Saturday, February 29, 2020

Recap: Sea Dogs win 5-4

FINAL: Cape Breton 4, Saint John 5
SAINT JOHN - For just the second time in seven tries this season, the Saint John Sea Dogs defeated the Cape Breton Eagles.

The Sea Dogs never trailed in Saturday's contest at TD Station, going on to beat the Eagles 5-4. Both teams traded momentum several times with Saint John going up 2-0 - which was followed by the Eagles tying things at 2-2 and then Saint John scoring another two to go up 4-2.

Joona Lehmus and Ben Badalamenti were the offensive stories in this game for Saint John with both scoring once and adding two assists. Joshua Roy scored to extend his goal streak to six games. Anderson MacDonald and Jeffrey Durocher also scored. Zachary Bouthillier was excellent, making 51 saves in the win.

Shawn Boudrias scored twice for Cape Breton with Egor Sokolov and Mathias Laferriere also scoring. William Grimard made 33 stops in the loss.

Saint John has now won three straight games and pushed their record back over the .500 mark (30-29-1-0).

The Sea Dogs website has a full game recap.

Game Day 60: vs Eagles

SAINT JOHN - The Cape Breton Eagles are in town tonight.

The Eagles are 5-0-0-1 against the Saint John Sea Dogs this season. Tonight's match is the first of three remaining meetings between the two - plus, the two could meet in the first round of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs.

Game time tonight is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/Sea Dogs Radio Live/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 29-29-1-0 for 59 points (fourth Maritimes, sixth Eastern, ninth QMJHL) while the Eagles are 37-18-2-1 for 77 points (second Maritimes, fourth Eastern, fifth QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 2-1 home win over the Halifax Mooseheads on Wednesday. Joshua Roy and Charlie DesRoches scored for Saint John. Noah Patenaude made 35 stops in the win. The Eagles are coming off a 6-2 loss in Charlottetown last night. Derek Gentile and Nathan Larose scored for Cape Breton. William Grimard made 44 stops in the loss.

2019-20 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 1-5-0-0 against the Eagles this season while Cape Breton is 5-0-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Feb. 21 at Centre 200 where the Eagles defeated the Sea Dogs 5-4. Derek Gentile, Liam Kidney, Ivan Ivan, Egor Sokolov and Shawn Boudrias scored for the Eagles. Anderson MacDonald scored twice for Saint John while Joshua Roy and Maxim Cajkovic added singles. Kevin Mandolese made 31 stops in the win. Zachary Bouthillier made 35 stops in the loss.

Thursday, February 27, 2020

Where will Sea Dogs finish?

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs are certain to make the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs this season. Who they'll play in the first round is far from certain, though.

The Sea Dogs currently sit sixth in the QMJHL's Eastern Conference with 59 points. The team has nine games remaining in the regular season, including games this weekend against the Cape Breton Eagles and Charlottetown Eagles.

Here's a look at the Eastern Conference standings (not including the result from Thursday night's heavyweight match between Moncton and Chicoutimi):
The Sea Dogs will likely end up finishing in fifth, sixth, or seventh, meaning they will play the fourth, third, or second seeded team in the opening round - meaning (likely) either Cape Breton, Rimouski or Chicoutimi.

No matter where the Sea Dogs finish, they will be underdogs heading into their first round series. The team is 1-5-0-0 against Cape Breton this season; 0-2-0-0 against Rimouski; and 1-1-0-0 against Chicoutimi.

Saint John's remaining schedule is not easy, so picking up points will be a tough task as the season enters its final weeks. The nine remaining games include three matches against both Cape Breton and Charlottetown and single contests against Drummondville, Bathurst and Moncton. Only the Titan currently have a losing record.

The Sea Dogs could officially clinch a playoff spot this weekend, something they have not done since 2017.

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Recap: Sea Dogs win 2-1

FINAL: Halifax 1, Saint John 2
SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs won a close, hard fought game over the Halifax Mooseheads on Wednesday night at TD Station.

Playing the makeup match for the now infamous Classified game, rookie Joshua Roy scored for a fifth straight contest and Noah Patenaude made 35 stops to lead the Sea Dogs to a 2-1 victory over the Mooseheads.

The win pushed the Sea Dogs back to the .500 mark with a 29-29-1-0 record with nine games to play.

Roy opened the scoring at 2:02 of the first, finishing off a nice passing play with Brady Burns and Maxim Cajkovic. Charlie DesRoches doubled Saint John's lead at 16:55 of the second period with a shorthanded marker.

Former Sea Dogs forward Kevin Gursoy scored yet another goal against his former club at 18:43 of the middle frame to get the Moose within one. Despite some strong pressure by Halifax in the final couple minutes of the third, they could not get another one past Patenaude.

Alexis Gravel made 37 stops in the loss.

Game Day 59: vs Mooseheads

SAINT JOHN - The final stretch of the regular season begins tonight for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The Sea Dogs have just 10 games left - including tonight's makeup matchup against the Halifax Mooseheads. This will be the final meeting of the season between the Dogs and Moose. It's been a lopsided season series with Saint John winning six of the seven meetings so far.

Game time tonight is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/Sea Dogs Radio Live/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 28-29-1-0 for 57 points (fourth Maritimes, sixth Eastern, ninth QMJHL) while the Mooseheads are 19-33-3-1 for 42 points (fifth Maritimes, ninth Eastern, 17th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 3-2 home win over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies on Wednesday. Anderson MacDonald, Brady Burns and Joshua Roy scored for Saint John. Zachary Bouthillier made 36 stops in the win. The Mooseheads are coming off a 5-1 home loss to the Moncton Wildcats on Sunday. Denis Toner scored Halifax's lone goal. Alexis Gravel made 50 saves in the loss.

2019-20 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 6-1-0-0 against the Mooseheads this season while Halifax is 1-6-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Feb. 16 in Halifax where the Sea Dogs defeated the Mooseheads 9-7. Maxim Cajkovic had a hat trick for Saint John with singles coming from Jeremie Poirier, Josh Lawrence, William Villeneuve, Joshua Roy, Jeffrey Durocher and Dawson Stairs. Kevin Gursoy and Gavin Hart each scored twice for Halifax while singles came from Jason Horvath, D'Artagnan Joly and Marcel Barinka. Zachary Bouthillier made 35 stops in the win. Cole McLaren was pulled after allowing four goals on 10 shots. Alec MacVicar allowed four goals on 13 shots in relief.

Sunday, February 23, 2020

Recap: Sea Dogs win 3-2

FINAL: Rouyn-Noranda 2, Saint John 3
SAINT JOHN - As the season winds down, Joshua Roy keeps heating up.

The rookie forward scored for a fourth straight game on Sunday, helping the Saint John Sea Dogs defeat the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 3-2 at TD Station.

Roy has four goals and four assists over his past four matches, a welcome sight for a team that has been without one of its veteran forwards - Nicholas Deakin-Poot - over the past few weeks.

Roy, Anderson MacDonald and Brady Burns all scored for Saint John on Sunday. Zachary Bouthillier made 36 stops in the victory.

Mathieu Gagnon and Shaun Miller scored for the Huskies. Backup Samuel Richard made 23 stops in the loss.

The Sea Dogs website has a full game recap.

Game Day 58: vs Huskies

SAINT JOHN - The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies make their lone trip of the season to TD Station today.

This will be the third game in as many days for the Huskies who are coming off a 3-0 loss in Moncton on Friday night and a 4-1 win in Halifax last night.

Puck drop is scheduled for 3 p.m. this afternoon.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/Sea Dogs Radio Live/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 27-29-1-0 for 55 points (fourth Maritimes, sixth Eastern, 12th QMJHL) while the Huskies are 25-26-2-2 for 54 points (third West, fifth Western, 10th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-4 loss in Cape Breton on Friday. Anderson MacDonald scored twice while singles came from Joshua Roy and Maxim Cajkovic. Zachary Bouthillier made 35 stops in the loss. The Huskies are coming off a 4-1 loss in Halifax last night. Louis-Filip Cote, Charles-Edouard Drouin, Shaun Miller and Alex Beaucage scored for Rouyn-Noranda. Zachary Emond made 21 saves in the win.

2019-20 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: Nov. 15 in Rouyn-Noranda where the Huskies defeated the Sea Dogs 6-3. William Rouleau, Thomas Belzile, Adrian Valigura, Alex Gritz, Alex Beaucage and Tyler Hinam scored for the Huskies. Maxim Cajkovic scored twice for Saint John while Matt Gould added a single. Zachary Emond made 35 saves in the win. Zachary Bouthillier made 35 stops in the loss.

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 5-4

FINAL: Saint John 4, Cape Breton 5
SYDNEY, NS - The Saint John Sea Dogs' woes against the Cape Breton Eagles continued on Friday at Centre 200.

The Sea Dogs fell to 1-5 against the Eagles this season with a 5-4 loss. The two meet three more times this regular season - all of which take place at TD Station.

Anderson MacDonald scored a pair for Saint John while singles came from Joshua Roy and Maxim Cajkovic. Zachary Bouthillier made 35 stops in the loss.

Derek Gentile, Liam Kidney, Ivan Ivan, Egor Sokolov and Shawn Boudrias scored for the Eagles. Kevin Mandolese made 31 saves in the win.

The Sea Dogs website has a full game recap.

Friday, February 21, 2020

Game Day 57: at Cape Breton

SYDNEY, NS - The Saint John Sea Dogs are on the road tonight.

Coming off back-to-back wins, the Sea Dogs will look to make it three straight tonight in Sydney where they'll square off against the Cape Breton Eagles. The Eagles are 7-3 in their last 10 games.

Game time this evening is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Eastlink TV/Sea Dogs Radio Live/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 27-28-1-0 for 55 points (fourth Maritimes, sixth Eastern, ninth QMJHL) while the Eagles are 35-17-2-1 for 73 points (second Maritimes, fourth Eastern, fifth QMJHL)

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-4 home win over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Sunday. Josh Lawrence, Alexandre O'Neill, Joshua Roy, Jeffrey Durocher and Anderson MacDonald scored for Saint John. Noah Patenaude made 34 stops in the win. The Eagles are coming off a 4-2 home loss to the Titan on Wednesday. Derek Gentile and Shawn Boudrias scored for Cape Breton. William Grimard made 22 stops in the loss.

2019-20 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 1-4-0-0 against the Eagles this season while Cape Breton is 4-0-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Jan. 10 in Sydney where the Eagles defeated the Sea Dogs 8-2. Shawn Boudrias had a hat trick for Cape Breton; Egor Sokolov had two; and singles came from Ivan Ivan, Shawn Element and Nathan Larose. Nicholas Deakin-Poot and Julian Vander Voet scored for Saint John. Kevin Mandolese made 29 stops in the win. Zachary Bouthillier made 40 saves in the loss.

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Recap: Sea Dogs win 5-4

FINAL: Bathurst 4, Saint John 5
SAINT JOHN - A late third period goal by Anderson MacDonald lifted the Saint John Sea Dogs to a 5-4 win over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Monday at TD Station.

MacDonald scored with 3.9 seconds remaining in regulation time to give the Sea Dogs the victory. The goal came not long after Bathurst's Yan Aucoin had tied the game at 4-4 at the 18:15 mark.

MacDonald had a goal and two assists in the game as he continues to burn his former team. Since joining the Sea Dogs, the Quispamsis native has two goals and two assists in two games against the Titan.

Josh Lawrence, Alexandre O'Neill, Joshua Roy and Jeffrey Durocher also scored for Saint John. Noah Patenaude made 34 stops in the win.

Along with Aucoin's goal, Bathurst got a pair from Mathieu Desgagnes and a solo marker from Logan Chisholm. Tristan Berube made 27 stops in the loss.

The Sea Dogs website has a full game recap.

Monday, February 17, 2020

Dogs/Moose postponed game rescheduled

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs' hopes of picking up an automatic two points over the Halifax Mooseheads appear to be over.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced today that the postponed Sea Dogs/Mooseheads game that was scheduled for Friday, Feb. 7 will now be played on Wednesday, Feb. 26.

From the league:
The postponed game (Game #450) between the Saint John Sea Dogs and the Halifax Mooseheads - originally scheduled for Feb. 7 but postponed by the league due to inclement weather - has been rescheduled for Wednesday, February 26 (7 PM AT) at TD Station in Saint John.
Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie had told media that he would be filing a complaint to the league, believing that the Mooseheads did not make their best efforts to get to Saint John in time for the game - which was near a sellout and featured intermission performances from Classified. Georgie hoped the league would hand the Mooseheads a forfeit, giving the Sea Dogs an automatic win.

The Mooseheads tried to make it to Saint John the day of the game but could not make it past Moncton. The game was originally pushed back an hour and then postponed entirely.

This was the supposed to be the first game of a three-in-three for the Mooseheads, which led the Sea Dogs to believe the Moose preferred the game to be postponed, even if they could make it to Saint John. The Mooseheads obviously denied this in the media.

Tickets from the Feb. 7 contest can be exchanged for any remaining Sea Dogs home game.

Game Day 56: vs Titan

SAINT JOHN - It's a rare Monday game for the Saint John Sea Dogs and Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

The Sea Dogs and Titan meet this holiday afternoon at TD Station. Both teams played yesterday afternoon as well - Saint John defeating the Mooseheads in Halifax and the Titan falling to the Wildcats in Moncton.

Game time today is 3 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/Sea Dogs Radio Live/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 26-28-1-0 for 53 points (fourth Maritimes, sixth Eastern, 12th QMJHL) while the Titan are 10-37-3-4 for 27 points (sixth Maritimes, 10th Eastern, 18th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a wild 9-7 win in Halifax yesterday. Maxim Cajkovic had a hat trick with singles coming from Jeremie Poirier, Josh Lawrence, William Villeneuve, Joshua Roy, Jeffrey Durocher and Dawson Stairs. Zachary Bouthillier made 35 stops in the win. The Titan are coming off a 6-2 loss in Moncton yesterday. Remy Anglehart had both Bathurst goals. Felix-Anthony Ethier made 53 saves in the loss.

2019-20 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 6-1-0-0 against the Titan this season while Bathurst is 1-5-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Feb. 9 at TD Station where the Sea Dogs defeated the Titan 7-5. Jeffrey Durocher and Josh Lawrence each scored twice while singles came from Anderson MacDonald, Julian Vander Voet and Brady Burns. Mathieu Desgagnés, Mark Rumsey, Alexis Dubé, Rémy Anglehart and Ben Allison had Bathurst goals. Zachary Bouthillier made 33 saves in the win. Tristan Berube made 32 stops in the loss.

Sunday, February 16, 2020

Recap: Sea Dogs win 9-7

FINAL: Saint John 9, Halifax 7
HALIFAX - The Saint John Sea Dogs showed once again that they can score.

The Sea Dogs put up nine goals - nearly matching their season high of 10 - in a wild 9-7 victory over the Halifax Mooseheads on Sunday afternoon at Scotiabank Centre. Maxim Cajkovic led the way with a hat trick; William Villeneuve had a four-point game; and Joshua Roy and Jeffrey Durocher each had a goal and two assists.

The Sea Dogs led 6-3 after two periods but, just like in most of their other high scoring games this season, could not hold things together on the backend. It's no secret that Saint John's defensive play continues to be a pain point and, for whatever reason, seems to particularly struggle when they are producing well offensively. Fortunately, it did not cost them a win on Sunday.

Along with Cajkovic scoring three, single goals came from Villeneuve, Roy, Durocher, Jeremie Poirier, Josh Lawrence and Dawson Stairs. Zachary Bouthillier made 35 stops in the win.

Kevin Gursoy scored a pair of goals against his former team and Gavin Hart also netted a pair. Halifax singles came from Jason Horvath, D'Artagnan Joly and Marcel Barinka. Cole McLaren was pulled after allowing four goals on 10 shots in just over one period of play. Alex MacVicar allowed four goals on 13 shots in relief.

The Sea Dogs website has a full game recap.

Game Day 55: at Halifax

HALIFAX - The Saint John Sea Dogs are on the road this afternoon.

After dropping back-to-back games against the Eastern Conference leading Moncton Wildcats, the Sea Dogs now take on the conference's ninth-place team - the Halifax Mooseheads.

Game time at Scotiabank Centre is 3 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/Sea Dogs Radio Live/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 25-28-1-0 for 51 points (fourth Maritimes, sixth Eastern, 12th QMJHL) while the Mooseheads are 18-29-3-1 for 40 points (fifth Maritimes, ninth Eastern, 17th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-1 home loss to the Moncton Wildcats on Friday. Jeremie Poirier scored Saint John's lone goal. Zachary Bouthillier made 46 stops in the loss. The Mooseheads are coming off a 6-2 loss in Bathurst on Friday. Senna Peeters and Gavin Hart scored for the Moose. Alexis Gravel made 42 stops in the loss.

2019-20 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 5-1-0-0 against the Mooseheads this season while Halifax is 1-5-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: New Year's Eve at Scotiabank Centre where the Sea Dogs defeated the Mooseheads 6-4. Jeffrey Durocher had a hat trick for Saint John with singles coming from Jordan Spadafore, Dawson Stairs and Brady Burns. Halifax had goals from Jeffrey Burridge, D'Artagnan Joly, Senna Peeters and Zack Jones. Noah Patenaude made 21 saves in the win. Alexis Gravel was pulled after allowing four goals on 24 shots in 40 minutes of play. Cole McLaren made seven saves in relief.

Saturday, February 15, 2020

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 4-1

FINAL: Moncton 4, Saint John 1
SAINT JOHN - It was a much better end result for the Saint John Sea Dogs on Friday night, but they were still heavily outmatched by the Moncton Wildcats.

After pounding the Sea Dogs 10-2 on Wednesday at Avenir Centre, the Wildcats showed again why they are one of the favourites to win the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League title this season, peppering 50 shots on net in a 4-1 win at TD Station.

Gabriel Fortier had a pair of goals for Moncton while singles came from Mika Cyr and Jakob Pelletier. Backup netminder Dakota Lund-Cornish only had to make 16 saves in the victory.

Zachary Bouthillier gave the Sea Dogs a chance, making 46 stops in the loss. Jeremie Poirier scored Saint John's only goal.

Some good news: Saint John has just one more meeting with Moncton this season.

The Sea Dogs website has a full game recap.

Friday, February 14, 2020

Game Day 54: vs Wildcats

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs will look to rebound from one of their worst games of the season tonight.

The Sea Dogs are coming off a 10-2 loss to the Moncton Wildcats on Wednesday night at Avenir Centre. They'll try and recover from that game tonight against the same club - only this time on home ice.

Game time is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/Sea Dogs Radio Live/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 25-27-1-0 for 51 points (fourth Maritimes, sixth Eastern, 11th QMJHL) while the Wildcats are 38-12-1-0 for 77 points (first Maritimes, first Eastern, second QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs and Wildcats met on Wednesday night at Avenir Centre with Moncton winning 10-2. Jakob Pelletier, Gabriel Fortier, Zachary L'Heureux and Alexander Khovanov all scored two goals each for Moncton. Mika Cyr and Jeremy McKenna also scored. Maxim Cajkovic and Charles Savoie had Saint John goals. Olivier Rodrigue made 31 stops in the loss. Noah Patenaude allowed three goals on seven shots before being pulled. Zachary Bouthillier allowed seven goals on 39 shots in relief.

2019-20 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.

Last meeting: See above.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Wildcats: Radio broadcaster Tim Roszell.

Thursday, February 13, 2020

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 10-2

FINAL: Saint John 2, Moncton 10
MONCTON - The Saint John Sea Dogs visited the Moncton Wildcats on Wednesday night.

That's all that needs to be said.

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Game Day 53: at Moncton

MONCTON - The Saint John Sea Dogs will take on one of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's top teams tonight.

The Sea Dogs, winners of three straight, visit the Moncton Wildcats, winners of nine of their past 10 games, this evening at Avenir Centre. This is the first game of a home-and-home between the two with the 'Cats travelling to Saint John on Friday.

Game time is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/Sea Dogs Radio Live/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 25-26-1-0 for 51 points (fourth Maritimes, sixth Eastern, 11th QMJHL) while the Wildcats are 37-12-1-0 for 75 points (first Maritimes, first Eastern, second QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 7-5 home win over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Sunday. Jeffrey Durocher and Josh Lawrence each scored a pair of goals while singles came from Anderson MacDonald, Julian Vander Voet and Brady Burns. Zachary Bouthillier made 33 stops in the win. The Wildcats are coming off a 5-3 win in Quebec City on Sunday. Jeremy McKenna scored a pair of goals with solo markers coming from Gabriel Fortier, Alexander Khovanov and Benoit-Olivier Groulx. Olivier Rodrigue made 23 stops in the win.

2019-20 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 3-3-0-0 against the Wildcats this season while Moncton is 3-3-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Jan. 18 at TD Station where the Wildcats defeated the Sea Dogs 7-4. Gabriel Fortier and Jordan Spence each scored twice for Moncton with Alexander Khovanov, Philippe Daoust and Benoit-Olivier Groulx also scoring. Jeffrey Durocher netted a pair for Saint John while Matt Gould and Dawson Stairs also scored. Olivier Rodrigue made 26 saves in the win. Zachary Bouthillier was pulled after allowing five goals on 51 shots through 40 minutes of play. Noah Patenaude made 16 saves in the third period.

Sunday, February 9, 2020

Recap: Sea Dogs win 7-5

FINAL: Bathurst 5, Saint John 7
SAINT JOHN - Make it three straight wins for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The Sea Dogs moved back to within a win of the .500 mark thanks to a 7-5 victory over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Sunday afternoon at TD Station. Saint John has now won three consecutive games after winning the final two contests of their Quebec road trip last weekend.

Jeffrey Durocher led the way on Sunday with two goals and two assists. Josh Lawrence added a pair while singles came from Anderson MacDonald, Julian Vander Voet and Brady Burns. Zachary Bouthillier made 33 stops in the win.

Bathurst had goals from Mathieu Desgagnes, Mark Rumsey, Alexis Dube, Remy Anglehart and Ben Allison. Tristan Berube made 32 saves in the loss.

The Sea Dogs never trailed in this one but made a game that saw them lead 3-0 and 4-1 much closer than it had to be. The Titan scored four times in the second period - which included three goals in just over four minutes.

Game Day 52: vs Titan

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs will play their first game in over a week this afternoon at TD Station.

With Friday's game against the Halifax Mooseheads called off due to travel conditions, the Sea Dogs have not played since last Saturday's overtime win in Baie-Comeau. They will end the drought today when they take on the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

Game time is 3 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/Sea Dogs Radio Live/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 24-26-1-0 for 49 points (fourth Maritimes, seventh Eastern, 13th QMJHL) while the Titan are 9-34-3-4 for 25 points (sixth Maritimes, 10th Eastern, 18th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-3 overtime win in Baie-Comeau on Saturday. Maxim Cajkovic, Charlie DesRoches, Julian Vander Voet and Brady Burns scored for Saint John. Noah Patenaude made 50 saves in the win. The Titan are coming off a 3-0 home loss to the Victoriaville Tigres on Thursday. Tristan Berube made 30 stops in the loss.

2019-20 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 5-1-0-0 against the Titan this season while Bathurst is 1-4-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Dec. 28 in Bathurst where the Titan defeated the Sea Dogs 5-2. Remy Anglehart had a pair of goals for Bathurst while singles came from Mathieu Desgagnes, Cole Huckins and Anderson MacDonald. Saint John goals came from Ben Badalamenti and Jeffrey Durocher. Tristan Berube made 39 stops in the win. Zachary Bouthillier made 27 saves in the loss.

Friday, February 7, 2020

Sea Dogs/Mooseheads - but not Classified - postponed to another day

SAINT JOHN - The good news is that Classified is still hitting the stage at TD Station tonight. The bad news is that there won't be any "real" Saint John Sea Dogs hockey to accompany it.

After announcing earlier in the day that this evening's 7 p.m. Sea Dogs game against the Halifax Mooseheads had been pushed ahead an hour due to travel conditions, the game has been officially postponed.

Classified will still perform at 8 p.m. followed by a Sea Dogs scrimmage. Typical ticketing conditions will apply.
The postponement was very odd by Quebec Major Junior Hockey League standards. Typically this news comes much earlier in the day - and when fans have not already started to come into the building (doors opened at 6 p.m. and the Mooseheads tweeted about the postponement around 6:50).
Adding to the confusion was the Sea Dogs not making any kind of announcement until 30 minutes after the Mooseheads' tweet.

Game Day 52: vs Mooseheads

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs are back home to play one of their most hyped games of the season.

With Classified performing during both intermissions of tonight's Sea Dogs game against the Halifax Mooseheads, it appears as though the team will have its biggest home crowd of the season. Crowds have been light at TD Station most of the year with the club averaging 3,079 fans per game.

Game time tonight is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/Sea Dogs Radio Live/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 24-26-1-0 for 49 points (fourth Maritimes, seventh Eastern, 12th QMJHL) while the Mooseheads are 18-26-3-1 for 40 points (fifth Maritimes, ninth Eastern, 17th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-3 overtime win in Baie-Comeau on Saturday. Maxim Cajkovic, Charlie DesRoches, Julian Vander Voet and Brady Burns scored for Saint John. Noah Patenaude made 50 saves in the win. The Mooseheads are coming off a 3-2 overtime loss at home to the Charlottetown Islanders on Tuesday. Senna Peeters and Zack Jones had Halifax goals. Alexis Gravel made 38 saves in the loss.

2019-20 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 5-1-0-0 against the Mooseheads this season while Halifax is 1-5-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: New Year's Eve at Scotiabank Centre where the Sea Dogs defeated the Mooseheads 6-4. Jeffrey Durocher had a hat trick for Saint John with singles coming from Jordan Spadafore, Dawson Stairs and Brady Burns. Halifax had goals from Jeffrey Burridge, D'Artagnan Joly, Senna Peeters and Zack Jones. Noah Patenaude made 21 saves in the win. Alexis Gravel was pulled after allowing four goals on 24 shots in 40 minutes of play. Cole McLaren made seven saves in relief.

Sunday, February 2, 2020

Poirier breaks team record

Embed from Getty Images

Jeremie Poirier is now alone at the top.

Poirier netted his 16th goal of the season in the Saint John Sea Dogs' 5-4 shootout win in Chicoutimi on Friday night, setting a franchise record for goals in a single season by a defenseman.

The 17-year-old surpassed Alex Grant's long standing record of 15 goals, which was set way back in the 2007-08 season.
It's a bit surprising it took this long for Grant's record to fall considering the likes of Nathan Beaulieu, Thomas Chabot and other prominent offensive defensemen have developed through the Sea Dogs over the years.

Poirier is second in the league in defensemen goal scoring, sitting behind Victoriaville's Jerome Gravel who has 17. Poirier also sits second in defensemen points with 44.

While the offensive numbers are impressive, the knock on Poirier continues to be his defensive game, which will need to be a focus as he continues to develop. Currently projected to be a mid to late first round pick in June's NHL Draft, Poirier would likely be seeded higher if he was stronger defensively. Fortunately, he's only in his second season of major junior and has time to work on his all around game.

Meanwhile, Poirier's defensive partner, William Villeneuve, is nearing a team record. With 36 assists, Villeneuve is tied for third with Thomas Chabot for most assists in a season by a Sea Dogs defenseman. Nathan Beaulieu owns that record, registering 41 helpers in the 2011-12 season.

Beaulieu owns the Sea Dogs record for points in a season by a defenseman, recording 52 in 2011-12. Poirier and Villeneuve each have 44 points with 17 regular season games remaining.

Saturday, February 1, 2020

Recap: Sea Dogs win 4-3 (OT)

FINAL: Saint John 4, Baie-Comeau 3 (OT)
BAIE-COMEAU, Que. - For a second straight game, goaltending led the Saint John Sea Dogs to an overtime win.

Noah Patenaude made 50 saves on Saturday to guide the Sea Dogs to a 4-3 overtime victory over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar. It was the team's second straight road win following a 5-4 shootout victory in Chicoutimi last night.

Brady Burns netted the overtime winner at 3:44 of the extra frame, giving the Sea Dogs the added point and a split in their four-game road trip.
Maxim Cajkovic, Charlie DesRoches and Julian Vander Voet scored in regulation time. Patenaude made 50 stops to earn the win - some of which were highlight worthy.

Brandon Frattaroli, Nathan Légaré and Valentin Demchenko scored for Baie-Comeau. Lucas Fitzpatrick made 24 saves in the loss.

The Sea Dogs website has a full game recap.

Game Day 51: at Baie-Comeau

BAIE-COMEAU, Que. - Coming off one of their biggest wins of the season, the Saint John Sea Dogs will look to keep the momentum going today in Baie-Comeau.

After a disappointing 0-2 start to this four-game Quebec road trip, the Sea Dogs pulled out a 5-4 shootout win over the Eastern Conference leading Chicoutimi Sagueneens. The victory ended a three-game losing streak for Saint John.

Game time today against the Drakkar is 5 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/Sea Dogs Live/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 23-26-1-0 for 47 points (fourth Maritimes, sixth Eastern, 11th QMJHL) while the Drakkar are 19-20-6-2 for 20 points (third East, seventh Eastern, 11th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-4 shootout win in Chicoutimi last night. Josh Lawrence, Charlie DesRoches, Jeremie Poirier and Brady Burns scored for Saint John. Zachary Bouthillier made 45 stops in the win. The Drakkar are coming off a 7-4 home loss to the Sherbrooke Phoenix last night. Raivis Kristians Ansons, Brandon Frattaroli, Etienne Arseneau and Jordan Brière scored for Baie-Comeau. Lucas Fitzpatrick allowed seven goals on 31 shots through 40 minutes of play. Daniel Moody stopped all five shots he faced in the third.

2019-20 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 1-0-0-0 against the Drakkar this season while Baie-Comeau is 0-1-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Jan. 12 at TD Station where the Sea Dogs defeated the Drakkar 3-0. Dawson Stairs, Josh Lawrence and Brady Burns all scored for Saint John. Zachary Bouthillier made 32 stops in the shutout win. Lucas Fitzpatrick made 32 saves in the loss.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 5-4 (SO)

FINAL: Saint John 5, Chicoutimi 4 (SO)
CHICOUTIMI, Que. - The Saint John Sea Dogs picked up a significant win on Friday night in Quebec.

Zachary Bouthillier made 45 saves in 65 minutes of action and stopped all three shots he faced in the shootout to lead the Sea Dogs to a 5-4 win over the Chicoutimi Sagueneens - Bouthillier's old club and the top team in the Eastern Conference - at the Georges Vezina Centre.

Josh Lawrence, Charlie DesRoches, Jeremie Poirier and Brady Burns scored for Saint John, who recorded just 20 shots in the win. Burns, the team's leading scorer who hadn't scored since Jan. 12, netted the only goal of the shootout to give the Sea Dogs the extra point.

The Sags, who loaded up during the holiday trade period, are going through a rough stretch. After losing to Rimouski and Sherbrooke last weekend, this loss to a much lower seeded team was certainly not what they were looking for.

Dawson Mercer, Justin Ducharme, Xavier Labrecque and Raphael Lavoie scored for Chicoutimi. Carmine-Anthony Pagliarulo was pulled early in the third after giving up two quick goals. He made 14 saves. Alexis Shank allowed two goals on three shots in relief.

The Sea Dogs website has a full game recap.