GAMEDAY 60 - vs Screaming Eagles

A preview of tonight’s game between the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and Saint John Sea Dogs…

When and where: Tonight at 7:30 PM AST, Harbour Station

TV/Radio: TELUS Webcast/News 88.9

Records: The Screaming Eagles are second in the Telus Maritimes Division with a record of 32-24-1-3 for 68 points. The Sea Dogs are sixth in the Telus Maritimes Division with a record of 18-37-1-3 for 40 points.

Last games: The Screaming Eagles are coming off a 3-2 overtime win in Charlottetown on Wednesday. Cape Breton had 55 shots on goal. The Sea Dogs are coming off a 2-1 win in Charlottetown on Sunday afternoon. Nathan Noel had two goals in that game.

2013-14 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 2-3-0-1 against the Screaming Eagles this season while Cape Breton is 4-2-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: February 16^th in Sydney when the Screaming Eagles defeated the Sea Dogs 7-1. Antoine Landry allowed seven goals on 28 shots.

Random stat: The Eagles are tied for the league lead in shorthanded goals against with 14. Bathurst and Gatineau have also allowed 14.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Screaming Eagles: None

CB notes: This is the first of back-to-back games in Saint John for the Screaming Eagles… 6-3-1-0 in their last 10 games… winners of five straight… Cameron Darcy is 9^th in QMJHL scoring with 75 points… Julien Pelletier is third in rookie scoring with 44 points… Pelletier is fourth in rookie goals with 21… Pelletier is second in rookie power play goals with nine… Justin Hache is fifth in defensemen scoring with 46 points… Jeremy Beaudry is seventh in defensemen scoring with 43 points… Hache is fourth in defensemen assists with 41… 22-12-1-1 against the Maritimes Division… owners of the league’s fourth best power play rating of 24.4%.

SJ notes: First game of a three-in-three for the Sea Dogs… 3-7-0-0 in their last 10 games… Sebastien Auger’s save percentage of .918 continues to lead the league… Nathan Noel is 14^th in rookie scoring with 34 points… Olivier LeBlanc is 14^th in defensemen scoring with 33 points…. 15-18-0-2 against the Maritimes Division… Alexander McQuaid has penalty minutes in six straight games… the Sea Dogs have lost five straight at home.

(Almost) March Madness

It’s shaping up to be a wild finish to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League season.

Five teams – Bathurst, Charlottetown, Saint John, Shawinigan, and Sherbrooke – are in a battle for the league’s final three playoff spots. 13^th-place Chicoutimi still hasn’t officially clinched but, you know, they basically have.

These five teams could realistically finish anywhere from 14^th to 18^th. Saint John and Shawinigan have both picked it up in the second half while Charlottetown and Bathurst have fallen back. Sherbrooke has pretty much been Sherbrooke all year. None of these five teams have been picking up a lot of wins of late.

It’s also worth noting that the Sea Dogs have two games remaining against the Titan and one with the Islanders. Saint John plays in Charlottetown on the final day of the regular season and it would be real neat if the final playoff spot came down to that game.

The Sea Dogs have nine games remaining this season including tomorrow night's game against the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles at Harbour Station.

UPDATE: Titan Nation has a cool look at the standings.

Redeem Your Vouchers

Fans with flex vouchers: Please redeem your flex vouchers before March 1 for ANY of the Sea Dogs' final four home games of the reg season!!!
— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SeaDogsHockey) February 27, 2014

Blog post of the year right here.

Wednesday Notebook

Highlights from Sunday’s 2-1 Sea Dogs win:

Connor Donaghey now has 10 goals and 20 assists in 18 games with the MHL’s Yarmouth Mariners. That includes this overtime goal:

Thanks to @avgnsdave for the video.

Some other random stuff:

• The Sea Dogs play a three-in-three this weekend. They host the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on Friday and Saturday night at Harbour Station before travelling to Bathurst on Sunday afternoon for a huge game against the Titan.
• Details about the 2014 QMJHL Entry Draft - taking place in Sherbrooke - were released this week. The draft is on May 31^st beginning at 11am Atlantic.
• Defenseman Bailey Webster was named a first-team all-star in the NB/PEI Major Midget Hockey League. He had 25 points – five goals and 20 assists – in 31 regular-season games with the Kensington Wild.
• The AUS Men’s Hockey semi-finals begin tonight. Stephen MacAulay and the Saint Mary’s Huskies take on Mike Thomas and the UNB Varsity Reds while Pierre Durepos and the Universite de Moncton Aigles Bleus will face the Acadia Axemen.
• The Sea Dogs tweeted a photo of Stephen Anderson skating on Monday.
• The Canadian Press’ early, early, early roster projection for Team Canada’s 2018 Winter Olympics team includes Jonathan Huberdeau.
• Kitchener Rangers play-by-play man Mike Farwell tweeted on Sunday that “under the new broadcast deal, Sportsnet will be adding Saturday afternoon CHL games to complement traditional Friday night games.” Definitely intriguing with Rogers taking over the national NHL rights next season, which includes Saturday night games.
• Could Jack Eichel go first overall in the 2015 NHL Draft?
• Mike Hoffman, Simon Despres, and Eric Gelinas all got called up to their NHL teams following the Olympic break.

News & Notes From Sunday's Game

Some stuff from yesterday’s game…

• This was a huge win for the Sea Dogs who are now back in 16^th-place in the QMJHL standings. They are two points back of 14^th-place Bathurst and one-point back of 15^th-place Charlottetown.
• Saint John ended a five-game losing streak.
• Bradley Kennedy and Alexander McQuaid had a fight in the first period. It was so far away from the play it took some time for the camera operators to pick up that there was a fight going on.
• Nathan Noel scored his 15^th and 16^th goals of the season to give Saint John a 2-0 lead after one period of play. This was the first multi-goal game of his career.
• Jason Cameron had an assist, giving him three goals and two assists in his past eight games.
• Daniel Sprong had a goal and a bunch of other chances in the third period. He had a Charlottetown high nine shots.
• Antoine Landry got the start in net and picked up his first win since his injury. He made several nice saves in this one, including one off a Sprong breakaway in the third period. Landry made 37 saves in the win, including 19 in the third period.
• Saint John got outshot 38-17 in the game and 20-2 in the third period. The QMJHL website says the Sea Dogs had just five dangerous shots.
• Defenseman Sheehan Kirkwood made his QMJHL debut on Sunday. He had two hits, was a -1, and picked up an unsportsmanlike penalty in the second period.
• Entering this game, the Sea Dogs hadn’t scored more than a goal in each of their past three games.
• These two meet again in Charlottetown on March 15^th – the final day of the regular season. It would be quite awesome if the final playoff spot came down to the winner of this game.
• The Sea Dogs were without forwards Joey Richard (shoulder), Stephen Anderson (upper body), and Marcus Cuomo (healthy) along with defensemen Michael Abbott (wrist), Olivier LeBlanc (upper body), and Jeremy Doucet (healthy).

RECAP: Back In 16th. Dogs Win 2-1.

FINAL: Saint John 2, Charlottetown 1

CHARLOTTETOWN – The Saint John Sea Dogs are back in 16^th.

The Sea Dogs took back the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s final playoff spot – for the time being, anyway – following a 2-1 win over the Charlottetown Islanders on Sunday afternoon at Eastlink Centre. It was some redemption for the Sea Dogs who surrendered the 16^th overall position on Thursday with a 3-1 loss to the Shawinigan Cataractes. The victory also ended a five-game losing streak.

Saint John grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first period and would hang on for a 2-1 win. The Islanders outshot the Sea Dogs 38-17 in the game and 20-2 in the third period but they survived.

Nathan Noel had both Saint John goals while Antoine Landry made 37 saves – 19 of them coming in the third period – for the win.

Daniel Sprong scored Charlottetown’s only goal. Eric Brassard made 15 saves in the loss.

GAMEDAY 59 - at Charlottetown

A preview of today’s game between the Saint John Sea Dogs and Charlottetown Islanders…

When and where: Today at 3:00 PM AST, Eastlink Centre

TV/Radio: TELUS Webcast/News 88.9

Records: The Sea Dogs are sixth in the Telus Maritimes Division and 17^th overall in the QMJHL with a 17-37-1-3 record for 38 points. The Islanders are fifth in the Telus Maritimes Division and 15^th overall with a 18-35-1-4 record for 41 points.

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 3-1 loss to the Shawinigan Cataractes on Thursday night at Harbour Station. Oliver Cooper had Saint John’s only goal. The Islanders are coming off a 6-4 loss to the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on Friday night. Spenser Cobbold had a goal and two assists.

2013-14 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 3-3-0-1 against the Islanders this season while Charlottetown is 4-2-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: January 17^th at Harbour Station when the Sea Dogs defeated the Islanders 3-2. David Weckworth scored the game-winner at 18:30 of the third period.

Random stat: Islanders goaltender Eric Brassard is 3-2-0-0 with a 1.98 GAA and .941 SV% against the Sea Dogs this season.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Islanders: None

SJ notes: Two points back of the final playoff spot with a game in-hand… 2-8-0-0 in their last 10 games and have lost five straight… 14-18-0-2 against the Maritimes Division… Alexander McQuaid has picked up penalty minutes in five straight games.

CHA notes: With 10 games left, Charlottetown is just three points ahead of Saint John in the standings… 1-9-0-0 in their last 10 games and have lost two straight… 11 of their 18 wins have come on home ice… Daniel Sprong is second in rookie scoring with 54 points, second in assists with 33, and third in goals with 21… Alexandre Goulet is second in rookie goals with 24… 12-20-0-2 against the Maritimes Division.

Saturday Notebook

How great are the Olympics, though? Here are some Sea Dogs news and notes from the past couple days…

• If you hadn’t heard, the Sea Dogs lost 3-1 to the Shawinigan Cataractes on Thursday night at Harbour Station. The first two periods were pretty rough for the Dogs as they found themselves down 3-0 and outshot 32-15.
• Saint John is now 17^th overall in the QMJHL standings and are two points back of Shawinigan who own the final playoff spot. The Sea Dogs now have a game in-hand though with the Cataractes losing last night in Halifax.
• The Sea Dogs still have not beaten the Cataractes since the 2012 Memorial Cup round-robin game between the two.
• Saint John is now 0-11-0-1 against Telus East Division teams this season.
• At Thursday’s game there was a pre-game tribute video for Mike McGraw. Pictured are stickers that were placed on the Sea Dogs’ helmets.
• Jurij Repe made his return to the Saint John lineup on Thursday, playing in his first game since February 8^th. He assisted in Oliver Cooper’s goal.
• The Sea Dogs have a weird schedule over the next couple weeks. They did not play last night or tonight but will return to action on Sunday in Charlottetown. Next weekend they play a three-in-three.
• According to the Cape Breton Post, Screaming Eagles “forward Maxim Lazarev was handed a one-game suspension by the league for an open-ice hit on Saint John Sea Dogs forward Kelly Bent on Sunday. Bent wasn’t injured on the play.”
• The Sea Dogs have announced details on their annual awards banquet. It will be held Tuesday, March 18^th at the Delta Brunswick Ballroom.
• In AUS playoff action, Pierre Durepos and UdeM eliminated Michael Kirkpatrick and StFX last night with a 6-1 win. Durepos and Kirkpatrick each had a goal.
• In the other first-round series, Saint Mary’s and UPEI will play a deciding Game 3 tomorrow night. Stephen MacAulay had two goals for the Huskies in the 4-1 victory.

RECAP: Welp. Dogs Lose 3-1.

FINAL: Shawinigan 3, Saint John 1

SAINT JOHN – The Saint John Sea Dogs have picked a bad time to go on a losing skid.

The Sea Dogs lost their fifth straight Quebec Major Junior Hockey League game on Thursday night at Harbour Station, falling 3-1 to the Shawinigan Cataractes.

Shawinigan and Saint John entered the game with 38 points each. But now the Cataractes will pull into the league’s final playoff spot for the time being with 40 points. Both teams have 10 games remaining. The Sea Dogs’ recent struggles certainly aren’t helping Saint John's playoff chances.

The Cataractes looked like the team that wanted this game more. So they got it. This was just their sixth road win of the season and only the 18^th time they have outshot an opponent.

Saint John couldn’t get much of anything going offensively in the first period and were outshot 17-5. Alexis D’Aoust scored at 15:40 to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

In the second, Alex Pawelczyk and Alexandre Delisle-Houde scored for Shawinigan at 1:54 and 9:35, respectively. Shots were 15-10 Cataractes.

Oliver Cooper got Saint John on the board late in the third at 14:19. But that would be as close as the Sea Dogs would get. Final shots were 38-27 in favour of the Cats.

Saint John went 0-for-6 on the power play while Shawinigan went 0-for-3.

The Sea Dogs have another big game with playoff implications on Sunday afternoon in Charlottetown.

GAMEDAY 58 - vs Cataractes

A preview of tonight’s game between the Shawinigan Cataractes and Saint John Sea Dogs…

When and where: Tonight at 7:00 PM AST, Harbour Station

TV/Radio: TELUS Webcast/News 88.9

Records: The Cataractes are sixth in the Telus East Division and 17^th overall in the QMJHL with a 15-34-4-4 record for 38 points. The Sea Dogs are sixth in the Telus Maritimes Division and 16^th overall with a 17-36-1-3 record for 38 points.

Last games: The Cataractes are coming off a 6-1 loss to the Quebec Remparts on home ice on Sunday. The Sea Dogs are coming off a 7-1 loss in Cape Breton to the Screaming Eagles on Sunday.

2013-14 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 0-1-0-0 against the Cataractes this season while Shawinigan is 1-0-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: January 29^th in Shawinigan when the Cataractes defeated the Sea Dogs 4-2. Noah Zilbert had both Saint John goals.

Random stat: The Sea Dogs have not beaten the Cataractes since the final round-robin game at the 2012 Memorial Cup.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Cataractes: None

SHAW notes: 4-5-0-1 in their last 10 games but have lost four straight... Anthony Beauvillier is 19th in rookie scoring with 26 points... Shawinigan's five road wins is tied for the fewest in the league... 5-2-1-1 against the Maritimes Division... their power play rating of 16.5% is third worst in the league... somewhat surprisingly, Shawinigan has the fourth best penalty kill in the league (81.3%).

SJ notes: 3-7-0-0 in their last 10 games and have lost four straight... have also lost four straight home games... Nathan Noel is 14th in rookie scoring with 32 points... 0-10-0-1 against the Telus East Division... averaging a league high 37.24 shots against per game.

Kirkwood Called Up

The Sea Dogs have once again shuffled their defense.

The team announced this afternoon that they have called up Sheehan Kirkwood from the Valley Wildcats of the Maritime Junior A Hockey League. From the release:

Kirkwood, 18, signed as an affiliate player with the Sea Dogs after attending training camp on a tryout last fall. The Copper Cliff, Ontario, native played three preseason games with Saint John. Kirkwood, 6'3" and 238 lbs., has one goal and six assists for seven points in 35 games this season with the Wildcats. The Sea Dogs also announced that 16-year old defender Bailey Webster has been sent back to the Kensington Wild of the NB/PEI Major Midget AAA Hockey League. Webster, a 2013 draft pick of Saint John, has three points in six total QMJHL games this season. Defensemen Jurij Repe and Olivier LeBlanc have missed the last few games with injuries. It was also announced yesterday that d-man Michael Abbott will miss the rest of the season. Saint John hosts the Shawinigan Cataractes tonight at 7pm.

Thursday Notebook

Second thoughts on the CHL/Sportsnet extension: maybe it will actually be good to have junior hockey on the same network as the national NHL broadcasts.

On the one hand, Sportsnet could definitely shove their CHL broadcasts into a corner and forget about them. But on the other hand, there could definitely be a ratings boost by promoting the games on the same station as national NHL broadcasts. Presumably, an increase in ratings would see an increase in games shown. Something to think about.

Some other stuff…

• Huge game on Thursday night at Harbour Station between the Sea Dogs and Cataractes. Saint John currently holds the league’s final playoff spot with 38 points. Shawinigan is right behind them with 38 points as well. It’s the final meeting of the season between the two.
• Tough Olympics for Tomas Jurco and the Slovaks who, following a 5-3 loss to the Czech Republic in the qualification round yesterday, will finish 11^th. Jurco finishes his first Olympics with one goal and eight shots in four games.
• The AUS men’s hockey playoffs begin tonight with Moncton taking on StFX and UPEI facing Saint Mary’s. UNB and Acadia earned a bye through the first-round.
• The AHL website has a big time article on Mike Hoffman. The Ottawa Senators prospect is second in AHL scoring with 27 goals and 63 points in 48 games.
• Chronicle Herald sports columnist Chris Cochrane had a column on new Sea Dogs GM Darrell Young last week. “I went in there (to the interview) with a booklet on how we could attack the situation,” Young said, “they were impressed I took that much time to prepare.”
• Sam Cosentino mentions Hoffman, Young, and Yann Sauve in his latest column over at Sportsnet.ca.
• The Mill Rats have solved their playoff arena issues. They may have to play a game out at UNBSJ, though.
• Mike McGraw visitation and funeral info can be found here.

Abbott Out For The Season

Defenceman Michael Abbott is officially out for the rest of the season with a broken wrist.
— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SeaDogsHockey) February 19, 2014

The Sea Dogs announced this afternoon that defenseman Michael Abbott will miss the rest of the season with a broken wrist. The 19-year old has not played since November 30^th.

Abbott was one of Saint John’s leading scorers when he got injured. He had six goals and 10 assists in 22 games with all six of those goals coming on the power play.

The St. John’s native is eligible to return to the Sea Dogs as a 20-year old next season.

12 More Years Of Sportsnet

So this happened today:

Sportsnet today announced it has reached a 12-year partnership extension with the Canadian Hockey League through the 2025-26 CHL season, continuing its tradition as the exclusive broadcaster of the CHL and MasterCard Memorial Cup in Canada. 

The new agreement, which begins with the 2014/15 season, features a comprehensive suite of multimedia rights including television, online and mobile, delivering more than 50 CHL games each year, including CHL playoff games and the Memorial Cup. 

Sportsnet has been broadcasting CHL games since the network’s inception in 1998.
…
In addition, Sportsnet today announced a 12-year sub-licensing agreement with TVA Sports for exclusive French-language multiplatform rights for CHL games, beginning with the 2014/15 season.

Yeah. I’d like to say this sounds great but it’s pretty much what we are getting now. The 50 games includes playoff and Memorial Cup games.

That means about 35 actual CHL games per year, about one/week on average. Some of those are likely regional too. So more of the same old.
— Alan Caldwell (@smallatlarge) February 18, 2014

Sportsnet’s online content with Patrick King and Sam Cosentino is solid and the team of RJ Broadhead and Cosentino on the TV side are good as well. But it’s not fantastic from there. The people watching these broadcasts are hardcore junior hockey fans and it would be great if they could add some analysts who were hardcore junior hockey watchers as well.

Sportsnet did pick up the NHL Draft rights in their massive NHL rights deal so maybe they’ll add some more prospect people. And speaking of that NHL rights deal, you have to think the CHL may get even less air time – in terms of highlights, news stories, and other things - on Sportsnet now. Ugh.

I really thought we were going to see TSN snag the CHL rights but Rogers seems to have an unlimited amount of money. The dream of the TSN hype machine taking over the CHL is dead.

Maybe this new deal will be awesome. But I think we’ll see more of the same (hello, London Knights!). Prove me wrong, Sportsnet.

Sea Dogs VP Passes Away

The Sea Dogs announced via press release this afternoon that Vice-President Mike McGraw has passed away.

From the release:

The Saint John Sea Dogs are deeply saddened to report the sudden passing of Vice-President Mike McGraw yesterday.

McGraw had been with the club since its expansion season in 2005, and was an integral member of the organization.

"Mike McGraw was one of the finest men I've ever met and was such an important part of the Sea Dog organization," said Sea Dogs President Wayne Long. "He was a great friend and true community leader."

The Saint John Sea Dogs would like to extend deepest sympathies to the McGraw family and their friends.

His family has requested privacy at this difficult time.

Funeral arrangements are to be determined.

“Words can't express my sorrow with the passing of good friend Mike McGraw,” tweeted Sea Dogs president Wayne Long. “He was with me on this journey from day one.”

News & Notes From Sunday's Game

Some stuff from last night’s game…

• From a Sea Dogs standpoint, this wasn’t a pretty game. First time they’ve been blown out like this in a couple weeks.
• Despite losing their fourth straight and being just 3-7 in their last 10 games, Saint John remains in 16th overall. Fortunately for the Dogs, all the other teams who are fighting for a playoff spot are struggling right now as well.
• Antoine Landry made his first start in net since January 15th which was the game he got hurt in. The Sea Dogs backup goaltender had his struggles yesterday and may have been a bit rusty, allowing seven goals on 28 shots.
• Jason Cameron is having one of the best stretches of his career. With a goal yesterday, the 20-year old forward has three goals in his past six games. Yesterday’s goal was also his fifth of the season which is a career high.
• Just after Cameron’s goal at 9:13 of the second, the main lights that aluminate the ice went out and caused a roughly 15-minutes delay. The arena still had power and stuff but the main lights were not operating. The Cape Breton Post tweeted that there was a “surge.”
• Sea Dogs must be closing in on the single season league record for power/light outages in games.
• Saint John struggled after the light outage, allowing three Cape Breton goals in the period.
• On a power play early in the third, Ross Yates sent out Nicolas Hebert, Marcus Cuomo, and Mackenzie Brown to start it.
• The Sea Dogs’ offense didn’t have a great night despite outshooting the Screaming Eagles 30-28. It was just the seventh time that Saint John outshot an opponent this season. They are 2-5 in those games.
• Bunch of roughing and unsportsmanlike penalties, misconducts, etc. late in the third in this one. Even Screaming Eagles backup goaltender Zachary Fortin was getting involved from the bench.
• Cape Breton clinched a playoff spot with the win. Good for them.
• The Sea Dogs were without Stephen Anderson (upper body), Joey Richard (shoulder), and Lukas Walter (healthy) along with defensemen Michael Abbott (hand), Jurij Repe (lower body), and Olivier LeBlanc (upper body).

RECAP: The Lights Go Out In Sydney. Dogs Lose 7-1.

FINAL: Saint John 1, Cape Breton 7

SYDNEY, NS – Well, that was ugly.

The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles scored five goals following a lighting problem at Centre 200 en route to a 7-1 victory over the Saint John Sea Dogs on Sunday evening. With the win, the Eagles have clinched a playoff spot.

The Screaming Eagles led 2-0 after one and Jason Cameron had just gotten the Sea Dogs on the board at 9:13 of the second when a lighting issue sent both teams to the dressing room. This caused a roughly 20-minute delay and seemed to take away any wind that was in Saint John’s sails from the Cameron goal. Cape Breton scored three more in the period and another two in the third in the blowout victory.

Saint John managed to outshoot Cape Breton 30-28 in the game but the Dogs certainly didn’t have a ton of quality scoring chances. The Dogs, who are in a fight for the league’s final playoff spot, have now lost four straight heading in Thursday’s missive game against Shawinigan.

The Screaming Eagles had a pair of goals from Julien Pelletier while singles came from Guillaume Gauthier, Kyle Farrell, Charles-Eric Legare, Bronson Beaton, and Loik Leveille. Alex Bureau made 29 saves in the victory.

Antoine Landry made his first start in over a month but did not fare too well, allowing seven goals on 28 shots.

GAMEDAY 57 - at Cape Breton

A preview of today’s game between the Saint John Sea Dogs and Cape Breton Screaming Eagles…

When and where: Today at 4:00 PM AST, Centre 200

TV/Radio: TELUS Webcast/News 88.9

Records: The Sea Dogs are sixth in the Telus Maritimes Division and 16^th overall in the QMJHL with a 17-35-1-3 record for 38 points. The Screaming Eagles are third in the Telus Maritimes Division and 12^th overall with a 28-24-1-3 record for 60 points.

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Moncton Wildcats at home on Friday night. Samuel Dove-McFalls had Saint John’s only goal. The Eagles are coming off a 5-4 win over the Gatineau Olympiques last night at Centre 200. Cameron Darcy scored the winner with 11 seconds remaining in regulation.

2013-14 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 2-2-0-1 against the Screaming Eagles this season while Cape Breton is 3-2-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: December 21^st at Centre 200 when the Sea Dogs defeated the Screaming Eagles 4-2. Oliver Cooper had two goals in that game.

Random stat: Including today’s game, these two face each four more times before the season is over.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Screaming Eagles: None

SJ notes: 3-7-0-0 in their last 10 games and have lost three straight… Sebastien Auger still leads the league in saves and save percentage (.918)… Nathan Noel is 13^th in rookie scoring with 32 points… Olivier LeBlanc is 12^th in defensemen scoring with 33 points… LeBlanc is fifth amongst defensemen in power play points with 24… 14-17-0-2 against the Maritimes Division… Thomas Chabot has points in eight straight games.

CB notes: 4-5-1-0 in their last 10 games… have the second most home wins in the division with 17… Cameron Darcy is 10^th in league scoring with 68 points… Julien Pelletier is sixth in rookie scoring with 38 points… Pelletier is second amongst rookies in power play goals with eight… Justin Hache is fourth in defensemen scoring with 44 points… Jeremy Beaudry is second in defensemen goals with 15… 19-12-1-1 against the Maritimes Division… Cameron Darcy has goals in three straight home games… Charles-Eric Legare has points in nine straight home games.

VIDEO: Jurco Scores First Olympic Goal

Tomas Jurco scored his first Olympic goal in Slovakia’s stunning 3-1 loss to Slovenia today in Sochi.

The goal came with just 18 seconds remaining in the game and Slovenia already had a 3-0 lead. The former Sea Dogs forward had five shots in 14:04 of ice time.

No clue how Slovenia won this game but I’m sure Jurij Repe is happy.

Slovenia 3 : 1 Slovakia well deserved #Olympics2014 #Sochi2014
— Jurij Repe (@JurijRepe) February 15, 2014

Slovakia, who finished fourth in Vancouver, is now 0-2 heading into their game against Russia tomorrow.

News & Notes From Friday's Game

Thanks to the @saintjohnpolice we had a unique puck-drop presentation today! Thanks to their service for 165 years! pic.twitter.com/gFP62JgANf
— Kyle Ferguson (@kjferg87) February 15, 2014

Some stuff from last night’s game…

• The Sea Dogs dressed four rookie defenseman again on Saturday with Olivier LeBlanc and Jurij Repe still nursing injuries.
• Samuel Dove-McFalls scored Saint John’s only goal with just 1.7 seconds remaining in the first period.
• Thomas Chabot picked up an assist on his goal, extending his point streak to eight games. Not bad for a rookie defenseman.
• Will Smith’s shorthanded goal at 4:24 of the second tied things up. The goal came after a Sebastien Auger mistake behind his net and was unable to recover in time. The goal seemed to deflate the Sea Dogs.
• Moncton did not score an even strength goal in this game. They scored two on the power play, one shorthanded, and another with the Saint John net empty.
• The Sea Dogs got into penalty trouble in the second period, taking four straight penalties in less than six minutes. Moncton went 2-for-7 on the power play.
• Auger and Ivan Barbashev got into it a bit in the third period.
• Christophe Lalonde had two goals in this game, giving him seven in eight games against Saint John this year.
• Saint John is struggling a bit right now, having lost three straight and are just 3-7 in their last 10 games. They still 16^th overall in the standings.
• Moncton’s win clinched them the 2014 Brunswick News Rivalry Cup title. The Wildcats lead the season long challenge 5-3 with one meeting remaining. It’s the second straight year they have won the title and fourth overall.
• The Sea Dogs were without forwards Stephen Anderson (upper body), Joey Richard (shoulder), Mackenzie Brown (healthy) along with defensemen Michael Abbott (hand), Jurij Repe (lower body), and Olivier LeBlanc (upper body).

RECAP: Cats Win Cup. Dogs Lose 4-1.

FINAL: Moncton 4, Saint John 1

SAINT JOHN – The Moncton Wildcats are 2014 Brunswick News Rivalry Cup Champions.

The Wildcats clinched their season series against the Saint John Sea Dogs with a 4-1 win at Harbour Station on Friday night. Moncton leads the Rivalry Cup standings 5-3 but there is just one meeting remaining this season so Saint John can’t catch up. Go crazy, Moncton.

Special teams were the name of the game for the ‘Cats in this game. They scored three goals in the second period – one shorthanded and two on the power play – and then added an empty net maker in the third.

Christophe Lalonde had a pair of goals while singles came from Will Smith and Christopher Caissy. Ivan Barbashev added two assists. Alex Dubeau made 25 saves in the win.

Saint John’s lone goal came from Samuel Dove-McFalls with 1.7 seconds remaining in the first period. Sebastien Auger made 25 saves in the loss.

Darrell Young Speaks

John Moore had a solid interview with new Sea Dogs GM Darrell Young last night. This post brought to you by First Choice Hair Cutters.

Young said the Sea Dogs’ needs moving forward are to find a young goaltender, improve the offense, and add some size. Hard to argue with that. He also mentioned that he’d like to have more picks for the upcoming draft. These are the picks we believe Saint John has for the 2014 QMJHL Entry Draft in June:

1-2-4(CAP)-4(SHE)-7-8-9-11-12-13-14

You have to wonder if the Dogs may move one of their older players at the draft to get at least another high pick. It may hurt the team next season, but it may be for the best with everything revolving around 2017.

Exciting times. This seems like a good hire by the Sea Dogs.

Ross Yates Signs Extension

Ross Yates will be sticking around.

As had been reported, the Saint John Sea Dogs announced this afternoon that they have given Yates a two-year contract extension. He took over as Sea Dogs head coach on October 30, 2013 following the firing of Mike Kelly. As usual, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

"I am so pleased and thrilled to be able to continue working and building our young team into another championship-quality club," Yates said in a release.

The 54-year old joined the club as an assistant coach in 2012-13. Prior to that he worked with the American Hockey League’s Syracuse Crunch.

The Yates head coaching era got off to a rough start but the team has definitely improved since December. Saint John is 12-24-1-1 under the Montreal native this season. Although their record isn’t spectacular, anyone who watches this team will tell you that they really turned a corner in December.

"Signing Ross was a priority for us moving forward," said Sea Dogs President Wayne Long. “We want to put the pieces in place for the future. Ross has done a great job with this young team, and I think anyone that watches us can see that."

The extension will see Yates behind the bench through the 2015-16 season. The Sea Dogs named Darrell Young their new general manager yesterday, signing him to a three-year contract.

GAMEDAY 56 - vs Wildcats

A preview of tonight’s game between the Moncton Wildcats and Saint John Sea Dogs…

When and where: Tonight at 7:30 PM AST, Harbour Station

TV/Radio: TELUS Webcast/News 88.9

Records: The Wildcats are second in the Telus Maritimes Division and 11^th overall in the QMJHL with a 29-25-0-3 record for 61 points. The Sea Dogs are sixth in the Telus Maritimes Division and 16^th overall with a 17-34-1-3 record for 38 points.

Last games: The Wildcats are coming off a 4-3 shootout loss in Charlottetown last night. Vladimir Tkachev had two goals. The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-2 loss to the Gatineau Olympiques on Wednesday night at Harbour Station. Noah Zilbert had both Saint John goals.

2013-14 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 3-4-0-0 against the Wildcats this season while Moncton is 4-3-0-0 against Saint John. Moncton leads the all-important Rivalry Cup standings 4-3.

Last meeting: January 15^th at the Moncton Coliseum when the Sea Dogs edged the Wildcats 4-3. Saint John scored twice in less than two minutes in the third period to seal the deal.

Random stat: All three of Saint John’s wins against Moncton this season have come on the road.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Wildcats: None

MON notes: 6-3-0-1 in their last 10 games and have picked up at least a point in each of their past four… Ivan Barbashev is 17^th in league scoring with 61 points… Alex Dubeau’s GAA of 2.67 is fifth best… Dubeau also leads the league in minutes and is second in saves and save percentage (.917)… 23-11-0-2 against the Maritimes Division… their penalty kill rating of 84.8% is the league’s best… Christophe Lalonde has points in nine straight games… Barbashev has points in seven straight road games… Barbashev was ranked 19^th in ISS’ latest draft rankings.

SJ notes: 3-7 in their last 10 games and have lost two straight… Sebastien Auger is second in minutes and leads the league in saves and save percentage (.919)… 14-16-0-2 against the Maritimes Division… Thomas Chabot has points in seven straight games… the Dogs have lost three straight home games… Matthew Highmore and Noah Zilbert each have four goals against Moncton this season… the Dogs had to dress four rookie defensemen on Wednesday due to injuries to Jurij Repe and Olivier LeBlanc.

Thursday Notebook

St. Malachy’s High School released this video today and it features some current Sea Dogs and Jonathan Huberdeau.

Some other notes:

• Tomas Jurco made his Olympic debut in Slovakia’s 7-1 loss to the United States today in Sochi. Jurco was held pointless, recorded two shots, and was a -1 in 13:34 of ice time. The Slovaks face Slovenia on Saturday.
• John Moore tweeted that newly appointed Sea Dogs GM Darrell Young’s “priorities are acquiring free agents and preparing for 2014 QMJHL Draft."
• The Olympiques YouTube page has some highlights up from Wednesday’s game. Go for the highlights but you’ll stay for the music.
• Mike Hoffman won the fastest skater competition at the AHL All-Star Skills Competition. He added a goal and two assists in the All-Star Game and was named the AHL player of the game.
• Chris DiDomenico has joined a new team.
• The Sea Dogs host the Moncton Wildcats tomorrow night at 7:30 PM. So it’s Moncton vs Saint John on Valentine’s Day. IT’S IRONIC, Y’KNOW.

Darrell Young Officially New Dogs GM

The Sea Dogs officially announced this afternoon that Vancouver Canucks scout Darrell Young has been named the team’s general manager.

From the Sea Dogs:

The Halifax, Nova Scotia, native signed a three-year contract. Terms of the deal are not disclosed.

Young, 55, has been an amateur scout for the National Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks for the last six seasons. That follows stints with the Washington Capitals, Nashville Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning in a 25-year NHL scouting career. He was a member of the Lightning's scouting staff when the team won the Stanley Cup in 2004.

"I'm very excited to be joining the Saint John Sea Dogs organization," Young said. "In meetings with management and ownership, I can tell they are committed to bringing another championship to Saint John. It's an opportunity I could not pass up."

This will be Young's second term in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He also served as the Director of Hockey Operations for the Moncton Wildcats between 2000 and 2002.

"We are thrilled to add Darrell's experience to the organization," said Sea Dogs President Wayne Long. "His hockey connections in North America and Europe are second to none. We intend to host the Memorial Cup in 2017, and having Darrell in place for three seasons will ensure we are prepared to win in short order."

Young played at Dalhousie University from 1977-79, and then coached at his alma mater for 13 seasons beginning in 1985. During his time at Dalhousie, his teams won two regular season championships and four division titles, allowing Young to compile 225 wins behind the bench, most all-time for a coach at the school.

Since 2000, he has been the Owner and Director of Development for Darrell Young Hockey Inc., a summer training and development program based in Halifax.

Young will begin his new role on March 1st. Current co-general managers Ross Yates and Christian Vermette will maintain their other roles with the organization as head coach and head scout, respectively.

So there’s that.

TVA Sports also reported yesterday that the Sea Dogs are preparing to give Yates a contract extension. 

News & Notes From Wednesday's Game

Some stuff from last night’s game…

• Due to injuries to Olivier LeBlanc and Jurij Repe, the Sea Dogs had to dress four rookie defensemen – Will Thompson, Thomas Chabot, Alexander McQuaid, and the recalled Bailey Webster.
• Noah Zilbert could have had a few more points in the first period thanks to two brief two-on-ones and a decent scoring chance that went wide. He scored Saint John’s first goal at 15:15 of the first on a power play thanks to a nice feed from the point by Will Thompson.
• Thomas Chabot’s assist on Zilbert’s goal extended his point streak to seven games. Impressive.
• Zilbert scored two goals in this game with both being assisted by Chabot and Thompson.
• Robert Steeves made a huge diving stop with his paddle on Jason Cameron in the second period. He also made a huge stop off of Matthew Highmore in the third period.
• Alexander McQuaid took three separate minor penalties in the second period, including one just seven seconds after stepping out of the box.
• It was pretty much all Gatineau for much of the first 40 minutes. Shots were 31-10 in the two periods combined. But Saint John didn’t pack it in and kept the game close. They turned it on in the third, outshooting Gatineau 12-6.
• Sebastien Auger’s stick got stuck in the boards behind the net in the first period.
• The Sea Dogs were able to keep Emile Poirier and Martin Reway both off the score sheet.
• The Sea Dogs were without forwards Stephen Anderson (upper body), Joey Richard (shoulder), and Kelly Bent (automatic one-game suspension) along with defensemen Michael Abbott (hand), Olivier LeBlanc (upper body), and Jurij Repe (lower body).
• Antoine Landry returned to the Sea Dogs lineup after missing several weeks with a lower body injury. He was Auger’s backup in this game.

RECAP: Game 55. Dogs Lose 4-2.

FINAL: Gatineau 4, Saint John 2

SAINT JOHN – A young Saint John Sea Dogs defense couldn’t quite contain the Gatineau Olympiques on Wednesday night at Harbour Station.

The Sea Dogs had four rookie defensemen dressed due to injuries in a 4-2 loss to the Olympiques in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Despite being outplayed by Gatineau for stretches in the first two periods, Saint John was able to keep it close and had a pretty good third period. They also managed to keep Emile Poirier and Martin Reway off the scoreboard. 

The ‘Piques outshot the Dogs 31-10 in the first two periods but Saint John turned things around in the third, outshooting Gatineau 12-6.

Noah Zilbert had both Sea Dogs goals with both being assisted by Will Thompson and Thomas Chabot. Sebastien Auger made 33 saves in the loss.

Alexis Pepin, Taylor Burke, Jonathan Bourcier, and Jake Coughler scored for Gatineau. Burke and Adam Stevens also had two assists each. Robert Steeves made 20 stops in the win.

The loss means the Sea Dogs remain 16^th overall in the QMJHL standings. They remain two points back of the 14^th-place Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

REPORT: Young To Be Named Dogs GM

Darrell Young sera confirmé comme nouveau directeur général des Sea Dogs dans les prochains jours. Recruteur chez les @VanCanucks. #LHJMQ
— Mikaël Lalancette (@MLalancette) February 12, 2014

SAINT JOHN – Mikael Lalancette of TVA Sports is reporting that Vancouver Canucks scout Darrell Young is expected to be named the next general manager of the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The QMJHL’s version of Eklund, Stormin Norman, reported a couple weeks that the Sea Dogs had received permission to speak with Young about the job.

Some info on Young can be found here.

UPDATE: TVA Sports has a full article on Young. Lalancette also reports that Sea Dogs head coach Ross Yates will receive a contract extension.

Up With Webster

The Sea Dogs announced this afternoon that they have recalled defenseman Bailey Webster from the NB/PEI Major Midget AAA Hockey League.

In 30 games with the Kensington Wild this season, Webster has four goals and 20 assists. This is the second time the 16-year old has been called up by the Dogs this season. He made his Quebec Major Junior Hockey League debut on December 29th and in three games recorded three assists.

The Kelvin Grove, PEI native was a seventh-round pick of Saint John in the 2013 QMJHL Entry Draft.

A Sea Dogs press release says that he is expected to be available to play tonight. The squad has been hurting on the backend of late with Jurij Repe not playing Sunday because of an lower body injury and Olivier LeBlanc not playing in Sunday's third period.

Saint John hosts the Gatineau Olympiques tonight at 7pm at Harbour Station.

GAMEDAY 55 - vs Olympiques

A preview of tonight’s game between the Saint John Sea Dogs and Gatineau Olympiques…

When and where: Tonight at 7:00 PM AST, Harbour Station

TV/Radio: TELUS Webcast/News 88.9

Records: The Olympiques are third in the Telus West Division and seventh overall in the QMJHL with a record of 33-17-1-3 for 70 points. The Sea Dogs are sixth in the Telus Maritimes Division and 16^th overall with a 17-33-1-3 record for 38 points.

Last games: The Olympiques are coming off a 6-3 win over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies on Sunday. Emile Poirier had a hat trick in that game. The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-2 loss to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada on Sunday at Harbour Station. Thomas Chabot and Oliver Cooper had goals.

2013-14 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 0-1-0-0 against the Olympiques this season while Gatineau is 1-0-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: November 16^th in Gatineau when the Olympiques defeated the Sea Dogs 8-4. The teams combined for seven goals in the third period of that game.

Random stat: Gatineau leads the league in shorthanded goals with 18. Saint John is the only team in the league to have not scored while down a man this year.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Olympiques: None

GAT notes: 5-2-0-3 in their last 10 games… Emile Poirier is sixth in league scoring with 74 points… Poirier is fourth in goals with 40… Derek Sheppard leads the league in penalty minutes with 141… Poirier has the most shorthanded goals in the Q with eight… Poirier is second in game-winning goals with eight… Vaclav Karabacek is fourth in rookie scoring with 38 points… 23-7-1-0 when scoring first… 6-2-0-0 against the Maritimes Division… their power play of 16.5% is second worst in the league… Poirier has goals in three straight games… Taylor Burke has assists in five straight games.

SJ notes: 4-6-0-0 in their last 10 games… have lost two straight home games… Sebastien Auger continues to have a league best save percentage of .919… Nathan Noel is 13^th in rookie scoring with 32 points… Olivier LeBlanc is 12^th in defensemen scoring with 33 points… LeBlanc is fifth amongst defensemen in power play points with 24… 3-7-1-0 against the Telus West Division… Thomas Chabot has points in six straight games… the Sea Dogs reassigned goaltender Christopher Smith back to major midget yesterday.

Tuesday Stuff

Unreal goal by Jurco. Some other news and notes:

• The Sea Dogs take on the Gatineau Olympiques tomorrow night at 7:00 PM at Harbour Station. They also host the Moncton Wildcats on Friday night.
• The QMJHL announced a few rule adjustments yesterday, which includes teams being allowed to select 15-year old players in the 14 rounds of the draft rather than just the first eight beginning in 2015. Changes to league’s odd compensatory picks system were also announced.
• Scott Briggs of the Telegraph-Journal (paywall) reported last week that Sea Dogs president Wayne Long said the new general manager will likely be announced in the final week of February.
• Goaltender Christopher Smith has been sent back down to the major midget ranks by the Sea Dogs. He picked up his first QMJHL win in his first start on Saturday in Bathurst.
• It’s All-Star week in the AHL. Mike Hoffman is the only former Sea Dog taking part. The skills competition takes place tonight in St. John’s and the game tomorrow. Both can be seen on Sportsnet One beginning at 7:30pm AST.
• Remember Steven Anthony? There’s a few paragraphs on him and his development in this Hockey’s Future article.
• Jonathan Huberdeau’s fight against Toronto’s Jake Gardiner last week was his first tilt since his infamous scrap against MacKenzie Weegar in his final game as a Sea Dog. "I got suspended [four games] for it. The referee fell, and they said I pushed him. And I got beat up after that. I don't want to remember that fight," Huberdeau told the Florida Sun-Sentinel.
• The Olympics begin for Tomas Jurco and the Slovaks on Thursday against the United States. Puck drops at 8:30 AM AST and can be seen live on TSN.

News & Notes From Sunday's Game

Some stuff from last night’s game…

• It took less than five minutes for the Armada to build a 3-0 lead in the first. Goals at 2:26, 6:03, and 7:17 gave them a quick lead.
• Thomas Chabot’s first QMJHL goal was a memorable one. Chabot dumped the puck in off the glass from the neutral zone and Etienne Marcoux went behind his net to play it. But the puck hit a partition on the dump in and went into the open net.
• The goal extended Chabot’s point streak to six games.
• Some real questionable calls in this game. The Armada had three straight power plays to kick off the second period but couldn’t get much going on any of them.
• Samuel Hodhod and Nikita Jevpalovs each had two goals.
• Hodhod’s second goal was a beauty. He came down the wing and got around Alexander McQuaid so he could cut through the crease. He then slid the puck past a sprawled out Sebastien Auger to finish it off.
• Oliver Cooper apparently scored his goal using Kelly Bent’s stick.
• Ryan Tesink finished the game with no points, four shots, two hits, and two penalty minutes. He and McQuaid were going at it a bit in the first period.
• Bent and Saint John native Matthew Bursey fought in the third period. Heading back his bench, Bursey gave quite a yell/scream near the Saint John bench.
• The Armada’s penalty kill is second worst in the league and struggled a bit yesterday as well. Saint John went 2-for-5 on the man advantage.
• Saint John struggled to create scoring chances again yesterday. They had just 18 shots in the game with only eight of those considered dangerous. Shots were 13-2 in favour of the Armada in the third.
• 5,102 was the attendance. It was the largest crowd of the season at Harbour Station.
• Saw a couple fans wearing Fog Devils jerseys at the game. Never forget.
• The win moved the Armada into first overall in the QMJHL, one-point ahead of the Drakkar. The Sea Dogs remain in 16^th.
• The Sea Dogs were without forwards Joey Richard (shoulder), Stephen Anderson (upper body), and Lukas Walter (healthy) along with defensemen Michael Abbott (hand) and Jurij Repe (lower body). Goaltender Antoine Landry also remains out with a lower body injury.
• With Walter and Repe both out, Saint John dressed two 20-year olds and no imports.

RECAP: The Armada Are Good. Dogs Lose 5-2

FINAL: Blainville-Boisbriand 5, Saint John 2

SAINT JOHN – The Blainville-Boisbriand Armada are on a roll.

The Armada head home having swept their three-in-three road trip through the Maritimes and have now won seven straight overall. They completed the sweep with a 5-2 win over the Saint John Sea Dogs on Sunday afternoon at Harbour Station.

The Armada jumped out to a 3-0 first period lead. Although the Sea Dogs came close to tying things up, it felt like the visitors had control for most of this game. Saint John could only get 18 shots on goal and only two in the third period.

Samuel Hodhod and Nikita Jevpalovs each had two goals while Nathanael Halbert added a single. Etienne Marcoux had a few adventures in net but made 16 saves for the win.

Sea Dogs goals came courtesy of Thomas Chabot and Oliver Cooper. Sebastien Auger made 35 saves in the loss.

GAMEDAY 54 - vs Armada

A preview of today’s game between the St. John's Fog Devils Montreal Junior Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and Saint John Sea Dogs…

When and where: Today at 4:00 pm AST, Harbour Station

TV/Radio: TELUS Webcast/News 88.9

Records: The Armada are first in the Telus West Division and second overall in the QMJHL with a 34-10-4-5 record for 77 points. The Sea Dogs are sixth in the Telus Maritimes Division and 16^th overall with a 17-32-1-3 record for 38 points.

Last games: The Armada are coming off a 5-2 win in Charlottetown last night. Danick Martel had two goals and an assist for Blainville-Boisbriand. The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-3 victory in Bathurst last night. Nathan Noel had a goal and two assists.

2013-14 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 0-0-1-0 against the Armada while Blainville-Boisbriand is 1-0-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: January 12^th in Blainville-Boisbriand when the Armada edged the Sea Dogs 3-2 in overtime. Daniel Walcott scored the game-winner at 4:25 of OT in what was a closely played game.

Random stat: Saint John native Matthew Bursey has two goals and two assists in his career against the Sea Dogs.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Armada: Ryan Tesink

BLB notes: 7-1-0-2 in their last 10 games and are winners of six straight… Marcus Hinds is fourth in the league in shooting percentage with a 22.2% rating… Danick Martel is fifth in dangerous shots with 130… Martel’s +30 is fifth in the league… Etienne Marcoux’s 2.69 GAA is fifth in the league… Daniel Walcott’s 35 points place him eighth in scoring by defensemen… averaging 13.81 penalty minutes per game, the second lowest… an impressive 20-1-2-2 when scoring first… 8-1-1-1 against the Maritimes Division… their 74.5% penalty kill is second worst in the league… averaging the second fewest goals against per game (2.72)… averaging 25.30 shots against per game, the fewest in the Q… Martel has goals in five straight games.

SJ notes: This is the final game of a three-in-three for the Sea Dogs… 5-5-0-0 in their last 10 games… 3-6-1-0 against the Telus West Division… Saint John is two points back from 14^th overall and fourth in the division… Thomas Chabot has assists in five straight games.

News & Notes From Saturday's Game

Some stuff from last night’s game…

• The Titan are struggling these days to say the least. Bathurst has now lost 12 straight games and six straight at home. They have been in 14^th overall in the standings for forever but Saint John, Shawinigan, and Sherbrooke are only a few points back now.
• Bathurst led this game 2-1 entering the third. But two goals in a span of 1:05 early in the third seemed to spark the Sea Dogs. They would add two more goals to win 5-3. Saint John has struggled offensively over the past couple games – particularly in third periods. But last night the team recorded 17 shots and four goals in the final frame.
• Nathan Noel had been fairly quiet over the past few games but that changed last night. The rookie had his third three-point game of the season with a goal and two assists. He was named first star.
• Oliver Cooper had two goals. His second was his 20^th of the season.
• Jeremy Doucet had two assists against his former team.
• Jason Cameron had a rare multi-point night, registering a goal and an assist. He has goals in back-to-back games.
• Christopher Smith, recalled by the Sea Dogs this week, made his QMJHL debut. He made 26 saves for his first QMJHL win.
• Smith became the third Sea Dogs goaltender this season to win their first start of the year. He joins Antoine Landry and Sebastien Auger. For Landry and Smith, they picked up their first QMJHL win in their first start.
• With his empty net goal, Nicolas Hebert now has more points in 18 games with Saint John this season than in 35 games with Rimouski.
• Former Sea Dog Scott Oke had two assists for the Titan.
• Saint John moved back into the final playoff spot with the win. They are just two points back of 14^th-place Bathurst and have three games in-hand.
• Good crowd at the game. Attendance was 2,121.
• Due to technical difficulties at News 88.9, the first period was not broadcast. The rest of the game was, though, which was good.
• The Sea Dogs were without forwards Joey Richard (shoulder), Stephen Anderson (upper body), and Mathieu Joseph (healthy) along with defensemen Michael Abbott (hand) and Thomas Chabot (healthy). Goaltender Antoine Landry also remains out with a lower body injury.

RECAP: Back To The Wins. Dogs Win 5-3.

FINAL: Saint John 5, Bathurst 3

BATHURST – A four-goal third period propelled the Saint John Sea Dogs to a 5-3 victory at the KC Irving Regional Centre on Saturday night.

The Acadie-Bathurst Titan held a 2-1 lead entering the final frame but two goals by the Sea Dogs in a 1:05 span seemed to turn the tides. Saint John would add two more goals in the frame and outshoot Bathurst 17-8. It was good to see after a couple of tough games for the Sea Dogs’ offense.

Oliver Cooper had two goals and Nathan Noel had a goal and two assists. Jason Cameron and Nicolas Hebert also scored while Jeremy Doucet added a couple assists. One of the big stories in this one was Christopher Smith who made 26 saves in his first Quebec Major Junior Hockey League game.

Nicolas Blanchard, Matthew Boudreau, and Raphael Lafontaine all scored for the Titan. Jacob Brennan made 24 stops in the loss.

GAMEDAY 53 - at Bathurst

A preview of tonight’s game between the Saint John Sea Dogs and Acadie-Bathurst Titan…

When and where: Tonight at 7:00 pm AST, KC Irving Regional Centre

TV/Radio: TELUS Webcast/News 88.9

Records: The Sea Dogs are last in the Telus Maritimes Division and last overall in the QMJHL with a record of 16-32-1-3 for 36 points. The Titan are fourth in the Telus Maritimes Division and 14^th overall with a 17-32-4-2 for 40 points.

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-2 loss to the Rimouski Oceanic last night at Harbour Station. Saint John only had 16 shots in the game. The Titan are coming off a 5-1 home loss to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada last night. Bathurst had 17 shots.

2013-14 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 4-2-0-0 against the Titan this season while Bathurst is 2-3-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: January 26^th in Saint John when the Sea Dogs defeated the Titan 4-0. Sebastien Auger made 32 saves for the shutout.

Random stat: The Titan have been shutout in four of their last eight games.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Titan: Scott Oke

SJ notes: This is the second game of a three-in-three for Saint John… have recorded 16 shots on goal in each of their past two games… Thomas Chabot has assists in five straight games… 13-16-0-2 against Maritimes Division teams… 5-5-0-0 in their last 10 games and have lost two straight.

BAT notes: The Titan have been struggling just a bit of late, losing 11 straight… have lost five straight at home… Jacob Brennan is fourth in the league in saves… Lucas Grundy’s 114 penalty minutes place him fourth amongst defensemen in PIM… 10-21-2-1 against the Telus Maritimes Division… Bathurst has the league’s worst power play of 12.4%... the Titan’s goals per game average of 2.10 is the lowest in the league.

Auger Made History Last Friday

SAINT JOHN – Turns out Sebastien Auger made some history with his marvelous 2-0 win in Val-d’Or last Friday. From the QMJHL website’s Interesting Numbers weekly post:

On January 31 in Val-d’Or, Auger made history by making 53 saves in a 2-0 shutout win over the Foreurs, marking the most saves ever made by a QMJHL goalie in a shutout. The previous benchmark was 51 and that was held by two goalies including most recently Benjamin McMullin of the Quebec Remparts back in 2002-03. Auger will also be eyeing his 51st win of his QMJHL career which would make him the winningest goalie in Sea Dogs history, surpassing Mathieu Corbeil-Theriault (50).

What a goaltender. The 53 shots and saves in that game were both a career high for the Sea Dogs goaltender.

Last night Auger was, to nobody’s surprise, named Saint John’s player of the month for January.

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

News & Notes From Friday's Game

Stuff from last night’s game…

• Second straight game that Saint John only had 16 shots on goal. Just eight of those shots were considered dangerous. At least the Sea Dogs were able to keep this game close compared to Saturday’s 6-1 loss.
• Saint John had a four-minute power play in the second period and couldn’t get anything going. Dogs struggled to get any sustained pressure on in the offensive zone in this game.
• Olivier LeBlanc’s wrist shot from the point in the first period got Saint John on the board. It was LeBlanc’s first goal since January 17^th.
• Jason Cameron gave the Sea Dogs some life in the third period with a goal at 17:32. It was his third of the season and first since December 7^th.
• Thomas Chabot got an assist on Cameron’s goal to stretch his assist streak to five games. He has seven assists in his past seven games.
• Michael Joly had two goals and Alexis Loiseau had three assists. Philippe Desrosiers only had to make 14 saves in the win.
• With Shawinigan picking up a point last night, they continue to sit 16^th overall in the standings. Saint John is two points back with two games in-hand.
• In a pre-game ceremony, Sebastien Auger was named the Sea Dogs’ Irving Player of the Month while Spencer Smallman was named the Canadian Tire Student of the Month.
• Christopher Smith made his debut as Sea Dogs backup.
• The Sea Dogs were without forwards Joey Richard (shoulder), Stephen Anderson (upper body), and Lukas Walter (healthy) along with defensemen Michael Abbott (hand) and Jeremy Doucet (healthy). Goaltender Antoine Landry also remains out with a lower body injury.