draft Jonathan Huberdeau.
• Head coach Mario Duhamel was a candidate for the vacant Sea Dogs coaching position in the summer.
• Nine of the ten top players in +/- in the QMJHL play for either Saint John or Drummondville.

Important Info:
Venue: Harbour Station
Capacity: 6,297

Saint John Media: Radio- News 88.9 FM (http://www.news889.com/)
Live Video Streaming: http://www.qmjhl.mytelus.com/
Post-Game Coverage: http://www.stationnation.blogspot.com/, Telegraph-Journal, L’Express
Post-Game Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/user/seadogstv

READY FOR ROUND TWO

Mike Hoffman burned his former team last Friday at the Marcel Dionne Centre. Hoffman scored the shootout winner and added an assist as the Sea Dogs escaped with a 4-3 victory.

"They still have their great work ethic and some of their younger guys have stepped up and played well,'' Hoffman said about his former team to the Telegraph-Journal. "That's why they're doing so well.

"We went in there and played a good game, and Drummondville played well, too. We knew it was going to give us an indication on how we compare to other top teams in the league. We found out we're right there, but we just have to keep working and get better.''

Saint John currently leads the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in terms of points with a record of 23-4-1-0.

"Drummondville skates really well and they work very hard," says Sea Dogs Head Coach Gerard Gallant in the Dog Bytes newsletter. "We haven't played Quebec yet this season but we know they've got a lot of talent on their roster. This weekend is definitely big for us."

Something that has caught national attention is the same thing that the Gallant and the Sea Dogs coaching staff are trying to keep out of the players heads. Saint John is on a 15 game winning streak and hasn’t lost since October 13 in Charlottetown.

"Every team that does something, they break records, or whatever," Nicholas Petersen said to CBC New Brunswick. "You have to be remembered in some way, so it's a great start and hopefully we build off it."

"The more the game's going, the more we think about it," said goaltender Marc-Antoine Gelinas. "We're definitely looking forward to this weekend. Both of our opponents will be playing hard, looking to gain ground on us in the overall standings. We'll be ready for a battle when we hit the ice in front of our home fans."

Gelinas has been a big part of the winning streak. The overage net minder leads the league among starters with a goals against average of 2.24. His save percentage stands at 0.923% and has a record of 15-3-0 this season.

The Sea Dogs, ranked second in the country, play Drummondville who are ranked fourth tomorrow night at Harbour Station at 7:30 pm. (News 88.9 FM, 7:25 pm)

"Obviously, we've moved up in the rankings in Canada and it's nice to be there, but it's not a big thing right now because it's the end of November," Gallant said.

Station Nation has your pre-game tomorrow.

THEY CAN ONLY BLAME THEMSELVES

As I read today’s Telegraph-Journal I couldn’t help but laugh at something that has become an annual event. Today, Saint John Sea Dogs team president Wayne Long finally set the record straight by saying that we do have an attendance problem.

"By nature, I'm a very positive person, and I will continue to be so,'' he said. "But I'm scratching my head as to exactly where everybody is.”

Saint John sits fourth in the QMJHL with an average of 3,433 fans per game. CHSJ News reported during the pre-season that that the Sea Dogs had over 2,100 season tickets. The Telegraph-Journal reported today that there is under 2,000.

"I tend to believe that there's certainly a core and maybe that core is 2,500 fans,” said the Dogs president. “Then there are extra fans that come out for a reason, maybe to follow a certain player or for entertainment. I refuse to believe we can't grow this (fan) base to 4,000. We would be happy with any average number over 4,000.''

Shockingly, Long said that the team is open, and somewhat desperate, for ideas.

"We're looking for ideas and we're not afraid to say it. We're looking for ways to add that sizzle to get people to come.''

Sea Dogs fans have been giving the team ideas for years only to have almost all of them turned down. Station Nation has given the club there fair share of ideas but all were placed in the virtual garbage can.

For a team that is know five years old, attendance should be increasing and not declining. Saint John set a Canadian Hockey League attendance record in 2005-06 for an inaugural team. Ever since then, interest has declined.

"The old build-it-and-they-will-come theory isn't working for us to date,'' Long said. "We weren't ready for this. We didn't expect to be down by well over 400 fans per game."

What the article doesn't mention is the fact that the entire Saint John area was lied to last season. The Sea Dogs were projected to be one of the top teams in the country but it turned out to be all media hype. The slogan adopted by the team last season has since been banned from this website.

"We have a solid business plan and a solid business model. Nobody is panicking. It's just puzzling and disappointing that the best we can do is an average of 3,400 fans in these 13 games."

Not panicking? Maybe they should be. There have been only two games this season with crowds over 4,000 with one of them being the home opener. Comments about the situation have been disheartening, with fans saying on popular news sites that the this wouldn't happen if the Flames were still in the city.

With the massive weekend set to begin tomorrow night, the organization will know where they stand after the split against Drummondville and Quebec.

"I think these players are working their hearts out,'' Long said of the Sea Dogs. "They're focused, they're dedicated, they're acting like pros this year and I think they deserve to have a full house on the weekend.''

Unfortunately there will be no sell-out, but the team can only blame themselves. Other than a radio commercial and newspaper ad, these two games have been marketed just like every other game this season.

It's time for the Sea Dogs stop complaining and start acting.

SEA DOGS ROBBED OF TOP SPOT

Somehow, the Saint John Sea Dogs are still ranked second in the country. Despite having more wins and fewer overall loses then the Windsor Spitfires, the Dogs sit in the two spot in this weeks BMO CHL Mastercard Top 10 Rankings.

Saint John defeated the Drummondville Voltigeurs 4-3 in a shootout and Lewiston Maineiacs 7-4 in their only games this week. With the two wins, Saint John extends their 15 game winning streak.

The Sea Dogs host the Volts on Friday who are ranked fourth this week. On Sunday they host the Quebec Remparts who are an honorable mention.

BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings – Week 11
1 Windsor Spitfires (21-3-0-3)
2 Saint John Sea Dogs (23-4-1-0)
3 Saskatoon Blades (19-3-0-3)
4 Drummondville Voltigeurs (20-4-0-2)
5 Barrie Colts (19-4-0-1)
6 Mississauga St. Michael's Majors (19-4-2-0)
7 Tri-City Americans (18-6-0-0)
8 Victoriaville Tigres (19-7-0-1)
9 Calgary Hitmen (19-8-0-0)
10 Kitchener Rangers (16-6-1-2)

SOCK, KELLY JOIN TEAM ATLANTIC

Sea Dogs affiliate players Tyrone Sock and Aidan Kelly have been named to Team Atlantic for the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge December . 29 - January. 4 in Timmins, Ont.

Sock was drafted by the Sea Dogs in the fourth round of the 2009 QMJHL entry draft. He has played one game in the QMJHL with that being Saint John's season opener in Bathurst. He received a fighting major and had no points. Sock has been playing for the Miramichi Rivermen of the NB-PEI Midget AAA Hockey League.

Kelly, a Saint John native, was drafted by the Sea Dogs in the second round of this past summer's QMJHL entry draft. Kelly plays down the street for the Saint John Vito's of the NB-PEI Midget AAA Hockey League. The 16-year-old forward had played in four games this season for the Dogs. He hasn't registered any points and is a -1.

With Oliver Ouellet's status unknown, Kelly could be getting the call soon to join the junior club.

The team is coached by former Sea Dogs assistant coach Jim Midgley. The director of hockey operations is Jim Leland, Saint John's video coach.

"This event always requires everyone to be at their best and we are excited to take these 22 guys to that stage," said Midgley to the Times & Transcript. "We will count on all 22 players pulling in the right direction in order for the team to achieve success."

DOGS GETTING MEDIA ATTENTION

Saint John Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant is featured on "Inside the Q" this week. The weekly radio show hosted by Rog "don't call me Roger" Laplante sits down with the rookie coach to talk about the Dogs winning streak. He'll also share his thoughts on the Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony that saw his good friend and former Steve Yzerman inducted to the hall.

The show can be heard on the QMJHL's website tonight at 6:30 pm. The show is also available on archive.

The show also reviews the Subway Super Series that opposed Team QMJHL and the Russians. Laplante chats with red-hot Cape Breton Screaming Eagles' forward Luke Adam and Quebec Remparts' veteran Kelsey Tessier.

Also tonight on CBC New Brunswick TV, Chris Corday has a story on the league leading Sea Dogs. The video should be posted on CBC-NB's website by tomorrow.

STATION NATION CHL RANKINGS

Station Nation CHL Rankings

The Top 10*
1. Windsor Spitfires: 21-3-0-3
2. Saint John Sea Dogs: 23-4-1-0
3. Saskatoon Blades: 19-3-0-3
4. Barrie Colts: 19-4-0-1
5. Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors: 19-4-2-0
6. Drummondville Voltigeurs: 20-4-0-2
7. Tri-City Americans: 18-6-0-0
8. Kitchener Rangers: 16-5-1-2
9. Victoriaville Tigres: 19-7-0-1
10. Calgary Hitmen: 19-8-0-0
*The top 10 is based on winning percentage as listed by the Canadian Hockey League. If tied the team with the most points leads. If still tied than it is whoever has the most wins leads, followed by fewest loses, followed by most goals for, followed by fewest goals against.

The Bottom Three*
1. Halifax Mooseheads: 5-20-0-2
2. Prince George Cougars: 4-18-1-1
3. Baie-Comeau Drakkar: 7-16-2-1
*Ranked lowest to highest based on winning percentage.

The Hottest Team*
Saint John Sea Dogs: 10-0-0-0
Barrie Colts: 10-0-0-0
*Based on last 10 games only.

The Coldest Team*
Oshawa Generals: 1-8-1-0
*Based on last 10 games only

SEA DOGS NOTEBOOK

TO HOT TO HANDLE
The Saint John Sea Dogs are again this week’s QMJHL “Hot Team” as stated by Rogers Sportsnet. This marks the fifth consecutive time the Dogs have been named the hottest team.

“The Sea Dogs passed another big test this week with a shootout win over the league's second-best team, and defending champion, Drummondville Voltigeurs,” wrote Patrick King. “Saint John's winning streak is an impressive 15 games as the team has now won 23 of the first 28 games of the season. The winning streak is tied for seventh best in league history with the record being 25 consecutive wins by the 1973-74 Sorel Éperviers.”

This Friday’s matchup between the Sea Dogs and the Drummondville Voltigeurs was also named the “game of the week” by the sports channel.

“The Sea Dogs will host the Voltigeurs in the back end of a home-and-home. Saint John defeated Drummondville in last week's game of the week to keep its impressive winning streak alive,” wrote King. “The Voltigeurs will be at a disadvantage as they play in Moncton Thursday before heading to Saint John Friday. Drummondville outshot the visiting Sea Dogs 39-27 but lost the shootout from the stick of former Voltigeurs Mike Hoffman.”

To view the article click HERE.

OUELLET'S RETURN "IN DOUBT"

News 88.9's Tim Roszell said on Sunday's broadcast that forward Olivier Ouellet's return to the team is "in doubt." Ouellet left the team last Thursday for personal reasons and missed Saint John's two weekend games.

A BIG JUMP
Nicholas Petersen made some noise this weekend on the score sheet and was recognized by TSN. Petersen jumped all the way from number 14 to number four in TSN’s weekly QMJHL Player Rankings. The overage forward couldn’t beat his teammate Marc-Antoine Gelinas though, who sits second for the third straight week.

Click HERE to view the rankings.

SEA DOGS AND UNITED WAY PARTNER AGAIN
The Sea Dogs and United Way have partnered again but with a Christmas theme this time. Beginning today, special Christmas Trees will be set up at Harbour Station, the United Way office, and Lancaster Mall. Each tree will have hundreds of categorized gift tags containing the age and gender of a local child adorning its branches.

Individuals and companies electing to participate in this campaign are invited to select a tag from one of the trees and purchase a gift appropriate to the tag. Gifts may then be brought back to any of the three locations (Lancaster Mall deadline: Dec. 11; Harbour Station and United Way deadline: Dec. 17) where they will be collected and distributed by affiliate agencies of the United Way of Greater Saint John.

“We’re extremely excited to partner with the United Way for this campaign,” said Sea Dogs President Wayne Long in a press release. “The Holiday Season is traditionally a time to give back to one’s community and this initiative is great way for Saint Johners to do exactly that.”

THE HUGE WEEKEND
“The biggest weekend of the season,” reads the Sea Dogs website and it could not be any more true. Two of the top teams in the league visit Harbour Station on Friday and Sunday to take on the Dogs, who have a good chance of being ranked number one in the country this week.

On Friday, Saint John hosts the Drummondville Voltigeurs at 7:30 pm. The Volts will be coming off a game in Moncton the night before. The Dogs defeated the Volts 4-3 in a shootout last Friday in a game that was easily the most entertaining of the year. The 97.3 The Wave (not so) Extreme Team will be on hand for the match.

On Sunday afternoon at 4:00 pm, the Dogs host Patrick Roy and the Quebec Remparts. Quebec boasts seven NHL prospects along with the Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender behind the bench. With it being a Sunday affair, the family 4-for-$40 ticket special is available. There will be a post-game autograph session and kids play area set up the concourse.

Sundays game is also the first ever “multi-cultural day” at Harbour Station. Tickets for next Sunday’s game are available at a discounted rate at the Saint John Multicultural & Newcomers Resource Centre (3rd floor, City Market Building, 47 Charlotte Street / Saint John, NB / E2L 2H8). Tickets are also available through the Saint John YM-YWCA (130 Broadview Avenue), Fortune Market (73 King Street), Great Wall Supermarket (229 Churchill Boulevard) and at the Taco Pica stand in the City Market.

THUMBS UP-THUMBS DOWN

Thumbs up to...

• the Sea Dogs again this week as they go 2-0 on a tough road trip.
• the 15 game winning streak. The streak matches the amount of wins Saint John had in 2005-06.
• Mike Hoffman and Nicholas Petersen who were difference makers when they were called upon this week.
• Fleaburn who is now on Facebook! He is also a fan of Station Nation. Sweet!
• the QMJHL schedule. It's rare I like the schedule but this weekend promises to be one of the best. Do not miss it!
• the game on Friday in Drummondville. Junior hockey at its best with the rematch Friday at Harbour Station.
• the Sea Dogs in ad in the Telegraph-Journal last week featuring a player and cast member from "The Nutcracker." Very clever.
• Mathieu Gingras who had a strong for the Maineiacs against his former team.
• former Sea Dog Brett Gallant who got the call to the AHL last week.
• the three Sea Dogs who were represented in the Subway Super Series.

Thumbs down to...

• the QMJHL website. After placing the CHL Top 10 on their site all year, they dis the rankings just in time for Saint John to be placed in the two spot. What a surprise.
• the Telegraph-Journal for not sending a reporter with the team in the midst of the biggest road game of the season. Not good.
• Rob Faulds of Rogers Sportsnet who got the call during the Subway Super Series. Just because they have a French last name doesn't mean you have to use a French accent!
• Karel St. Laurent who let in four goals on 20 shots in Lewiston. He has had his struggles this season and seems to enjoy playing the puck more than stopping it.
• the camera guy in Lewiston. Reports say there was no webcast on Sunday due to the fact the camera operator was a no show. Oh Lewiston!
• Rogers Sportsnet for not broadcasting game three of the Subway Super Series live. The world doesn't need Thursday night football.

POST-GAME: Sea Dogs vs MAINEiacs

SEA DOGS-MAINEIACS GAME AT A GLANCE
Final Score: Saint John 7, Lewiston 4
Saint John Goals: Nicholas Petersen (12, 13, 14), Michael Kirkpatrick (6), Stanislav Galiev (8), Steven Anthony (13), Mike Hoffman (12)
Lewiston Goals: Michael Chaput (9), Matt Boyle (1), Sebastien Trudeau (5), Etienne Brodeur (5)
Winning Goaltender: SNB - St-Laurent, Karel (W-8-2-0)
Losing Goaltender: LEW - Lemay, Adrien (L-10-12-0)
News 88.9 Top Dog: Steven Anthony

THE NUMBERS
Power Play: Saint John 2/5, Lewiston 1/6
Shots on Goal: Saint John – 16+13+13=42, Lewiston – 2+7+11=20
Attendance: 1, 517

THE STREAK CONTINUES: With the win, Saint John picks up their 15th straight victory. The streak puts them tied for 7th in QMJHL history with the 1970-71 Quebec Remparts, 1998-99 Halifax Mooseheads, and 2008-09 Shawinigan Cataractes.

LOOKING RUSTY: Last night’s match was the Maineiacs first game in eight days and only their second home game in the month of November. Lewiston head coach Don MacAdam thought that had something to do with the game’s outcome.

"We had the period you'd expect after being off the ice for a week," MacAdam told the Lewiston Sun Journal. "I didn't expect us to be quite that dull. We got a little bit better in the second, and in the third we started to become harder to play against, but we had a situation where we had a couple of guys who just had terrible nights. They weren't bad, they were terrible."

“We got a little better in the second and in the third we started to become harder to play against,” MacAdam added in the Maine Hockey Journal. “We weren’t hard to play against in the first two periods at all. Virtually no finish checks, no great fore-checking pressure, and certainly no attack pressure with puck.”

ATTENDANCE WOES: With the best team in the league in town featuring over a handful of NHL prospects, Lewiston didn’t prove to anyone that they deserved to keep their franchise on Sunday.

Maybe Fredericton would have been a good move after all. The exhibition game between the Dogs and Maineiacs at Willie O’Ree Place outdrew this game by over 800 fans. In fact, there were so many fans in Fredericton there were people sitting on staircase's.

NOT ALONE: The Sea Dogs aren’t the only hockey team on a 15 game winning streak. Just across the highway the Woodstock Slammers of the MJAHL have won 15 straight. The Slammers improved their league-leading mark to 19-0-0-1 with a 4-1 victory over Dieppe Cammandos, 6-14-0-1, in league action Saturday in Dieppe.

LOTS OF HATS: Nicholas Petersen’s hat trick was the fourth three goal game by a Sea Dog this season. He joins Steven Anthony, Zach Phillips, and Mike Hoffman. Petersen was named first star.

BIG GUNS COME THROUGH: The big line of Mike Hoffman, Stanislav Galiev, and Nicholas Petersen combined for five goals and five assists on Sunday.

"Everybody has their top players, and obviously they're a big part of our hockey team," Saint John coach Gerard Gallant said to the Lewiston Sun Journal. "The way we move the puck out of the zone benefits them."

NEXT GAME: Drummondville Voltigeurs vs Saint John Sea Dogs. Friday, November 27, at 7:30 pm at Harbour Station.

PETERSEN'S THREE GIVE DOGS 15

STATION NATION POST-GAME
FINAL: Saint John 7, Lewiston 4
LEWISTON, ME – It was a wild one in Lewiston as defense was thrown out the window. But, it still got the job down as the Saint John Sea Dogs rattled off their 15 consecutive victory by score of 7-4. The Lewiston Maineiacs, not known for their defensive abilities, played a strong game but could not stop the surging Sea Dogs on Sunday afternoon at Androscoggin Bank Colisee.

Unlike other games between the two, there were no punches thrown, no drinks poured on player’s heads, or game winning goals scored off of Travis Fullerton’s back. The game was still entertaining though as it went back and forth and no lead appearing safe.

Scoring for Saint John was Nicholas Petersen, Michael Kirkpatrick, Steven Anthony, Mike Hoffman, and Stanislav Galiev. Lewiston replied with goals from Matt Boyle, Etienne Brodeur, and Sebastien Trudeau.

Saint John came flying out of the gates in the first period. The Sea Dogs had an early power play but could not muster a good scoring chance. Lewiston didn’t get a shot on goal in the first six minutes of the game.

Lewiston gained some momentum a few minutes after that six minute mark as Etienne Brodeur walked around the Saint John defense and had a good chance.

The Maineiacs opened the scoring at 9:51after a shot from the point was hit by the stick of Michael Chaput. Chaput redirected the puck by an out of position Karel St. Laurent to make it 1-0. The goal was only Lewiston’s second shot on goal.

Less than a minute later at 10:39 Nicholas Petersen netted his twelfth goal of the year. Gabriel Bourret’s point shot went high and wide but bounced off the glass right to Petersen who slid it by the left post to tie the game. Bourret’s fourth assist came in only his fourteenth game of the season.

Right off the ensuing power play Tomas Jurco’s backhander hit the crossbar. Saint John and its league worst penalty kill then killed off a Kevin Gagne interference penalty.

Saint John got their first lead of the game at 17:04. A shoot in attempt caused a turnover in the neutral zone. Stanislav Galiev picked up the puck and beat Adrien Lemay five-hole to make it 2-1 for the visitors.

Near the end of the period Michael Kirkpatrick walked in and around former Sea Dog Mathieu Gingras but could not beat Lemay. Kirkpatrick had another chance on the rebound but again couldn’t beat the overage goaltender.

Saint John outshot the Maineiacs by a large margin of 16-2 in the opening frame. Petersen had three of those 16 shots.

Just 1:50 into the second period the Sea Dogs got a two goal lead. Jurco and Steven Anthony formed a nice give-and-go with Anthony ending the play with his thirteenth goal of the season. It was his first goal since November 7 versus Rouyn-Noranda.

Gerard Gallant has been getting frustrated with the QMJHL officiating of late and showed it again in this game. Gallant had right to be angry after the referee’s missed an obvious Lewiston penalty only to have a call against Petersen shortly after. With this being the “Q”, a make-up call was made 7:29 as Alexander Beaton was called for interference.

With Beaton just out of the box, Petersen fed a beautiful pass in front of the goal but Galiev and Kirkpatrick couldn’t jam it home. Gabriel Bourret went to the box at 11:27 for delay of game but Saint John had the best scoring chance early on with Mike Hoffman being stopped on a breakaway.

With Bourret still in the box, former Moncton Wildcat Matt Boyle scored his first as a Maineiac at 12:28. Boyle beat St. Laurent with a sharp angle shot and continued Saint John’s penalty killing woes.

That would be all for the second period with the Sea Dogs dominating Lewiston again. The Dogs outshot the Maineiacs 13-7 in the middle frame.

Karel St. Laurent opened the third period in fine fashion as he robbed Jean-Francois Plante with the left leg. Maineiacs goaltender Adrien Lemay replied with a nice right leg save on Hoffman.

New Jersey Devils prospect Eric Gelinas took a hooking penalty at 10:43. With the Sea Dogs on the power play Kirkpatrick crept in from the point and gave a pass to Petersen who scored to make it 4-2 Dogs.

Following the goal, Nicholas Pard made a nice centering pass to Jonathan Huberdeau but was denied by the left arm of Lemay.

At 12:29 St. Laurent was caught snoozing as he let in a weak little floater from Sebastien Trudeau. That goal made it a one goal game again.

Saint John responded to that goal at 14:47. Lemay made a beautiful poke check on Petersen but was caught out of position to stop the Mike Hoffman rebound shot who made no mistake to make it 5-3 Sea Dogs.

Zack Shannon hauled down Danick Gauthier 15:28 and paid for his punishment in the penalty box. Just seven seconds into the power play Simon Despres blasted a point shot that was tipped by Petersen and beat Lemay to make it 6-3 Saint John. The goal also gave Petersen a hat trick.

Lewiston didn’t give up though as they made it a two goal game again at 19:05. Gelinas blasted a point shot that was stopped by St. Laurent. The Dogs net minder couldn’t stop the rebound as Brodeur scored his fifth of the season.

Lemay went to the bench in exchange for an extra attacker but backfired as Kirkpatrick scored all the way from his zone to make to the final score 7-4.

Shots in the third period were 13-11 in favour of Saint John. The Sea Dogs won the shots on goal battle 42-20.

St. Laurent improves to 8-2-0 on the season while Lemay falls to 10-12 on the season.

NOTES: The attendance was 1,517… scratches for Saint John were Benjamin Lecomte and Olivier Ouellet… Billy Lacasse has an injured knee and was scratched… wearing the captian’s “C” for the injured Lacasse was Matt Boyle… Rex Baldwin was absent again from the News 88.9 out of town scoreboard again. Brian Cleveland had the call… News 88.9 Top Dog was Steven Anthony… see Station Nation tomorrow for more post-game coverage and “game at a glance.”

NEXT GAME: Drummondville Voltigeurs vs Saint John Sea Dogs. Friday, November 27, at 7:30 pm at Harbour Station.

PRE-GAME: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Lewiston MAINEiacs

Game Day
Saint John Sea Dogs vs Lewiston MAINEiacs
Today, November 22, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Androscoggin Bank Colisee

Visiting Team: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 22-4-1-0 (1st in Atlantic Division)
Last Game: 4-3 shootout Win at Drummondville on Friday
Leading Scorer: Michael Kirkpatrick: 26-5-22-27
Notes: The Sea Dogs are on a 14 game winning streak. In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past month, the streak is a franchise best and league best so far this season… ranked 2nd in the CHL Top 10 and 3rd by Station Nation… coming off a dramatic shootout win in Drummondville… owners of the league’s worst penalty kill with a rating of 73.7%. They allowed two power play versus the Volts on Friday night… 36 of Saint John’s 71 goals against have been while shorthanded… have the league’s best road record of 11-2-1-0… acquired Zach Phillips from Lewiston at the draft as well as a fifth round draft pick for 2009. In exchange, Lewiston got a 2009 fifth round pick, and second and fourth round pick for 2010… Olivier Ouellet left the team Thursday and will not play.

Home Team: Lewiston MAINEiacs
Record: 10-12-0-1 (4th in Telus Central division)
Last Game: 4-3 shootout loss at Chicoutimi on Saturday (11/14/09)
Leading Scorer: Alexander Beaton: 23-9-12-21
Notes: The Maineiacs have one NHL draft pick in New Jersey Devils prospect Eric Gelinas… Lewiston general manager Roger Shannon is a Fredericton native. His son, Zachary, plays defense for the Maineiacs… Mathieu Gingras was traded by Saint John to Lewiston along with a 2010 first round pick. The Sea Dogs received a fourth and fifth round pick from the Maineiacs in 2010. It is speculated that the deal was compensation for Zach Phillips signing with the team… losers of five straight games… 2-7-0-1 in their last 10 games… 7-3-0-0 at home this season… averaging 2,006 fans per game… got off to hot start with a record of 6-2-0-0 in their first eight games but then hit a 4-10-0-1 slide… Billy Lacasse is hurt and will not play… only Lewiston’s second home game in November.

Saint John vs Lewiston:
This Season (GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS):
0-0-0-0-0-0
Home: 0-0-0-0-0-0
Road: 0-0-0-0-0-0
Goals For: 0
Goals Against: 0

Last Season (GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS):
2-2-0-0-0-4
Home: 1-1-0-0-0-2
Road: 1-1-0-0-0-2
Goals For: 6
Goals Against: 3

All-Time-Not including this season (GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS):
26-10-15-0-1-21
Home: 13-7-5-0-1-15
Road: 13-3-10-0-0-6
Goals For: 66
Goals Against: 94

Station Nation Facts:

• Lewiston was very close to moving to Fredericton last season after having low attendance numbers. The team stayed in Lewiston and decided to do a total rebuild of the organization. Their slogan this season is “We like it here.”
• The Maineiacs were major sellers in the offseason. They traded the likes of Peter Delmas, Marc Bourgeois, Garrett Clarke, Danick Paquette, and their first round Euro pick that Moncton used to draft Kirill Kabanov.
• During the 2006-07 season, with the team lead by head-coach Clément Jodoin, won two consecutive championships: the first one in the regular season, then the playoff one, when they won 16 times in 17 games... almost perfect! But the Memorial Cup tournament was more difficult for the MAINEiacs, only one win in 4 games. Finally, the host team, the Vancouver Giants, won the Memorial Cup 2007.
• The team’s notables over the years include: Richard Leduc, Michel Bergeron, Normand Rochefort, Yanic Perreault, Jocelyn Thibault, Mathieu Dandenault, Chad Denny, Jonathan Bernier and Clément Jodoin .
• According to the QMJHL website, Drew MacIntyre wore the number “100” for 215 games when the team was in Sherbrooke.
• This is the only time these two play each other in Lewiston this season. They play again at Harbour Station on December 6th at 4:00 pm.
• The Androscoggin Bank Colisee is one of the stranger buildings in the league. For players to get from the bench to their dressing room, they must cross through the concourse.
• The Maineiacs have played the Sea Dogs twice in Fredericton during the pre-season and have won both games.

Important Info:
Venue: Androscoggin Bank Colisee
Capacity: 3,675
Arena Guide Info: http://www.qmjhlarenaguide.com/maineiacs.htm

Saint John Media: Radio- News 88.9 FM (http://www.news889.com/)
Live Video Streaming: http://www.qmjhl.mytelus.com/
Post-Game Coverage: http://www.stationnation.blogspot.com/, Telegraph-Journal, Maine Hockey Journal, Lewiston Sun Journal

GALLANT OFF TO AHL

Former Saint John Sea Dogs tough guy Brett Gallant has been loaned to the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League. The announcement was made yesterday after former Moncton Wildcat Tim Spencer was sent from Binghamton to Elmira.

Gallant had been playing for the Elmira Jackals of the East Coast Hockey League. In 13 games with the Jackals he had two assists and 73 penalty minutes. He has become a YouTube sensation with dozens of videos of his fights now online.

“Pound for pound, Brett is as tough a player as there is,” said Jackals coach Steve Martinson to the Summerside Journal Pioneer. “His style is like Joe Kocur; he’s trying to knock his opponent out in every fight.”

According to hockeyfights.com, Gallant had nine fights with Elmira and fought former PEI Rocket Jimmy Bonneau in the first period of his first AHL game last night in Rochester. A video of the fight can be seen below.



Gallant holds the Sea Dogs team record for fights in a career. He had 66 fights in two seasons with the Dogs. He is also the franchise leader in penalty minutes in one season with 192 in 2006-07.

POST GAME: Sea Dogs vs Voltigeurs

SEA DOGS - VOLTIGEURS GAME AT A GLANCE
Final Score: Saint John 4, Drummondville 3
Saint John Goals: Tomas Jurco (6), Kevin Gagne (4), and Nicholas Petersen (11)
Drummondville Goals: Ryan McKiernan (2), Sean Couturier (17), and Gabriel Dumont (10)
Winning Goaltender: SNB - Gélinas, Marc-Antoine (W-15-3-0)
Losing Goaltender: DRU - Piché, Frédéric (L-4-1-0)
News 88.9 Top Dog: Marc-Antoine Gelinas

THE NUMBERS
Power Play: Saint John 1/5, Drummondville 2/6
Shots on Goal: Saint John – 11+13+1+2=27, Drummondville – 10+13+12+4=39
Attendance: 3,015

DUHAMEL FRUSTRATED WITH VOLTS IN LOSS
"Faced with a club as formidable as the Sea Dogs, they had to be ready from the first minute, which was not the case. In the first half, the boys seemed impressed. They gave a better effort in the second and it was transported in the third period. We must however be more consistent in our efforts, "said Drummondville head coach Mario Duhamel to L’Express.

"If we had played from the start as we did in the second portion of the game, the result would have been more positive," said the coach. “Over the last two games, it was found that as soon as we drop our guard, we pay the price. When we play in our identity, it is nevertheless able to compete with the best. "

Duhamel sent his resume to the Sea Dogs in the summer in an attempt to fill their coaching vacancy.

SCRATCHES: For Saint John, Gabriel Bourret was a healthy scratch. Also, Olivier Ouellet was scratched after leaving the team on Thursday for an undisclosed amount of time.

For Drummondville, Jonathan Oligny and Maxime Frenette were scratched.

THE STREAK CONTINUES: Saint John's run of 14 straight wins is the 10th longest in QMJHL history. The current streak ties the Sea Dogs with the Sorel Eperviers ('72-'73), Quebec Remparts ('05-'06) and the Moncton Wildcats ('05-'06).

CANADIAN PRESS RECAP: The Saint John Sea Dogs are picking up where they left off before the Super Series break.

Saint John won its 14th consecutive game Friday, as Mike Hoffman and Tomas Jurco scored in the shootout to lift the Sea Dogs over the Drummondville Voltigeurs in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

The win was one of the closest in the Sea Dogs' streak. After building a 3-2 lead, Saint John started to slip and allowed Gabriel Dumont to score for the Voltigeurs with four minutes left in regulation.

The Sea Dogs regained their form in the shootout, with two answered goals to seal the victory.

At Drummondville, Que., Jurco opened scoring for Saint John over the rival Voltigeurs in the first night of action after the Quebec all-stars faced the Russian Selects in two exhibition games.

Kevin Gagne and Nicholas Petersen added singles for the Sea Dogs (22-4-1).

Ryan McKiernan, Sean Couturier, and Dumont had the goals for Drummondville (19-5-1).

OUT OF TOWN: Elsewhere in the QMJHL, it was: Moncton 5 P.E.I. 4; Baie-Comeau 2 Rimouski 0; Acadie-Bathurst 5 Chicoutimi 4 (SO); Victoriaville 3 Gatineau 2 (SO); Rouyn-Noranda 8 Val-d'Or 3; Shawinigan 6 Quebec 1; and Montreal 4 Halifax 3 (SO).

NEXT GAME: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Lewiston Maineiacs. Sunday, November 22, at 5:00 pm at Androscoggin Bank Colisee.

THESE GUYS ARE FOR REAL

STATION NATION POST-GAME
FINAL/SO: Saint John 4, Drummondville 3
DRUMMONDVILLE – It was a thriller on Friday night at a sold-out Marcel Dionne Centre. The game will have everybody in the QMJHL finally saying that the Saint John Sea Dogs are for real.

In the battle of the best the Sea Dogs managed to pull out a 4-3 shootout victory in a game that had a bit of everything. Tomas Jurco and Mike Hoffman scored in the shootout to give the Sea Dogs their 22nd victory of the season.

Scoring in regulation for Saint John was Jurco, Kevin Gagne, and Nicholas Petersen. Drummondville replied with goals from Sean Couturier, Ryan McKiernan, and Gabriel Dumont.

The game was certainly one of the highlights of the season so far. And, something that flew a bit under the radar in this game is that Saint John has won an amazing 14 straight games. These two teams are set to play each other again next Friday at Harbour Station, a game that is already becoming highly anticipated.

It was a fast and energetic first period of hockey. Saint John opened the scoring just 1:04 into the first as Tomas Jurco beat Drummondville goaltender Frederic Piche to make it 1-0. Jurco and Steven Anthony went in on a two-on-one with Anthony taking the initial shot. Jurco picked up the rebound and walked around Piche to score his sixth of the season.

Right off that goal the Voltigeurs came alive with some good scoring chances. Marc-Antoine Gelinas made the save of the period when the Volts leading scoring Mac-Olivier Vachon picked up a rebound. Vachon moved left-to-right around Gelinas but was robbed by the glove of the Sea Dogs goaltender.

Saint John, sporting the QMJHL’s worst penalty kill, was put to the test at 7:43 when Jonathan Huberdeau went the sin bin for tripping. The Dogs managed to kill it off but Michael Kirkpatrick took a boarding penalty shortly after. Andrew Randazzo had a good chance to tie the game but was denied by Gelinas.

The Sea Dogs then went to the power play at 11:46. Nicholas Petersen walked around a Drummondville defenseman but sent his shot wide of the goal. Then Simon Despres let a point shot go but Mike Hoffman couldn’t send the rebound home.

The Volts had a good chance a few minutes later as Vachon centered for Benoit Levesque but had his stick lifted. Saint John had a good chance on the transition but could not score.

In the dying minutes of the first, a Despres point shot was once again picked up by Hoffman on the rebound but had his shot deflected.

Both teams went 0/2 in power play opportunities. Saint John outshot Drummondville 11-10 through the first 20 minutes.

The Volts had the better of the scoring chances early on in the second period. Mac-Antoine Desnoyers was stopped twice by Gelinas on the door step.

Saint John made it 2-0 on the power play at 6:54. With Gabriel Dumont in the box for roughing, Kevin Gagne fired a shot that appeared to hit Mike Thomas but was credited to Gagne.

Les then a minute later Drummondville got on the board to make it 2-1. Philippe Lefebvre picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone and skated into the Sea Dogs zone. He then fired a pass to Ryan McKiernan who let a shot go into the empty net.

At 10:12 Nicholas Petersen picked up the puck at center ice and went in on a breakaway. He wristed a shot that went underneath Piche and gave Saint John back their two goal advantage.

Saint John captain Mike Thomas took a questionable roughing call 10:57 when he ran into the Volts net minder. Drummondville made no mistake on the man advantage with Sean Couturier scoring his 17th of the season at 11:44. Gelinas and Despres both felt that there was goaltender interference on the play as Dumont tried to shove the Sea Dogs goalie into the net.

A few minutes later a Drummondville shot found its way behind Gelinas but was immediately waved off as the whistle had gone.

Shots were tied at 13 apiece in another fast pace period of intense hockey. Both teams also had a power play goal.

Saint John went to power play at 5:07 of the third period but couldn’t get any good scoring chances. The Sea Dogs struggled in the third getting the puck out of their own zone and didn’t get a shot until almost nine minutes in.

The officials then chose to decide the game by themselves. Steven Anthony was called for an obvious hook at 12:00. Saint John killed off the penalty only to have Benjamin Lecomte called for slashing at 14:31. Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant was furious with the call after Drummondville had six to seven players on the ice for an extended period of time.

On the penalty kill, Gelinas made a terrific save off Ondrej Palat who was on a partial breakaway. But Gelinas couldn’t stop a McKiernan point shot that was tipped by Dumont. That tied the game 3-3 with under four minutes to go in the final period.

Palat then hit Hoffman in the face with his stick but no call was made. Dumont was robbed by Gelinas twice in close with just over a minute to go.

The Voltigeurs outshot the Sea Dogs 12-1 in the third (no, that’s not a typo). This game required some bonus time in the form of four-on-four overtime.

Drummondville mostly dominated over time and outshot Saint John 4-2. Marc-Antoine Gelinas was the best player in overtime stopping Levesque and Randazzo who had good scoring chances. No team could score which meant a breakaway challenge was needed to decide this one.

Drummondville shot first with Alexandre Comtois stopped on a deke by Gelinas. With the boos reigning down from the Voltigeurs faithful, Mike Hoffman moved in and beat Piche five-hole to give Saint John a 1-0 advantage.

Vachon shot second for the Volts but hit the post. Then rookie Tomas Jurco had a chance to win it and did just that as his shot beat Piche inside the right post.

With the Sea Dogs victory, they improve their league best record to 22-4-1-0. Drummondville fell to 19-4-0-2 and still sits second overall in the QMJHL.

Final shots were 39-27 in favour of the Volts. Marc-Antoine Gelinas picked up his 15th win while Frederic Piche got his first loss.

NOTES: The attendance was 3,015… there was some pre-game speculation that Olivier Ouellet would be in the stands watching the game according to Tim Roszell. “It’s unknown when or if he’ll return,” said Roszell… there was a lengthy pre-game presentation involving Voltigeur players… Brian Cleveland filled in Rex Baldwin on News 88.9 in doing the out of town scoreboard… Director of Hockey Operations Mike Kelly was not at this game due to the Monctonian Challenge this week… it was Mike Hoffman’s turn to wear the “A” on his sweater. He and Nicholas Petersen are to switch every 10 games… News 88.9 Top Dog was Marc-Antoine Gelinas.

Sean Couturier Faces Saint John Tonight

Bathurst native Sean Couturier and the Volts take on the Saint John Sea Dogs tonight at 8:30 pm.

Watch this "QMJHL Player Profile" video feature displaying Drummondville Voltigeurs' #7. Among the topics discussed, Sean Couturier talks about the joy of winning the President Cup in 2008-2009.

SEA DOGS NOTEBOOK

OUELLET LEFT FOR FAMILY REASONS
Yesterday, the Sea Dogs announced that left winger Olivier Ouellet has left the team due "personal reasons." Associate coach and director of hockey operations Mike Kelly gave more details in today's Telegraph-Journal.

"It's not related to hockey,'' Kelly said Thursday. "He decided it was probably best to go home. It's hard to deal with family issues when you're not around family.''

Ouellet, who is from Drummondville, will miss tonight's game in his hometown. He will be out for an undisclosed amount of time. He was scratched last Saturday due to the flu and practised Wednesday.

STUDENT OF THE MONTH
Defenseman Pierre Durepos has been named the Sea Dogs Student of the Month for October. The rookie is a grade 12 student at St. Malachy's High School.

"Pierre has achieved excellent marks in his assignments and was identified by his instructors as an outstanding student," read a QMJHL press release. "He has an average of 85% in his courses."

To see the rest of award winners click HERE. Also, former Sea Dog and current Halifax Moosehead Pascal Amyot, received the Mooseheads' monthly academic honor.

SEA DOGS ARE READY

On February 10, 2008, the Saint John Sea Dogs rolled into the Marcel Dionne Centre with a simple goal – to make the playoffs. In the battle of worst versus first, Saint John defeated the cellar dwelling Drummondville Voltigeurs 5-2 on national television. The same pressure will be on the Dogs tonight.

“We’re really looking forward to playing Drummondville on Friday,” said sophomore defenseman Nathan Beaulieu to saintjohnseadogs.com earlier this week. “They’ve got a strong team this year and so do we. It should be a great game.”

Unlike in 2008, the Sea Dogs aren’t watching the Halifax Mooseheads in their rearview mirror for top spot in the Atlantic division. Instead, Saint John is watching the Volts for first place overall in the QMJHL.

"We really want to show we're a contender and that we're the best team in the league,'' goatender Marc-Antoine Gelinas said to the Telegraph-Journal."This is the game to show it.”

Gelinas, who sits first in the league in most goaltending statistics among starters, feels keeping the Sea Dogs 13 game winning streak alive is key to earning respect. "The 13 wins in a row won't matter if we lose that game. We have to keep the streak going with this game, no matter what it takes.''

If Rogers Sportsnet was broadcasting this game like they were in 2008, one of their keys to the game would be for Saint John to stay out of penalty trouble. The Dogs sit last in last in the league in penalty killing with a rating of 74%. Last Saturday, both of Bathurst’s goals came on the power play.

"We're doing a decent job overall, but any time the puck gets to our net it's always the rebound goals,” said Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant. “So we basically have to get harder and stronger and more physical in front of our own net. There are too many rebounds there and we're getting out-manned there."

One of the players who will be looking for those rebounds is Marc-Olivier Vachan, who leads the Volts in scoring and sits third in the QMJHL when it comes to acquiring points. Vachan also leads the league in goal scoring with 18 in 24 games played. But Vachan can't do it alone, which is something the Volts and Sea Dogs have in common. The two teams are tied for most goals scored in the league this season with 110.

"The Sea Dogs have a lot of offensive talent, but they prefer to wait for the mistakes of the opponent,” said Drummondville head coach Mario Duhamel to L’Express. “They are not very aggressive on the forecheck. However, they are very patient and they wait for opportunities. We will therefore limit the turnovers and remain well positioned on the ice.”

Voltigeur backup goaltender Fredric Piche (pictured above) will get the start in goal after Antoine Tardif allowed five goals on 16 shots Sunday against the Quebec Remparts. The former Acadie-Bathurst Titan is 4-0 with a GAA of 1.75 and save percentage of 0.895%.

“Earlier this season, he responded well when he was given the challenge of facing Gatineau, "said Duhamel, referring to the 2-1 win at Gatineau on October 11.

Both teams will be at their best tonight after having close to a week to prepare due to the Subway Super Series.

"It's a big game with two of the top teams in the league, point-wise," said Gerard Gallant. "They had a tough loss in their last game against Quebec, so they'll be ready to go and it should be a good challenge."

Game time is 8:30 pm AST. Fans can listen the game on News 88.9 FM beginning at 8:25 pm.

CHL DAILY: Russians Fall to OHL Stars

OHL TAKES GAME THREE
Canwest News Service
BARRIE, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League all-stars capitalized on a host of Team Russia penalties in a 5-2 win in the Subway Super Series at the Molson Centre on Thursday night.

Jeff Skinner from the Kitchener Rangers in the first and third periods and Taylor Beck from the Guelph Storm in the second, scored with the man advantage as the OHL team connected on three of their 13 power-play chances.

Greg Nemisz of the Windsor Spitfires scored the game winner at even strength in the middle frame. Ottawa 67 Tyler Toffoli rounded out the scoring in the third.

Spitfire Taylor Hall, a top prospect for the 2010 NHL draft was held pointless. Plymouth Whalers forward Tyler Seguin, who is battling Hall for the top ranking heading into the draft, was not on the OHL's roster for Thursday's game.

Maxim Kitsyn and Maxim Karpov scored second-period goals for Russia, who went 0-for-4 on the power play.

Peter Di Salvo from Barrie Colts made 12 saves on 14 shots in the first half of the game for the OHL team. Michael Hutchinson of London Knights stopped all seven shots he faced. Ramis Sadikov went the distance between the pipes for Russia, blocking 45 pucks.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League all-stars won the first two games, defeating the touring Russian squad 3-1 in Drummondville, Que., on Monday and 8- 3 in Shawinigan, Que., on Wednesday.

Game 4 is Monday in Windsor, Ont. The Western Hockey League finishes the series Nov. 25 in Victoria and Nov. 26 in Kelowna, B.C.

SCHEDULE CHANGES ANNOUNCED
PRESS RELEASE
BOUCHERVILLE – The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League today announced the new dates for seven of the eight games which were postponed earlier this month as a result of preventive measures adopted by the Commissioner, Gilles Courteau, following isolated cases of the H1N1 virus.

Game #182 Val-d’Or vs. Moncton – January 5, 2010 at 7 pm
Game #187 Rouyn-Noranda vs. Moncton – February 2, 2010 at 7 pm
Game #203 Shawinigan vs. Halifax – January 19, 2010 at 7 pm
Game #209 Shawinigan vs. P.E.I. – January 20, 2010 at 7 pm
Game #213 Baie-Comeau vs. P.E.I. – January 19, 2010 at 7 pm
Game #215 Shawinigan vs. Acadie-Bathurst – January 21, 2010 at 7:30 pm
Game #432 Shawinigan vs. Drummondville – December 20, 2009 at 4 pm*

Game #176 between the Montreal Juniors and the Moncton Wildcats remains to be determined.

*Of note, the game between Shawinigan and Drummondville (#432), which was scheduled for January 22, 2010, will be played December 20, 2009 at 4 pm. The Commissioner would like to thank the Voltigeurs organization for their cooperation.