GAME DAY
WHO: Saint John Sea Dogs vs PEI Rocket
WHEN: Tonight, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Charlottetown Civic Centre
VISITING TEAM: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 24-3-0-0 (1st in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 5-2 win vs Gatineau Saturday
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Huberdeau (29GP-20G-24A-44Pts)
Notes: The Saint John Sea Dogs enter action tonight with a record of 24-3-0-0 which is good for first place in the Maritimes Division and good enough for a 10-point lead over the second place Acadie-Bathurst Titan and Moncton Wildcats. The Sea Dogs are currently tied with the Montreal Juniors for first overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League… Saint John was ranked second in last week’s edition of the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings… the Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-2 victory over the Gatineau Olympiques Saturday at Harbour Station. Tomas Jurco scored a pair of goals while Stanislav Galiev, Stephen MacAulay, and Zach Phillips all had single markers. Goaltender Jacob DeSerres was sharp in goal, making 25 saves for the win. Saint John went 1/3 on the power play… Saint John comes into tonight’s game on an eight game winning streak. They have also picked up 29 of a possible 30 points over the last 15 games. The team has not lost in regulation since a 5-1 loss in Bathurst on October 22… the Dogs continue to lead the league in goals scored with 146 in 29 contests for an average of 5.03 goals per-game… the team has also allowed the fewest amount of goals this year with 76 against for a per-game average of 2.62… they have played the fewest amount of games in the league this season with 29. They are the last team to reach the 30 game mark… 9-3-0-1 on the road this season and have outscored their opposition 61-42 along the way. All three of Saint John’s regulation loses have come on the road… Saint John’s power play has been pretty good of late. They still sit seventh in the league with a rating of 0.230… the team’s penalty kill is ranked sixth in the league with a rating of 0.815… Jonathan Huberdeau leads the Sea Dogs in scoring with 44 points this season… Zach Phillips leads the team in goals with 21 in 29 games. He was named the QMJHL’s second star of the week yesterday… after returning from a three-game suspension on the weekend, Michael Kirkpatrick managed to regain the team’s assist lead with 25 this year… Huberdeau still leads the league in plus/minus with a +34 rating. Six of the top 10 plus/minus leaders play for Saint John… Phillips is tied with Jonathan Hazen of the Val-d’Or Foreurs for the most power play goals scored this season with nine… Phillips also leads the league in game winning goals with six… Galiev, Huberdeau, and Jurco are all tied for tops in the QMJHL with four insurance goals each… Frederic Piche will likely get the start in goal this evening. He has a record of 11-1-0-2, a goals against average of 2.34, and a save percentage of 0.918. His last start was a 6-2 victory over the Lewiston MAINEiacs last Friday at Harbour Station. Piche shutout the Rocket earlier this season in Charlottetown.
Record: 15-13-1-1 (4th in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 6-3 win vs Moncton Saturday
Leading Scorer: Andrej Nestrasil (25GP-10G-20A-30Pts)
Notes: The Prince Edward Island Rocket are coming into action tonight with a 15-13-1-1 record which places them fourth in the Maritimes Division and 18 points back of the division leading Saint John Sea Dogs. They are eight points back of the second place Moncton Wildcats and Acadie-Bathurst Titan. The Rocket currently sit 12th overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League… the Rocket are coming off a 6-3 home victory over the Moncton Wildcats at the Charlottetown Civic Centre. Jamie MacIntyre scored twice while singles came from Adam Polasek, Ben Duffy, Philippe Paradis, and Travis McIsaac. Evan Mosher allowed three goals on 28 shots in the win… prior to their win Saturday, the Rocket got blasted by the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, losing 8-0… the Rocket are 4-5-1-0 in their last 10 games… PEI’s power play has had its struggles this season. They are currently ranked 15th in the 18 team QMJHL with a rating of 0.159… the Rocket penalty kill is ranked fourth overall in the league with a rating of 0.816. At home though, the team’s penalty kill slips down to 0.804… the Rocket have served the fewest amount of penalty minutes per-game in the division this season with an 11.9 average. Only the Chicoutimi Sagueneens and Quebec Remparts serve fewer penalty minutes per-game in the QMJHL… former Victoriaville Tigres forward Andrej Nestrasil is currently the Rocket’s leading scorer. He has 30 points in 25 games this season… Samuel Morneau leads PEI in goals with 16 in 29 matches… Nestrasil also leads the Rocket in assists with 20… Philippe Paradis is a team best +14… Morneau’s two shorthanded goals this season place him sixth in the category… Ben Duffy is tied for fourth in the league in game winning goals with four… Adam Polasek is tied for the league lead in shorthanded assists with three… Evan Mosher is expected to start in goal for PEI tonight. The netminder has a record of 11-11-1-1, a goals against average of 2.91, and a save percentage of 0.911. He played in Saturday’s 6-3 Rocket win over the Wildcats.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Sea Dogs and Rocket have played each other twice this season with both games being in September. The two teams have not done battle since September 19th in Charlottetown.
Charles Reid of The Guardian went into beast mode today, producing some unreal head-to-head numbers:
Rocket-Sea Dogs Season Series At A GlanceThe Sea Dogs website has more:
Record: Saint John leads 2-0, including 1-0 at the Civic Centre.
Goals For-Goals Against: Saint John leads 11-4, one shutout.
Penalty Minutes: Saint John: 27; P.E.I.: 48.
Power Play: Saint John: 3-for-16, 19 per cent; P.E.I.: 0-for-7.
Hits: Saint John: 20; P.E.I.: 25.
Faceoffs: Saint John: 47-for-117, 40 per cent; P.E.I.: 70-for-117, 60 per cent.
Saint John has previously defeated P.E.I. twice this season by a combined score of 11-4. Sophomore sniper Zack Phillips netted a hat trick in the Sea Dogs’ last meeting with the Rocket, a 5-0 road victory on September 19. Veteran net minder Frédéric Piché earned the shutout in that match, stopping all 17 shots sent his way by P.E.I. skaters on the night. Piché currently ranks amongst the top goalies in the league in several statistical categories, including G.A.A.TICKET SPECIALS
It is redemption night at the Charlottetown Civic Centre. Season ticket holders can gather up any unused tickets and redeem them for tickets to Tuesday's game.
Also, all student and youth tickets are just $5.00 (plus taxes) for all PEI home games in the month of December.
HOME-AND-HOME
This is the first game of a rare mid-week home-and-home series between these two division rivals. The second game of the mini-series goes tomorrow night at 7:00 pm at Harbour Station.
ARENA INFO
Venue: Charlottetown Civic Centre
Seating Capacity: 3,690
Year Built: 1990
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, The Guardian
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 second half the home-and-home goes tomorrow at Harbour Station at 7:00 pm. Upper bowl tickets can be purchased for $6.
Photo Credits: PEI Rocket, Marc Henwood Photography, Charlottetown Civic Centre
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