Friday, October 1, 2010

PRE-GAME: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Halifax Mooseheads

GAME DAY

WHO: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Halifax Mooseheads
WHEN: Tonight, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Halifax Metro Centre

VISITING TEAM: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 4-1-0-1 (3rd in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 7-6 shootout loss in Drummondville on Saturday
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Huberdeau – 6GP-5G-5A-10Pts
Notes: Saint John will be without the services of star defenseman Simon Despres tonight as he suits up for his third National Hockey League pre-season game with the Pittsburgh Penguins when they visit the Chicago Blackhawks… Sea Dogs captain Mike Thomas remains away at Oklahoma City Barons training camp where he is on a free agent tryout… Saint John is coming off a disappointing 0-1-0-1 road swing through Quebec last weekend. Saint John lost in Montreal on Friday night before falling in a shootout in Drummondville… the Dogs should come out flying tonight following Saturday’s brutal collapse against the undefeated Voltigeurs. The visitors led 5-1 in the middle stages of the second period before the Volts tied the game in the third and ultimately won a shootout… Saint John is 1-0-0-0 against the Mooseheads so far this year. Gabriel Bourret, Ryan Tesink, Zach Phillips, Michael Kirkpatrick, and Jonathan Huberdeau have all scored previously against Halifax. Tesink and Kirkpatrick both have two assists as well. Jason Cameron, Scott Oke, and Aidan Kelly are all -1 against the Herd… if Saint John’s goaltending rotation holds true once again tonight, Karel St. Laurent would start in net. St. Laurent has a 2-1 record, a 0.896 save percentage, and a 3.33 goals against average… Jonathan Huberdeau is leading Saint John in scoring with five goals and five assists in six games. His totals are solid – but he does not lead the Sea Dogs in either goals or assists… Tomas Jurco, Tesink, and Kirkpatrick sit behind Huberdeau with nine points each… Jurco leads the Dogs in goals with six… Kirkpatrick has a team high seven assists… Saint John has the fewest amount penalty minutes of any Maritimes Division team with 85 over six games… the Dogs are third in the Maritimes Division and ranked eighth in the Canadian Hockey League this week.

HOME TEAM: Halifax Mooseheads
Record: 2-6-0-0 (5th in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 9-2 loss at Rimouski on Sunday
Leading Scorer: Martin Frk - 8GP-2G-6A-8Pts
Notes: Halifax no longer any players away at National Hockey League training camps – but that doesn’t mean they won’t play shorthanded. Vancouver Canucks prospect Sawyer Hannay will serve the second part of his four game suspension tonight after receiving an aggressor penalty last Saturday against Quebec. The QMJHL suspended him three games after he received an automatic one game sit out session… San Jose Sharks draft pick Konrad Abeltshauser is not expected to play tonight due to a knee injury, reports the Chronicle Herald. He is day-to-day… the Mooseheads sit fifth in the six team Maritimes Division and 15th overall in the QMJHL… the Mooseheads are currently on a three game losing streak. The last game saw the Moose fall 9-2 in Rimouski on Sunday… the Mooseheads’ only previous game against Saint John this season saw them fall 5-2 on the road. Travis Randell and Brent Andrews have scored for the Moose... Steve Gillard has two assists and is the only Halifax player with a plus rating (+1)… the Mooseheads have yet to win a game on home ice this season with both of their wins coming on the road. Halifax begins a stretch of six straight home games tonight… head coach and general manager Cam Russell told the Chronicle Herald that he hasn’t decided yet if it will be Mathieu Corbeil or Anthony Terenzio in goal tonight. Terenzio played in Halifax’s 5-2 loss at Harbour Station earlier this season. Mathieu Corbeil, a Columbus Blue Jackets prospect, will likely start in goal given his experience of playing against the high octane Saint John offence… Halifax has served the most penalty minutes in the league so far this season with 204 in eight games.

PROMOTION
From the Mooseheads' website:

The Mooseheads, Q104 and their fans will welcome back the black 3rd jerseys Friday, October 1st when they host Saint John. The popular 3rd jersey was put on hiatus for a year after the CHL mandate to go with two new RBK Edge style jerseys during the 2009-2010 season. The Mooseheads will now wear three jerseys, their traditional red and white jerseys, along with their new thirds, the "Halifax" black.

To help welcome back the team from a 6-game road trip and to celebrate "Back in Black" the first 2500 fans at the game will receive a "Back in Black Mooseheads Q104" t-shirt. More details on this event will be released in the next week.

GOAL HORN
The Mooseheads roll with the lame generic goal horn. Solid song at the end though.



REMATCH
The Sea Dogs and Mooseheads have met one previous time this season. That came on September 18 at Harbour Station when Saint John downed Halifax 5-2.

In the game, a scoreless first period led to Saint John exploding for four goals in the second period in a seven minute span. Halifax tried to climb back in the third but could not beat the powerful Sea Dogs offense.

In the match, Gabriel Bourret, Ryan Tesink, Zach Phillips, Michael Kirkpatrick, and Jonathan Huberdeau all scored goals for the winners. Travis Randell and Brent Andrews scored for the Moose.

LAST SEASON
From the Sea Dogs’ website:

Saint John won seven of their eight matchups with Halifax last year, outscoring the Mooseheads 38-16 in the process. Several Sea Dogs players put up solid numbers versus the Herd in 2009-10, including dynamic winger Zack Phillips (8GP-1G-8A-9P), star centre Michael Kirkpatrick (8GP-2G-6A-8P), and ultra-dependable blue-liner Pierre Durepos (+10 rating in 8GP). Local minor hockey product Aidan Kelly, meanwhile, scored his first career Q-league goal against the Mooseheads last season - on February 17 at the Halifax Metro Centre (during a 6-2 win for Saint John).

DON’T HURT THE FRK
Last Saturday in Quebec City, import rookie Martin Frk was caught with his head down and got belted while crossing the blue line. The Sawyer Hannay fight – and eventually suspension – took place after.



ARENA INFO
Venue: Halifax Metro Centre
Seating Capacity: 10,500
Year Built: 1978
QMJHL Arena Guide


MEDIA GUIDE
Radio (Sea Dogs): News 88.9 FM
Live Web Feed: Telus
Television: Eastlink (NS AND PEI)
Live Blog: Station Nation
Post-Game Coverage: Station Nation, Chronicle Herald, Metro Halifax, Telegraph-Journal

TWITTER
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 head to Sydney on Sunday to face the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles at 4:00 pm.

Photo Credits: Mooseheads Facebook page; Kevin Jordan/QMJHL Arena Guide

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