POSTSCRIPT: Drakkar 2, Sea Dogs 5

By Station Nation Staff

SEA DOGS – DRAKKAR GAME AT A GLANCE
Final Score: Baie-Comeau 2, Saint John 5
Saint John Goals: Nathan Beaulieu (10), Danick Gauthier (9), Tomas Jurco (19, 20), and Michael Kirkpatrick (20)
Baie-Comeau Goals: Alexandre Durette (14, 15)
Winning Goaltender: SNB – Mathieu Corbeil
Losing Goaltender: BC – Jason Missiaen
News 88.9 Top Dog: Kevin Gagne

THE NUMBERS
Power Play: Drakkar: 1/6, Sea Dogs: 1/7
Shots on Goal: Drakkar: 3+12+4=19, Sea Dogs: 12+1+25=47
Length: 2:18
Attendance: 4,817

SAINT JOHN SCRATCHES
Zach Phillips finally got his day off yesterday afternoon. The other three Sea Dogs who took part in the CHL Top Prospects Game all got a day off last weekend with the exception being Phillips. Forwards Stephen MacAulay and Jason Cameron were also scratched.

With three forwards out of the lineup, defenseman Kevin Gagne once again took some shifts as a forward.

SCARY MOMENTS, BUT DOGS GET IT DONE
The Saint John Sea Dogs took down the Baie-Comeau Drakkar 5-2 on Sunday afternoon at Harbour Station in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Despite sitting on the opposite ends of the standings, the Drakkar gave the Sea Dogs a minor scare by taking a 2-1 lead into the third period.

Baie-Comeau dominated the first-half of the second period, keeping Saint John’s offense at bay. Although shots ended up being only 12-10 in favour of the visitors, the Drakkar were immensely outshooting the Sea Dogs at one point. If not for a late surge from Saint John, it could have been worse.

But the Dogs would take over the third period, rallying to score four answered goals and winning their sixth straight contest.

Nathan Beaulieu scored the lone first period goal on a wrist shot that went high on Drakkar netminder Jason Missiaen. The goal came during a power play and while a delayed penalty was being called against Baie-Comeau, allowing Saint John to ice six players.

In the second period, Alexandre Durette scored his first of two goals to tie the match at 1-1 at 9:11. Then on the power play at 13:44, Durette found the loose puck and went around Sea Dogs goaltender Mathieu Corbeil to give the visiting squad a surprising 2-1 advantage heading into the dressing room.

But the Sea Dogs would be the Sea Dogs in the third period. Danick Gauthier tied the match at 6:05 and then Tomas Jurco put the Dogs back in front at 10:01. A little over two-minutes later, Michael Kirkpatrick gave the Dogs a two-goal lead. Jurco would close the match out by scoring his second of the match at 15:27 to ensure a Saint John victory.

The Sea Dogs outshot Baie-Comeau 25-4 in the final frame.

DOGS DOWN DRAKKAR

SN RECAP
FINAL: Drakkar 2, Sea Dogs 5

SAINT JOHN – If a hockey game could be a sandwich, the stats sheet from Sunday afternoon’s tilt at Harbour Station would be pictured on the wrapper.

On the ends, the Saint John Sea Dogs played smoothly and dominated most of the first and the third periods. But on the inside, it was a bit of a mess. The end result – a 5-2 Sea Dogs win over the lowly Baie-Comeau Drakkar in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

The Sea Dogs played well in the opening 20-minutes, carrying a 1-0 lead and outshooting the Drakkar 12-3. But in the second, Baie-Comeau took the game over, jumping out to a 2-1 lead and outshooting Saint John 9-0 at one point. It was a stunning sight, one the quickly evaporated in the later stages of the second period as the Drakkar only outshot the Dogs 12-10 in the frame. Then in the third, the Sea Dogs dominated and rallied to score four goals on 25 shots. It was definitely a strange one at the Station.

Tomas Jurco scored a pair and added two assists while Nathan Beaulieu, Danick Gauthier, and Michael Kirkpatrick also scored. Goaltender Mathieu Corbeil made 17 saves in the win.

The Drakkar had a two goals come from Alexandre Durette. 6’08” goaltender Jason Missiaen allowed five goals on 47 shots.

The win was Saint John’s sixth straight and they have also picked up at least a point in their last 13 contests.

LIVE BLOG: Drakkar vs Sea Dogs

PRE-GAME: Baie-Comeau Drakkar vs Saint John Sea Dogs

By Station Nation Staff

GAME DAY
WHO: Baie-Comeau Drakkar vs Saint John Sea Dogs
WHEN: Today, 4:00 pm
WHERE: Harbour Station

VISITING TEAM: Baie-Comeau Drakkar
Record: 7-36-5-4 (6th in Telus East Division)
Last Game: 6-1 loss at Saint John yesterday
Leading Scorer: Lukas Cingel (52GP-15G-20A-35Pts); Raphael Bussieres (51GP-14G-21A-35Pts)
Notes: The Baie-Comeau Drakkar enter action today with a record of 7-36-5-4 which places them last in the six-team Telus East Division and 17th overall in the 18-team Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Drakkar join the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies as teams currently on the outside of the playoff picture. They are 10-points behind the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles for the final playoff spot… the Drakkar are coming off a tough 6-1 loss last night in Saint John against the Sea Dogs. Baie-Comeau got off to a pretty good start, scoring the first goal and keeping up with the top-ranked Sea Dogs. Lukas Cingel scored the lone goal for the visitors while Simon Giroux made 28 saves in net. They went a dreadful 0-for-7 on the power play… 1-9-0-0 in their last 10 games and are currently on a five-game losing skid. They have been outscored 21-9 over those five matches… Baie-Comeau is 4-19-3-2 away from the Henry Leonard Centre this season. They have picked up three more points and one more win on the road than at home this season. They have been outscored 115-59 on the road in 28 contests… the Drakkar have the worst power play in the QMJHL with a rating of just 10.6%. On the road, they are an awful 9.4% on the man advantage… on the penalty kill, Baie-Comeau sits 11th with a rating of 78.2%. On the road, the team is operating at 77%... the Drakkar are averaging the fourth most penalty minutes per game with a an average of 16.4… if it wasn’t for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, the Drakkar would be the league’s worst goal scoring team. Baie-Comeau has scored 115 goals compared to the Huskies who have scored a league low 108… the Drakkar and Huskies are the only teams in the QMJHL to have allowed over 200 goals against this season… Lukas Cingel and Raphael Bussieres are tied for the team lead in points this season with 35 each… after scoring last night, Cingel now leads the Drakkar in goals this year with 15 in 52 games… Bussieres has a team high 21 assists on the year. Defenseman Hugo Laporte is a close second with 20 on the year while Cingel has 20 helpers as well… Maxim Lamarche is a team worst -35 this season… Ontario native Jason Missiaen will likely get the start in goal today. The 6’08” netminder has a record of 6-25-4-3 with a 0.891 save percentage and a 3.34 goals against average. He is second in the league in saves made this season with 1137, nearly 100 saves behind PEI’s Evan Mosher for the league high… 5-10-2-2 when scoring the first goal… Baie-Comeau averages the fewest shots per game in the league with an average of 23.81… have lost three straight on the road.

HOME TEAM: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 40-5-1-2 (1st in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 6-1 win vs Baie-Comeau yesterday
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Huberdeau (47GP-29G-42A-71Pts)
Notes: The Saint John Sea Dogs come into today’s match with a record of 40-5-1-2 which is good for first place in the Maritimes Division and top spot in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The team has a 16-point lead over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan for first place in the division and are eight-points up on the Quebec Remparts and Montreal Juniors for the No. 1 position in the QMJHL… in the latest edition of the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings, the Sea Dogs were ranked No. 1 for a seventh straight week… the Sea Dogs are coming off a 6-1 win against the Baie-Comeau Drakkar last night at Harbour Station. Danick Gauthier and Simon Despres scored twice while Steven Anthony and Eric Gelinas added singles. Jacob DeSerres made 17 saves for the win in net. The Sea Dogs played fairly well for most of the night but got into some penalty trouble throughout the contest, something they will look to correct this afternoon… Saint John has been red hot of late as they have won five straight games, picked up at least a point in their past 12, and are 9-0-1-0 in their last 10 games. Their last regulation loss came on January 30, 2010 in Bathurst… they have yet to lose in regulation at Harbour Station this season, sporting a record of 22-0-1-1 and have earned 46 points. They have outscored their opposition 120-51 at home this year. They are one goal back of the Quebec Remparts for most goals at home this year… the Sea Dogs’ power play comes in ranked seventh on the league with a rating of 24.4%. At home, their man advantage is running at 21.1%... on the penalty kill side of things, Saint John is ranked sixth with a rating of 81%. At home, the clubs penalty kill is operating at 85%... Jonathan Huberdeau, despite going pointless yesterday, still leads the Sea Dogs in points this season with 71 in 47 games… Huberdeau and Zack Phillips are tied for the team lead in goals with 29 apiece… Huberdeau leads the team in assists with 42… Mathieu Corbeil will likely get the start in net for the Sea Dogs this afternoon. The Columbus Blue Jackets prospect has a record of 10-15-1-1, a goals against average of 3.58, and a save percentage of 0.871. With Saint John, he has a record of 3-0-1-0, a 2.65 GAA, and a 0.892 SV%. Corbeil’s last start was Friday in Moncton… Saint John is now averaging 4.69 goals per game. At home, they are averaging an insane five goals per game.

VIDEO: Beauregard fights twice in win

SAINT JOHN – With captain Mike Thomas out of the lineup for the Saint John Sea Dogs, Alexandre Beauregard responded in a big way by dropping the gloves twice in Saturday’s 6-1 home victory over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar.

The first came at 2:59 of the opening period when Beauregard and Samuel Noreau got into a tussle.



Then at 13:03 of the third period, Beauregard and Maxime Lamarche took part in a round of fisticuffs following a big hit at the Baie-Comeau bench.



The Sea Dogs forward was given a game misconduct following the tilt for fighting twice in the same match. Beauregard now has four fights since joining Saint John during the holiday trade deadline.

Props to our boy Chris Phillips of HockeyFights.com for making the videos.

SEA DOGS SINK DRAKKAR

SN POST-GAME
FINAL: Drakkar 1, Sea Dogs 6

SAINT JOHN – The Baie-Comeau Drakkar struck first, but it was the Saint John Sea Dogs getting the last laugh in a 6-1 win over the Drakkar on Saturday night at Harbour Station in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

Saint John’s hot play continued with the win as they have now won five straight and have earned at least a point in their past 12 contests.

Lukas Cingel opened the scoring at 4:20 of the opening frame to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. The puck came loose from Saint John goaltender Jacob DeSerres, allowing Cingel to backhand the puck into the open cage.

Although Baie-Comeau was playing well, they just couldn’t escape the period with a lead as the Simon Despres show began. The Pittsburgh Penguins prospect scored his first at 14:30 and his second at 17:28 to give the Sea Dogs a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes.

On a power play in the second period, a short pass ahead found Danick Gauthier just inside the line. Gauthier skated in on a partial break and unleashed a shot that went off the far post and in to give Saint John a two-goal advantage.

The Sea Dogs headed to the dressing rooms for the second intermission up 4-1 as a last minute goal by Steven Anthony gave the Dogs a commanding lead. The play started with Despres throwing the puck in front where Anthony banged at the disc twice before hammering it home.

In the final stanza, Gauthier scored his second of the match at 5:07 while shorthanded. The third-liner found himself on a partial break again but was hooked up a bit this time, still managing to swipe the puck under the pads on Baie-Comeau netminder Simon Giroux to give the Dogs a 5-1 lead.

Saint John ended the scoring parade at 14:30 as Kevin Gagne put the puck on a tee for Eric Gelinas. The New Jersey Devils prospect fired a blast from the point that beat Giroux low blocker side to make it a 6-1 final.

While it was a convincing score for the Sea Dogs, the Drakkar played well in spurts and certainly were not awful in this game. Baie-Comeau had their opportunities with Saint John taking seven penalties in the game - none of which the Drakkar could connect on.

DeSerres made 17 saves in the win while Giroux allowed six goals on 34 shots in the loss.

LIVE BLOG: Drakkar vs Sea Dogs

PRE-GAME: Baie-Comeau Drakkar vs Saint John Sea Dogs

By Station Nation Staff

GAME DAY
WHO: Baie-Comeau Drakkar vs Saint John Sea Dogs
WHEN: Tonight, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Harbour Station

VISITING TEAM: Baie-Comeau Drakkar
Record: 7-35-5-4 (6th in Telus East Division)
Last Game: 2-1 loss at Halifax yesterday
Leading Scorer: Raphael Bussieres (50GP-14G-21A-35Pts)
Notes: The Baie-Comeau Drakkar enter action this evening with a record of 7-35-5-4 which places them last in the six-team Telus East Division and 17th overall in the 18-team Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Drakkar join the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies as teams currently on the outside of the playoff picture. They are eight points behind the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles for the final playoff spot… the Drakkar are coming off a 2-1 loss against another cellar dwelling team in the Halifax Mooseheads. At the Halifax Metro Centre last night, Alexandre Durette scored the lone Drakkar goal in the loss. The visitors were able to fire only 16 shots on goal. Jason Missiaen and his large frame took the loss in goal by allowing two goals on 28 shots… 1-9-0-0 in their last 10 games and are currently on a four-game losing skid. They have been outscored 15-8 over those four matches… Baie-Comeau is 4-18-3-2 away from the Henry Leonard Centre this season. They have picked up three more points and one more win on the road than at home this season. They have been outscored 109-58 on the road in 27 contests… the Drakkar have the worst power play in the QMJHL with a rating of just 11%. On the road, they are an awful 10% on the man advantage… on the penalty kill, Baie-Comeau sits 11th with a rating of 78.4%. On the road, the team is operating at 77.3%... the Drakkar are averaging the fifth most penalty minutes per game with a an average if 16.4… if it wasn’t for the dreadful Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, the Drakkar would be the league’s worst goal scoring team. Baie-Comeau has scored 114 goals compared to the Huskies’ league low 104… the Drakkar and Huskies are the only teams in the QMJHL to have allowed over 200 goals against this season… Raphael Bussieres leads Baie-Comeau in point scoring with 35 points in 50 games. Teammate Lukas Cingel is a close second in team scoring with 34 points in 51 games. Cingel is an assist away from matching Bussieres’ totals… Bussieres and Cingel are tied for the team lead in goals with 14 each on the year… Bussieres leads the team in assists with 21 this season. Cingel and Hugo Laporte are second in helpers with 21 apiece… two of the Drakkar’s top-four scorers are defenseman… Jean Philippe-Caron is a team worst -35 this season… Jason Missiaen has played the most minutes in goal this season but he has started the last two games on this road trip, meaning we may see Simon Giroux instead. Missiaen, an Ontario Hockey League castoff, is 6-25-4-3 with a goals against average of 3.34 and a save percentage of 0.891. Giroux, a former Sea Dogs goaltending prospect, has a record of 0-3-0-0, a goals against average of 5.39, and a save percentage of 0.826… this is the third game of a Maritime road swing for the Drakkar. They fell 4-1 in Cape Breton on Wednesday night, lost a close 2-1 game against Halifax last night, and now play two straight in Saint John.

HOME TEAM: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 39-5-1-2 (1st in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 4-3 win at Moncton yesterday
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Huberdeau (46GP-29G-42A-71Pts)
Notes: The Saint John Sea Dogs come into tonight’s match with a record of 39-5-1-2 which is good for first place in the Maritimes Division and top spot in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The team has a 14-point lead over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan for first place in the division and are six-points up on the Quebec Remparts and Montreal Juniors for the No. 1 position in the QMJHL. The team has also played two fewer games than the Remparts and Juniors… in the latest edition of the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings, the Sea Dogs were ranked No. 1 for a seventh straight week… the Sea Dogs are coming off a hard fought 4-3 road win in Moncton last night. Jonathan Huberdeau, sporting a full cage on his helmet, scored two goals while Zack Phillips and Nathan Beaulieu added single markers. Goaltender Mathieu Corbeil made 26 saves in the win, his first in regulation since joining the Sea Dogs. It was a pretty good game for Saint John who were able to kill off some key penalties to earn the victory… Saint John is coming in hot. Winners of four straight, the club is on a 10-0-1-0 stretch that has seen the team pick up at least a point in their last 11 games. Their last regulation loss came on January 30, 2010 in Bathurst. The Sea Dogs are also 9-0-1-0 in their last 10 games… the Dogs are kinda good on home ice. They have yet to lose in regulation at Harbour Station, sporting a record of 21-0-1-1 and have earned 44 points. They have outscored their opposition 114-50 at home this season. They are seven goals back of the Quebec Remparts for most goals at home this year… the Sea Dogs’ power play comes in ranked seventh on the league with a rating of 24.3%. At home, their man advantage is running at 20.7%... on the penalty kill side of things, Saint John is ranked sixth with a rating of 80.3%. At home, the clubs penalty kill is operating at 84%... Jonathan Huberdeau leads the team in points this season with 71 in 46 games… Huberdeau and Zack Phillips are tied for the team lead in goals with 29. They each scored in last night’s win in Moncton… Huberdeau leads the club in assists with 42 on the year… 20-year old Jacob DeSerres will likely start in net tonight for the Sea Dogs. The Western Hockey League castoff has a record of 18-2-0-0, a goals against average of 2.30, and a save percentage of 0.917. DeSerres has won six straight games and has not lost since January 30 in Bathurst. He owns the second best GAA and save percentage in the league…. Phillips is second in the league in power play goals scored with 13… Huberdeau is a league best +40… Phillips has recorded an assist in four straight games… Saint John is still averaging the most goals per game with an average of 4.66. They are also allowing the fewest goals per game with an average of 2.57… 29-2-0-1 when scoring the opening goal.

LAPORTE, DRAKKAR IN TOWN FOR WEEKEND DOUBLEHEADER

SAINT JOHN – An unfamiliar team but a familiar foe make their way to Harbour Station for a doubleheader this weekend.

The Baie-Comeau Drakkar, who sit in 17th place in the 18-team Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, roll into town for a pair of games beginning tonight at 7pm and the other going down at 4pm on Sunday. The Drakkar are currently on a Maritime road trip as they played in Cape Breton Wednesday, Halifax Friday, and now are in Saint John for a pair of games against the top-ranked team in Canada.

The Drakkar, 7-35-5-4, are still looking for their first win of the trip - and wins have not come easy for Baie-Comeau this season. This is a team that lost 25 consecutive games earlier in the year and has won only seven of their 51 games this season.

This weekend’s doubleheader certainly seems like a "David vs Goliath" matchup. But you have to give the Drakkar some credit going in as they gave the Sea Dogs a bit of a scare last Friday at the Henry Leonard Centre, a game that saw Saint John squeak out a 3-2 win.

"You have to give them credit,'' said Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant about the Drakkar in yesterday’s Telegraph-Journal. "They worked very hard and they're a lot different team than they were 20 games ago. They've played against some tough teams and they've battled.”

Baie-Comeau is led offensively by Raphael Bussieres who has 14 goals and 21 assists in 50 games this season. Lukas Cingel is a close second with 34 points on the year, sitting just an assist back of matching Bussieres’ totals.

Those names may not be well known to Saint John fans, but defenseman Hugo Laporte’s name is quite well known by the Harbour Station faithful. Laporte has been the subject of many boos over the past year following his acting display against Saint John in 2010 President’s Cup quarter-finals. Laporte has been booed heavily ever since the incident.

The overage defenseman has made an appearance already this season at Harbour Station, but thanks to the Gatineau Olympiques shipping him to Baie-Comeau in a transaction during the holiday trading period, he is expected to play twice more in southwestern New Brunswick this season.

The Sea Dogs, 39-5-1-2, will enter play this weekend looking to capture their 40th win of the season and keep their undefeated-in-regulation-at-home record intact.

DOGS CONTINUE TO ROLL

SN POST-GAME
FINAL: Sea Dogs 4, Wildcats 3

MONCTON – Despite some nervous moments in the third, the Saint John Sea Dogs managed to pull off their fourth consecutive victory with a 4-3 win over the Moncton Wildcats on Friday night in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

Leading 4-2 at the time, Saint John took three straight penalties in the final frame. But despite all the man advantages and the Wildcats scoring with their goaltender pulled, the Sea Dogs were able to hang on in the final minutes to insure a victory.

Jonathan Huberdeau, wearing a full face shield after taking a stick in the face on Sunday in Quebec City, scored a pair of first period goals while Zack Phillips and Nathan Beaulieu added singles.

Moncton had goals from Simon Jodoin, Marek Hrivik, and Ted Stephens.

It was a pretty good game for Saint John who were playing their fourth straight road game. Their penalty killers came through in a big way at times, not only stopping the ‘Cats in the third period, but also by only giving up one goal on Tomas Jurco’s five-minute major penalty in the first period.

Goaltender Mathieu Corbeil picked up his first regulation win as a Sea Dog, making 26 saves in the victory. Wildcats netminder Steve Gleeson allowed four goals on 32 shots in the loss.

LIVE BLOG: Sea Dogs vs Wildcats

PRE-GAME: Rivalry Cup Game 5 - Saint John Sea Dogs vs Moncton Wildcats

By Station Nation Staff

GAME DAY
WHO: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Moncton Wildcats
WHEN: Tonight, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Moncton Coliseum

VISITING TEAM: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 38-5-1-2 (1st in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 4-2 win at Quebec Sunday
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Huberdeau (45GP-27G-42A-69Pts)
Notes: The Saint John Sea Dogs come into this evening’s game with a record of 38-5-1-2 which is good for first place in the Maritimes Division and top spot in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Sea Dogs have 12-point lead for first in the division over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan while the Montreal Juniors sit four-points behind Saint John in the overall standings… in this week’s BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings, the Sea Dogs were ranked as the top team in the nation for the seventh straight week… Saint John is coming off a 4-2 road victory in Quebec City on Sunday afternoon. Stanislav Galiev, Michael Kirkpatrick, Zack Phillips, and Alexandre Beauregard all scored for the winners who were closing out a three-in-three Quebec road swing. Goaltender Jacob DeSerres made 21 saves in the win over the Remparts… 9-0-1-0 in their last 10-games and have gotten at least a point in 10 straight. They have won three straight – all road victories… for the Sea Dogs, this will be their fourth straight road match. The team opened a three-in-three road trip on Friday in Baie-Comeau, played Chicoutimi on Saturday, and then visited the Remparts on Sunday… Saint John is 17-5-0-1 on the road this season with all of their regulation loses coming on the road. They have outscored their opposition 101-68 away from Harbour Station. They are the only team in the league to have scored over 100 goals on the road this season… the Sea Dogs’ power play is ranked eighth in the league with a rating of 24%. On the road, the team is operating at a league best 28.1%... on the penalty kill, Saint John is ranked sixth with a rating of 80.2%. On the road, the squad is running at 75.6% which is ranked 14th among road team’s penalty kill… the Sea Dogs are averaging the fourth fewest penalty minutes per game in the QMJHL with an average of 12.4… Jonathan Huberdeau continues to lead the Sea Dogs in scoring with 69 points in 45 games this year. His linemate Zack Phillips is a close second with 67 points in 46 games… Phillips leads the team in the goal department with 28 on the year. Huberdeau is second on the team with 27… Huberdeau leads the club in assists with 42 on the year… Phillips is second in the league in power play goals with 13… Mike Thomas is fifth in the league in shorthanded goals with three. 25% on his goals scored this season have been while shorthanded… Phillips is second in the league with seven game winning goals. He scored the winner Sunday against the Remparts… Steven Anthony is tied for the league lead in insurance goals with five… Phillips has gotten an assist in five straight road games while Huberdeau has gotten at least one in five straight… Saint John has won five straight road games.

HOME TEAM: Moncton Wildcats
Record: 25-16-2-4 (3rd in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 5-4 win at PEI Sunday
Leading Scorer: Alex Saulnier (48GP-20G-40A-60Pts)
Notes: The Moncton Wildcats enter action tonight with a record of 25-16-2-4 which is good for third overall in the Maritimes Division and 10th in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Wildcats find themselves basically locked in the third spot in the division as they have a seven-point lead over the fourth place Prince Edward Island Rocket and are 11 points back of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan for the second spot in the Maritime grouping… Moncton is coming off a bizarre 5-4 road victory in Charlottetown against the Rocket on Sunday afternoon. The Wildcats had a 2-0 lead before the Rocket stormed back to take a 4-2 advantage. But the Wildcats would score three straight third period goals to earn the road win. Allain Saulnier scored a hat trick while singles came from Alex Saulnier and Devon MacAusland. Steve Gleeson made 36 saves in net for the win… 5-3-1-1 in their last 10 games and have won two straight… the Wildcats are 11-7-2-3 at home this year and have been outscored 85-83 on their home ice… Moncton has the sixth best power play in the league with a rating of 25.8%. At the Moncton Coliseum, they are operating at the same 25.8%... on the penalty kill side, Moncton is running at 79.9%. At home, their PK is working a percentage of 79.4%... the ‘Cats are averaging the eighth most penalty minutes per game with an average of 15… Alex Saulnier continues to lead Moncton in the points department with 60 in 48 games. His twin brother Allain is a close second with 57 points… Allain Saulnier leads the Wildcats in goals with 24 on the year… Alex Saulnier leads the club in assists with 40 this season… Alex Saulnier is also a team best +6 on the year… Tyler Howe has a team high 79 penalty minutes in 36 games played… goaltender Shane Owen was released by the team a few weeks ago, handing the ranks over to Steve Gleeson. Gleeson has a record of 10-2-2-1, a goals against average of 3.14, and a save percentage of 0.899… Alex Saulnier sits fifth in the league in power play assists with 19. Marek Hrivik is sixth with 18 man advantage helpers… Allain Saulnier is tied with Saint John’s Zack Phillips for second place in the league in power play goals with 13 on the year… Brandon Gormley is tied for the league lead in shootout winning goals scored by a defenseman with one… 21-5-0-1 when scoring the opening goal… Moncton allows the most shots against per game with an average of 33.69 against.

DOGS - 'CATS GAME POSTPONED; WILL BE PLAYED TOMORROW

Tonight’s Saint John Sea Dogs road contest in Moncton has been postponed due to inclement weather conditions around the southern New Brunswick area. The game has been moved to tomorrow night at the Moncton Coliseum. Game time is 7:00 pm.

The Saint John and Moncton areas are both expected to be hit with roughly 10 cm of snow today. Schools in the Saint John and Moncton region were all closed due to the impending storm.

This is the third Sea Dogs road game to be postponed this season. Treks to Bathurst and Prince Edward Island have both been called off previously.

The reschedule creates a second consecutive three-in-three weekend for the Sea Dogs. Saint John played in Baie-Comeau, Chicoutimi, and Quebec City last weekend. Now, they travel to Moncton tomorrow and host the Baie-Comeau Drakkar on Saturday and Sunday at Harbour Station.

As for the Wildcats, they host the Halifax Mooseheads on Saturday.

The move should also give the ‘Cats a boost in attendance, earning them some extra points in the all-important Brunswick News Rivalry Cup Challenge. Saint John currently leads the challenge 16-5.

2012 MEMORIAL CUP RALLY FEB. 2

SAINT JOHN - There has been a change of plans.

Rather than holding a minor shindig at the Imperial Theatre involving season ticket holders, the Saint John Sea Dogs are now going full scale with a rally at the Brunswick Square atrium next Wednesday, February 2. The event will be held from 5:30 – 6:00 pm, giving fans enough time to take the pedway back to Harbour Station for warm-up as the Sea Dogs host the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

All of this is for an effort to try and show the city’s support and enthusiasm towards bringing the 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup to Saint John. The selection committee is scheduled to tour the Saint John area on February 9.

From a Sea Dogs release:

“Sea Dogs fans have really let us know how proud they are to see the city considered as a host for this high-profile event,” said Sea Dogs president Wayne Long. “We have the greatest fans in junior hockey, and so many want to be involved with this bid process in some way. We came up with the idea of a community rally to give everyone a chance to show their colours and wow the selection committee.”

This rally will include the public unveiling of the Saint John 2012 logo, and will be videotaped as part of a package presented to the committee demonstrating why this great city would make a perfect Memorial Cup host. Fleaburn and Sea Dogs players will be on hand to give away T-shirts, and fans are encouraged to come wearing Sea Dogs jerseys or other blue clothing.

“We have a first-class experience planned for the MasterCard Memorial Cup selection committee, and having this rally will just show the members of the independent committee how enthusiastic and committed Saint John is to hosting this tournament,” said Ron Marcolin, chair of the 2012 Memorial Cup bid committee.

All members of the public are invited to attend the public rally Feb. 2 to show their support for this major national event.

There has been hype about the 2012 Memorial Cup for over a year now in Saint John and this will be the first time Sea Dogs fans get to publically show their support. Other teams bidding on the tournament include the Shawinigan Cataractes, Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, and Halifax Mooseheads.

The selection committee will visit Cape Breton on February 8.

SEA DOGS STILL ON TOP

For the seventh straight week, the Saint John Sea Dogs are ranked as the No. 1 team in the nation. The latest edition of the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings were released this afternoon.

Saint John had a busy weekend, taking part in a three-in-three Quebec road swing. They opened things up on Friday night with a 3-2 win in Baie-Comeau. The following afternoon in Chicoutimi, the Sea Dogs blew a 3-0 third period lead but managed to pull off a 4-3 overtime win against the Sagueneens.

Then on Sunday, the Dogs faced their stiffest competition of the road trek as they faced the Remparts in front of over 12,000 at the Pepsi Colisee. The Sea Dogs passed the tough test with flying colours, playing a solid road game in a 4-2 victory.

Those Remparts slipped to No. 5 in Canadian Hockey League’s Top 10 this week. Other Quebec Major Junior Hockey League clubs ranked were the Montreal Juniors at No. 4, the Drummondville Voltigeurs at No. 9, and the Gatineau Olympiques were an honourable mention.

The weekly rankings of the CHL’s Top 10 teams are selected by a panel of National Hockey League scouts.

Here are the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings for week 18:

1 Saint John Sea Dogs (38-5-1-2)
2 Mississauga St. Michael's Majors (34-8-0-2)
3 Saskatoon Blades (35-10-0-2)
4 Montreal Juniors (33-7-4-3)
5 Quebec Remparts (34-10-1-2)
6 Red Deer Rebels (32-12-1-4)
7 Saginaw Spirit (31-11-3-1)
8 Niagara IceDogs (29-11-2-3)
9 Drummondville Voltigeurs (31-12-5-1)
10 Portland Winterhawks (32-14-0-3)

Honourable Mention:
Ottawa 67's (29-15-1-1)
Spokane Chiefs (29-12-4-2)
Gatineau Olympiques (30-13-2-3)

In the Buzzing The Net Dynamic Dozen, the Sea Dogs reclaimed the top spot.

The Sea Dogs had a pretty decent trip over to Quebec. They gutted out three road wins. It says a lot for them their best result of the trip came against their best opponent of the three, the Quebec Remparts.

This week, Saint John travels to Moncton on Thursday (weather permitting) to play the Wildcats. Then on a Saturday and Sunday, the Sea Dogs host the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in a mini-series.

2011 DRAFT TRACKER

SALLOWS BIG ON SEA DOGS
Scout Dan Sallows continues to produce one of the best draft websites on the interweb. Last week, at the midway point of hockey season, Sallows did up a mock up draft that featured three Saint John Sea Dogs going on the opening round.

Sallows selected Jonathan Huberdeau to go eighth overall to the Buffalo Sabres.

I think they’d be best served to select athletic defenseman Dougie Hamilton or talented center Jonathan Huberdeau, with the edge going to Huberdeau. Buffalo has had success with drafting talented french forwards in the past, so history may just repeat itself.

Nathan Beaulieu is predicted to go 18th overall to the Colorado Avalanche.

Nathan Beaulieu isn’t a huge risk, considering he has some offensive potential that is off the charts, but the 6-foot-3, 191-pound blueliner may need some seasoning (ala Alex Pietrangelo) before he makes an impact. Not that the Av’s would be concerned as they are heading in the right direction and have nothing but time on their hands to let their prospects develop.

Sallows also selected Zack Phillips to go in the opening round to the Montreal Canadiens19th overall.

The Canadiens will most likely be looking for a big, skilled center, and 6-foot-1, 181-pound Zack Phillips would fit the bill. Another talented Sea Dog that has been lights out thus far this season, and it doesn’t hurt he plays in the Q either, so the Habs scouts see him a lot.

BEAULIEU AND HUBERDEAU SPEAK
Following their extraordinary display at the Top Prospects Game, The Hockey News' Ryan Kennedy caught up with two Sea Dogs, Jonathan Huberdeau and Nathan Beaulieu, to talk about their experience and more.

The video can be seen on THN’s website.

Props to Al for sending this in.

POSTSCRIPT: Sea Dogs 4, Remparts 2

By Station Nation Staff

SEA DOGS – REMPARTS GAME AT A GLANCE
Final Score: Saint John 4, Quebec 2
Saint John Goals: Stanislav Galiev (30), Michael Kirkpatrick (19), Zack Phillips (28), and Alexandre Beauregard (6)
Quebec Goals: Axel Rioux (7) and Ryan Bourque (23)
Winning Goaltender: Jacob DeSerres
Losing Goaltenders: Louis Domingue
News 88.9 Top Dog: Simon Despres

THE NUMBERS
Power Play: Remparts: 0/4, Sea Dogs: 1/2
Shots on Goal: Remparts: 13+5+5=23, Sea Dogs: 11+8+15=34
Length: 2:19
Attendance: 12,571

SAINT JOHN SCRATCHES
Forwards Jason Cameron and Aidan Kelly along with defenseman Jason Seed were all healthy scratches as Saint John iced a more traditional lineup for the first time on the road trip. Previously, Nathan Beaulieu, Jonathan Huberdeau, Tomas Jurco all got the night off Friday while Steven Anthony, Scott Oke, and Ryan Tesink did not dress Saturday in Chicoutimi.

BRING OUT THE BROOMS. DOGS WIN.
The Saint John Sea Dogs produced three wins in as many days as the No. 1 ranked team in Canada closed out their weekend road trip with a 4-2 win in Quebec City against the Remparts.

In what was expected to be an intense game Quebec Major Junior Hockey League titans, the Sunday afternoon match did not disappoint. Both teams had their chances in the back-and-forth affair that saw Zack Phillips score the game winning goal in the dying seconds of the second period.

"We were really happy with our game,'' Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant said to the Telegraph-Journal. "For the most part we played a full 60-minute game. Our third period was probably our best, which is really positive since it was the end of a three-in-three (third game in three days).''

Saint John scored the all important first goal of the match just 55 seconds in as Stanislav Galiev capitalized on a scoring chance to give the Dogs a 1-0 lead. The Remparts would tie the match at 6:32 as Alex Wall showed some patience and walked around goaltender Jacob DeSerres and then dishing a perfect feed to Axel Rioux who had a yawning cage.

Saint John retook the lead at 15:58 as Michael Kirkpatrick let a backhand shot on goal that snuck past Remparts netminder Louis Domingue to give the Sea Dogs a 2-1 lead after 20-minutes.

50 seconds into the second period, Ryan Bourque sprung loose on a breakaway and beat DeSerres with a move to his backhand. Neither team had great opportunities to score in the middle frame as the two teams combined to fire just 13 shots on net. Finally, with seven seconds remaining in the period and Saint John a power play, Phillips flipped the puck over Domingue to give the visitors a 3-2 advantage.

In the third, Alexandre Beauregard scored an insurance marker at 14:30 to insure a Saint John victory. The Sea Dogs showed no signs of fatigue in the final frame as they were able to outshoot the Remparts 15-5.

DOGS END TRIP WITH VICTORY

SN RECAP
FINAL: Sea Dogs 4, Remparts 2

QUEBEC CITY, Que. – What a way to end a road trip.

After playing two games in two nights, the Saint John Sea Dogs were forced to play in one of toughest buildings in the league this afternoon in Quebec City. With over 12,000 fans in attendance, the Sea Dogs were able to shutdown the Quebec Remparts and earn a 4-2 victory Sunday afternoon in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

It was by far the team’s best game of the three-in-three road swing that saw the team beat Baie-Comeau 3-2 on Friday and win 4-3 last night in Chicoutimi. The battle tested Sea Dogs played a near perfect road game, never falling behind at any point in the match.

Stanislav Galiev, Michael Kirkpatrick, Zack Phillips, and Alexandre Beauregard all had goals for the winners. Phillips’ goal in the final seven seconds of the second period proved to be the winner and gave Saint John a nice boost going into the third period.

Goaltender Jacob DeSerres played a great game in the Sea Dogs crease, making 21 saves in the win. He made some very key stops that could have could hurt Saint John’s momentum moving forward if they had gone in. The 20-year old was named third star.

The Remparts had goals from Axel Rioux and Ryan Bourque. Louis Domingue made some big saves as well, making 30 stops in the loss.

The win certainly sends a statement as the Sea Dogs were able to beat the No. 3 ranked team in the Canadian Hockey League and second best team in the QMJHL on a tail end of a three-in-three. In the season series against Quebec, Saint John outscored them 10-2.

LIVE BLOG: Sea Dogs vs Remparts

Note: Comments are off.

PRE-GAME: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Quebec Remparts

By Station Nation Staff

GAME DAY
WHO: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Quebec Remparts
WHEN: Today, 4:00 pm
WHERE: Pepsi Colisee

VISITING TEAM: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 37-5-1-2 (1st in Atlantic Division)
Last Game: 4-3 overtime win at Chicoutimi yesterday
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Huberdeau (44GP-27G-41A-68Pts)
Notes: The Saint John Sea Dogs enter Quebec City today with a record of 37-5-1-2 which is good for top spot on the Maritimes Division and first overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Sea Dogs hold the division lead with comfort as they have a 12-point lead over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. After winning last night, Saint John is six points up on the Quebec Remparts for the overall lead in the QMJHL with one game in hand… in the latest edition of the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings, the Sea Dogs were ranked first… Saint John is coming off a 4-3 overtime victory in Chicoutimi last night against the Sagueneens. Michael Kirkpatrick, Stanislav Galiev, and Stephen MacAulay all scored to give a Saint John a 3-0 lead. But in just over nine minutes in the third period, the Sags would carry the play and the tie the match, sending it into overtime. Eric Gelinas saved the Sea Dogs from embarrassment, scoring the game winner in extra time. Mathieu Corbeil made 23 saves in net. It was another case of the Dogs sitting back on a lead, something they can’t afford to do today… this is the third and final game of a three-in-three Quebec road swing for the Dogs. They are 2-0 so far after defeating Baie-Comeau Friday and Chicoutimi last night… 8-1-1-0 in their last 10 games and have picked up at least a point in their last nine outings. They are 8-0-1-0 over that stretch… the Sea Dogs are 16-5-0-1 away from home this season with all of their regulation loses coming while being on the road. The Dogs have outscored their opposition 97-66 on the road this season… Saint John is three goals away from the 100 goal mark on the. They would be the first team to reach the mark on the road this season… the Sea Dogs have the eighth best power play in the league with a rating of 23.7%. On the road, they are operating at 27.6%, which is the second best road power play in the league… on the penalty kill, Saint John is ranked seventh with a rating of 79.8%. On the road, they are running at 74.4%... Jonathan Huberdeau leads the Sea Dogs in points this season with 68 in 44 games… Zack Phillips and Huberdeau sit tied for the team high in goals with 27 on the year… Huberdeau leads the club in assists with 41 while Phillips is second with 38 and Michael Kirkpatrick is third with 33… Phillips is second in the league in power play goals with 12… Mike Thomas is fourth in the league in shorthanded goals with three… Phillips is third in the QMJHL in game winning goals with six… Steven Anthony is tied for top spot in the league in terms of insurance goals with five… Huberdeau is a league best +39… Kirkpatrick has taken the second most dangerous shots of any player in the league with 128… Jacob DeSerres will likely get the start in goal this afternoon. The 20-year old goaltender has a record of 17-2-0-0, a goals against average of 2.31, and a save percentage of 0.918. His GAA and save percentage are both good for second overall in the league… the Sea Dogs are 1-0-0-0 against the Remparts this season having beat them 6-0 earlier this year at Harbour Station… Saint John is averaging a league high 4.69 goals per game. They are also averaging a league low 2.58 goals against per game… Steven Anthony, who was a healthy scratch last night, is on a four game road goal scoring streak… Zack Phillips has an assist in five-straight road matches. Jonathan Huberdeau is on a four-game stretch.

HOME TEAM: Quebec Remparts
Record: 34-9-1-2 (1st on Telus East Division)
Last Game: 4-3 loss at Rimouski Friday
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Audy-Marchessault (46GP-27G-40A-67Pts)
Notes: The Quebec Remparts enter action today with a record of 34-9-1-2 which is good for first place in the Telus East Division and second overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League standings. The Remparts hold a nine-point lead over the Lewiston MAINEiacs for the division lead and sit six points back of the Saint John Sea Dogs for tops in the QMJHL… in this week’s edition of the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings, Quebec was ranked third. They are the second highest QMJHL team to be ranked behind the top squad Sea Dogs… the Remparts are coming off a 4-3 loss in Rimouski on Friday night. After Rimouski took a 3-0 lead into the early parts of the second period, Mikael Tam, Mirko Hoefflin, and Ryan Bourque all scored to tie the match up at 3-3. The Oceanic would score at 9:25 of the third to secure the win. Former Wildcat Louis Domingue made eight saves on 11 shots while Jimmy Appleby allowed a goal on 14 shots… Quebec is 7-2-1-0 in their last 10 games and are coming off a loss… the Remparts have the second best home record in the QMJHL with a record of 20-2-0-0. They have outscored their opposition 110-49 in 22 games at the Pepsi Colisee. Their impressive home record is second only to the Sea Dogs’ 21-0-1-1 record… Quebec is dangerous on the power play with a rating of 29.7% which is good for tops in the league. At home, the team is running at 31.1%... on the penalty kill side of things, Quebec has a rating of 79.4 which is eighth in the league. At Pepsi Colisee, they are operating at 85.2% which is the second best home penalty kill in the league… the Remparts are very disciplined as they take the fewest amount of penalty minutes per game of any team with an average of 9.5… Jonathan Audy-Marchessault leads the team in scoring with 67 points in 46 games played this year… Audy-Marchessault also leads the club in goals with 27 and assists with 40… Joel Champagne is a close second in assists with 39… Vincent Barnard has scored the third most power play goals in the league this season with 11… Martin Lefebvre is tied for fourth in QMJHL power play assists with 18… Audy-Marchessault has scored the most game winning goals in the league with 10… Ryan Bourque is tied with Saint John’s Zach Phillips in first goals scored with seven… Bourque is tied with Saint John’s Steven Anthony for most insurance goals scored this season with five… Alex Wall is second in the league with a +38 rating… Tomas Filippi sits second in rookie scoring with 40 points in 41 games… Louis Domingue has played the most minutes in net for Quebec this season. He has a record of 28-7-1-1, a goals against average of 2.65, and a save percentage of 0.890… Champagne and Audy-Marchessault are both on a four-game assist scoring streak… Bourque is on a nine-game point scoring streak… the Remparts allow the fewest shots per game with an average of 24.3 against.

REMPARTS' ROY SUSPENDED

The Quebec Remparts will be without one of their top forwards when they host the Saint John Sea Dogs this afternoon at Pepsi Colisee. Game time is 4:00 pm AST.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Disciplinary Prefect, Raymond Bolduc, suspended Remparts forward Frédérick Roy yesterday for three games for a boarding incident that occurred during Friday’s game versus the Rimouski Oceanic.

Le Journal de Quebec is confirming that Roy will not be dressed for today’s tilt of Canadian Hockey League titans.

The play, which saw Roy toss Alex MacDonald into the boards, happened at 11:32 of the first period in the Remparts’ 4-3 loss against the Oceanic Friday.



The decision was rendered after reviewing the videotape of the incident, gathering the testimonies from the players and the organizations involved, reading the officials’ report and consulting the independent committee in the matter of disciplinary sanctions.

The Disciplinary Prefect will not be available for further comment.

Roy, the son of Remparts head coach Patrick Roy, is fourth in team scoring with 16 goals and 26 assists in 46 games. He is also a +19 on the year and has served 40 penalty minutes.

VIDEO: Beaulieu vs Roy

CHICOUTIMI, Que. - Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman Nathan Beaulieu had another impressive fight on Saturday night. As the horn sounded to end the first period, Beaulieu and Alexandre Roy of the Chicoutimi Sagueneens dropped the gloves.

Beaulieu landed some bombs.



The Sea Dogs went on to win the match 4-3 in overtime.

Beaulieu, 18, only has three career Quebec Major Junior Hockey League regular season fights according to HockeyFights.com.

GELINAS SCORES WINNER AGAINST FORMER TEAM

SN POST-GAME
FINAL (OT): Sea Dogs 4, Sagueneens 3

CHICOUTIMI, Que. – Eric Gelinas not only stung his former team, but he saved his new one.

An overtime goal by the New Jersey Devils prospect gave the Saint John Sea Dogs a 4-3 victory the Chicoutimi Sagueneens at the Georges Vezina Centre on Saturday evening in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

The Sea Dogs held a 3-0 lead in the third period until the Sagueneens stormed back to send the game into extra time. It was yet another case of the Sea Dogs sitting back on a lead and not pressing, allowing the Sagueneens to carry the play late in the third.

Michael Kirkpatrick, Stanislav Galiev, and Stephen MacAulay all scored for the winners. Goaltender Mathieu Corbeil played well in net, making 23 saves in the win.

The Sagueneens had goals from Steve Lebel, Napessis Andre, and Alexandre Roy. Goaltender Christopher Gibson was solid, making some excellent, timely saves while facing 41 shots on the night.

Saint John will have to correct their problems quickly as they will not be able to make many errors tomorrow afternoon against the Quebec Remparts.

LIVE BLOG: Sea Dogs vs Sagueneens

PRE-GAME: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Chicoutimi Sagueneens

By Station Nation Staff

GAME DAY
WHO: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Chicoutimi Sagueneens
WHEN: Today, 5:00 pm
WHERE: Georges Vezina Centre

VISITING TEAM: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 36-5-1-2 (1st in Atlantic Division)
Last Game: 3-2 win at Baie-Comeau yesterday
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Huberdeau (43GP-27G-40A-67Pts)
Notes: The Saint John Sea Dogs enter Chicoutimi today with a record of 36-5-1-2 which is good for top spot on the Maritimes Division and first overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Sea Dogs hold the division lead with comfort as they have a 12-point lead over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. After winning last night, Saint John is four points up on the Quebec Remparts for the overall lead in the QMJHL with two games in hand… in the latest edition of the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings, the Sea Dogs were ranked first… Saint John is coming off a 3-2 win in Baie-Comeau last night against the cellar dwelling Drakkar. The Sea Dogs had a good first but the game slip away in the second period, allowing the Drakkar to take a 2-1 lead. But Saint John would battle back in the third and pull off a victory thanks to Steven Anthony’s game winner. Also scoring for Saint John was Danick Gauthier and Mike Thomas. Goaltender Jacob DeSerres played quite in goal, making some big saves to propel the Dogs to victory… 8-1-1-0 in their last 10 games and have picked up at least a point in their last eight outings. They are 7-0-1-0 over that stretch… the Sea Dogs are 15-5-0-1 away from home this season with all of their regulation loses coming while being on the road. The Dogs have outscored their opposition 93-63 on the road this season… the Sea Dogs have the seventh best power play in the league with a rating of 23.8%. On the road, they are operating at 28%, which is the second best road power play in the league… on the penalty kill, Saint John is ranked sixth with a rating of 80.5%. On the road, they are running at 75.7%... Jonathan Huberdeau leads the Sea Dogs in points this season with 67 in 43 games… Zack Phillips and Huberdeau sit tied for the team high in goals with 27 on the year… Huberdeau leads the club in assists with 40 while Phillips is second with 37 and Michael Kirkpatrick is third with 32… Phillips is second in the league in power play goals with 12… Mike Thomas is fourth in the league in shorthanded goals with three… Phillips is third in the QMJHL in game winning goals with six… Steven Anthony is tied for top spot in the league in terms of insurance goals with five… Huberdeau is a league best +39… Kirkpatrick has taken the second most dangerous shots of any player in the league with 126… Mathieu Corbeil will likely start in goal for Saint John this afternoon. Corbeil has a record of 8-15-1-1, a goals against average of 3.63, and a save percentage of 0.869. Since moving to Saint John, he is 1-0-1-0 with a GAA of 2.38 and a save percentage of 0.894… both games Corbeil has played in since joining the Sea Dogs have gone to extra time… Eric Gelinas is third in the league among defenseman in shots taken this season with 133… Saint John is 26-2-0-1 when scoring first… the Sea Dogs are averaging a league high in shots per game with an average of 36.55… Steven Anthony has scored in four straight games… Zack Phillips has gotten an assist in four straight games on the road.

HOME TEAM: Chicoutimi Sagueneens
Record: 16-21-3-6 (5th in Telus East Division)
Last Game: 3-2 loss vs Shawinigan yesterday
Leading Scorer: Guillaume Asselin (46GP-21G-30A-51Pts)
Notes: The Chicoutimi Sagueneens enter action today with a record of 16-21-3-6 which places them fifth in the Telus East Division and 13th overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Sags are 34 points back of the league leading Saint John Sea Dogs and are 30 points back of the division leading Quebec Remparts… Chicoutimi is coming off a 3-2 loss against the Shawinigan Cataractes last night. Dominic Poulin and Charles Hudon each scored for Chicoutimi who were outshot 27-24 by the Cataractes. Goaltender Christopher Gibson made 24 saves in the loss… 2-5-0-3 in their last 10 games and have lost four straight. On their current losing skid, they have managed to pick up just one point… this will be the Sagueneens final home game of the month as they do not play at the Georges Vezina Centre again until February 2. Over that time, the team will play three road games… the Sags are 10-8-2-2 at home this season and have outscored their opposition by a single goal – 67-66. Chicoutimi has earned 24 points at home this season in 22 games… Chicoutimi has the third worst power play in the league with a rating of 15.9%. At home, they are operating at 11.9%... on the flip side, the Sags’ penalty kill is ranked 13th on the league with a rating of 76.9%. At home, they are running at 76.5%... Chicoutimi averages the second fewest penalty minutes per game in the league. They are averaging just 11.3 minutes per game… Chicoutimi has a league high six shootout loses this year. They have participated in a league leading eight breakaway contests this year, going 2-6… Guillaume Asselin leads the club in points this season with 51 on the year in 46 contests. He has a big lead on Charles Hudon, who is second on the team in points with 37… Asselin also leads the team in goals with 21 and assists with 30. Despite all that, he is a -2 on the year… former Sea Dogs defenseman Guillaume Cloutier is a team high +21. Since joining the Sagueneens, he is a -2… Hudon sits fourth in rookie scoring with 37 points in 41 games. He is six points back of the rookie scoring lead… Christopher Gibson will likely get the start in net for Chicoutimi today. The Top Prospects Game participant is 9-9-1-5 this year with a goals against average of 2.11 and a save percentage of 0.928. Gibson has the best GAA and save percentage in the league… Nicolas Therrien is fifth among defenseman in the QMJHL with 12 power play assists… 13-4-2-2 when scoring first… Hudon is on a 14-game point scoring streak that goes all the way back to November 24.

SEA DOGS RALLY TO DEFEAT DRAKKAR

SN POST-GAME
FINAL: Sea Dogs 3, Drakkar 2

BAIE-COMEAU, Que. – Another year, another close game in Baie-Comeau.

With last season’s miraculous comeback still fresh in everyone’s memory, it looked as though the Saint John Sea Dogs and Baie-Comeau Drakkar were heading down the same road again. But the Sea Dogs proved to be that little bit better this season, besting the Drakkar 3-2 at the Henry Leonard Centre on Friday night in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

Last season, it was Michael Kirkpatrick who tied the game with just seconds remaining in the third period. Saint John would go on to ultimately win a shootout. This season, Steven Anthony scored with a little bit more time remaining as he netted the winner at 16:39 of the third.

The Sea Dogs played a pretty solid first period but just couldn’t find their grove in the middle frame. The Drakkar were all over the Dogs, taking a 2-1 lead at one point before Danick Gauthier tied the affair in the final minute of the period. Mike Thomas had the other Saint John goal.

Raphael Bussieres and Jean-Philippe Caron scored for Baie-Comeau. Drakkar netminder Jason Missiaen was excellent in goal, making 29 saves and joining the list of opposing goaltenders who have nearly stalled Saint John’s high octane offense over the past few weeks.

At the other end, 20-year old Jacob DeSerres also had a strong game. He made 21 stops on the night. The stats don’t do DeSerres much justice, however, as some of his saves were crucial to keep Saint John in the game at times. He was stellar in the third period, making a few huge stops.

LIVE BLOG: Sea Dogs vs Drakkar

PRE-GAME: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Baie-Comeau Drakkar

 By Station Nation Staff

GAME DAY
WHO: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Baie-Comeau Drakkar
WHEN: Tonight, 8:30 pm
WHERE: Henry Leonard Centre

VISITING TEAM: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 35-5-1-2 (1st in Atlantic Division)
Last Game: 3-2 overtime loss vs Drummondville Saturday
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Huberdeau (43GP-27G-40A-67Pts)
Notes: The Saint John Sea Dogs enter Baie-Comeau tonight with a record of 35-5-1-2 which is good for top spot on the Maritimes Division and first overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Sea Dogs hold the division lead with comfort as they have a 10-point lead over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Saint John is two points up on the Quebec Remparts for the overall lead in the QMJHL… in the latest edition of the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings, the Sea Dogs were ranked first… Saint John is coming off a 3-2 overtime loss against the Drummondville Voltigeurs on Saturday night at Harbour Station. The Sea Dogs didn’t play a bad game, but didn’t play the kind of game that they are fully capable of. Stanislav Galiev had both goals for the Dogs while Mathieu Corbeil made 27 saves in goal. Notably, Saint John went 0-for-6 on the man advantage… the Sea Dogs are 14-5-0-1 away from home this season with all of their regulation loses coming while being on the road. They have earned 29-of-a-possible-40 points away from Harbour Station. The Dogs have outscored their opposition 90-61 on the road this season… the Sea Dogs have the seventh best power play in the league with a rating of 24%. On the road, they are operating at 28.4%, which is the second best road power play in the league… on the penalty kill, Saint John is ranked sixth with a rating of 80.8%. On the road, they are running at 76.4%... Jonathan Huberdeau leads the Sea Dogs in points this season with 67 in 43 games… Zack Phillips and Huberdeau sit tied for the team high in goals with 27 on the year… Huberdeau leads the club in assists with 40 while Phillips is second with 35 and Michael Kirkpatrick is third with 32… Phillips is second in the league in power play goals with 12… Mike Thomas is fourth in the league in shorthanded goals with three… Phillips is third in the QMJHL in game winning goals with six… Steven Anthony is tied for top spot in the league in terms of insurance goals with five… Huberdeau is a league best +39… Kirkpatrick has taken the second most dangerous shots of any player in the league with 124… goaltender Jacob DeSerres will likely get the start in net tonight. He has a record of 16-2-0-0, a goals against average of 2.33, and a save percentage of 0.918. DeSerres has the second best GAA in the league, is second in save percentage, and eighth in wins… Saint John is averaging a league high 4.74 goals per game. They are also allowing the fewest goals per game with an average of 2.58… the Sea Dogs are averaging a league high 36.65 shots per game… Simon Despres is on a four game road point scoring streak… 8-1-1-0 in their last 10 games and have gotten at least a point in their last seven contests.

HOME TEAM: Baie-Comeau Drakkar
Record: 7-31-5-4 (6th in Telus East Division)
Last Game: 5-2 win at Rimouski Saturday
Leading Scorer: Lukas Cingel (47GP-14G-20A-34Pts)
Notes: The Baie-Comeau Drakkar enter action this evening with a record of 7-31-5-4 which places them last in the Telus East Division and second last in the entire Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. They currently join the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies as the only teams who would miss the playoffs. With 21 games remaining on their schedule, they sit six points back of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles for the final playoff spot… the Drakkar are coming off one of their seven wins of the season with a 5-2 victory in Rimouski last Saturday. Hugo Laporte, Felix Girard, Lukas Cingel, Alexandre Durette, and Alexandre Larouche all scored for the Drakkar in the road win. Goaltender Jason Missiaen made 28 stops in the win. Baie-Comeau went two-for-five on the power play… the Drakkar are 3-15-2-2 at the Henry Leonard Centre this season, earning 10 of their total 23 points at home. They have been outscored 83-50 at home this season… the Drakkar have the worst power play in the league with a rating of just 10.6%. At home, they are operating at 10.5%... Baie-Comeau’s penalty kill is decent and sits ninth in the league with a rating of 78.5%. At home, they are running at 79.1%... rookie Lukas Cingel leads the Drakkar in scoring this season with 34 points in 47 games played… Cingel also leads the team in goals with 14 on the year while Raphael Bussieres sits a close second with 13… a Saint John favourite, Hugo Laporte, leads the team in assists with 19 on the year. Since being traded to Baie-Comeau, Laporte has two goals and two assists in five games… Gabriel Verpaelst is tied for third in league penalty minutes with 104 in 45 games… with 34 points, Cingel sits sixth in rookie scoring… Laporte sits second in the QMJHL in minor penalty minutes served with 34… goaltender Jason Missiaen has played the most minutes in goal for the Drakkar this season. He has a record of 6-21-4-3, a goals against average of 3.29, and a save percentage of 0.893. He is tied for the league lead in loses with 21… the Drakkar are 5-9-2-2 when scoring first… Baie-Comeau is averaging the second fewest goals per game with an average of 2.26… the Drakkar are allowing the fifth most goals per game with an average of 3.96… 3-6-1-0 in their last 10 games and are coming off a win.

VIDEO: 'The Magician' at work

These days, Tomas Jurco is front page news.

The slick Saint John Sea Dogs Slovakian skater was featured on the front page of NHL.com earlier today after having his unreal skills put on display for the cameras.

Now called 'The Magician,' Jurco is well known around the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for his nasty shootout moves. But his display at the Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game Skills Competition on Tuesday night has made his internet stardom grow.

The Sea Dogs winger was featured on TSN earlier this season, but NHL.com took it a step further by posting two highlight packages, five specific skills features, and his shootout moves from Tuesday’s skills competition. The NHL posted two videos on their Facebook page, a page that has over one-million fans.

All of the videos can be seen on the NHL’s video section of their website. Here is one of the highlight packages:

VIDEO: Sportsnet Top Prospects

Rogers Sportsnet has made some pretty sweet highlight packages of some of the top prospects for this June's National Hockey League Entry Draft. Saint John Sea Dogs forwards Jonathan Huberdeau and Tomas Jurco as well as defenseman Nathan Beaulieu were all featured with their own video.

Here is Nathan Beaulieu's:



To view the Huberdeau's and Jurco's, select their videos on this page.

THE DAY AFTER...

24-hours later, it’s time to take a look back at the 2011 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.
Three-of-the-four Saint John Sea Dogs participating in the game scored as Team Orr defeated Team Cherry 7-1 at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre.

Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and an assist, Zack Phillips had a goal and two assists, and Nathan Beaulieu had a goal as well. Tomas Jurco, the lone Sea Dog on Team Cherry, had some good scoring opportunities in the first period but could not get on the board.

Mike Morreale of NHL.com knew what he was witnessing last night.

There's a reason the Saint John Sea Dogs happen to be one of the most revered teams in the Canadian Hockey League this season.

There's a distinct possibility, in fact, that as many as four players from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League franchise could be drafted in the opening round of 2011 NHL Entry Draft in St. Paul, Minn., on June 24. On Wednesday, three of those four skaters proved why when they scored goals to lead Team Orr to a 7-1 victory over Team Cherry during the Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game at Air Canada Centre.

….

"There might be some NHL teams that don't see a lot of us but we're working hard and, hopefully, tonight we showed the scouts that there a lot of premier players out there," Phillips said. "We don't get as much exposure as maybe the Ontario Hockey League, but when we do, we want to make the best of it."

That they did.

"It's a pretty big stretch to think four guys will go in the first round, but we made a pretty good case for ourselves (Wednesday)," Phillips said. "Hopefully, the scouts noticed."

Phillips, who gets the least amount of fanfare of the four prospects, assisted on the game winning goal as well as scoring one of his one.

SEA DOGS SHINE AT TOP PROSPECTS GAME

SN POST-GAME
FINAL: Team Cherry 1, Team Orr 7

TORONTO - Now that was impressive.

Saint John Sea Dogs Jonathan Huberdeau, Zach Phillips, and Nathan Beaulieu all scored for Team Orr in a 7-1 blowout win over Tomas Jurco and Team Cherry at the 2011 Home Hardware Top Prospects Game at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre Wednesday night.

“The Sea Dogs may be barking up the right tree after that performance,” said HockeyCentral host Darren Millard after the game.

Huberdeau had a goal and an assist, Phillips a goal and two helpers, and Beaulieu also added a marker of his own to along with a slashing minor. Jurco, who won yesterday’s ‘Showdown Breakaway Contest’, was held off the score sheet but still stood-out on Team Cherry.

The Rogers Sportsnet crew praised the Saint John quartet all night long. Panelist Doug MacLean mentioned his talk with Sea Dogs head coach and fellow Prince Edward Islander Gerard Gallant about a dozen times.

It was an impressive showing, a display that surely helped all four players gain exposure in front of the boat load of general managers and scouts in attendance.

Phillips got on the board first with an assist as he passed the puck off to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The highly touted Red Deer Rebel forward then gave a terrific cross ice pass to Sven Bartschi to give Team Orr a 2-0 lead.

At 9:30 of the second period, Huberdeau picked up a rebound in front and walked around Christopher Gibson to give Team Orr a 3-0 advantage. Also during the middle frame, Rob Faulds spoke to former Sea Dogs head coach Jacques Beaulieu about his son, Nathan.

After Team Cherry got on the board later in the second, Beaulieu got Team Orr back on track at 2:58 of the third. The defenseman blasted a shot that blew past Victoriaville Tigres goaltender David Honzik to make it a 4-1 game. Huberdeau got an assist on the goal.

At 3:56, Phillips banged home a rebound in front to give Team Orr a four-goal advantage and all but icing the match. The Fredericton native also assisted on Dougie Hamilton’s late third period goal to make it a 7-1 final.

Also in the game, Myles Bell apparently wanted to drop the gloves with Huberdeau but couldn’t get the Sea Dogs’ leading scorer to dance.

SOLID STUFF
It was a great broadcast by Rogers Sportsnet that included a very well organized pre-game show and some post-game recapping. It was similar to TSN’s world junior broadcasts.

We probably sound like a broken record by now, but it’s nice to see the Sea Dogs – ranked No. 1 in the CHL for a sixth straight week – actually get the national exposure they deserve.

Hopefully Sportsnet can continue the coverage in their CHL broadcasts. We’re not holding our breath, though.

UP NEXT
The four will now rejoin the Sea Dogs in time for Friday’s 8:30 pm road match in Baie-Comeau.

DOGS REMAIN ON TOP

For a team record sixth straight week, the Saint John Sea Dogs sit atop the Canadian Hockey League rankings. The latest edition of the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings were released today.

It was a challenging week for Saint John as they hosted the Drummondville Voltigeurs in a doubleheader at Harbour Station over the weekend. The Sea Dogs took the first game in fine fashion, playing a solid tilt for a 7-4 victory. But Saturday was a different story as the Dogs couldn’t quite get rolling and fell 3-2 in overtime to the Voltigeurs.

Other Quebec Major Junior Hockey League teams to crack this week’s Canadian Hockey League Top 10 were the Quebec Remparts at No. 3, Montreal Juniors at No. 5, and the Gatineau Olympiques at No. 8. The Drummondville Voltigeurs were an honourable mention.

Here is the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings for week 17:

1 Saint John Sea Dogs (35-5-1-2)
2 Miss. St. Michael's Majors (33-7-0-1)
3 Quebec Remparts (34-8-1-2)
4 Saskatoon Blades (33-10-0-2)
5 Montreal Juniors (31-7-4-3)
6 Saginaw Spirit (30-9-3-1)
7 Kootenay Ice (30-13-1-2)
8 Gatineau Olympiques (29-12-2-3)
9 Red Deer Rebels (29-12-1-4)
10 Niagara IceDogs (27-10-2-3)

Honourable Mention:
Ottawa 67's (28-14-1-1)
Spokane Chiefs (28-11-3-2)
Drummondville Voltigeurs (29-12-5-1)

In the Buzzing The Net Dynamic Dozen, the Sea Dogs were once again ranked second.

This week, the Sea Dogs hit the road for a three-in-three in Quebec beginning Friday in Baie-Comeau. After playing in Chicoutimi on Saturday, the Sea Dogs travel to Quebec City for a big tilt against the third ranked team in the CHL.