WHO: Moncton Wildcats vs Saint John Sea Dogs
WHEN: Tonight, 7:30 pm
WHERE: Harbour Station
VISITING TEAM: Moncton Wildcats
Record: 6-2-0-0 (1st in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 5-4 shootout loss vs Quebec Sunday
Leading Scorer: Alex Saulnier (10GP-5G-10A-15Pts) and Allain Saulnier (10GP-4G-11A-15Pts)
Notes: The big news coming out of Wildtown over the past week has been the return on sir Kirill Kabanov to the Moncton lineup. He returned from New York Islanders training camp in time to play last weekend but couldn’t because of paperwork issues. The troubled and entertaining Russian is expected to make his season debut tonight. In three career games against Saint John, Kabanov has recorded two assists and two penalty minutes… this is the first time the Wildcats have traveled to Saint John since game five of the 2010 President’s Cup Final… Moncton sits first in the Maritimes division with a record of 6-2-0-2. They are third overall in the QMJHL and were an honorable mention on BMO CHL MasterCard Card Top 10 this week… Moncton has scored the highest amount goals among Maritime based teams with 38. They are averaging 3.8 goals per game… the Wildcats are 4-1-0-0 on the road so far this season. That includes a recent sweep on a recent Quebec road swing… Marek Hrivik, Alex Saulnier, and Allain Saulnier are all currently on six game point scoring streaks. Hrivik has five goals and six assists in that span while the Saulnier twins each have four goals and 10 assists… the ‘Cats are coming off a 5-4 shootout loss on Sunday against the Quebec Remparts. Hrivik scored two goals in the game while singles came from Alex Saulnier and Daniel Pettersson… before losing on Sunday, Moncton had won five straight games. They have collected a at least a point in their last six games… Shane Owen will likely get the call between the pipes for Moncton. Owen is 3-0-0-2 with a 2.29 goals against average and a save percentage of 0.934 save percentage.
HOME TEAM: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 5-2-0-1 (3rd in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 2-1 loss at Cape Breton on Sunday
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Huberdeau (8GP-6G-5A-11Pts)
Notes: For the first time this season, Saint John is expected to have their full lineup making an appearance. Defenseman Simon Despres and captain Mike Thomas are both expected to play this evening. Despres is returning from a long stint at Pittsburgh Penguins training camp – including four pre-season appearances – while Mike Thomas is returning from Oklahoma City Barons training camp… not playing tonight will be defenseman Christian Morin who was released from the club following Thomas’ arrival… Saint John is coming a brutal 2-1 loss at the hands of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on Sunday at Centre 200. Zach Phillips scored the only Sea Dogs goal on a tip in following a Gabriel Bourret point shot. The Eagles scored the game winning goal with just second remaining in the final frame following a failed clearing attempt by Kevin Gagne… Saint John currently sits third in the Maritimes division and are three points behind the division leading Moncton Wildcats who have played two more games than the Dogs. Overall in the QMJHL, Saint John sits seventh… the Sea Dogs have yet to lose on Harbour Station ice this year and are a perfect 3-0-0-0 to start the year. They have outscored their opponents 18-8 in that span and are averaging six goals per home game… Jonathan Huberdeau continues to lead the Sea Dogs in points with 11 in eight games. He is also tied with Tomas Jurco for the team lead in goals with six… Ryan Tesink and Michael Kirkpatrick currently lead Saint John in assists with seven… according to the QMJHL website, Jurco and Zach Phillips have yet to serve a penalty this season through eight games. After four games, Stanislav Galiev has yet to go to the sin bin either. Huberdeau leads the team with 13 penalty minutes served… Tesink is a team high +11 while Galiev is a team worst -5… Kirkpatrick sits third in the league with 25 shots on goal this year… Karel St. Laurent will likely get the start in net after Frederic Piche started on Sunday. The 20-year old has a record of 3-1 to go along with a 3.18 goals against average and a 0.901 save percentage.
RIVALRY CUP STANDINGS
Tonight is the first installment of the 2010-11 Brunswick News Rivalry Cup.
The Point system that will be involved for tonight’s contest: three (3) points awarded to a team for a regulation win, two (2) points awarded for an overtime/shootout victory, and one (1) point awarded for an overtime/shootout loss. Three (3) points awarded for 6,000 fans, two (2) points for 5,000 fans, and one (1) point for 4,000 fans.
The Telegraph-Journal has been tracking attendance all week and there will defiantly be over 4,000 fans at Harbour Station this evening.
THE LAST MEETING
The last time the Sea Dogs and Wildcats faced each other, the President’s Cup was being lifted by Moncton captain Scott Brannon at center ice at the Moncton Coliseum.
THE TRASK MAN
Talk to any Wildcat fan and they will be able to list every dirty hit Mike Thomas has ever placed on a Moncton player. But, hey, don’t forget what Scott Trask did to Aidan Kelly in a meaningless game (last game of the 2009-10 regular season which had no impact on the standings) last March.
WHO TO WATCH
MONCTON: Brandon Gormley – reportedly signed a contract with the Phoenix Coyotes yesterday after he was taken in the first round by the club in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. He is strong candidate to make Canada’s world junior team.
SAINT JOHN: Stanislav Galiev – will make his Harbour Station season debut tonight. After a slow start, the Washington Capitals prospect will be looking to turn up the point volume.
ARENA INFO
Venue: Harbour Station
Seating Capacity: 6,297
Year Built: 1993
QMJHL Arena Guide
MEDIA GUIDE
Radio (Sea Dogs): News 88.9 FM
Live Web Feed: Telus
Television: None
Live Blog: Station Nation
Post-Game Coverage: Station Nation, Telegraph-Journal, Times & Transcript, L’Acadie Nouvelle
Follow Station Nation on Twitter at www.twitter.com/station_nation for in-game updates, scores, stats, and live coverage during tonight’s game.
AFTER THE BUZZER
The Sea Dogs host the Montreal Juniors on Sunday afternoon at 4:00 pm at Harbour Station.
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