Sunday, December 2, 2012

GAMEDAY 28 - vs Oceanic

GAMEDAY
Rimouski Oceanic vs Saint John Sea Dogs
Today at 3:00pm
Radio: News 88.9 | Webcast: Telus | TV: None | Live: @station_nation
Harbour Station – Saint John, NB
PREVIEW
SAINT JOHN – There will be a rematch of the 2012 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League final this afternoon at Harbour Station.

The Saint John Sea Dogs, who won the President Cup in a four-game sweep last May, host the Rimouski Oceanic this afternoon at 3pm. It’s the first meeting between the two since the league’s final.

Looking back, the series will basically be remembered for two things – Zack Phillips’ double-overtime goal in Game 1 and Saint John’s dominating 8-0 win in Game 4. Saint John won their second straight President Cup with the series win.

Both teams have plenty of new faces this season but also a number of players who were around last year. What kind of rivalry will be carried over into this season? We’ll find out this afternoon.

Saint John enters play today with a 14-13-0-0 record and sit fourth in the Telus Maritimes Division and 12th overall in the league. They are 5-5-0-0 in their last 10 games and had their four-game winning streak snapped on Thursday in Val-d’Or because of a 7-5 loss.

Jonathan Huberdeau, who registered three assists on Thursday to become the Sea Dogs all-time leading scoring, leads the team with 42 points in 27 games. Ryan Tesink leads the team in goals with 16.

The Oceanic are off to a fairly solid start this season. They have a record of 16-9-1-3 and sit third in the Telus East Division and seventh overall in the QMJHL. They are just three points back of the Quebec Remparts for the division lead but have played two more games.

Fredericton’s Peter Trainor leads Rimouski in scoring with 39 points in 29 games. Former Sea Dog Scott Oke is second on the team in points with 38. Trainor’s 17 goals are a team best while Oke leads the team in assists with 25.

Today’s game kicks off a busy December schedule for the Sea Dogs that will see them play eight games at Harbour Station.

THE NUMBERS
RimouskiSaint John
Record16-9-1-3 (3rd East)14-13-0-0 (4th Maritimes)
Home Record9-5-0-17-5-0-0
Road Record7-4-1-27-8-0-0
Goals For/Game3.44 (9th)3.22 (12th)
Goals Against/Game3.27 (6th)3.81 (13th)
Shots For/Game28.92 (13th)28.31 (14th)
Shots Against/Game33.24 (15th)32.23 (13th)
Overall PP16.5% (14th)24.1% (7th)
Home PP19.0% (12th)29.7% (6th)
Road PP14.1% (17th)19.5% (7th)
Overall PK82.2% (3rd)77.3% (11th)
Home PK86.8% (4th)78.2% (14th)
Road PK79.3% (4th)76.7% (7th)
PIM/GAME14.616.4
Attendance3,5773,670

LEADING SCORERS
Rimouski
PlayerGPGoalsAssistsPoints
Peter Trainor29172239
Scott Oke28132538
Francis Beauvillier29131225

Saint John
PlayerGPGoalsAssistsPoints
Jonathan Huberdeau27142842
Ryan Tesink25161632
Stephen MacAulay23151227

GOALTENDERS
Rimouski
GoaltenderRecordGAASV%
Philippe Desrosiers9-6-0-33.220.903
Carl Hozjan7-2-1-02.830.911

Saint John
GoaltenderRecordGAASV%
Sebastien Auger14-9-0-03.020.905
Alex Fournier0-4-0-07.380.791

LAST GAMES
The Sea Dogs are coming off a 7-5 loss to the Foreurs in Val-d’Or on Thursday night. Stephen MacAulay and Kevin Gagne each scored twice while Pierre Durepos added a single. Alex Fournier had another rough game, allowing seven goals on 33 shots in the loss.

The Oceanic are coming off a 5-1 victory over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in Sydney on Friday night. Anthony DeLuca, Peter Trainor, Francis Beauvillier, Scott Oke, and Jasmin Boutet scored for Rimouski. Philippe Desrosiers made 44 saves in the win.


HEAD-TO-HEAD
This is the first meeting of the 2012-13 season between the two. Last year, Saint John went 1-1-0-0 against Rimouski while the Oceanic went 1-1-0-0 against the Sea Dogs. The Dogs also swept the Oceanic in the President Cup final.

Their last meeting was on May 10 in Game 4 of the President Cup final where Saint John beat Rimouski 8-0. Stanislav Galiev had a hat trick, Tomas Jurco scored twice, and Zack Phillips, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Danick Gauthier each scored once. Mathieu Corbeil made 24 saves in the win. Jacob Gervais-Chouinard allowed five goals on 26 shots for Rimouski. Carl Hozjan allowed three goals on nine shots in relief.

EX-DOGS
The Oceanic have a former Sea Dog and a former Sea Dog draft pick in their lineup – forward Scott Oke and defenseman Maxime Gravel. Both were traded to Rimouski last December along with a third-round pick in exchange for a first- and seventh-round pick.

Oke, who helped Saint John win the Memorial Cup in 2011, has 13 goals and 25 assists with Rimouski this season. Gravel, a third-round pick of Saint John in 2011 but never played for the club, has three goals and eight assists in 28 games.

The Sea Dogs used those draft picks to acquire Matthew Highmore and Marcus Cuomo.

NOTES
  • Michael Mastrangelo will serve the final game of his three-game suspension today.
  • Jonathan Huberdeau is second in the league in assists with 28.
  • Stephen MacAulay is second in power play goals with 11.
  • Huberdeau leads the league in power play assists with 16.
  • Samuel Morin is eighth in penalty minutes with 68.
  • Anthony DeLuca is 12th in rookie scoring with 15 points in 28 games.
  • Francis Beauvillier is on a six-game goal streak.
  • Huberdeau and Kevin Gagne have assists in each of their past five games.

OUT OF TOWN
Cape Breton at P.E.I. - 3:00 PM AST
Chicoutimi at Acadie-Bathurst - 4:00 PM AST
Victoriaville at Halifax - 4:00 PM AST
Quebec at Baie-Comeau - 4:00 PM EST
Blainville-Boisbriand at Drummondville - 4:00 PM EST
Val-d'Or at Shawinigan - 4:00 PM EST
Gatineau at Sherbrooke - 4:00 PM EST

NEXT GAME
The Sea Dogs host Patrick Roy, Mikhail Grigorenko, and the Quebec Remparts on Saturday night at 7pm at Harbour Station.

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