SEA DOGS POST-GAME NOTEBOOK

ROCKET-SEA DOGS GAME AT A GLANCE
Final Score: PEI 1, Saint John 4
Saint John Goals: Mike Hoffman (18, 19), Nicolas Peterson (17), and Michael Kirkpatrick (7)
PEI Goals: Jarred Struthers (11)
Winning Goaltender: SNB - Gélinas, Marc-Antoine (W-18-3-0)
Losing Goaltender: PEI – Cousineau, Marco (8-10-0)
News 88.9 Top Dog: Kevin Gagne

THE NUMBERS
Power Play: Saint John 1/5, PEI 1/5
Shots on Goal: Saint John – 11+9+9=29, PEI – 9+14+9=32
Attendance: 2,303
50/50 Winning Draw: $1,654

LINEUPS
Saint John - Forwards
Galiev-Hoffman-Peterson
Pard-Kirkpatrick-Anthony
MacAulay-Gauthier-Thomas
Huberdeau-Philips-Jurco

Defence
Sauvé-Beaulieu
Després-Durepos
Gagné-Lecomte

Goalies
Gélinas-St-Laurent

P.E.I. - Forwards
Casavant-Champagne-Mahbod
Doyle-Escott-Struthers
Bouchard-Duffy-MacLean
Currie-Wright

Defence
Polasek-Hobbs
Guay-Mathieu
Southorn-Lacroix
Oligny

Goalies
Cousineau-Mosher

SCRATCHES
Olivier Ouellet missed his fifth straight game due to personal reasons. Saint John sported the same line-up as Sunday against Quebec with Gabriel Bourret the lone healthy scratch.

The Rocket scratched Vincent Richer, Brandon Street, Jérémi Janneteau and Cody Linteau.

THE STREAK GOES ON
The Rocket’s modest five game winning streak came to an end last night but the five games is nothing but a sliver of Saint John’s streak. The Sea Dogs are now tied with Mike Hoffman’s 2008-09 Drummondville Voltigeurs for fourth in QMJHL history with their eighteenth straight victory.

“We don’t hide from it, but it’s nothing that keeps us up at night,” said Sea Dogs Associate Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Mike Kelly to the Charlottetown Guardian about the streak.

The next team to beat is Sidney Crosby’s 2005-05 Rimouski Oceanic who won 19 consecutive games.

GALLANT FIRED UP
According to Charles Reid of The Guardian, who did a live chat during the game last night, Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant slammed the bench door at the end of the second period. Nicholas Pard had just taken a penalty followed by a too-many-call against the Dogs. He starred down the officials after slamming the door.

"I don't think we played that well, but we came out and played like a good team in the third period,” said Gallant to the Telegraph-Journal.

GELINAS PUTS ON A SHOW
Marc-Antoine Gelinas said he put himself in the “zone”. The overage net minder made 31 saves on the night against an offensively talented Rocket team.

Gelinas played with the Rocket in 2007-08. In 43 games played, he went 16-21-0 and had a 3.64 GAA. He went 0-1 in two playoff games against none other than Saint John in 2008.

ROUGH RIDE FOR MACLEAN
Brandon MacLean’s medicare card is likely a little worn out today. The 18-year-old spent most of the game lying on the ice and suffered two injuries.

In the first period, MacLean leaned into the boards and was checked by Mike Thomas. The Sea Dogs captain was ejected on the questionable call with MacLean eventually being helped off. Than in the third period he took a Benjamin Lecomte blast in the leg and lay on the ice again. After sitting on the bench for a short amount of time, he hopped to the dressing room on one leg.

THAT’S BIZARRE
Many people watching the Sea Dogs – Rocket game last night were likely saying “I’ve never seen that before,” in the first period. After Thomas’ five minute major penalty gave the Rocket a power play, head coach Gerard Gallant chose to wait to put a player in the box. Unfortunately for him, the whistle didn’t blow at the right time and Saint John was left with nobody in the box when the penalty expired.

According to league rules, a player must come out of the penalty box when a penalty expires. That meant PEI was given an extra few seconds on their man advantage.

News 88.9’s Tim Roszell called the penalty call “questionable” while Guardian reporter Charles Reid called it “dirty.”

CANADIAN PRESS RECAP
Mike Hoffman scored two goals and the Saint John Sea Dogs increased their Quebec Major Junior Hockey League winning streak to 18 games with a 4-1 victory over the P.E.I. Rocket on Wednesday.

The streak is tied for the fourth longest in QMJHL history. The Drummondville Voltigeurs had an 18-game run last season. The 1973-74 Sorel Eperviers won a record 25 games in a row.

At Charlottetown, Nicholas Petersen and Michael Kirkpatrick also scored for Saint John (26-4-1), which opened up a 10-point lead over Quebec for the league lead and a 16-point lead over Cape Breton atop the Atlantic Division.

Jarrad Struthers replied for the Rocket (16-10-3).

Marc-Antoine Gelinas made 31 saves for Saint John.

Marco Cousineau stopped 25 shots for P.E.I.

OUT OF TOWN
Elsewhere in the QMJHL, Rimouski beat Victoriaville 4-3 in overtime and Shawinigan edged Drummondville 6-5.

NEXT GAME
Gatineau Olympiques vs Saint John Sea Dogs. Saturday, December 5 at 7:00 pm at Harbour Station. It’s Holiday Fun Day at Harbour Station and the halls will be decked (or at least a tree put up at Sea Dogs Central). The fifth annual Teddy Bear Toss will take place after the Sea Dogs first goal so be sure to bring your bear!