SEA DOGS POST-GAME NOTEBOOK

ROCKET-SEA DOGS GAME AT A GLANCE
Final Score: PEI 2, Saint John 5
Saint John Goals: Nicholas Petersen (23, 24), Mike Hoffman (26), Steven Anthony (15), and Nathan Beaulieu (7)
PEI Goals: Louis Philippe Lacroix (1), and Josh Currie (4)
Winning Goaltender: SNB – St. Laurent, Karel (12-2-0)
Losing Goaltender: PEI – Mosher, Evan (9-5-0)
News 88.9 Top Dog: Steven Anthony

THE NUMBERS
Shots on Goal: Saint John 10+22+9=41, PEI 2+9+11=22
Power Play: Saint John 0/4, PEI 1/4
Attendance: 4,742

SCRATCHES
Scratches for Saint John were Mike Thomas (serving second game of a three game suspension) and Jonathan Huberdeau (playing for Team Quebec at the World Under-17’s).

Scratches for Prince Edward Island were Brad Yetman (not yet with team), Michael Stinziani (not yet with team as he was in the air at game time), and Jimmy Oligny (playing for Team Quebec at the World Under-17’s).

BATTLE OF THE BACKUP’S
Both Saint John and PEI played their backup net minders on Tuesday night. Evan Mosher got the start for the Rocket while Karel St. Laurent started for Saint John.

Both played very well, especially St. Laurent who carried a shutout into the third period.

HOW THE TRADE WINDS BLOW
The Rocket got off to a slow start, and rightfully so. Just hours before puck drop the Rocket front office was wheeling and dealing their top players.

The Victoriaville Tigres acquired Joel Champagne (90-01-24) and Chris Doyle (90-03-22) from the PEI Rocket for Jonathan Bonneau (90-07-10), Michael Ortika (93-05-24), a first, a third and a fourth round pick in 2010 and a second round pick in 2011.

The PEI Rocket also obtained forward Michael Stinziani (89-05-11) from the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in return for a fourth round pick in 2010.

In addition, the Rocket dealt Brandon MacLean and a sixth-round pick in 2010 to Rouyn-Noranda for defenceman Brad Yetman.

"It was a shock for the team today,'' P.E.I. head coach Eric Lavigne said to the Telegraph-Journal of the trade that sent Champagne and Doyle to Victoriaville. "But that's life and it's part of hockey.''

"It was a tough day for P.E.I.,'' Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant said. "They traded away a couple of their veterans and they didn't have a full team here tonight. When there are two or three trades made in one day, it's going to shake your team up. It's definitely a distraction and it's a tough time of year for some kids.''

Jonathan Bonneau was the only player to make his Rocket debut last evening. He took two minor penalties and had one shot.

SMOOTH SAILING
The Sea Dogs played very well last night and did not seem out of sync like they did Sunday in Bathurst.

"The guys were really skating and moving the puck,'' Gallant said. "We looked like a really fresh team and I was really happy with the effort. We played a really solid game.''

Only two players, defensemen Christian Morin and Gabriel Bourret, didn’t register a shot on goal. The Dogs could have easily had another 20 shots counted, but had a hard time hitting the net.

CARZY CROWD
What many fans will not realize is that the Sea Dogs set a record last night. The impressive crowd of 4,742 was Tuesday attendance record for the Saint John Sea Dogs hockey club.

The previous record makes this a little a freaky. On December 27, 2005, 4,203 fans saw the Sea Dogs pick up one of their 15 wins in the 2005-06 campaign. The score was 5-2 just as it was last night. Who was it against? Answer: The PEI Rocket.

Tuesday was also the first ever Toonie Tuesday held by the Sea Dogs. It was a huge success as have all discounted ticket nights this season. The crowd would have likely been larger if it was not for a snow storm and freezing temperatures outdoors.

ON THE WORLD STAGE
Team Atlantic got off to a rough start yesterday at the World Under-17 Hockey Championship in Timmons, Ontario. They fell 7-0 to a tough United States team. Sea Dogs prospect Aiden Kelly had a strong match however and was named player of the game.

At Kapuskasing, Ont., Sea Dog rookie Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and an assist, and Quebec posted the only win by a Canadian team on the tournament's opening day. Alex Filiatrault, Samuel Henley and Olivier Archambault also scored for Quebec (1-0). Wilson Dumais and Zachery Franko replied for West (0-1).

Also yesterday, Sea Dogs draft pick Chris Kreider scored a hat trick for the Americans as they defeated the Latvian’s 12-1 at the World Junior Hockey Championships in Saskatoon.

CANADIAN PRESS RECAP
Sea Dogs 5 Rocket 2

At Saint John, N.B., Nicholas Petersen had back-to-back goals and added two assists as the Sea Dogs beat out P.E.I.

Mike Hoffman scored and had two assists for Saint John (33-6-1), while Steven Anthony and Nathan Beaulieu also scored.

Josh Currie had a goal and an assist for the Rocket (20-15-4), while Louis-Philippe Lacroix added a single.

SEADOGSTV HIGHLIGHTS


QUICK HITS
Saint John sported the exact same lineup as they did on Sunday in Bathurst… Tim Roszell said during the game that the Vancouver Canucks have asked Yann Sauve to play more physical and even drop the gloves more often… goaltender Karel St. Laurent turns 19-years-old today… the line of Steven Anthony-Tomas Jurco-Michael Kirkpatrick was nothing less than unbelievable on Tuesday night… Nathan Beaulieu’s seventh goal of the season gives him the team lead in defensemen goal scoring… Steven Anthony scored his first goal since November 29 against Quebec… this was the only Tuesday home game of the season... the lady that hosts the intermission events said "shutout" over the speaker just moments before the Rocket scored their first goal. She has said a few things that have crossed the line this line season.

NEXT GAME
Brunswick News Rivalry Cup Game 4: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Moncton Wildcats. Thursday, December 31, 2009 at 7:00 pm at Moncton Coliseum.

The New Year's Eve game tomorrow will feature face painting, balloon animals, clowns, buskers, prizes from numerous sponsors and five fans will get to shoot for $10,000. The 2,010th fan to enter the building will receive a special prize. Fans are asked to bring non-perishable items for a charity food drive and those who do so will be eligible to win Wildcats tickets for the remainder of the season.

Saint John currently leads the Rivalry Cup standings with 5.5 points. Moncton has 4.5 points.