Report: Lukas Walter Files Lawsuit

Lukas Walter has reportedly filed a $50-million lawsuit against the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

According to TSN’s Rick Westhead, “Walter alleges that the league's teams conspired to rewrite standard player contracts last year to avoid paying players the legal minimum wage.”

Walter signed with the Sea Dogs early last September after two seasons in the WHL. In his overage season, the enforcer/fighter registered one assist and 141 penalty minutes. He was a healthy scratch on some nights.

According to the TSN report, “Walter is asking that the Quebec court certify his case as a class action lawsuit and award damages of $50 million.”

Elite Prospects does not list Walter playing anywhere this season.

Update: Walter has also filed a $60-million lawsuit against the WHL.

RECAP: Dogs Win 6-5

FINAL: Saint John 6, Cape Breton 5

SYDNEY, NS – In a wild Thursday night game, Adam Marsh’s goal with 4:23 remaining in regulation time gave the Saint John Sea Dogs a 6-5 victory over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles at Centre 200.

Marsh bookended the scoring on Thursday as he opened things up and ended it. The rookie now has an impressive nine goals on the season.

Marsh’s performance proved to be the most normal thing to happen in this game. It was a back-and-forth contest with neither team leading by more than one goal throughout. The third was especially crazy with a plethora of minor penalties, major penalties and game misconducts handed out after a fairly tame opening 40 minutes.

Along with Marsh, Thomas Chabot, Samuel Dove-McFalls, Matthew Highmore and Olivier LeBlanc also scored. Blade Mann-Dixon made his second career start and earned his first victory, making 29 stops.

The Eagles had a hat trick from Evgeny Svechnikov while singles came from Maxim Lazarev and Loik Leveille. Francois Brassard made 14 saves in 40:17 of action while Miguel Sullivan made 11 stops in 15:20 of action.

Marsh opened the scoring at 5:45 of the first period, firing the puck after accepting a drop pass from Nathan Noel. Cape Breton tied it at 10:19 as Svechnikov connected to make it 1-1. Saint John retook the lead at 16:56 when Chabot beat Brassard through a screen.

Shots were 10-9 Saint John in the first period.

36 seconds into the second, Lazarev scored to tie things up at 2-2. After successfully killing off a few penalties, Dove-McFalls put in a Juraj Siska rebound to give Saint John a 3-2 advantage at 12:03. Cape Breton would battle back again though. Less than two minutes after Dove-McFalls’ goal, Leveille scored to make it 3-3. But Highmore’s five-hole goal at 16:26 put Saint John back up by one, 4-3.

Shots in the second were 10-10.

                                            

Noel received a five-minute major and game misconduct at 11:00 following a hit on Cameron Darcy. 22 seconds into the man advantage, Svechnikov tipped in a Jason Bell point shot to tie it up at 4-4.

At 11:46, Sullivan, the Eagles netminder that replaced Brassard in the second, was given a five minute major and game misconduct for punching Highmore with his blocker. At 12:29, LeBlanc was called for diving to send Cape Breton back to the power play. At 13:02, Svechnikov completed his hat trick to give the Eagles their first lead of the game.

Saint John tied it at 14:23 on a power play of their own. A LeBlanc point shot flew past Brassard to make it 5-5. Just over a minute later, Marsh sped through the Cape Breton defense and netted his second of the contest to put the Dogs back in front. Mann-Dixon would keep his team in the lead the rest of the way.

Shots were 15-11 Eagles in the third and 34-31 overall.

Saint John went 1-for-3 on the power play while Cape Breton went 2-for-6.

GAMEDAY 16: at Cape Breton

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

When and where: Tonight at 7 p.m., Centre 200

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/96.1 NewSong FM/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are first in the Maritimes Division and third overall in the QMJHL with a 9-3-0-3 record for 21 points. The Screaming Eagles are fourth in the Maritimes and 14^th overall with a 7-8-1-1 record for 16 points.

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 3-2 shootout loss to the Quebec Remparts on Sunday. Juraj Siska had both Saint John regulation time goals while Sebastien Auger made 34 saves. The Screaming Eagles are coming off a 2-1 loss in Charlottetown on Sunday. Kyle Farrell had Cape Breton’s lone goal while Francois Brassard made 25 stops in the loss.

2014-15 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 1-1-0-0 against the Screaming Eagles this season while Cape Breton is 1-1-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Oct. 4 in Sydney when the Screaming Eagles edged the Sea Dogs 4-2. Duncan MacIntyre had two goals for the Eagles while Colby Tower and Kyle Farrell added singles. Spencer Smallman and Samuel Dove-McFalls had Saint John goals. Blade Mann-Dixon made 23 saves in the loss while Francois Brassard made 26 in the win.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Screaming Eagles: None

Random stat: Samuel Dove-McFalls has a goal and two assists in three games against Cape Breton this season.

Thursday Stuff

Some news, notes and stuff…

• Former Sea Dogs goaltender Antoine Landry, traded to Bathurst during the off-season, made his season debut with the Titan last night. He made 29 saves in a 4-1 loss to Victoriaville.
• RDS has a real nice article on Sebastien Auger en franca is.
• The Sea Dogs announced yesterday that Support our Troops Night, originally scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 1, has been pushed back to Sunday, Feb. 22. According to a release, “the decision was made in consultation with Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, and other military personnel scheduled to be involved, in light of recent tragedies in Quebec and Ottawa.”
• Meanwhile, the annual Teddy Bear Toss, originally slated for Saturday, Jan. 10, has been moved to Sunday, Dec. 7.
• Saint John visits the Screaming Eagles tonight in Sydney. They host the Eagles at Saturday night at 7 p.m.
• Saturday’s Sea Dogs game will be broadcast on Rogers TV. It’ll be the team’s final appearance until Nov. 30.
• Also worth noting about Saint John’s television schedule: their Jan. 17 game in Gatineau will be broadcast. 

These Post cereal @CHLHockey cards are awesome! @Barbashev2295 @Deluca15KC @sprong97 @nathannoel10 pic.twitter.com/SotSZAy9Xf
— QMJHL (@QMJHL) October 29, 2014

Sea Dogs Move Up To 7th

The Saint John Sea Dogs continue to gradually climb up the BMO CHL Top 10 Rankings.

The team made the Top 10 for a third consecutive week this week, climbing up to No. 7. The Dogs posted a win over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar and a shootout loss to the Quebec Remparts over the weekend.

The Rimouski Oceanic at No. 3 and the Sherbrooke Phoenix at No. 9 were the only other QMJHL teams to crack the Top 10. The WHL’s Kelowna Rockets sit in first.

The weekly rankings of the Canadian Hockey League’s Top 10 teams are selected by a panel of National Hockey League scouts.

Here are the rankings for week six:

This week, the Sea Dogs play a home-and-home against the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.

The Surprising Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs have been a pleasant surprise this season.

The goaltending has been solid. The young and improving defense core has been getting the job done. Sure there have been some bumps along the way, but a 9-3-0-3 record in the final week of October is much better than most predicted.

But, by far the most surprising part of this team has been the offense. This team is scoring goals - a lot of goals.

Their 62 markers is the second most in the Maritimes Division and fifth overall in the QMJHL. Their 4.04 goals per game average is the second highest in the league.

Despite these solid offenisive numbers, not a single Sea Dog sits among the top 20 scorers in the league. This team is getting it done with depth and chemistry.

Not surprisingly, Nathan Noel is leading the way with 16 points. But after Noel sits Adam Marsh, Thomas Chabot, Justice Dundas and Mitchell Dempsey – not guys many had predicted to be offensive leaders in the early goings.

I don’t know if the Sea Dogs can keep this pace going all year; but, at least they’ve proven they have the ability to score.

Some other random thoughts…

• The Sea Dogs/Drakkar rivalry is just weird. Pretty much every game between the two over the past few seasons has been ugly.
• Nice to see Juraj Siska score a pair – and a shootout goal – on Sunday. Hopefully that gets him going.
• Sunday’s loss dropped Saint John to 1-3 in shootouts this season. They’ve scored four goals on 13 attempts and allowed six on 14.
• Matthew Highmore is off to a slow start, registering just three assists in 10 games this season. At this point last season, Highmore had only three goals and six assists in 17 games... so I don’t think it’s anything to be concerned about yet.
• It’s pretty fantastic to finally see some free agents come in and find success. The past couple seasons have been rough in that department. Darrell Young has produced as advertised.
• Watched both Rogers TV broadcasts this weekend and they’re doing a solid job. The commentary is knowledgeable, the camera work is good and the production is well done. So nice to have these broadcasts back (they also act as the league webcast for games that are broadcasted).
• Speaking of the webcasts, what’s going on there? Another free month on the horizon? I know some markets are still having problems with audio hook up. Curious to see what the pricing is.
• Sebastien Auger has more points (two assists) this season than Lukas Walter had all of last season. So there’s that.
• Cape Breton and Charlottetown are certainly off to underwhelming starts.
• The Sea Dogs play a weird Thursday-Saturday home-and-home against the Screaming Eagles this week.

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

Justice Being Served

From Saturday's game against Baie-Comeau.

RECAP: Dogs lose 3-2 (SO)

FINAL: Quebec 3, Saint John 2 (SO)

By Lorne Webster | SN Staff

SAINT JOHN - Former Sea Dogs Marcus Cuomo, Nicolas Hebert and Alex McQuaid returned to Saint John with the Quebec Remparts (11-5-0-0) and had first row seats for a 3-2 win over the Sea Dogs (9-3-0-3) at Harbour Station Sunday afternoon.  

Zachery Moody scored in the fourth round of a shootout to carry the Remparts to victory. Proud Newfoundlanders Cody Donaghey and Kurt Etchegary also scored for Quebec. Juraj Siska scored three goals for Saint John, including one in the shootout.

The game got off to a feisty start when star defencemen Olivier LeBlanc and Nicolas Brouillard dropped their mitts for a short, spirited scrap just 69 seconds in. At 7:06, Remparts defenceman Donaghey carried the puck into Saint John's end, faked to move around the net but snapped the puck between Sebastien Auger and his post to open the scoring. The Sea Dogs responded quickly when, 28 seconds later, Siska took a feed from Matt Green, broke down the wing and ripped a wrist shot on the short side past Callum Booth to tie the score at 1-1. That assist was Matt Green's first QMJHL point. The period would end tied at ones and Quebec leading 14-10 on the shot clock.  

At 5:30 of the second period, the Remparts created an odd man rush following a goalmouth scramble in front of Booth. Etchegary one-timed a pass from Brouillard past Auger to give Quebec a 2-1 lead. The penalty killing units for both teams were tested in the second half of the period and both passed with flying colours as the each killed off two-man advantages. While the period ended with Quebec up 2-1, both teams managed 11 shots apiece.    

The Sea Dogs came out strong to start the third period but Booth made several big saves. Also, the Remparts’ Zachery Moody and Sea Dogs’ Justice Dundas came close to scoring but instead found iron behind the respective keepers early in the period. Then at 7:00, Siska corralled a rebound off a Bailey Webster point shot and flipped the puck past Booth to make it 2-2. That assist was Webster's first point of the season as well. With 2:04 left, Braydon Blight was assessed a major for interference on a huge hit on Brouillard behind the play. Auger came up big to allow the game to continue into overtime. Saint John held a 11-6 shot advantage in the third.

The OT session started with the Remparts still on the power play. But at 0:58, Taylor Burke was penalized which created lots of open ice for the skaters. There were several great scoring opportunities for both teams but Auger and Booth refused to be beaten, leading to a shootout. After Nathan Noel and Guillaume Gauthier were stopped, Siska and Dmytro Timashov scored five-hole goals. Thomas Chabot, Adam Erne and Adam Marsh all failed to score before Moody appeared to lose the puck in close but recovered in time to flip a backhand shot over Auger's shoulder to claim the win for Quebec.

GAMEDAY 15: vs Remparts

A preview of today’s game between the Quebec Remparts and Saint John Sea Dogs…

When and where: Today at 3 p.m., Harbour Station

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/96.1 NewSongFM/QMJHL Live

Records: The Remparts have a record of 10-5-0-0 for 20 points and sit third in the East Division and fifth overall in the QMJHL. The Sea Dogs are first in the Maritimes Division and third overall with a 9-3-0-2 record for 20 points.

Last games: Quebec is coming off a 4-3 win in Charlottetown last night. Kurt Etchegary had two goals while Zachery Moody and Taylor Burke added singles. Eric Brassard made 42 saves in the victory. Saint John is coming off a 6-2 win over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar last night at Harbour Station. Nathan Noel, Mitchell Dempsey, Samuel Dove-McFalls, Mark Tremaine, Jakub Zboril, and Justice Dundas all scored while Sebastien Auger made 24 saves in the win.

2013-14 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs went 0-2-0-0 against the Remparts last season while Quebec went 2-0-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Jan. 11 at Colisee Pepsi when the Remparts edged the Sea Dogs 3-1. Adam Erne had two goals while Adam Sorensen added a solo marker for Quebec. Noah Zilbert had Saint John’s only goal. Sebastien Auger made 25 saves in the loss while Francois Brassard made 26 saves in the win.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Remparts: Marcus Cuomo, Nicolas Hebert, and Alexander McQuaid

Random stat: Anthony Duclair, who is sticking with the New York Rangers for the time being, has four assists in six NHL games this season.

RECAP: Dogs Win 6-2

FINAL: Baie-Comeau 2, Saint John 6

By Lorne Webster | SN Staff

SAINT JOHN - The Baie-Comeau Drakkar (10-5-0-1) rode a six-game winning streak into Saint John but came away with a 6-2 loss to the Sea Dogs (9-3-0-2) at Harbour Station on Saturday evening. Nathan Noel, Mitch Dempsey, Sam Dove-McFalls, Mark Tremaine, Jakub Zboril and Justice Dundas scored for Saint John, while Bokondji Imama and Nicolas Meloche responded for Baie-Comeau. With the win, the Sea Dogs maintained their position at the top of the Maritimes Division.

Saint John got off to a quick start when Adam Marsh stole the puck just inside the Drakkar blue line, found Noel all alone in front with a nifty pass and tucked the puck between Philippe Cadorette's legs. However, less than two minutes later, Imama took advantage of a turnover in the Saint John zone to tie the score at 1-1. At 9:50, Dempsey took a feed from a rushing Olivier LeBlanc and fired a rocket to the top corner to make it 2-1. Less than two minutes later, the Sea Dogs extended their lead to 3-1, when Dove-McFalls completed a three-way passing play with Mathieu Joseph and Julien Tessier. But with 0:13.5 left in the first, Meloche's shot from the point bounced through a crowd and snuck through Sebastien Auger's equipment. Saint John led 3-2 after one and out shot the Drakkar 11-7.

The Sea Dogs pretty much controlled a penalty filled second period. At 4:12, Tremaine capped off a hard working shift with Dempsey and Dundas to extend the lead to 4-2. On a power play at 7:41, Zboril took a feed from Luke Green, skated to the high slot and ripped a wrist shot past Cadorette on the short side. And at 9:59, Dundas snapped the puck past the Drakkar keeper just as another Baie-Comeau penalty expired to make the score 6-2 ... and end the night for Cadorette. With under 4:00 left in the period, Drakkar defenceman Guillaume Beaudry received a major penalty and game misconduct for head-butting. The 6-2 score would hold up as the Sea Dogs also led on the shot clock 13-12.  

The third period was relatively uneventful until all hell broke loose with 7:15 left in the period. During a line change, Valentin Zykov tried to pull Spencer Smallman into the Drakkar bench. Jack vanBoekel grabbed Zykov and a wrestling match ensued over the board. Then Alexis Vanier flew in, jumped onto vanBoekel's back and repeatedly punched the defenseless Sea Dog in the back of the head and kidneys. As a result, the Drakkar were shockingly awarded a two-minute power play while vanBoekel and Vanier were ejected for being aggressors and others on both teams were given 10-minute misconducts. During the final few minutes, both Imama and Nicolas LeBlond were also ejected for throwing punches at Sea Dogs after whistles. No more damage was done and Saint John held an 8-7 shot advantage in the third to end the game up 32-26 on the shot clock.

GAMEDAY 14: vs Drakkar

A preview of tonight’s game between the Saint John Sea Dogs and Baie-Comeau Drakkar…

When and where: Tonight at 7 p.m., Harbour Station

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/96.1 NewSong FM/QMJHL Live

Records: The Drakkar are 10-4-0-1 and sit second in the East Division and fourth overall in the QMJHL with 21 points. The Sea Dogs are first in the Maritimes Division and third overall with an 8-3-0-2 record for 18 points.

Last games: The Drakkar are coming off a 5-4 shootout win over the Screaming Eagles in Cape Breton on Thursday. Valentin Zykov, Simon Chevrier, Luca Ciampini, and Vincent Lavoie had Baie-Comeau goals while Philippe Cadorette made 32 saves in the win. Saint John is coming off a 7-1 win over the Moncton Wildcats last Saturday. Nathan Noel had two goals while singles came from Adam Marsh, Spencer Smallman, Mathieu Joseph, Mitchell Dempsey, and Luke Green. Sebastien Auger made 27 saves in the win.

2013-14 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs went 0-2-0-0 against the Drakkar last season while Baie-Comeau was 2-0-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Jan. 25 at Harbour Station when the Drakkar defeated the Sea Dogs 4-1. Nathan Noel had Saint John’s only goal.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Drakkar: None

Random stat: Philippe Cadorette allowed the league’s first penalty shot goal of the season on Thursday in Cape Breton.

Things To Watch For This Weekend

The Sea Dogs host the Baie-Comeau Drakkar tomorrow and the Quebec Remparts on Sunday. Here are some things to watch for.

1. The Sea Dogs have been nails at home

Heading into this weekend, the Sea Dogs are 6-0-0-1 at Harbour Station this season. Saint John has outscored opponents 37-14 over the seven home games. The Remparts are the only other team in the QMJHL without a regulation home loss.

2. Which team will show up

Last weekend was straight up bizarre, man. The Sea Dogs travelled up to Moncton and got belted 7-0 only to return home and blast the Wildcats, 7-1, 24 hours later. Which Sea Dogs team will we see this weekend?

3. Drakkar games can get ugly

For whatever reason, games in the past between the Sea Dogs and Drakkar have gotten ugly and weird at times. Hopefully the power will at least stay on this time.

4. Former Dogs return to Saint John

On Sunday, Marcus Cuomo, Nicolas Hebert, and Alexander McQuiad will all face the Sea Dogs for the first time since being traded.

5. Can Saint John’s power play finally pick it up
Saint John’s power play has been pretty brutal this season. They currently sit second-to-last in the league with a 13.1% rating. But, on Saturday, the Dogs’ power play finally showed some life and went 3-for-6. The team is hoping that performance will turn things around.

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

Sea Dogs Move Up To 8th

Despite a 1-1 week, the Saint John Sea Dogs moved up a spot in the BMO CHL Top 10 Rankings.

The Sea Dogs moved into eighth place, up one from last week. After getting hammered 7-0 in Moncton last Friday, the team rebounded with a solid 7-1 win over the Wildcats on Saturday.

The Rimouski Oceanic at No. 3 and the Sherbrooke Phoenix at No. 9 were the only other QMJHL team ranked this week.

The weekly rankings of the Canadian Hockey League’s Top 10 teams are selected by a panel of National Hockey League scouts.

This week, the Sea Dogs host the Baie-Comeau Drakkar on Saturday night and the Quebec Remparts on Sunday afternoon.

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

LeBlanc Named To Team QMJHL

Sea Dogs captain Olivier LeBlanc has been named to the QMJHL’s roster for the 2014 Subway Super Series.

LeBlanc was the only Sea Dogs player named to this year’s roster. The Columbus Blue Jackets prospect has two goals and six assists in 11 games with Saint John this season.

The full roster is below:

GOALTENDERS
Desrosiers, Philippe, RIM
Fucale, Zachary, HAL

DEFENSEMEN
Leblanc, Olivier, SNB
Carrier, Alexandre, GAT
Graves, Ryan, QUE
Meloche, Nicolas, BAC
Brisebois, Guillaume, BAT
Labbé, Dylan, SHA
Morin, Samuel, RIM
Roy, Jérémy, SHE

VIDEO: Sea Dogs 2014-15 Intro

Here’s the intro video that has been playing at Harbour Station this season. Pretty solid.

Non-Canadians Dominating Rookie Race

I got some news for you: there aren't many Canadian players in the top 10 of QMJHL rookie scoring.

	Player	Team	Birthplace	Points
1	Kay Schweri	Sherbrooke	Switzerland	25
2	Dmytro Timashov	Quebec	Ukraine	23
3	Evgeny Svechnikov	Cape Breton	Russia	19
4	Yakov Trenin	Gatineau	Russia	17
5	Adam Marsh	Saint John	USA	14
6	Dennis Yan	Shawinigan	USA	13
7	Filip Chlapik	Charlottetown	Czech Rep.	13
8	Alex Barré-Boulet	Drummondville	Canada	11
9	Egor Popov	Bathurst	Russia	11
10	Mathieu Boucher	Rouyn-Noranda	Canada	10

This is certainly nothing new in the QMJHL. Nikolaj Ehlers won the rookie scoring race last season, Valentin Zykov in 2012-13, and Mikhail Grigorenko in 2011-12. St. John’s native Zach O’Brien was the top scoring rookie in 2010-11.

It's worth noting that, among other things such as import player ages, only nine of the 20 players selected in the first round of this year's QMJHL Entry Draft were forwards.

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

Notebook: Catching Up

If you've liked the photos you’ve seen on here this season, be sure to like Marc Henwood Photography on Facebook. He’s uploaded some unreal pics.

BURGERS

EXTRA EXTRA: Hamburgers and Cheeseburgers are now available @harbourstation concessions!! $4 gets you a burger, $4.25 and it gets cheesy!
— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SeaDogsHockey) October 12, 2014

A game-changing move. If you’ve tried one, we welcome reviews.

UP NEXT

The Sea Dogs play two home games this weekend, hosting the Baie-Comeau Drakkar on Saturday at 7 p.m. and the Quebec Remparts on Sunday at 3 p.m. It is the only visit of the season to Saint John for both teams.

The Drakkar sit second in the East Division with a 9-4-0-1 record while the Remparts, this year’s Memorial Cup hosts, are third with an 8-5-0-0 record.

LEADERS

After this weekend’s bizarre set of games, Nathan Noel and Adam Marsh are tied for the team lead in points with 14 each. Noel has a team high eight goals while Thomas Chabot leads the team in assists with eight.

Chabot’s 11 points place him fourth in QMJHL defensemen scoring. Marsh's 14 points place him fifth amongst rookies.

STATEMENT

If you haven’t heard, the CHLPA is making some noise again. Here is the latest statement issued by the CHL and its league commissioners.

ON THE HOT LIST

Adam Marsh made The Hockey News' ‘Hot List’ last week.

“The Sea Dogs have been a big surprise early on, leading a very competitive Atlantic Division that includes Halifax and Cape Breton,” writes Ryan Kennedy. “Part of the reason for their success is Marsh, a free agent rookie from Chicago who has posted six goals and 11 points in his first nine games. The left winger goes to the dirty areas and has a wicked shot.”

RECAP: Dogs Win 7-1

FINAL: Moncton, 1, Saint John 7

By Lorne Webster | SN Staff

SAINT JOHN - The Sea Dogs (8-3-0-2) returned to Harbour Station on Saturday evening to face the Moncton Wildcats (8-5-0-0) for their "Pink in the Rink" game, as part of the QMJHL's fight against breast cancer.

Saint John came away with an impressive 7-1 win over their provincial rivals. Luke Green, Mitch Dempsey, Nathan Noel (with two), Spencer Smallman, Adam Marsh and Mathieu Joseph scored for the Sea Dogs, while Vladimir Tkachev responded for Moncton. The win moved Saint John back into first place in the Maritimes Division.

Less than 24 hours after an embarrassing 7-0 loss in Moncton, the Sea Dogs got off to an excellent start. Just 31 seconds into the game, an Adam Marsh shot got past Alex Dubeau but hit the post and did not completely cross the line.

Just before the 8:00 mark, Wildcat Kyle Tibbo took a run at Sam Dove-McFalls and caught the young Sea Dog in the head. With Dove-McFalls lying on the ice, Mathieu Joseph stepped in to fight Tibbo. As a result, Joseph earned instigator penalties but Tibbo was given a charging major and game misconduct in addition to a fighting major. Less than two minutes later, Luke Green joined the rush, took a feed from Smallman and unleashed a slap shot to score his first QMJHL goal. At 11:04, Mitch Dempsey snapped a feed from Mark Tremaine past Dubeau to score the Sea Dogs first power play goal in ages. Less than a minute later, Nathan Noel converted Saint John's second power play goal off a scramble in which both Marsh and Adam Bateman were stopped by Dubeau. At 14:39, during a Moncton power play, Vladimir Tkachev waltzed down the wing and sent a laser over Sebastien Auger's shoulder to cut the Sea Dogs' lead to 3-1. Saint John lead on the shot clock 13-8.

Early in the second period, Smallman scooped up a neutral zone turnover by Connor Garland, broke away with Adam Marsh and converted on a lovely give and go to extend the lead to 4-1. With Chris Lalonde in the box late in the second, the Sea Dogs' backstop came up with a huge save off of a two-on-none breakaway shot by Tkachev on a feed from Ivan Barbashev. Otherwise, the rest of the period was pretty much back and forth. However, the referees drew the ire of head coach Ross Yates by mysteriously awarding the Wildcats two power plays out of scrums initiated by the Wildcats. That score would hold up even though the Wildcats out shot Saint John 12-7 in the period.

At 12:35 of the third, the Sea Dogs power play connected again as Marsh took a clean faceoff win by Noel and sent a rocket to the top corner to extend the Sea Dogs lead to 5-1. Just over two minutes later, Noel displayed some fine golf skills when he sent a wedge shot up and over Dubeau to make it 6-1. The Wildcats were reminded that karma can turn around quickly, when Mathieu Joseph scored at 15:50 set the final score at 7-1.  aint John held an 11-8 shot advantage in the third to end the game up 32-28 on the shot clock.

GAMEDAY 13: vs Wildcats

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

When and where: Tonight at 7 p.m., Harbour Station

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/96.1 NewSong FM/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs sit second in the Maritimes Division and sixth overall in the QMJHL with a 7-3-0-2 record for 16 points. The Wildcats are first in the Maritimes and third overall with an 8-4-0-0 record for 16 points.

Last games: The Wildcats defeated the Sea Dogs 7-0 in Moncton last night. Christophe Lalonde had two goals and three assists while Mathieu Olivier, Stephen Johnson, Cameron Askew, Vladimir Tkachev, and Ivan Barbashev added solo markers. Alex Dubeau made 16 saves in the win. Sebastien Auger was pulled after allowing five goals on 29 shots. Bobby Dugan allowed two goals on 12 shots in the third.

2014-15 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 0-2-0-0 against the Wildcats this season while Moncton is 2-0-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Last night.

Random stat: Christophe Lalonde has three goals and five assists in two games against Saint John this season.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Wildcats: None

RECAP: Dogs Destroyed 7-0

FINAL: Saint John 0, Moncton 7

MONCTON – Things did not go well for the Saint John Sea Dogs on Friday night at the Moncton Coliesum.

The Moncton Wildcats scored five goals on 13 man advantage opportunities in a 7-0 win over the Sea Dogs.

Sebastien Auger allowed five goals on 29 shots in 40 minutes of action while Bobby Dugan allowed two on 12 shots in the third. But, this loss can’t be blamed on goaltending as both were hung out to dry on most goals.

The fact that Moncton got 13 power play opportunities is simply alarming. Some were deserved, but others were quite weak. Saint John’s power play continues to struggle, going 0-for-6 in this game.

That’s all we have to say.

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs host the Wildcats on Saturday night at 7 p.m.

Five Years Ago: The Streak Began

It was five years tonight that Mike Hoffman scored 12 seconds into overtime to give the Saint John Sea Dogs a 3-2 victory over the Moncton Wildcats.

The win was the first of 22 straight for the Sea Dogs. The winning streak lasted from Oct. 17, 2009 to Dec. 13, 2009. The Wildcats would end the streak.

Good times. Never forget.

GAMEDAY 12: at Moncton

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

When and where: Tonight at 7 p.m., Moncton Coliseum

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/96.1 NewSong FM/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs sit first in the Maritimes Division and third overall in the QMJHL with a 7-2-0-2 record for 16 points. The Wildcats are second in the Maritimes and sixth overall with a 7-4-0-0 record for 14 points.

Last games: Saint John is coming off a 4-1 victory over the Charlottetown Islanders on Sunday afternoon at Harbour Station. Justice Dundas had two goals while singles came from Spencer Smallman and Adam Marsh. Sebastien Auger made 35 saves. The Wildcats are coming off a 5-2 loss to the Foreurs in Val-d’Or last Saturday. Conor Garland and Will Smith scored for Moncton while Jason Rioux made 23 saves in the loss.

2014-15 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 0-1-0-0 against the Wildcats this season while Moncton is 1-0-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: September 14 in Moncton when the Wildcats defeated the Sea Dogs 5-2. Conor Garland, Will Smith, Christophe Lalonde, Adam Holwell and Stephen Johnson scored the ‘Cats while Nathan Noel and Drew Gross had Sea Dogs goals. Sebastien Auger made 31 saves while Alex Dubeau made 28.

Random stat: Sebastien Auger, this week’s first star in the QMJHL, is tied for the league lead in wins (7), is second in minutes played and second in saves.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Wildcats: None

Pink In The Rink Jerseys Unveiled

Alright I cant wait any more... here are our "Pink in the rink" sweaters for saturday night! So happy with them! pic.twitter.com/rk65dYyPXY
— DK (@SeaDogsDK) October 16, 2014

Sea Dogs equipment manager David Kelly unveiled Saint John’s “Pink in the Rink” jerseys on Twitter last night. They’re quite sharp.

The Sea Dogs will host their annual “Pink in the Rink” game on Saturday night at Harbour Station against the Moncton Wildcats.

From the Dogs news release:

All Sea Dogs' players will be wearing special, limited-edition pink jerseys during the game. Volunteers will sell raffle tickets at specially-marked tables behind Sections B, H and S until the end of the second period. 

Tickets prices are:
1 for $2 

3 for $5 

7 for $10 

One ticket will be drawn for each pink jersey. Winning raffle tickets will be announced during the third period. Fans with winning tickets can claim their jerseys at ice level, directly from the player, immediately following the game. Fans who win and do not claim their jerseys following the game will have until October 31st to do so at the Sea Dogs' office on the pedway level of Harbour Station. 

A jersey for Sea Dogs' mascot, Fleaburn, and four jerseys autographed by all Sea Dogs' players, will be auctioned off to the highest bidders in the second intermission at a live auction near Section S on the main concourse level. 

All proceeds will be donated by the Sea Dogs Foundation to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

The Sea Dogs are also in action tomorrow night in Moncton when the face the Wildcats at 7 p.m.