WHO: Rouyn-Noranda Huskies vs Saint John Sea Dogs
WHEN: Tonight, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Harbour Station
VISITING TEAM: Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
Record: 4-8-0-1 (6th in Telus West Division)
Last Game: 4-3 shootout loss at Cape Breton on Thursday
Leading Scorer: Robbie DeFulviis (12GP-5G-4A-9Pts) and Jerome Raymond (13GP-4G-5A-9Pts)
Notes: The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies are in the early stages of a large rebuild after attempting to make a run last season. They currently sit last in the Telus West Division and are 17th in the 18 team QMJHL with their 4-8-0-1 record. The only team currently worse than Rouyn-Noranda is the 1-8-0-2 Baie-Comeau Drakkar… the Huskies are 2-3-0-1 on the road this year and have been outscored 12-31 during those six games… R-N has the worst power play in the league with an efficiency of 0.113%. On the road they operate at 0.161%... the Huskies have the third worst penalty kill in the circuit… 4-5-0-1 in their last 10 games… Rouyn-Noranda is the fifth lightest team in the QMJHL with an average weight of 80.28 kg… the Huskies are the fourth shortest team in the league with an average height of 181.20 cm… not surprisingly, the rebuilding Huskies are the fourth youngest team in the league with an average age of 17.80 years. They are just 0.19 away from the youngest team in the QMJHL – the Halifax Mooseheads… in their 4-3 shootout loss in Cape Breton on Thursday, Jerome Raymond scored a pair while Robbie DeFulviis added the other marker in regulation. Mickael Audette made 29 saves in the loss... as rumored a couple of days ago, the Huskies have acquired Antoine Laperriere from the Drakkar in exchange for a 2011 ninth round pick and an eighth round selection in 2012. In nine games with Baie-Comeau, he has two assists.
McEWAN COMES HOME
As far as we can tell, former Sea Dogs defenseman Robert McEwan now/still plays for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. In seven games this season, McEwan has two assists, four penalty minutes, and is a -9.
In a grand total of 37 games with Saint John over the course of the 2008-09 and 2009-10 season, McEwan registered two assists in limited playing time. He spent last season playing Junior ‘A’ in Ontario before being picked up by the Huskies for this season. Although HockeyDB lists him under both the Huskies and an Ontario Junior ‘A’ club, he remains on the Huskies roster.
ROAD TRIP
There are quite a few Quebec teams on road trips through Atlantic Canada this week with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies being one of them. The Huskies fell 4-3 in a shootout in Cape Breton on Thursday night, play in Saint John this evening, and then head to PEI for an afternoon tilt against the Rocket on Sunday.
Record: 8-2-0-1 (3rd in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 5-3 win vs Rimouski on Tuesday
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Huberdeau (11GP-8G-7A-15Pts)
Notes: Saint John is coming off a 5-3 victory over the Rimouski Oceanic on Tuesday night at Harbour Station. Michael Kirkpatrick scored a pair while Aidan Kelly, Stanislav Galiev and Nathan Beaulieu added single markers. Frederic Piche stopped 25 of 28 shots in net to pick up the victory… Saint John will look to keep their undefeated record at home this season going with a win today. So far the Sea Dogs are 6-0-0-0 on Harbour Station ice and have outscored their opponents 34-15. They are averaging just inder six goals per game on home ice… the Sea Dogs are currently on a three game winning streak that includes wins over Rimouski, Montreal, and Moncton… 7-2-0-1 in their last 10 games… this is the fourth game of a five game homestand for Saint John. They finish it up tomorrow afternoon against the Victoriaville Tigres… Saint John currently sits third in the Maritimes Division and fifth overall in the QMJHL… the Sea Dogs have the fourth ranked power play among teams on home ice. They are operating at 0.269% at home and 0.231% overall… the Sea Dogs’ penalty kill has been fairly solid this season, running at a 0.830% which is good for third overall in the QMJHL… Tomas Jurco continues to lead Saint John in goals this season with nine. Jonathan Huberdeau is second with eight goals and Zach Phillips is third with six goals… Michael Kirkpatrick leads the team in assists with 10… Huberdeau also leads the team in penalty minutes with 17. Sea Dogs tough guy Mike Thomas only has two penalty minutes to show for since his return to the Saint John lineup… Jurco is the only active Sea Dog to have not taken a penalty yet this season… Phillips is tied for third in the league this season with two first goals… Huberdeau and Ryan Tesink are tied for the league lead in insurance goals… Tesink still leads the Sea Dogs with an impressive +12 rating… the Sea Dogs are the sixth oldest team in the league with an average age of 18.04 years… they are the fourth tallest team in the league with an average height of 183.35 cm… Saint John is the 10th heaviest team in the league with an average weight of 80.85 kg. They are the lightest team in the Maritimes Division.
READY TO ROLL
No word yet on who will start in net for Saint John but it will likely be the newly acquired Jacob De Serres. The Western Hockey League castoff has had almost a week to practice with the club and should be ready to go. Claimed off waivers from the Brandon Wheat Kings, De Serres has not played in a regular season game yet this year.
His debut is getting some attention, though, as a few diehard Seattle Thunderbird fans (where De Serres spent the majority of his WHL career) contacted us earlier this week about possibly buying the Telus webcast for tonight’s game.
It’s Pink in the Rink at Harbour Station. For the second straight year, the Sea Dogs will be wearing pink jerseys in support of breast cancer research.
From the Sea Dogs website:
Fans are invited to wear pink to this contest, which will feature a game-worn jersey auction in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Silent bids will be accepted at Sea Dogs Central (Section S, arena concourse) up until the 17:00 mark of the second period. Successful bidders will receive their jerseys directly from the players themselves at the conclusion of the post-game Alpine Three Stars presentation.Last season, Saint John defeated the Moncton Wildcats in overtime while wearing pink. Apparently pink is powerful because the Dogs would not lose again for 21 more contests following the promotional fundraiser.
NEED TO KNOW:
- The Sea Dogs were swept out of the 2008 QMJHL semi-finals by Rouyn-Noranda. Only Michael Kirkpatrick, Steven Anthony, Simon Despres, and Mike Thomas remain from that team for the Sea Dogs.
- This is the Huskies only visit to Harbour Station this season. The two play twice more in Rouyn-Noranda later this month.
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, Le Citoyen
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 Victoriaville Tigres are in town tomorrow for a 4:00 pm date against the Sea Dogs at Harbour Station.
Photo Credits: Some dog website, Station Nation, Sea Dogs Website, Station Nation
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