SEA DOGS NOTEBOOK

MORE ON KIRKPATRICK
The Chronicle Herald had more on Michael Kirkpatrick’s improving injury today.

"It looked pretty bad when he got hurt in Lewiston in Game 4 (of the semifinals) but he saw the doctor this morning and things are looking better," Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant said. "We don’t know if he’ll play Game 1 or not but he’s day-to-day right now.

"When he first got hurt it looked like he could be out anywhere from three to six weeks. But he skated today for the first time and he’s actually doing pretty well."

The 20-year old already missed three games in the second round against Victoriaville after suffering a concussion.

ENJOYING THE RIDE
Sea Dogs defenseman Eric Gelinas is heading into his first President’s Cup final.

"This is really special for me because I've had to wait a long time to make it to my first league championship series," Gelinas said to the Times & Transcript. "I'm a 19-year-old and it's probably my last season in junior. When you look at my situation, I think Saint John is the best place I could've been traded.

"Obviously, I was really happy when Chicoutimi traded me here (midway through this season). I'm really enjoying this experience. We're still playing in May with a chance to win the league championship and go to the Memorial Cup. I think everything is perfect."

He also gave some credit to his coaches.

"We won some games where we weren't playing our best, but they didn't let us be happy with that.

"They've done a good job of pushing us to play our best every night.

WHO WILL START IN NET?
The Sea Dogs have yet to announce who will start in goal for tomorrow’s Game One. From today’s Telegraph-Journal:

"I'm very happy with both goaltenders,'' said Gallant, who will announce his decision today. "Both have played very well and we're real confident with our goaltending. It makes for some tough decisions and that's a good way to have it.''

Jacob DeSerres took over for Mathieu Corbeil in the final game of the semifinals after Corbeil allowed two quick goals. Corbeil started Games Two, Three and Four of the semifinals.

"We knew we were getting a guy who was an NHL draft pick and he wasn’t having a great year in Halifax, but he’s gained some confidence and has been very good,” said Gallant to the Chronicle Herald about Corbeil.

CALLED UP
In yesterday’s Telegraph-Journal, it was reported that the Sea Dogs made a couple of call-ups heading into the league final.

Defenseman Spencer MacDonald was recalled from the Maritime Junior Hockey League’s Summerside Western Capitals. MacDonald played two games with Saint John earlier this year and recorded an assist. In 49 games with the Capitals, MacDonald had six markers and 20 helpers.

Saint John also called up goaltender Jacob Edwards. In 24 games, Edwards had a 18-5-1-0 record with a 0.898 save percentage and a 3.16 goals against average.

The Capitals, a team that has been a hot spot for Sea Dogs prospects and affiliates over the past few years, won the Kent Cup this season.

NOT TALKING
Gerard Gallant has, apparently, has not talked to the Ottawa Senators about their vacant head coaching position.

“During interview on @Team1200 this morning, Gerard Gallant said he has not spoken with Bryan Murray about vacant head coaching job,” tweeted Daniel Slater from The Score this afternoon.

THE POOR MOOSE
Interesting read here from Metro Halifax’s ‘Q Files’ blog.

While the Mooseheads are still rebuilding from their semifinal loss to Gatineau in the 2008, the Olympiques are heading back to the President’s Cup final.

Remember, it's the Olympiques who stunned the Mooseheads in four straight games in the 2007-08 semifinals, sending a team featuring Brad Marchand and Jakub Voracek into a downward spiral it hasn't climbed out of yet. The Olympiques, meanwhile, barely flinched after the 2008 run, posting seasons of 38, 30 and 43 wins.

The Olympiques won the President’s Cup final over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies that year.

ON MOVING ON
The Olympiques don’t have much time to recover from their 4-3 series win over the Quebec Remparts but they will carry some momentum going into Saint John on Thursday following a 5-2 win in Game Seven.

"We needed the whole team to for this," said Olympiques defenceman Nicolas Deslauriers to the Ottawa Citizen. "We knew it wasn't going to be easy but I'm so happy because we blocked one of the best offences in the league.”

The Citizen also reports that the Olympiques were cranking some of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” after the game.

Here are the highlights via RDS. Louis Domingue… not looking too sharp.



Photo Credits: Marc Henwood/Station Nation, David Connell Web Album