GAMEDAY 32: Rivalry Cup - Game 2

GAMEDAY

Saint John Sea Dogs vs Moncton Wildcats

Tonight, November 29, 2011 at 7pm

Moncton Coliseum

PREVIEW

MONCTON – It’s November 29th and, incredibly, the Saint John Sea Dogs are travelling to Moncton for the first time this season.

The Sea Dogs and Wildcats clash this evening at 7pm at the Moncton Coliseum. The two teams have met just once previously this season and that was on September 8 – opening night at Harbour Station. Moncton beat the shorthanded Sea Dogs 3-1.

Just how long has it been since these two rivals have played? Alexandre Beauregard scored the Sea Dogs and Charlie Millen was in net in their previous meeting. Alex Saulnier had two goals for the ‘Cats while Devon MacAusland added a single marker. Millen allowed three goals on 26 shots. Roman Will recorded his first career QMJHL win, making 33 saves.

A lot has changed since opening night – especially for the Sea Dogs. Only eight regular players dressed for Saint John on that Thursday night because of so many players taking part in National Hockey League training camps. Saint John will be without a few players again tonight because of injuries but will have much more depth.

The Sea Dogs enter play today with a record of 23-7-0-1 and sit first overall in the QMJHL with 47 points. They are two points up on the second-place Quebec Remparts who have played two fewer games. Saint John is 8-1-0-1 in their last 10 and won back-to-back games over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on the weekend.

Moncton sits third in the Maritimes Division and eighth overall in the league with a record of 16-12-1-0 for 33 points. They are 8-2-0-0 in their last 10 games and are coming off a shootout win over the Halifax Mooseheads.

The Sea Dogs are 9-6-0-1 on the road this season. The Wildcats are 9-4-1-0 at home.

Saint John has been a bit flat over the past few games but hopefully a big divisional game on the road will get their intensity level back up. This game kicks off a big week for the Dogs as they host the one and only Shawinigan Cataractes on Saturday and the Chicoutimi Sagueneens on Sunday.

NOTES: Zack Phillips leads the Sea Dogs in scoring with 16 goals and 30 assists for 46 points. Danick Gauthier is second with 40 points while Tomas Jurco is third with 34… Gauthier leads the team in goal scoring with 26 on the season. Jurco has 17 markers and Phillips has 16… Phillips leads the team in assists with 30. Jonathan Huberdeau is still second with 18… Phillips is a team best +28… Ian Saab leads the team in penalty minutes with 82… Gauthier and Jurco each have six power play goals… Phillips has taken a team high 106 shots… Gauthier’s 26 goals have him in a tie for the league lead… Phillips is third in the league in assists with 30… Gauthier leads the league in game-winning goals with six… Saint John’s power play is ranked ninth in the league with a rating of 23.2%... their penalty kill is currently operating at 75.2%, good for 12^th in the league.

IN NET: Mathieu Corbeil will likely start in goal for Saint John. He has a record of 17-4-0-0 with a 2.21 goals against average and a 0.916 save percentage. He did not play in Saturday’s game against Cape Breton.

INJURIES: According to today’s Times & Transcript, “Saint John has four players, all forwards, on the injured list. Huberdeau and Stanislav Galiev, who are among the league's best players, won't play tonight. Aidan Kelly and Stephen MacAulay are doubtful for this game.”

PHILLIPS: Zack Phillips enters tonight’s game on a 19-game point streak. He has 12 goals and 24 assists over that span.

LAST GAME: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-1 win over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on Saturday at Harbour Station. Oliver Cooper, Danick Gauthier, Stephen Anderson and Zack Phillips all scored for Saint John. Sebastien Auger made 29 stops in goal for the win.

NOTES: Alex Saulnier leads the Wildcats in scoring with 16 goals and 27 assists for 43 points. Allain Saulnier is second with 33 points while Marek Hrivik is third with 31… Alex Saulnier has scored a team high 16 goals. Allain Saulnier is second with 12… Alex Saulnier also leads the ‘Cats in assists with 27. Allain has 21 while Hrivik has 20… Alex Saulnier is a team best +1… Olivier Daoust is a team worst -14… Daoust has served a team high 56 penalty minutes… Brandon Gormley has scored nine power play goals. Alex Saulnier has eight… Hrivik has taken a team high 105 shots… Gormley is second in the league in power play goals with nine… Alex Saulnier leads the league in power play assists with 20… Allain Saulnier is second in game-winning goals with five… Moncton has the best power play in the league with a rating of 31.6%... their penalty kill is ranked second in the league. It is operating at 84.3%.

IN NET: Roman Will will likely get the start in net for the Wildcats. The import netminder has a record of 16-9-1-0 to go with a 2.74 goals against average and a 0.901 save percentage.

LINEUP: According to today’s Times & Transcript, “Moncton defenceman Cameron McDonald (concussion) and forward Mark Tremaine (ankle) are on the injured list. Forward Devon MacAusland, who injured his foot while blocking a shot last week, is doubtful for tonight. Forward Rudy Sulmonte has been released.”

LAST GAME: The Wildcats are coming off a 4-3 shootout win over the Halifax Mooseheads on Sunday at the Coliseum. Allain Saulnier, Patrick Delisle-Houde and Erik Robichaud all scored for the ‘Cats. Roman Will made 34 stops for the win.

Best Wildcats Video We Could Find On YouTube: Wild Willie visits the animal hospital.

WORLD JUNIORS

Three players who were named to Team Canada’s world junior selection camp roster will play in this game. Zack Phillips and Nathan Beaulieu of the Sea Dogs and Brandon Gormley of the Wildcats were all invited to the camp. Jonathan Huberdeau was also invited but will not play this evening.

OTHER GAMES

Gatineau at Rimouski - 7:30 PM EST

ARENA INFO

Venue: Moncton Coliseum

Seating Capacity: 6,803

Average Attendance: 3,875

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, Times & Transcript

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 Shawinigan Cataractes on Saturday at 7pm. Buckle up.