SEA DOGS NOTEBOOK

ANTHONY AND MORIN OUT WITH CONCUSSIONS
According to the Telegraph-Journal, defenseman Christian Morin and forward Steven Anthony have both been diagnosed with concussions. The two players missed Saturday’s 11-0 win at Harbour Station over the Val-d’Or Foreurs.

Morin was injured last Friday in Quebec City when he was nailed by Dominic Savoie of the Remparts behind the net. He has missed the last four games with what the Sea Dogs called an upper body injury. In 34 games with Val-d’Or and Saint John this season, he has six goals and five assists.

Anthony, a Vancouver Canucks prospect, suffered his injury in the second period of this past Friday’s 6-3 win over the Foreurs. He left the game and did not return. In 47 games, Anthony has 16 goals and 23 assists while playing mostly on a line with Michael Kirkpatrick and Tomas Jurco.

No word on when they will return has been given.

HOFFMAN Q & A
The Ottawa Senators blog “Silver Sevens” had a question and answer session with Sens prospect Mike Hoffman last week.

Click HERE to view the article.

TWO DOGS CONSIDERED
Two Saint John Sea Dogs players were considered for the league’s offensive and defensive awards this week. Jonathan Huberdeau was considered for the offensive honor while Simon Despres fell short on defense.

To view the press release click HERE.

“KIRKY” HANGING ON TO POINT LEAD
After a weekend where the Sea Dogs scored 17 goals in two games, Michael Kirkpatrick still leads the team in points. In 50 games he has 21 goals and 44 assists for 65 points. His 44 assists is best on the Sea Dogs while 65 points is good for seventh overall in the QMJHL. Kirkpatrick is only five points back of scoring leader Nicolas Deschamps.

Mike Hoffman still the Dogs in goals with 33 this season. He has since fallen to second in the league in goals scored behind Cape Breton’s Luke Adam who has 35. Hoffman’s 64 points puts him ninth in league scoring.

GALIEV STILL LEADING ROOKIES
Stanislav Galiev continues to leads rookies in scoring this season. In 50 games he has 13 goals and 37 assists for 50 points. He also leads all rookies with a +36 rating. Galiev was recently featured in The Hockey News’ prospect profile section.

Nicholas Petersen leads the league in +/- with a +45 in 42 games played.

DIVISION RACE HEATING UP
If you read the Moncton Times & Transcript, you’ll know that Saint John leads the Atlantic division with 11 points but has played one more game then the Moncton Wildcats.

Moncton has 18 games remaining on their schedule while Saint John has 17. The two teams play each other three more times – two in Moncton and one in Saint John. That includes next Saturday’s game at the Moncton Coliseum.

Moncton is the hottest team in the league with 12 straight wins. The Wildcats snapped the Sea Dogs’ 22-game winning streak on December 13.

While being 11 points up on Moncton in the overall standings, Saint John enjoys a 13 point lead over third place Drummondville and a 15 point lead over fourth place Victoriaville. The Sea Dogs have played two fewer games than Victoriaville.

The regular season standings winner will have home ice throughout the playoffs as well as being the number one seeded team.

NEXT UP
The Sea Dogs travel to Halifax on Friday to take on the Mooseheads at the Metro Centre. Game time is 7:00 pm.

After the road bump against the Herd, the Dogs travel to Moncton to face the Wildcats at 7:00 pm on Saturday. The match is game six of the Brunswick News Rivalry Cup. In addition to the best hockey you will see, there will be over $100,000 worth of Toys for Big Boys ATVs and Motorcycles up for grabs through the scoro shoot to win. The 50/50 pot is expected to reach $10,000 so there will be lots to cheer about Saturday night.

The game has also been called the "Game of the Week" by Rogers Sportsnet.

"Regular season match-ups don't get much more important than games between these two teams," writes Patrick King. "The league's top two teams will face off for the sixth of eight meetings when the Wildcats host the Sea Dogs. Saint John holds the slight edge in the season series thus far, winning three of the first five. Moncton is the hottest team in the country while the Sea Dogs are winners of eight of their last 10 games. A win for the Sea Dogs would help slow the Wildcats' streak while adding to the gap in the standings."

HOCKEY HOT BED
New Brunswick currently has three of the best teams in all of Canada.

The Saint John Sea Dogs are number one among junior hockey teams in the Canadian Hockey League while the Moncton Wildcats sit ninth in the rankings.

Sometimes forgotten is the UNB Varsity Reds who have been number one in Canada for about three years now. They have yet to lose a game this season and are the defending national champions.

POLL RESULTS
Believe us, we had no idea of the new clock announcement this week. Our weekly poll just happened to be “What does Harbour Station need most,” with the new clock coming out on top. We’ll take full credit for getting the wheels rolling on the announcement.

Here are this week’s results:
Better Online Ticket System - 4
Fewer Service Charges - 7
New Score Clock - 11
Seats Behind The Net - 3