GAMEDAY 24 - vs Mooseheads

GAMEDAY

Halifax Mooseheads vs Saint John Sea Dogs

Tonight, November 12, 2011 at 7pm

Harbour Station

PREVIEW

SAINT JOHN – The Halifax Mooseheads make their 2011-12 Harbour Station debut tonight at 7pm in what should be an intense, fast-pace contest.

The Mooseheads sit second in the Maritimes Division and sixth overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with a record of 13-5-1-1. They have collected 28 points in 20 games and sit six-points back of the Saint John Sea Dogs who have played three more games.

Halifax has been playing well of late and are 7-1-1-1 in their last 10 games. They have gotten at least a point in each of their last seven matches.

The Mooseheads are led by super-rookie Nathan MacKinnon who has 10 goals and 20 assists in his first 20 QMJHL contests. MacKinnon is just one of several impressive youngsters on the Moose this season with Darcy Ashley, Matthew Boudreau, and Luca Ciampini all top five in team scoring.

Another rookie, Zachary Fucale, has been playing well in net with Anthony Terenzio still suffering from concussion symptoms.

Halifax and Saint John have met once already this season. Tomas Jurco scored twice while Danick Gauthier, Jonathan Huberdeau and Scott Oke added singles in the Sea Dogs’ 5-0 win on October 21 at the Metro Centre. Mathieu Corbeil picked up his first career shutout, making 20 stops to beat his old team.

The Sea Dogs have also been playing well of late despite missing several key players due to injuries. They are 9-1-0-0 in their last 10 and have won three straight.

With a Victoriaville loss last night, Saint John now sits first overall in the league with a 17-6-0-0 record. They have been dominant on home ice this season, outscoring opponents 59-22 to go along with a 9-1 record.

This is the second game of a busy weekend for the Dogs. They host the Baie-Comeau Drakkar tomorrow afternoon at 3pm to wrap-up the three-in-three.

NOTES: Nathan MacKinnon leads the Mooseheads in scoring with 10 goals and 20 assists for 30 points. Darcy Ashley is second with 25 points while Matthew Boudreau has 19… MacKinnon and Ashley each have 10 goals to lead the team. Matthew Boudreau is third with nine markers… MacKinnon has a team high 20 assists. Ashley is second on the squad with 15… Sawyer Hannay, Joshua Desmond and Travis Randell are each a Halifax best +9… Gabriel Desjardins is a team worst -5… Austyn Hardie and Hannay each have a Halifax high 30 penalty minutes… Boudreau has scored six power play goals… MacKinnon has taken a team high 73 shots… 7-1-1-1 in their last 10 games and have gotten at least a point in each of their last seven games… the Moose are 5-3-0-0 on the road and have outscored their opposition 35-32… owners of the seventh best power play in the league with a rating 25%... Halifax’s penalty kill is ranked 15^th in the league with a rating of 73%.

IN NET: Zachary Fucale has been handling the load for the Mooseheads with Anthony Terenzio still suffering some concussion symptoms. The rookie is 8-1-1-1 with a 2.90 goals against average and a 0.887 save percentage.

LAST GAME: Halifax is coming off a 3-2 shootout loss to the Baie-Comeau Drakkar last night. Matthew Boudreau scored twice late in the third to send to match into extra time. The Mooseheads were unable to connect on any of their shootout chances. Anthony Fucale made 21 stops in the loss.

Best Mooseheads Video We Could Find On YouTube: This is just awesome. A little while ago, some Dalhouise engineering students went into beast mode at the Mooseheads game.

NOTES: Zack Phillips has recorded 12 goals and 21 assists for a team high 33 points. Danick Gauthier and Jonathan Huberdeau are both tied for second in team scoring with 28 points each… Gauthier has a Sea Dogs high 20 goals. Phillips has 12 goals while Tomas Jurco has 11… Phillips has recorded a team high 21 assists. Huberdeau is second on the squad with 18… Charles-Olivier Roussel is a team best +24… Ian Saab has served a team leading 69 penalty minutes… Gauthier has scored four power play goals… Phillips has recorded 80 shots on goal, a team high… 9-1-0-0 in their last 10 games and have won three straight… 9-1-0-0 at Harbour Station this season and have outscored their opponents 59-22… Saint John has the 10^th best power play in the league with a rating of 21.6%... their power play is operating at 74.3% which is good for 13^th in the QMJHL.

IN NET: Former Moosehead Mathieu Corbeil will likely start in goal for Saint John. He is 13-3-0-0 with a 2.08 goals against average and a 0.917 save percentage.

INJURIES: Jonathan Huberdeau (broken foot) and Stanislav Galiev (broken wrist) will both miss tonight’s contest. Ryan Tesink, who suffered a concussion last weekend, also missed last night’s game but did take morning skate in PEI.

LAST GAME: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 7-3 win over the PEI Rocket last night in Charlottetown. Tomas Jurco scored twice while Spencer MacDonald, Stephen MacAulay, Scott Oke, Danick Gauthier, and Charles-Olivier Roussel each added singles. Mathieu Corbeil made 19 saves in the win.

OTHER GAMES

Drummondville at Shawinigan - 4:00 PM EST

Rimouski at Victoriaville - 4:00 PM EST

Baie-Comeau at Moncton - 7:00 PM AST

Gatineau at Rouyn-Noranda - 7:00 PM EST

Quebec at Val-d'Or - 7:00 PM EST

THE RINK

Venue: Harbour Station

Capacity: 6,297

Average Attendance: 3,901

QMJHL Arena Guide

MEDIA GUIDE

Radio (Sea Dogs): News 88.9 FM

Live Web Feed: Telus

Television: None

Post-Game Coverage: Station Nation, Telegraph-Journal

Live Coverage: Follow Station Nation on Twitter (www.twitter.com/station_nation) for live in game coverage. All tweets will also appear in the SN Live Blog that is posted on this site.

NEXT GAME

The Sea Dogs host the Baie-Comeau Drakkar tomorrow afternoon at 3pm at Harbour Station on ‘Support Our Troops Day.’