Devils Deal Gelinas To Avalanche

A former Sea Dog was involved in a deal prior to today’s NHL trade deadline.

The New Jersey Devils sent former Dogs defenseman Eric Gelinas to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for a 2017 third-round pick this afternoon.

Gelinas has been in the Devils doghouse, for whatever reasons, over the past few seasons. He has appeared in just 34 games this year, recording one goal and five assists.

The 24-year-old had his best NHL season in 2013-14 where he scored seven goals and 22 assists in 60 games. In 156 career contests, Gelinas has 14 goals and 40 assists. Like in junior, he is still well known for his booming slap shot.

Gelinas heads to a Colorado team that currently holds the final wild card spot in the Western Conference. He’ll be coached by Patrick Roy - who is certainly familiar with what Gelinas is capable of.

Gelinas played with Lewiston, Chicoutimi and Saint John during his QMJHL career. He helped the Sea Dogs win the Memorial Cup in 2011 following a midseason trade.

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

RECAP: Sea Dogs Win 5-1

FINAL: Saint John 5, Halifax 1

By Lorne Webster | SN Staff

HALIFAX, NS -The Saint John Sea Dogs defeated the Halifax Mooseheads 5-1 Saturday evening at Scotiabank Centre to complete a sweep of a home-and-home matchup.       

In light of Shawinigan's 3-1 win over Charlottetown on Saturday, the Sea Dogs still hold the third seed in the QMJHL playoff race - with one game in hand over the Cataractes. The win also allowed Saint John to extend its lead over Moncton, for first place in the Maritimes Division, to six points - with two games still in hand.

Matthew Highmore, Sam Povorozniouk, Mathieu Joseph, Jakub Zboril and Joe Veleno scored for Saint John while Spencer Smallman added four assists.  Arnaud Durandeau replied for Halifax 

1st Period

Povorozniouk went postal in the opening minute of a back-and-forth first period. Halifax's Anthony Sorrentino also found iron with roughly four minutes remaining. Mooseheads "super pest" Kelly Bent successfully drew the Sea Dogs into two penalties in the first frame – and Halifax would capitalize on the second opportunity at 17:40. A point shot from Jocktan Chainey deflected to Durandeau and the rookie made no mistake as he snapped the puck behind Marc-Antoine Turcotte to stake Halifax to a 1-0 lead after one.   

2nd Period

Just a minute into the middle frame, Eric Brassard made a big save to prevent Thomas Chabot from finishing off an impressive end-to-end rush. On a power play at 3:48, Highmore took a back door feed from Smallman for a tap in to tie the game 1-1. Near the midpoint of the second, Turcotte robbed Otto Somppi with a big glove save and Brassard answered, seconds later, by flashing the leather to catch a blast from Luke Green. An apparent Mooseheads goal with 2:42 left was called back because Bent was caught bumping into Turcotte prior to a shot by Sorrentino. That seemed to spark the Sea Dogs. At 18:32, Povorozniouk finished off a give-and-go with Smallman by tipping the puck through Brassard's legs. 38 seconds later, Joseph converted another give-and-go with Chabot by deflecting the puck over the left pad of a sprawling Brassard to give the Sea Dogs a 3-1 lead after two periods.    

   

3rd Period

On a power play at 6:39 of the final period, Zboril one-timed a cross-ice pass from Joseph past Brassard's blocker. Then at 15:19, Veleno took a feed from Smallman and unloaded a rocket, which beat the Mooseheads' keeper to the far side to set the final score at 5-1 for the visitors.

GAME DAY 58: at Halifax

The Saint John Sea Dogs (37-16-4-0, 78 points, 1^st Maritimes, 3^rd QMJHL) make their final trip of the regular season to Halifax today to battle the Mooseheads (18-35-6-1, 43 points, 6^th Maritimes, 17^th QMJHL) at 7 p.m.

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

Last games: The Sea Dogs and Mooseheads are coming off a Thursday night matchup at Harbour Station that saw Saint John post a 2-0 victory. Mathieu Joseph and Joe Veleno scored for the Dogs. Alex Bishop made 32 saves for his first QMJHL shutout. Eric Brassard made 34 stops in the loss.

2015-16 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 5-2-0-0 against the Mooseheads this season while Halifax is 2-4-1-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Thursday night.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Mooseheads: Forward Kelly Bent

Player to watch: Max Fortier has six goals and two assists in seven games against the Sea Dogs this season.

Three Things to Know

1. Thursday’s first period fight between Bokondji Imama and Kelly Bent caused quite a stir. Will we see anything between the two tonight? This could be their final meeting in junior.

2. Sam Povorozniouk has five goals and three assists in seven games against the Mooseheads this year.

3. The Sea Dogs enter play tonight in third place in the overall standings with 78 points – the same point total as the second-place Shawinigan Cataractes. Shawinigan is hosting the Charlottetown Islanders today.

RECAP: Sea Dogs Win 2-0

FINAL: Halifax 0, Saint John 2

SAINT JOHN – In a game that probably won’t be remembered for its goaltending, Alex Bishop was excellent in his first career QMJHL shutout.

Bishop made 32 saves in the Saint John Sea Dogs’ 2-0 victory over the Halifax Mooseheads on Thursday night at Harbour Station. The netminder made several key stops to keep the Sea Dogs in front.

It wasn’t the greatest night for Saint John’s offense – which has been rolling for the past couple months – but the Dogs were able to score enough to secure the victory. Mathieu Joseph and Joe Veleno each had goals.

At the other end, Eric Brassard made 34 saves in the loss.

This game will be remembered for The Fight. After two months of build up, Bokondji Imama and Kelly Bent finally faced each other for the first time since The Incident way back in early December. There were questions about what would happen – if anything would happen. Boy, did something happen.

GAME DAY 57: vs Mooseheads

The Halifax Mooseheads (18-34-6-1, 43 points, 6^th Maritimes, 17^th QMJHL) make their final appearance at Harbour Station this season when they face the Saint John Sea Dogs (36-16-4-0, 76 points, 1^st Maritimes, 3^rd QMJHL) tonight at 7 p.m.

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

Last games: The Mooseheads are coming off a 5-1 home win over the Sherbrooke Phoenix on Sunday. Anthony Sorrentino had a hat trick while singles came from Kelly Bent and Connor Moynihan. Kevin Resop made 27 saves in the win. The Sea Dogs are coming off a 6-2 loss in Val-d’Or on Saturday. Jakub Zboril and Adam Marsh scored for Saint John. Marc-Antoine Turcotte made 33 saves in the loss before being pulled in the third period. Alex Bishop made three saves in relief.

2015-16 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 4-2-0-0 against the Mooseheads this season while Halifax is 2-3-1-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Jan. 16 at Harbour Station where the Sea Dogs defeated the Mooseheads 5-2. Sam Povorozniouk had two goals while Saint John solo markers came from Thomas Chabot, Nathan Noel and Spencer Smallman. Halifax goals came from Max Fortier and Joel Bishop. Marc-Antoine Turcotte made 30 saves in the win. Kevin Resop made 36 stops in the loss.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Mooseheads: Forward Kelly Bent

Player to watch: Halifax’s Anthony Sorrentino has four goals and two assists over his past three games. Since coming to the Mooseheads, Sorrentino has 10 goals and two assists in 18 games.

Three Things to Know

1.This will be the first meeting between Bokondji Imama and Kelly Bent since The Incident on Dec. 11 in Halifax. It’ll be interesting to see if anything happens. Bent usually finds a way to get involved when the Moose visit Saint John.

2. The Sea Dogs have won three straight home games and are 18-8-2-0 at Harbour Station this season.

3. The Mooseheads are on the verge of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2010. The Moose sit five points back of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada – owners of the final playoff spot – and have played two more games.

DOGS DAILY: Moose Coming To Town

The Halifax Mooseheads and Saint John Sea Dogs find themselves at opposite ends of rebuilds.

While Saint John’s maturing roster has had a strong season and sit third overall in the QMJHL standings, the young Mooseheads are in the early stages of a rebuild and appear destined for the league’s draft lottery. The two teams meet tomorrow night at Harbour Station and again on Saturday in Halifax.

The Mooseheads have a record of 18-34-6-1 for 43 points on the year. With just nine games left on their schedule, they find themselves five points behind the 16^th-place Blainville-Boisbriand Armada who own the league’s final playoff spot. The Armada have also played two fewer games than Halifax.

While it’s possible the Mooseheads could catch the Armada – losers of five straight – they'd probably be, in the long run, better off entering the lottery for the league’s first overall pick. The Baie-Comeau Drakkar sit dead last in the league and will miss the playoffs.

Tomorrow’s game also marks the first time Bokondji Imama and Kelly Bent have been eligible to play against each other since The Incident. So that could be… interesting.

In other news…

• Saturday’s game in Halifax will be the final Saint John-Halifax meeting of the year. The Sea Dogs are 4-2-0-0 against the Mooseheads this season.
• Tomorrow’s game kicks off a busy stretch of games for the Sea Dogs with less than a month left in the regular season. Between tomorrow and March 19, the Dogs will play 12 games.
• Daniel Del Paggio, a UNBSJ student, has been named Saint John’s nominee for the Marcel-Robert Trophy as the QMJHL’s Scholastic Player of the Year.
• The Screaming Eagles are beginning a very tough road trip tonight in Gatineau. They’ll visit Rouyn-Noranda on Friday and Val-d’Or on Saturday.
• The Sea Dogs were, yet again, an honourable mention in the CHL Top 10 rankings.
• Former Sea Dogs forward Stephen MacAulay, a third-year forward with the University Cup hosting Saint Mary’s Huskies, was named a second team AUS all-star today.

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

RECAP: Sea Dogs Lose 6-2

FINAL: Saint John 2, Val-d’Or 6

VAL-D’OR, Que. – The Saint John Sea Dogs’ three-game road through Quebec came to a rough end on Saturday night.

A three-goal second period propelled the Val-d’Or Foreurs past the Sea Dogs by a final score of 6-2 at the Air Creebec Centre. Julien Gauthier scored a pair of goals while singles came from Anthony Richard, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Filip Pyrochta and Olivier Galipeau. Etienne Montpetit made 28 saves in the victory.

Jakub Zboril and Adam Marsh scored for Saint John. Marc-Antoine Turcotte made 33 saves while Alex Bishop made three stops.

With the loss, the Sea Dogs finish their incredibly difficult Quebec road trip with a 1-2-0-0 record – which really isn’t all that bad.

Saint John opened the scoring at 12:14. Following an offensive zone faceoff win by Nathan Noel, the puck came back to Thomas Chabot who fed Zboril. The Boston Bruins prospect one timed a quick slap shot through some traffic and past Montpetit to make it 1-0 Sea Dogs.

With Kyle Ward in the box for hooking, the Foreurs quickly tied the game. At 15:11, Anthony Beauregard was behind the net and had all the time in the world to find an open Galipeau in front, tying things at 1-1 after 20 minutes.

The Foreurs took their first lead of the game at 4:47 of the second when Richard sniped his 36^th goal of the season past a stretched out Turcotte.

Val-d’Or spent much of the first half of the second period on the power play. Saint John was able to kill all of them off but were outshot 16-7 in the frame.

At 18:10, the Foreurs extended their lead to 3-1. Gauthier dropped the puck to Richard who then fed it back to Gauthier in front of the net, beating Turcotte in close. Then with 11 seconds remaining in the period, Aube-Kubel sped past the Saint John defense and beat Turcotte glove side to make it a 4-1 contest.

At 7:40 of the third, Marsh sped past the Val-d’Or defense and beat Montpetit with a wrist shot to get Saint John back in it. But less than two minutes later at 9:10, Richard made a cross ice feed to an open Gauthier who made it 5-2.

Pyrochta made it 6-2 with a power play goal at 13:59, beating Turcotte from with a wrist shot from the top of the circle. That ended Turcotte’s night as Bishop took over net duties.

Things were a little feisty throughout the game. Finally, during a stoppage in play at 14:19, Bokondji Imama and David Henley dropped the gloves for a fight.

GAME DAY 56: at Val-d'Or

A ridiculously tough road comes to an end for the Saint John Sea Dogs (36-15-4-0, 76 points, 1^st Maritimes, 3^rd QMJHL) tonight against the ridiculously tough Val-d’Or Foreurs (42-11-2-1, 87 points, 1^st West, 1^st QMJHL) at 8 p.m.

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

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-1 loss in Rouyn-Noranda last night. Spencer Smallman scored Saint John’s lone goal while Marc-Antoine Turcotte made 27 saves in the loss. The Foreurs are coming off a 5-2 home loss to the Gatineau Olympiques last night. Julien Gauthier and David Henley scored for Val-d’Or while Etienne Montpetit was pulled in the third after allowing five goals on 33 shots.

2015-16 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 1-0-0-0 against the Foreurs this season while Val-d’Or is 0-1-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: On Halloween night at Harbour Station where the Sea Dogs defeated the Foreurs 5-3. Adam Marsh, Thomas Chabot, Daniel Del Paggio, Matthew Highmore and Jakub Zboril all scored for Saint John. Nathan Tremblay netted a pair of goals and Shawn Ouellette-St-Amant added a solo marker for the Foreurs. Marc-Antoine Turcotte made 29 saves in the win. Dereck Baribeau made 34 stops in the loss.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Foreurs: Defenseman Jack Van Boekel

Player to watch: Julien Gauthier, a top prospect for the 2016 NHL Draft and a teammate of Thomas Chabot at the world juniors, has an impressive 37 goals and 10 assists in 42 games this season. Gauthier has had a quiet February though, recording just three points – all goals – in six games.

Three Things to Know

1. For possibly the final time in his QMJHL career, Matt Murphy will play the team that selected him fifth overall in the 2011 draft. Murphy recorded four goals and 36 assists in 101 regular season contests with Val-d’Or.

2. The Sea Dogs traded Jack Van Boekel to the Foreurs way back on Aug. 17, 2015 in exchange for a 2017 third-round pick. In 53 games with Val-d’Or this season, the 6’7” defenseman has recorded one goal and 11 assists.

3. Like the Huskies, the Foreurs have been excellent at home this year. They are an impressive 22-4-2-0 at the Air Creebec Centre and have outscored opponents 136-73.

RECAP: Sea Dogs Lose 4-1

FINAL: Saint John 1, Rouyn-Noranda 4

By Lorne Webster | SN Staff

ROUYN-NORANDA, Que. - In the second game of an extremely difficult three-game road trip - all against current CHL Top 10 opponents - the Saint John Sea Dogs fell 4-1 to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies Friday evening at Centre Iamgold.      

The win - coupled with Val-d'Or's 5-2 loss to Gatineau - allowed Rouyn-Noranda to move back into a first place tie with the Foreurs atop the QMJHL. The win also allowed the Huskies to increase their home record to a league-leading 24-2-0-2.

Despite the loss, the Sea Dogs are an impressive 13-2-1-0 since the trade deadline and now are 5-2 versus the QMJHL's current CHL Top 10 teams - 1-0 vs VDO (No. 2), 0-2 vs ROU (No. 3), 2-0 vs GAT (No. 8) and 2-0 vs SHA (No. 10). In light of Shawinigan's 4-1 win at Baie-Comeau on Friday, Saint John fell back into a tie for the second seed in the playoff race - with one game in hand over the Cataractes.

Anthony-John Greer, Jean-Christophe Beaudin, Timo Meier and Francis Perron scored for Rouyn-Noranda in Friday’s game. Spencer Smallman scored for Saint John.  

1st Period

The Huskies would open the scoring at 4:44, when a shot from Gabriel Fontaine caromed off the back glass out front to Greer who banged the puck past Marc-Antoine Turcotte. Just past the 13-minute mark, Anthony Wojcik found himself in front with an apparent open net but Turcotte would rob the young Husky with a diving glove save. The Sea Dogs were unable to capitalize on three power play opportunities in the opening frame against one of the QMJHL's stingiest penalty kills, as Chase Marchand stopped all 16 shots that got through - which does not include roughly 10 blocked shots by Rouyn-Noranda.  

2nd Period

The Nicolas Dutil Show was the main event in the middle frame as he awarded five power plays to Rouyn-Noranda and three to Saint John - including a very questionable embellishment penalty against Joe Veleno and a couple of 'no calls' in favour of the hosts. On a power play at 12:24, a blocked shot went to Meier, who sent a nice cross ice pass to Beaudin for a one-timer past Turcotte to give the Huskies a 2-0 lead. The Sea Dogs would get on the board on a power play at 18:48 when Smallman found himself alone at the bottom of the left face-off circle and ripped a wrist shot over Marchand's glove to make the score 2-1 after two. 

   

3rd Period

Star import - and former Halifax Moosehead nemesis - Meier restored the Huskies' two-goal lead with a snipe at 6:36 of the third period.  At 18:27, Meier setup Perron for an empty net goal to set the final at 4-1.   

GAME DAY 55: at Rouyn-Noranda

The Saint John Sea Dogs (36-14-4-0, 76 points, 1^st Maritimes, 2^nd QMJHL) face a big test tonight at 8:30 p.m. when they take on the Huskies (40-9-3-2, 85 points, 2^nd West, 4^th QMJHL) in Rouyn-Noranda.

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

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 3-2 win in Shawinigan on Wednesday night. Adam Marsh, Sam Povorozniouk and Matthew Highmore scored for Saint John while Marc-Antoine Turcotte made 29 saves in the victory. The Huskies are coming off a 5-4 home loss to the rival Val-d’Or Foreurs on Wednesday. Francis Perron scored twice for Rouyn-Noranda while Timo Meier and Jean-Christophe Beaudin added solo markers. Chase Marchand was pulled after allowing four goals on 24 shots. Samuel Harvey made eight saves in relief.

2015-16 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 0-1-0-0 against the Huskies this season while Rouyn-Noranda is 1-0-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Oct. 30 at Harbour Station where the Huskies defeated the Sea Dogs 5-2. Antoine Waked scored two goals for Rouyn-Noranda with Gabriel Fontaine, Martins Dzierkals and Jean-Christophe Beaudin also netting goals. Mathieu Joseph and Jakub Zboril scored for Saint John. Chase Marchand made 30 saves in the win. Marc-Antoine Turcotte made 30 saves in the loss.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Huskies: None

Player to watch: Timo Meier, who has 10 goals and 10 assists in 15 games with the Huskies, has registered two goals and four assists in two games against Saint John this year while a member of the Mooseheads.

Three Things to Know

1. Nathan Noel has a 20-game point streak going. Matthew Highmore and Sam Povorozniouk have points in 15 straight games and Mathieu Joseph has points in 10 straight. Meanwhile, Povorozniouk has goals in four straight and Adam Marsh has goals in five straight road games.

2. Jakub Zboril has six assists in his past eight games but has not scored since Jan. 15. His last goal before that was Nov. 4.

3. Francis Perron is second in the QMJHL in scoring with 37 goals and 86 points in 49 games. Perron is third in the league in goals. His 49 assists are the fourth most in the league.

DOGS DAILY: Dogs Meet Dogs Friday

The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies may sit fourth overall, but they are the owners of the second best record in the QMJHL.

If the Huskies were in any other division in the league this season, they’d be sitting second overall with 85 points (division leaders are seeded one through three). But Rouyn-Noranda find themselves in the Q’s toughest division this season, sitting sandwiched between the first place overall Val-d’Or Foreurs (87 points) and fifth place Gatineau Olympiques (79 points).

The Huskies host the second place Saint John Sea Dogs (76 points) on Friday night at 8:30 p.m.

Rouyn-Noranda has sat at or near the top of the standings all year long, posting an impressive 40-9-3-2 overall record and a 23-2-2-0 record on home ice. The Huskies made a couple big moves during the trade period, acquiring Nikolas Brouillard and Timo Meier.

The Sea Dogs will have their hands full with the Huskies tomorrow night. Things don’t get any easier on Saturday when the Dogs travel to Val-d’Or.

In other news…

• In Future Considerations' February NHL Draft rankings, Luke Green is ranked 58^th overall.
• The Windsor Star had an article on Sea Dogs president Trevor Georgie on Jan. 31. Georgie is the youngest president in the CHL.
• Former Sea Dogs forward Zack Phillips was assigned to the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators today. Phillips had five goals and nine assists in 39 games with the AHL’s Providence Bruins this season.
• The OHL’s Flint Firebirds are still a disaster.

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

Dogs End Shawinigan Drought

The Saint John Sea Dogs ended a long losing streak last night in Shawinigan.

Before Wednesday’s 3-2 victory over the Cataractes, the Sea Dogs hadn’t won a game in Shawinigan since the round-robin portion of the 2012 Memorial Cup, which took place on May 23, 2012. Jonathan Huberdeau, Stanislav Galiev and Ryan Tesink scored in that game, so it’s been a while. Here are the highlights from one of the best games in Sea Dogs history.

Here’s a look at the meetings between the two over the past five seasons.

2011-12: 3-3-0-0 vs Shawinigan

Dec. 3, 2011 – Shawinigan 2, Saint John 3 (OT)

Jan. 12, 2012 – Shawinigan 4, Saint John 1

Feb. 4, 2012 – Saint John 2, Shawinigan 1

March 11, 2012 – Saint John 2, Shawinigan 6

May 23, 2012 – Shawinigan 1, Saint John 4 (M-Cup)

May 25, 2012 – Shawinigan 7, Saint John 4 (M-Cup)

2012-13: 0-2-1-0 vs Shawinigan

Nov. 4, 2012 – Shawinigan 3, Saint John 2

Feb. 2, 2013 – Saint John 2, Shawinigan 3 (OT)

Feb. 14, 2013 – Shawinigan 3, Saint John 2

2013-14: 0-2-0-0 vs Shawinigan

Jan. 29, 2014 – Saint John 2, Shawinigan 4

Feb. 20, 2014 – Shawinigan 3, Saint John 1

2014-15: 1-1-0-0 vs Shawinigan

Nov. 21, 2014 – Shawinigan 2, Saint John 4

Jan. 29, 2015 – Saint John 1, Shawinigan 7

2015-16: 2-0-0-0 vs Shawinigan

Oct. 3, 2015 – Shawinigan 2, Saint John 5

Feb. 17, 2016 – Saint John 3, Shawinigan 2

A playoff series between Saint John and Shawinigan, which we were all robbed of in 2012, would be a lot of fun this year.

The Sea Dogs took over second place in the QMJHL standings with last night’s victory. Saint John has a two-point lead over Shawinigan with a game in hand.

RECAP: Sea Dogs Win 3-2

FINAL: Saint John 3, Shawinigan 2

By Lorne Webster | SN Staff

SHAWINIGAN, Que. - In a battle for the second seed in the QMJHL playoff race, the Saint John Sea Dogs travelled to Centre Gervais Auto and earned a tough, come from behind 3-2 victory over the Shawinigan Cataractes Wednesday evening.     

The win allowed Saint John to move two points clear of Shawinigan for second seed with one game in hand. It also allowed the Sea Dogs to remain five points ahead of the Moncton Wildcats for first in the Maritimes Division - with two games still in hand. 

Adam Marsh, Sam Povorozniouk and Matthew Highmore scored for Saint John. Alex Pawelczyk and Anthony Beauvillier replied for Shawinigan.  

1st Period

After the Sea Dogs held a territorial advantage in the first part of the opening period, Shawinigan's special teams took control. While shorthanded at 8:47, Pawelczyk ripped a wrist shot from the left face-off circle over Marc-Antoine Turcotte's glove to open the scoring. On a power play at 10:30, Beauvillier one-timed a slap shot from the right side through Turcotte's legs to put the Cataractes up 2-0. Bad blood between the two teams was evident when Kyle Ward scored a take down against Cavan Fitzgerald late in the first.

2nd Period

Saint John had intense pressure on during a pair of early power plays - and Joe Veleno hit a crossbar roughly three minutes into the second. But the Sea Dogs were unable to beat Philippe Cadorette until 10:11 of the middle frame when Marsh fired a long wrist shot that found its way past the Shawinigan goaltender. At 13:32, Povorozniouk corralled the puck - after a Nathan Noel shot had caromed off the back glass - and slammed it past Cadorette to tie the game 2-2. With just under two minutes left, Turcotte flashed the leather with a big save off a Dmytro Timashov shot to preserve the tie after two periods.

   

3rd Period

On a power play at 8:51, Highmore snapped a shot from in close over a diving Cadorette to give Saint John a 3-2 lead. With just over five minutes remaining in the third, Cadorette robbed Veleno to keep it a one-goal game. The Sea Dogs withstood furious pressure in the last two minutes to earn the team's first victory in Shawinigan since the round robin of the 2012 Memorial Cup.

Cataractes Fire Head Coach

Embed from Getty Images

Just hours before a big game against the Saint John Sea Dogs, the Shawinigan Cataractes have fired head coach Martin Bernard.

According to the Shawinigan newspaper Le Nouvelliste, Claude Bouchard will take over head coaching duties. Bouchard previously acted as head coach of the Val-d’Or Foreurs in the early 2000s and then went on to be an assistant with a number of different QMJHL teams.

Tout le reste du personnel des Cataractes demeure à Shawinigan. Steve Larouche agira par intérim ce soir contre SNB. #tvasports

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MLalancetteTVA) February 17, 2016

The Cataractes loaded up at the trade deadline, bringing in Danny Moynihan, Dmytro Timashov, Philippe Cadorette and others. Despite the acquisitions and still leading the East Division, Shawinigan has sputtered along of late, losing to the rebuilding Halifax Mooseheads on the road, nearly losing to the Moose again this past weekend at home and fell to the Quebec Remparts – who also unloaded at the deadline – last night.

Shawinigan still has a commanding lead on the Rimouski Oceanic for the division lead but could fall out of second place overall tonight if they lose to Saint John. Tonight’s game begins at 8 p.m.

GAME DAY 54: at Shawinigan

The Saint John Sea Dogs (35-14-4-0, 74 points, 1^st Maritimes, 3^rd QMJHL) begin a very challenging road trip tonight in Shawinigan. They take on the Cataractes (35-15-4-0, 74 points, 1^st East, 2^nd QMJHL) this evening at 8 p.m.

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

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a thrilling 6-5 overtime victory over the Chicoutimi Sagueneens on Sunday at Harbour Station. Samuel Dove-McFalls and Sam Povorozniouk each scored twice while singles came from Mathieu Joseph and Spencer Smallman. Marc-Antoine Turcotte made 15 saves in the win. The Cataractes were upset 2-1 in Quebec City last night. Alexis D’Aoust scored Shawinigan’s lone goal and Philippe Cadorette made 34 stops in the loss.

2015-16 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 1-0-0-0 against the Cataractes this season while Shawinigan is 0-1-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Oct. 3 at Harbour Station where the Sea Dogs defeated the Cataractes 5-2. Adam Marsh, Spencer Smallman, Sam Povorozniouk, Matt Green and Bokondji Imama scored for Saint John while Alexis D’Aoust and Dennis Yan scored for Shawinigan. Marc-Antoine Turcotte made 31 saves in the win. Antoine Samuel made 24 stops in the loss.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Cataractes: None

Player to watch: Samuel Girard leads all QMJHL defensemen in scoring with six goals and 53 points in 53 games. His 47 assists lead all Q d-men as well.

Three Things to Know

1. Nathan Noel has points in 19 straight games. On Sunday, Noel recorded four assists in Saint John’s 6-5 comeback victory over Chicoutimi. He has recorded a point in every game since Dec. 17.

2. The Sea Dogs and Cataractes are in a battle for second overall in the QMJHL standings, making tonight’s game a rather big one.

3. These numbers are as of Sunday:

Team records since Jan 1st. Where did Charlottetown come from? pic.twitter.com/m5XL5Le9VP

— QMJHLstats (@qmjhlstats) February 14, 2016

The Insanity Begins Wednesday

Even if the Shawinigan Cataractes, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies and Val-d’Or Foreurs were having bad seasons, this would be a tough road trip for the Saint John Sea Dogs. Unfortunately for Saint John, the three have been among the top teams in the QMJHL all year, adding an extra element of difficulty to an already challenging trip.

The Sea Dogs begin one of the toughest road trips in team history tomorrow night against the Cataractes. Saint John currently sits just behind Shawinigan for second overall in the QMJHL with an identical record of 35-14-4-0 for 74 points. The Cataractes are in action tonight in Quebec City.

Given the closeness between the Dogs and Cats in the standings, Wednesday’s contest could be key in determining who finishes second overall. The second place finisher would get home ice advantage through, at least, the first three rounds.

It’ll also be neat to see the Sea Dogs-Cataractes rivalry renewed. The two faced each other in the 2012 Memorial Cup and have now cycled back to the top of the league.

Game time tomorrow night as 8 p.m.

On Friday, the Sea Dogs will take on the Huskies in Rouyn-Noranda at 8:30 p.m. The Huskies feature the likes of Francis Perron (second in overall scoring), Timo Meier (he’s Timo Meier) and Nikolas Brouillard (second in defensemen scoring) and have just eight regulation time losses this season (40-8-3-2).

Rouyn-Noranda currently sits fourth overall in the league because the division leaders are seeded one through three. The Foreurs, who also have 85 points, sit ahead of the Huskies with a 41-10-2-1 record.

The Sea Dogs, who visit Val-d’Or on Saturday at 8 p.m., handed the Foreurs one of their few loses this season. Matthew Highmore and Daniel Del Paggio each had a goal and an assist in Saint John’s 5-3 home win on Halloween.

The Sea Dogs have been impressive since the Christmas break. Now we’ll get to see how they perform against teams that have been equally impressive.

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

DOGS DAILY: Joseph Named First Star

Sunday’s overtime hero has been named the QMJHL’s first star of the week.

With three goals and four assists in three games this week, Joseph helped the Sea Dogs win all three matches and extend their lead atop the Maritimes Division. From the QMJHL news release:

In three home games this week, the Tampa Bay Lightning prospect scored three goals, added four assists and maintained a +6 rating. Saturday, against the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, he scored a shorthanded goal and added an assist in a 5-1 win. His shorthanded goal was his 6th of the season, which tied a team record held by Félix Schutz. In a high scoring game on Sunday against the Chicoutimi Saguenéens, Joseph assisted on the game-tying goal late in the third period and then came back and scored the game winner in overtime for a 6-5 victory. He currently leads the Sea Dogs with 63 points.

Joseph now has points in nine straight games and goals in four straight. In fact, the Lightning prospect has failed to score just one time over his past nine contests. He also has goals in six straight home games.

Gatineau’s Yakov Trenin and Shawinigan’s Philippe Cadorette were named the second and third stars of the week, respectively.

In other news…

• With Marc-Antoine Turcotte healthy, the Sea Dogs have sent goaltender Alex D’Orio back to midget AAA.
• As Sportsnet points out in their latest QMJHL blog, Sam Povorozniouk is having by far the most productive season of his junior career. In 249 career OHL games, Povorozniouk had 47 goals. This season he has 30 goals in 53 games with Saint John.
• The Sea Dogs (74 points) kick off quite possibly the toughest road trip in team history on Wednesday night in Shawinigan (74 points). They then travel to Rouyn-Noranda (85 points) for a Friday night game and visit Val-d’Or (85 points) on Saturday.

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

RECAP: Sea Dogs Win 6-5 (OT)

FINAL: Chicoutimi 5, Saint John 6 (OT)

SAINT JOHN – Wow.

It looked as though two late third period goals were going to give the Chicoutimi Sagueneens an upset victory over the Saint John Sea Dogs on Sunday afternoon at Harbour Station.

But then the final minute of play happened.

At 19:27 with the extra attacker on (Thomas Chabot was the only defenseman), Samuel Dove-McFalls got Saint John within one. Then with 4.3 seconds remaining, Dove-McFalls tied the game while falling down, sending the game into extra time. 35 seconds into overtime, Mathieu Joseph netted the game winner.

The Sea Dogs went from down 5-3 to a 6-5 overtime victory in 1:08 of hockey time and under five minutes of real life time. Wow. This is why you don’t leave games early.

Saint John has now won three straight and eight of their last 10. They’ll enter Wednesday’s showdown in Shawinigan with an identical record as the second-place Cataractes. The Dogs are also five points ahead of the free falling Moncton Wildcats with two games in hand.

Along with Dove-McFalls and Joseph scoring, Sam Povorozniouk netted a pair and Spencer Smallman had a solo marker. Nathan Noel had four assists. Marc-Antoine Turcotte returned to the lineup and made 15 saves in the victory.

Nicolas Roy, Antoine Marcoux, Dmitry Zhukenov, Taylor Cooper and Mark Bzowey all scored for Chicoutimi. Backup netminder Xavier Potvin made 37 saves in the loss.

On a power play just 1:24 in, a point shot from Frederic Allard hit a Sea Dog in the slot and was then redirected by Roy to give Chicoutimi an early 1-0 advantage. The Sea Dogs tied it up on a power play of their own at 7:45 when Smallman finished off a nice passing play.

Chicoutimi retook the lead with 3:14 remaining in the period. Turcotte made a tremendous pad save off Bzowey but the rebound was there for Marcoux to put in and give the Sags a 2-1 lead. But with 19.5 seconds remaining in the first, Nathan Noel fed Povorozniouk in the slot who tied it up at 2-2.

At 4:38 of the second, Jonathan Bourcier took a four-minute penalty for high sticking Gabriel Bettez. On the ensuing man advantage, Povorozniouk rifled a wrist shot past Potvin to give Saint John their first lead of the contest at 8:00.

With 1:27 left in the second, Povorozniouk was given a four-minute penalty for spearing, sending Chicoutimi’s solid power play to work. With 7.3 seconds remaining, Zhukenov managed to tuck the puck past Turcotte to tie things up at 3-3. Saint John would kill off the rest of the penalty, though.

With 9:40 to go in the third, Saint John had a 17-second five-on-three power play but did not score. They also couldn’t connect on the five-on-four advantage that followed.

At 12:51, Cooper was left all alone in front and made a nice move to fool Turcotte and give the Sagueneens a 4-3 lead. Just 21 seconds later, a shot from inside the blue line seemed to fool Turcotte to quickly make it 5-3. Credit for Chicoutimi’s fifth goal was given to Bzowey.

Saint John pulled Turcotte with 2:33 remaining. In the final minute - not long after Povorozniouk hit the post – Dove-McFalls put in a rebound with 32.7 seconds left to make it 5-4. Then with 4.3 seconds remaining the puck was loose in front where a falling Dove-McFalls grabbed it and beat Potvin to tie it at 5-5.

In overtime, Joseph scored the winner just 35 seconds in to give Saint John the improbable win.

GAME DAY 53: vs Sagueneens

Before the Saint John Sea Dogs (34-14-4-0, 72 points, 1^st Maritimes, 3^rd QMJHL) head out for the toughest road trip in the history of sports (yes, all the sports and all the history), they host the Chicoutimi Sagueneens (24-21-3-5, 56 points, 4th East, 11^th QMJHL) this afternoon at 3 p.m. at Harbour Station.

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

Last games: The Sagueneens are coming off a 6-4 loss in Charlottetown last night. Jake Smith, Dmitry Zhukenov, Nicolas Roy and Jonathan Bourcier scored for Chicoutimi while Julio Billia made 26 saves in the loss. The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-1 victory over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar last night at Harbour Station. Adam Marsh scored twice while Sam Povorozniouk, Spencer Smallman and Mathieu Joseph added singles. Alex Bishop made 27 stops in the win.

2015-16 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 1-0-0-0 against the Sagueneens this season while Chicoutimi is 0-0-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Nov. 21 in Chicoutimi where the Sea Dogs defeated the Sagueneens 4-3 in a shootout. Thomas Chabot, Kyle Ward and Adam Marsh scored for Saint John while Chicoutimi goals came from Antoine Marcoux, Jonathan Bourcier and Gabryel Paquin-Boudreau. Mathieu Joseph netted the shootout winner. Alex Bishop made 23 saves in the win. Julio Billia made 26 stops in the loss.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Sagueneens: Forward Julien Tessier

Player to watch: Sags forward Nicolas Roy, the first overall pick in the 2013 QMJHL Entry Draft, has been held pointless in just two games since the beginning of December. He has two goals and three assists in his past three games. In 48 games this year, the Carolina Hurricanes prospects has 34 goals and 36 assists.

Three Things to Know

1.The Sea Dogs traded forward Julien Tessier to the Sags during the trading period, getting a 2018 second-round pick in return. Tessier, who played in just 14 games with Saint John during the first half due to health reasons, has yet to appear in a game for Chicoutimi.

2. A win today will give the Sea Dogs a five-point lead over the Moncton Wildcats for first place in the Maritimes Division – and that’s with two games in hand. That lead could come in handy with the Dogs hitting the road for an extremely tough road trip later this week.

3. Nathan Noel extended his point streak to 18 games last night. Matthew Highmore and Sam Povorozniouk have points in 13 straight.

RECAP: Sea Dogs Win 5-1

FINAL: Baie-Comeau 1, Saint John 5

By Kevin Chambers | SN Staff

SAINT JOHN – The last-place Baie-Comeau Drakkar kept it close, but the Maritimes Division leading Saint John Sea Dogs were just too much on Saturday night at Harbour Station, skating away with a 5-1 victory.

After lots of back and forth action in the first period - including the Drakkar almost scoring an own goal - it was Adam Marsh scoring the game’s first goal at 15:13. That would be all the scoring in the first - despite the teams combining for a total of 24 shots.

In the second period of play, the back and forth action continued with the Sea Dogs carrying the majority of the play. Goaltender Antoine Samuel continued to hold the fort for the Drakkar, keeping it a 1-0 game through 40 minutes.

Early in the final stanza, Nathan Noel hit a streaking Spencer Smallman who got in behind the Drakkar defenders and beat Samuel, giving the Sea Dogs a 2-0 lead just 53 seconds in. The Drakkar would strike back with their first of the contest when Matt Jones buried a one time shot past Alex Bishop at the 6:55 mark. Saint John would bounce back though with Adam Marsh tipping his second of the game past Samuel at 15:13, making it 3-1 for the home side. That seemed to open the floodgates starting with Mathieu Joseph scoring a shorthanded marker at 17:41 followed quickly by Sam Povorozniouk at 18:10, making it a 5-1 final.

GAME DAY 52: vs Drakkar

The Saint John Sea Dogs (33-14-4-0, 70 points, 1^st Maritimes, 3^rd QMJHL) return to action tonight to take on the struggling Baie-Comeau Drakkar (8-40-1-2, 19 points, 6^th East, 18^th QMJHL) at 7 p.m. at Harbour Station.

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

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 7-2 win over the Charlottetown Islanders on Wednesday night at Harbour Station. Adam Marsh had a pair of goals while singles came from Joe Veleno, Nathan Noel, Sam Povorozniouk, Samuel Dove-McFalls and Mathieu Joseph. Alex Bishop made 27 saves in the victory. The Drakkar are coming off a 5-2 loss in Charlottetown last night. Jamey Lauzon and Eric Leger scored for Baie-Comeau while Antoine Samuel made 28 saves in the loss.

2015-16 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 0-1-0-0 against the Drakkar this season while Baie-Comeau is 1-0-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Nov. 20 in Baie-Comeau where the Drakkar upset the Sea Dogs 3-2. Nicolas Leblond, Vincent Lavoie and Raphael Santerre scored for Baie-Comeau. Sam Povorozniouk had both Saint John goals. Keven Bouchard made 25 saves in the win while Marc-Antoine Turcotte made 30 stops in the loss.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Drakkar: None

Player to watch: Nathan Noel kept his point streak alive on Wednesday, giving him points in 17 straight games. He has 28 points during that span.

Three Things to Know

1. Along with Noel’s point streak, Sam Povorozniouk and Matthew Highmore kept their point streaks alive on Wednesday. The two each have points in 12 straight games.

2. The Drakkar have a winning record (above .500) against only one team in the QMJHL this season: Saint John.

3. Baie-Comeau only has eight wins in 51 games played this season, but three of those victories have come against Maritimes Division teams.

Checking In On The 2015 Draft Class

By Kevin Chambers | SN Staff

With the playoffs nearing in most hockey leagues, let’s check in on Saint John’s 2015 draft class (included here are some of the players that are still expected to take the US college route but remain protected by the Sea Dogs).

Kicking things off with the ninth overall selection in 2015, Alex D’Orio has had a very good season with Cantonniers de Magog. D’Orio is being mentored by head coach and former NHL goaltender Felix Potvin, which should benefit him as he continues to develop in hopes of being a big part of the Sea Dogs’ future. D’Orio is posting some solid numbers with a 2.56 goals against average and a save percentage of .908, including three shutouts. D’Orio has been splitting most of the starts for Magog with 2016 draft prospect Justin Blanchette.

Next we have the 10^th overall selection in the 2015 draft, Cedric Pare. Pare is currently on pace for a point per game season with 15 goals and 26 assists for 41 points in 40 games with the Commandeurs de Levis in the Quebec Midget AAA Hockey League. Despite the Commandeurs being in last place in their division, Pare has managed to climb to a tie for 24th overall in the league in points and is getting plenty of ice time as he continues to develop in midget AAA.

In the third round of the 2015 QMJHL draft, the Sea Dogs added another defenseman to their stable of impressive young defenders. Vincent Martineau is currently the captain of the Phenix Esther-Blondin who currently sit in first place in their division and second overall in QMAAA. Martineau provides solid leadership for the Phenix and continues to be a solid contributor to their offense while being a strong defender in his own zone. Currently, Martineau has tallied seven goals and 18 assists in 32 games and in his brief stint with Saint John managed to record his first QMJHL goal on Dec. 29 against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

In the fourth round in 2015 the Sea Dogs added Morgan Barron from Newbridge Academy. Barron left camp early to maintain his NCAA eligibility and is currently attending St. Andrew’s College. Barron recently announced via Twitter that he has committed to Cornell University, which may mean he’ll continues his hockey career south of the border. Barron has had an outstanding season thus far, putting up 39 goals and 28 assists for 67 points in 53 games. There is still plenty of time for Barron to change his mind, but at this point, it seems he will choose the NCAA route.

The first American player drafted in 2015 was Marc McLaughlin, who currently plays out of Cushing Academy and has committed to St. Lawrence University. The Sea Dogs undoubtedly still have hopes to convince McLaughlin to play in the QMJHL. McLaughlin has put up 16 goals and 13 assists for 29 points in just 23 games with Cushing Academy.

DOGS DAILY: Dogs Sign A Pair

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The Sea Dogs announced a couple of organizational depth moves today.

The team has signed defenseman Michael Waugh of the NB/PEI Major Midget Hockey League’s Miramichi Rivermen and forward John Warren of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League’s London Nationals.

Waugh, 17, has eight goals and 16 assists in 33 games with the Rivermen this season. This is his third season with the club.

Warren, who is listed at just 5’7” and 160 lbs, is third on the Nationals in scoring this season with 28 goals and 53 points in 26 games. A 13^th round pick of the London Knights in the 2013 OHL draft, Warren has played in 32 career games with the Knights and has registered five goals and two assists. Warren turned 19 in January.

"He has a history of scoring, but he can also play a responsible, two-hundred-foot game," Sea Dogs general manager Darrell Young said in a press release. "He had lots of interest from teams around the QMJHL, and we're fortunate he agreed to join our organization."

According to the Sea Dogs, both players will remain with their current clubs for the rest of the season.

In other news…

• The 2016-17 edition of the Sea Dogs got some good news today: the regular season will start on Sept. 22 rather than early September. The QMJHL’s board of governors approved the move today. Training camps will start Aug. 17. It’s good news for the Sea Dogs who will have plenty of players taking part in NHL training camps this fall.
• Last night’s Sea Dogs win gives them 33 of the season, which is one more than they got all of last season. Saint John will have their best finish since the 2011-12 season when they won 50 games.
• Nathan Noel (17), Matthew Highmore (12) and Sam Povorozniouk (12) all kept their point streaks alive last night. Mathieu Joseph also has goals in four straight home games.
• The Dogs slipped out of the CHL Top 10 this week but were an honourable mention.
• If you hadn’t heard, goaltender Alex D’Orio was recalled this week and backed up Alex Bishop on Wednesday. Will he start on Saturday against the league’s worst team?
• The Sea Dogs have officially clinched a playoff spot, by the way.
• Luke Green is the QMJHL nominee for the CHL play of the week this week. You can vote for him here.
• Thomas Chabot was named Craig Button’s 42nd best NHL-affiliated prospect.
• This happened:

RECAP: Sea Dogs Win 7-2

FINAL: Charlottetown 2, Saint John 7

By Lorne Webster | SN Staff

SAINT JOHN - Two of the QMJHL's hottest teams met at Harbour Station Wednesday evening and the Saint John Sea Dogs came away with a convincing 7-2 win over division rivals, the Charlottetown Islanders.     

The win allowed the Sea Dogs to move two points clear of Moncton for first in the Maritimes Division - with two games still in hand. It was also Saint John's sixth win in seven contests against Charlottetown this season.

Adam Marsh with a pair, Sam Povorozniouk, Joe Veleno, Samuel Dove-McFalls, Mathieu Joseph and Nathan Noel scored for Saint John. Bradley Kennedy replied with a pair for Charlottetown.  

1st Period

Kennedy opened the scoring at 8:11 when he converted on a turnover with a quick backhand through Alex Bishop's legs. Saint John outshot Charlottetown 12-7 in the first period but the Sea Dogs were unable to get a shot past Mason McDonald. 

2nd Period

Just 32 seconds into a wild second period, McDonald made the save of the game when he robbed Povorozniouk with a diving glove stop. At 4:37, Marsh broke down the left wing and unloaded a rocket that beat McDonald low short side. A minute later, Povorozniouk jammed in the rebound of a Noel shot to give the Sea Dogs the lead at 2-1. A short while later, Marsh rang another wrist shot off the crossbar but it stayed out. Kennedy would tie the game at 7:34 when he finished off a nice three-way passing play with a tap in past Bishop. Veleno put the Sea Dogs back in front at 9:56 with a hard wrist shot from the high slot to the top shelf.  Dove-McFalls extended the lead to 4-2 - just over three minutes later - with a long shot, which eluded a screened McDonald. After Dove-McFalls’ goal, Islanders coach Jim Hulton decided to replace McDonald in goal with rookie Matthew Welsh.  

   

3rd Period

3:35 into the third, Marsh's "pro shot" was on display once again when he unleashed another rocket past Welsh on the short side. At 6:44, Daniel Sprong's stick exploded - during an attempted clearing pass - and the puck went to Joseph, who walked into the slot and sent a laser over Welsh's shoulder to make it 6-2. On a power play at 8:19, Noel joined the goal parade with another top shelf effort to set the final score at 7-2.

GAME DAY 51: vs Islanders

The Saint John Sea Dogs (32-14-4-0, 68 points, 1^st Maritimes, 3^rd QMJHL) continue their homestand tonight at 7 p.m. against the Charlottetown Islanders (23-23-5-2, 53 points, 4^th Maritimes, 12^th QMJHL).

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

Last games: The Islanders are coming off a 6-4 win over the Halifax Mooseheads on Sunday in Charlottetown. Alexis Vanier and Jake Coughler each had two goals while singles came from Kameron Kielly and Filip Rydstrom. Matthew Welsh made 32 saves in the victory. The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-4 loss to the Victoriaville Tigres on Saturday at Harbour Station. Mathieu Joseph scored twice while Nathan Noel and Luke Green also scored. Alex Bishop made 17 saves through 40 minutes of action. Matthew Williams made five saves in the third period.

2015-16 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 5-0-1-0 against the Islanders this season while Charlottetown is 1-4-1-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Jan. 21 in Charlottetown where the Islanders defeated the Sea Dogs 5-4 in overtime. Samuel Blais scored twice for Charlottetown while Will Thompson, Bradley Kennedy and Filip Chlapik also scored. Saint John had a pair of goals from Matthew Highmore and singles from Nathan Noel and Sam Povorozniouk. Mason McDonald made 45 saves in the win. Marc-Antoine Turcotte was pulled after allowing three goals on seven shots. Alex Bishop made 16 saves in relief.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Islanders: Forward Oliver Cooper and defenseman Will Thompson.

Player to watch: After recording five goals and 12 points in 28 games with Gatineau in the first half, Jake Coughler has scored 12 goals and 15 points in just 14 games with the Islanders.

Three Things to Know

1. The Sea Dogs are coming off their first regulation time loss since Dec. 17. Saint John had picked up points in 15 straight games before Saturday’s loss to Victoriaville.

2. The Islanders have picked up steam as of late, winning two straight and seven of their last 10.

3. Nathan Noel is on a 16-game point streak while Matthew Highmore and Sam Povorozniouk have points in 11 straight.

HockeyProspect.com Releases New Rankings

Anderson MacDonald of the Saint John Vito’s is ranked sixth in HockeyProspect.com’s latest rankings for the 2016 QMJHL Entry Draft.

MacDonald currently sits sixth in NB/PEI Major Midget Hockey League scoring with 18 goals and 36 points in 26 games with the Vito’s this season. The 15-year-old Quispamsis native is in his second season with the club.

Leading the rankings was Gatineau forward Benoit-Olivier Groulx. Cole Harbour defenseman Jared McIsaac was ranked second while Jonquiere goaltender Olivier Rodrigue was third.

HockeyProspect.com’s top 10 can be seen for free on their website.

The Sea Dogs have Charlottetown’s first round pick in this year’s draft. If the draft were held today, that selection would be seventh overall.

Meanwhile, in Bob McKenzie’s mid-season NHL Draft rankings, Sea Dogs defenseman Luke Green was ranked 50^th overall.