A big day for former Sea Dogs

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HALIFAX - It's a big day for several former Saint John Sea Dogs.

Ostap Safin and the Halifax Mooseheads will look to keep the Memorial Cup in the Maritimes tonight when they host the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in an all-QMJHL championship game. Puck drop is 8 p.m. on Sportsnet.

Safin has had a limited role during the Mooseheads' playoff and Memorial Cup run. He has been held pointless in three games at the tournament - but he hasn't seen a lot of ice time.

The Mooseheads are no doubt the underdogs even though they had the bye into the final. The Huskies, who had one of the best regular seasons in junior hockey history, also know how to beat the Mooseheads, defeating them in six games in the QMJHL final and again on Wednesday in a preliminary round game.

Halifax will look to become the first Maritime team to win two Memorial Cup championships. Rouyn-Noranda will be looking for their first - and avenge the 3-2 overtime loss they suffered in the 2016 final against the London Knights.

Elsewhere, Mathieu Joseph and Thomas Chabot will play for Team Canada in the gold medal game of the 2019 IIHF World Championship in Slovakia. The Canadians will face Finland at 3 p.m. on TSN.

Joseph has recorded a goal and an assist in nine games while Chabot has two goals and five assists.

In the AHL, Tomas Jurco, Spencer Smallman, Julien Gauthier and the Charlotte Checkers can earn a spot in the Calder Cup Final with a win tonight. Smallman has not appeared in any games but is on the team's playoff roster.

The Checkers lead the Eastern Conference Final 3-2 over the Toronto Marlies heading into Game Six this evening.