GAME DAY
WHO: PEI Rocket vs Saint John Sea Dogs
WHEN: Tonight, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Harbour Station
VISITING TEAM: PEI Rocket
Record: 20-18-1-2 (4th in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 6-2 win vs Rimouski Saturday
Leading Scorer: Andrej Nestrasil (31GP-13G-26A-39Pts) and Ben Duffy (41GP-14G-25A-39Pts)
Notes: The Prince Edward Island Rocket enter action tonight with a record of 20-18-1-2 which places them fourth overall in the Maritimes Division and 12th overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Rocket find themselves battling to stay above the .500 mark more so than the division lead. PEI sits 25 points back of the division leading Saint John Sea Dogs with 17 games to play… the Rocket are coming off a 6-2 victory over the Rimouski Oceanic at the Charlottetown Civic Centre on Saturday night. Travis McIsaac had two goals while Ben Duffy, Alex Noel, Samuel Morneau, and Philippe Paradis all added single markers. Evan Mosher made 22 saves in net to pick up the victory… PEI is 9-11-0-2 on the road this season, giving them a .455 winning percentage. They have been outscored 80-63 away from the Island this season… the Rocket power play hasn’t been so hot this season and currently sits 15th in the 18-team QMJHL with a rating of 16.5%. On the road, it is even worse with a 14% power play attack… PEI’s penalty kill is decent, however. It has a rating of 82.3%, good for third overall in the QMJHL. Away from the CCC, their penalty kill improves to 82.6%... PEI is averaging the third fewest penalty minutes per game this season with an average of 12 over their 41 contests… 5-4-0-1 in their last 10 games and have won two straight contests. During their two game mini-winning streak, they have outscored their opposition 10-5. Their last loss was a 4-2 defeat against the Halifax Mooseheads on January 4… Andrej Nestrasil and Ben Duffy lead the team in points this season with 39. Nestrasil has played 10 fewer games than Duffy due to his participation at the World Junior Hockey Championships… Samuel Morneau leads the club in goals with 22 markers on the year… Nestrasil leads the team in helpers with 26 in 31 matches this season… Philippe Paradis is a team best +15… Morneau is tied for fourth overall in the league in the shorthanded goals department with three… import Adam Polasek leads the league in shorthanded assists with four… Evan Mosher will likely start in goal for the Rocket this evening. Mosher has a record of 14-16-1-2, a goals against average of 2.80, and a save percentage of 0.914… the Rocket are 0-4 against Saint John this season and have been outscored 18-7 in the four contests. They are 0-2 at Harbour Station.
Record: 33-5-0-2 (1st in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 9-2 win at Halifax Saturday
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Huberdeau (40GP-27G-38A-65Pts)
Notes: The Saint John Sea Dogs come into this evening’s game with a 33-5-0-2 record which is good for first place in the Maritimes Division and first overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Sea Dogs have a 15-point lead over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan for the division lead and a one-point lead for tops in the league over the Quebec Remparts. Saint John has played three fewer games than the Remparts… in the last edition of the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings, the Sea Dogs were ranked first… Saint John is coming off a dominating win over the Halifax Mooseheads on Saturday at the Metro Centre. Michael Kirkpatrick, Steven Anthony, and Nathan Beaulieu all had two goal nights while Jonathan Huberdeau, Zach Phillips, and Mike Thomas all added singles in the lopsided victory. Several players had multipoint nights, including Huberdeau who had five. Despite the blowout, Jacob DeSerres was tested in net, making 37 saves as the Mooseheads somehow outshot Saint John 39-37… the Sea Dogs remain unbeaten at Harbour Station in regulation time entering tonight’s contest. They have a 19-0-0-1 record and have outscored their opposition 102-41 in the 20 contests. They are averaging 5.1 goals per game on home ice… the Sea Dogs’ power play went an impressive 4/6 on Saturday in Halifax. They have the fifth best man advantage unit in the league with a rating of 25.4%. At home, their power play is running at 23%... Saint John’s penalty kill is ranked sixth in the league with a rating of 81.1%. At home, their penalty kill is operating at 84.6%... the Dogs are 8-2-0-0 in their last 10 games and have won four straight. Their four game winning streak features an overtime and shootout victory… Jonathan Huberdeau has been on fire for of late. He leads the Sea Dogs in points this season with 65 in 40 contests… Zach Phillips and Huberdeau are tied for the team lead in goals with 27 each… Huberdeau leads the club in assists with 38… Phillips and Huberdeau are tied for fourth in league goal scoring… Huberdeau is third in the league in assists… Phillips is second in the league in power play goals with 12… Mike Thomas is fourth in the league in shorthanded goals with three… Steven Anthony is tied for the league lead in insurance goals with five… if the goaltending rotation continues, Mathieu Corbeil should be making his Sea Dogs debut this evening after coming over in a trade from Halifax last week. Corbeil had a record of 7-15-0-1 with the Herd, a goals against average of 3.76, and a save percentage of 0.867%.
RETURNING AND DEBUTING
Simon Despres and Tomas Jurco are expected to return to the Sea Dogs lineup this evening after missing close to a month playing for their respective countries at the World Junior Hockey Championships.
Kevin Gagne was still suffering from an upper body injury on Saturday. His status is unknown. Also, Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant left halfway through the game because of an apparent illness.
Defenseman Eric Gelinas and Jason Seed and goaltender Mathieu Corbeil will all make their first Harbour Station hockey game appearance this evening after being acquired in trades.
NOTES
- Michael Kirkpatrick is three points away from tying Ryan Sparling’s franchise point record.
- SN reader Lorne sent this in: don’t judge Corbeil by his numbers (article form this past summer)
- The Sea Dogs and Rocket sit two and one at the bottom of the league’s total fights list. Over the past six seasons, the two teams have dropped the gloves 21 times.
- Rocket goaltender Maxime Lagace was listed in NHL Central Scouting’s goaltender rakings that were released yesterday.
- Mercifully, there is only one Tuesday night home game remaining on the schedule.
ARENA INFO
Venue: Harbour Station
Seating Capacity: 6,297
Average Attendance: 3,997
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, 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 Sea Dogs host Sean Couturier and the Drummondville Voltigeurs on Friday at 7:30 pm at Harbour Station.
No comments:
Post a Comment