Recap: Sea Dogs win 5-3

FINAL: Cape Breton 3, Saint John 5

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs delivered a treat on Saturday, ending a four-game losing streak by beating the Cape Breton Eagles 5-3 at TD Station.

The Sea Dogs had a strong first period, grabbing a 3-1 advantage, and were able to maintain a lead throughout the game, something the team has struggled mightily with all season long.

Nicholas Girouard, playing on the fourth line, had one of his best games as a Sea Dog, scoring twice and recording seven shots. Joshua Roy, Peter Reynolds and Riley Bezeau also scored. Noah Patenaude, playing for a second straight game, made 29 saves in the win.

This was Saint John's best 60-minute performance of the season, something that was much needed after a rough start to the year. This was Saint John's first regulation time win this season.

While no games have been easy for the Sea Dogs, they're entering an "easy" stretch, playing the Moncton Wildcats four times and Halifax Mooseheads twice over the next six games. Hopefully the team can carry the positive momentum gained from this win into the coming week and earn some more dubs.

Cape Breton goals came from Nathan Larose, Felix Lafrance and Shawn Element. Nicolas Ruccia made 44 stops in the loss.

The Sea Dogs and Halloween

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - For the fifth time in team history, the Saint John Sea Dogs will play on Halloween.

The Sea Dogs are 2-2-0 all-time on Oct. 31 with three of those four games having taken place on home ice. It's also the second straight year that the team will play on Halloween.

Here's a quick look at past results.

2010-11: 7-0 win at Rouyn-Noranda

Michael Kirkpatrick and Stanislav Galiev each scored twice while Mike Thomas added a goal and two assists in the road win. Frederic Piche, who is still playing senior hockey in Quebec, made 28 saves in the shutout win.

2012-13: 2-1 loss vs Blainville-Boisbriand

Ryan Tesink scored Saint John's only goal while Aidan Kelly was named third star. Jonathan Huberdeau was still with the Sea Dogs at the time due to the NHL lockout.

2015-16: 5-3 win vs Val-d'Or

Matthew Highmore and Daniel Del Paggio each had a goal and an assist. Nathan Noel added two helpers. Marc-Antoine Turcotte made 29 saves in the win.

2019-20: 6-1 loss vs Rimouski

Jonna Lehmus scored Saint John's only goal a year ago. Rimouski's big line of Cedric Pare (three goals and three assists), Alexis Lafreniere (four assists) and Dmitry Zavgorodniy (one goal and four assists) lit up Saint John.

The Sea Dogs will look to end a four-game losing streak this afternoon against the Cape Breton Eagles at TD Station. Creed Jones (0-3, 5.11 GAA and .827 SV%) will likely get the start.

Note today's 3 p.m. start time.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 5-4 (OT)

FINAL: Cape Breton 5, Saint John 4 (OT)

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs let a strong start slip away on Friday.

The Sea Dogs opened the scoring just 26 seconds into the game and had one of their best first periods of the season only to struggle in the final 40-plus minutes, ultimately falling 5-4 in overtime to the Cape Breton Eagles at TD Station.

The Sea Dogs have now lost four straight games and are still looking for their first regulation time win. The team's record of 1-3-2-1 places them in the basement of the Maritimes Division due to the Moncton Wildcats winning on Friday.

Saint John grabbed a 2-0 lead early in the second period in what proved to be an entertaining, back-and-forth match for much of the night. The Eagles stormed back with goals from Liam Kidney and Ryan Francis and the teams headed into the third tied 3-3. Shots were 16-7 in favour of the Eagles in the middle frame.

Cape Breton took a 4-3 lead just 2:43 into the third. William Villeneuve's first of the season at 13:46 tied things up again.

Shawn Element gave the Eagles the win, firing a quick one-timer past Noah Patenaude at 1:18 of overtime.

Francis scored two goals for Cape Breton while singles came from Element, Liam Kidney and Francois-James Buteau. Nicolas Ruccia made 24 stops in the win.

Villeneuve, Cam MacDonald, Charles Savoie and Joshua Roy scored for Saint John. Patenaude made 32 stops in the loss.

Some good news: Saint John won't have much time to think about this loss. The two teams meet again tomorrow for a rare 3 p.m. Saturday start.

QMJHL, OHL both dealt blows

SAINT JOHN - The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and Ontario Hockey League have both been dealt some harsh blows less than 24 hours apart.

On Thursday night, the QMJHL issued a statement confirming that teams within Quebec's red zones would not be permitted to resume games. Four Quebec-based teams - Rimouski, Baie-Comeau, Rouyn-Noranda and Val-d'Or - are scheduled to return to action on Friday night for the first time since Thanksgiving weekend.

"Following a constructive meeting with Public Health Officials held earlier today, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announces the postponement of games for teams located in red zones until further notice," stated the league's press release. "All games planned for this weekend will be rescheduled. The rest of the regular season schedule will be re-evaluated next week.

"However, Quebec Public Health Officials have shown an openness to a potential bubble project for teams located in red zones. The league will be exploring different scenarios with Public Health Officials in the upcoming days and work towards possible solutions so that these teams can resume play as soon as possible."

Obviously this is bad news for the QMJHL and, obviously, a bubble has plenty of logistical and financial hurdles. There's not an easy solution here.

On Friday, just days after the OHL announced it had pushed its start date to February, the Canadian Press first reported that Ontario will indeed not allow the OHL to return to play if bodychecking is permitted. This information came out a while ago, but many thought the OHL would find a way around it.

Game Day 7 & 8: vs Eagles

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs will look to end a three-game losing streak this weekend against the Cape Breton Eagles.

The Sea Dogs will host the Eagles tonight at 7 p.m. and again on Saturday at 3 p.m. It's the first meetings of the regular season between the two teams that split a pair of pre-season matches.

Neither club is off to a blistering start with the Sea Dogs winning just one of their first six games and the Eagles winning three of their first eight.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/93 CFBC AM/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 1-3-1-1 for four points (sixth Maritimes, 13th QMJHL) while the Eagles are 3-5-0-0 for six points (fourth Maritimes, eighth QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-3 home loss to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Saturday. Julian Vander Voet, Alex Drover and Joshua Roy all scored for Saint John. Creed Jones allowed five goals on 20 shots through 40 minutes of play while Noah Patenaude made 11 saves in the third. The Eagles are coming off a 10-2 home loss to the Halifax Mooseheads on Saturday. Felix Lafrance and Lucas Canning scored for Cape Breton. William Grimard allowed two goals on 12 shots in the first period while Nicolas Ruccia allowed eight goals on 22 shots the rest of the way. 

2020-21 head-to-head: This is the first meeting of the regular season between the two teams.

2019-20 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 2-5-0-0 against the Eagles last season while Cape Breton went 5-1-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Sept. 19 in pre-season play where the Sea Dogs edged the Eagles 5-4 in a shootout at Centre 200. Liam Leonard, Alex Drover, Cam MacDonald and Christopher Inniss scored for Saint John. Cape Breton goals came from Nathan Larose (two), Felix Lafrance and Lucas Canning. Daniel Moody made 34 stops in the win. Nicolas Ruccia made 25 stops in the loss.

OHL start pushed; four Q teams return

Ontario Hockey League teams will have to wait a few more months to begin their 2020-21 seasons (or... is it just 2021 season now?).

While the OHL has not confirmed the reports, both Sportsnet's Jeff Marek and TSN's Darren Dreger have reported that the start of the league's season has been pushed to Feb. 4.

- 1 or 2 exhibition games Jan 29 - 31 then right into the season.
- There was no talk about what happens with U.S teams.
- No details about how how games/schedule will be determined but it is believed teams may only play against 4 or 5 other squads.

— Jeff Marek (@JeffMarek) October 28, 2020

The league had been aiming for a Dec. 1 start, a date that was looking more and more unlikely by the day given the steady rise of COVID-19 cases in many parts of Ontario. Still, the Feb. 4 date is a bit of a surprise given the WHL's plan to start in early January.

Marek added that, under this format, the OHL's season would end May 14 - two weeks later than the league had announced in August.

The Memorial Cup host, meanwhile, still has not been announced. It is, for the time being, scheduled to be hosted by either Oshawa or Sault Ste. Marie from June 17-27.

Three Dogs make NHL Central Scouting list

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Three Saint John Sea Dogs cracked NHL Central Scouting's "Players to Watch" list for the 2021 NHL Draft.

Forwards Joshua Roy and Peter Reynolds were awarded 'B' ratings, indicating a second- or third-round candidate. Forward Cam MacDonald, meanwhile, was given a 'C' ratting, meaning a fourth-, fifth- or sixth-round candidate.

Roy currently leads the Sea Dogs in scoring with four goals and six points in six games. Reynolds has registered two goals and two assists in his first QMJHL season while MacDonald has one helper.

Two Sea Dogs draft picks also made the list. Forward Fyodor Svechkov, who the Sea Dogs selected in the first-round of this year's CHL Import Draft (but remains a long shot to report), was given an 'A' rating, indicating a first-round pick. Svechkov is currently playing in Russia.

Defenseman Guillaume Richard, a fourth-round pick of the Dogs in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft, was given a 'B' rating. Richard, a University of Maine commit, is currently playing with the USHL's Tri-City Storm.

Only three current QMJHL players - Rimouski's Zachary Bolduc, Halifax's Zachary L'Heureux and Shawinigan's Xavier Bourgault - were given 'A' ratings.

The full list can be found here.

Notebook: Quebec's restrictions extended

All 18 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League teams are scheduled to play this Friday - but that is certainly looking unlikely.

At a press conference Monday, Quebec premier Francois Legault announced that the province's red zone restrictions will remain in place for another four weeks, stretching them to Nov. 23. The current restrictions were set to expire on Oct. 28 but with new COVID-19 infections nowhere close to being under control yet - the province has been averaging between 800 to 1,000 new cases daily, the Montreal Gazette notes - it comes as no surprise to see an extension.

This likely means bad news for the QMJHL's 12 Quebec-based teams - but we will see. Only the six Maritimes Division clubs have been in action since Thanksgiving weekend.

Even if the league finds a way to get clearance to play, it sounds like some teams are hesitant to return. The Sherbrooke Phoenix, for example, are still getting their playing legs back under them after several players tested positive a few weeks ago, reports La Tribune. Over the weekend, the QMJHL announced that seven members of the Drummondville Voltigeurs had confirmed cases.

The OHL, meanwhile, has not pushed its early December start date - but you have to think that announcement is coming. The WHL recently pushed its start to early January.

UP NEXT

The Saint John Sea Dogs are one of the lucky few teams that get to play right now - but it has been a rocky start.

The Sea Dogs are 1-3-1-1 with their lone win coming in a shootout. The team lost both of its games this past weekend and have now dropped three straight.

Saint John will face the Cape Breton Eagles on Friday and Saturday at TD Station, a team they have yet to face in the regular season. The two met twice in the pre-season with the team's splitting the series - both of which ended in shootouts.

The Eagles are 3-5-0-0 and are coming off a brutal 10-2 home loss to the Halifax Mooseheads on Saturday.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 5-3

FINAL: Bathurst 5, Saint John 3

SAINT JOHN - The Acadie-Bathurst Titan just keep rolling along.

The surprising Titan improved to 7-0-0-1 on the season with a 5-3 victory over the Saint John Sea Dogs on Saturday night at TD Station. The Titan have now picked up five of a possible six points in their three meetings with the Sea Dogs.

Bathurst's big guns once again led the way with Cole Huckins, Mathieu Desgagnes, Felix-Antoine Marcotty and Logan Chisholm all scoring. Mark Rumsey also connected while Chad Arsenault made 38 saves in the win.

The Sea Dogs struggled once again at both ends of the ice. A few defensive errors resulted in Titan goals while the offense couldn't generate much sustained pressure throughout the contest. It's the same issues the Dogs have been dealing with all season and it's led them to a disappointing 1-3-1-1 record so far. But it's still early, at least.

Julian Vander Voet, Alex Drover and Joshua Roy all scored for Saint John. Creed Jones allowed five goals on 20 shots in the opening 40 minutes. Noah Patenaude made 11 saves in the third.

Game Day 6: vs Titan

SAINT JOHN - The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's biggest surprise makes another trip to TD Station tonight.

The Acadie-Bathurst Titan, projected by most to finish near the bottom of the QMJHL standings again this season, are off to a 6-0-0-1 start, placing them first overall. 

Game time tonight is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/93 CFBC/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 1-2-1-1 for four points (fifth Maritimes, 12th QMJHL) while the Titan are 6-0-0-1 for 13 points (first Maritimes, first QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-1 loss in Charlottetown last night. Peter Reynolds scored Saint John's only goal. Noah Patenaude made 30 saves in the loss. The Titan are coming off a 4-2 win last night in Moncton. Logan Chisholm scored two goals while singles came from Adam McCormick and Cole Huckins. Christian Sbaraglia made 33 stops in the win.

2020-21 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 1-0-1-0 against the Titan this season while Bathurst is 1-0-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Oct. 9 at TD Station where the Sea Dogs defeated the Titan 2-1 in a shootout. Bennett MacArthur scored in regulation for Bathurst while Joshua Roy scored for Saint John. Noah Patenaude made 34 saves in the win. Chad Arsenault made 49 saves in the loss.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 5-1

FINAL: Saint John 1, Charlottetown 5

CHARLOTTETOWN - The Saint John Sea Dogs once again fell into a hole they couldn't get out of on Friday night.

The Sea Dogs struggled to get much of anything going offensively in the first 40 minutes at Eastlink Centre, falling behind 4-0 and ultimately losing 5-1 to the Charlottetown Islanders. Saint John only registered 11 shots through the first two periods despite having five-and-a-half power plays. 

Saint John finished the game 0-for-7 on the man advantage and were outshot 35-25.

Much like the last meeting between these two - which the Islanders led 4-0 in as well - the Sea Dogs turned things around in the third period (some of it, at least). Peter Reynolds scored an early goal and the Dogs had 12 shots just eight minutes in. But unlike that last meeting - which Charlottetown hung on to win 6-5 - Saint John couldn't cut the deficit any further.

Saint John is now 1-2-1-1 overall and 0-1-1-1 on the road. It's been a struggle, but hopefully the Sea Dogs can start to make some improvements as the season continues to move along.

Keiran Gallant, Drew Elliott, Ryan Maynard, Cedric Desruisseaux and Sam Oliver scored for Charlottetown. Colten Ellis made 24 saves in the win.

A positive for Saint John was Noah Patenaude, who had a good night in net despite the loss. He made 30 saves.

The Sea Dogs have now lost 13 straight games at Eastlink Centre, a streak that dates back to the 2017-18 season. Their last win in the building was on Oct. 6, 2017.

Game Day 5: at Charlottetown

CHARLOTTETOWN - The Saint John Sea Dogs and Charlottetown Islanders meet for the second time this season tonight at Eastlink Centre.

The Islanders edged the Sea Dogs 6-5 on Oct. 3 at TD Station - a game that saw the Sea Dogs erase a 4-0 deficit before falling behind again. That contest was Saint John's home opener while this evening's match will be Charlottetown's first home game of the 2020-21 campaign.

Game time tonight is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/93 CFBC/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 1-1-1-1 for four points (fourth Maritimes, 11th QMJHL) while the Islanders are 4-1-0-0 for eight points (second Maritimes, fourth QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-4 shootout loss in Halifax on Saturday. Riley Bezeau, Josh Lawrence, Alex Drover and Joshua Roy scored for Saint John. Creed Jones made 23 stops in the loss. The Islanders are coming off a 5-0 win in Halifax last Saturday. Cédric Desruisseaux and Thomas Casey each scored a pair while  Noah Laaouan added a solo marker. Colten Ellis made 25 saves in the shutout win.

2020-21 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 0-1-0-0 against the Islanders this season while Charlottetown is 1-0-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Oct. 3 at TD Station where the Islanders defeated the Sea Dogs 6-5. Cédric Desruisseaux had a hat trick for Charlottetown while singles came from Patrick LeBlanc, Lukas Cormier and Brett Budgell. Nicholas Girouard, Peter Reynolds, Dawson Stairs, Josh Lawrence and Jeremie Poirier all scored for Saint John. Colten Ellis made 32 stops in the win. Creed Jones made 29 saves in the loss.

Two postponed games rescheduled

Two postponed Saint John Sea Dogs games have been rescheduled.

The Sea Dogs will now visit the Moncton Wildcats on Wednesday, Nov. 4, a game that was originally scheduled for Oct. 16. The Wildcats will then visit Saint John on Tuesday, Nov. 10 for a game that replaces the Oct. 10 contest.

Both games had to be postponed due to the Moncton region being placed in the COVID-19 orange phase by the province, an emergency measure that will end tonight.

The Wildcats host the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Friday night and visit the Charlottetown Islanders on Saturday. The team hasn't played a game since Oct. 9 in Halifax, but they were permitted to keep practicing while in the orange.

The Sea Dogs, meanwhile, have a busy November ahead of them. With these two rescheduled games being added on, Saint John will play 11 games over a 26-day period.

All six Maritimes Division clubs will be in action on Friday while the 12 Quebec based teams remain on pause.

On Thursday, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced that the Drummondville Voltigeurs have paused all in-person activities due to a player testing positive.

Notebook: Sea Dogs visit Islanders Friday

The Saint John Sea Dogs will be the first visiting team to hit the Eastlink Centre ice on Friday.

The Sea Dogs will take on the Charlottetown Islanders in the PEI club's home opener. The Islanders held their training camp at UPEI and have played all pre-season and regular season games on the road so far this season due to the Eastlink Centre's lengthy conversion from a COVID-19 testing site back into a hockey rink.

Ice logos and lines are painted. We are only a week away from live @IslandersHKY action! pic.twitter.com/xw5Unj9gmL

— Eastlink Centre Charlottetown (@EastlinkCtrPEI) October 16, 2020

It'll be the second meeting of the season between the two. Charlottetown defeated the Sea Dogs 6-5 in Saint John on Oct. 3 - which was the Dogs' home opener.

The Islanders are 4-1-0-0 while the Sea Dogs are 1-1-1-1.

Following Friday's game, the Sea Dogs host the surprising Acadie-Bathurst Titan, who are 5-0-0-1, on Saturday at TD Station.

DESROCHES RECOGNIZED

Sea Dogs defenseman Charlie DesRoches has been named to the QMJHL's Team of the Week.

DesRoches recorded two assists and was a +3 in Saint John's 5-4 shootout loss in Halifax on Saturday night. He also recorded three shots on goal in the game.

The third-year defenseman has three assists in four games this season.

ROY STAYING HOT

Joshua Roy has been impressive so far this season, recording at least a point in each of the Sea Dogs' four games. Roy has registered three goals and two assists to lead the team in scoring.

Going back to last season, Roy now has points in seven straight regular season games and 13 of his past 14.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 5-4 (SO)

FINAL: Saint John 4, Halifax 5 (SO)

HALIFAX - Four games into the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League regular season and the Saint John Sea Dogs are still looking for their first regulation time victory.

The Sea Dogs, even though they carried the play for a lot of the game, were fortunate to leave Saturday's road contest against the Halifax Mooseheads with a point, losing 5-4 in a shootout. Saint John got off to a slow start and trailed for much of the game, but another clutch goal from Joshua Roy late in the third period sent the match to extra time.

The Sea Dogs are now 1-1-1-1 on the season with all four of their games being decided by one-goal and three of the four needing extra time. It's still far too early to make any final judgements on this team, and this kind of four-game stretch during the middle of the season would probably go unnoticed. But for a team that is supposed to be making significant strides forward, the 2020-21 Sea Dogs so far have looked... average.

Saint John has shown various signs of promise in every game. They've also shown various signs of concern in every game. What they haven't done is put together a solid 60-minute performance - win or lose. It's still early - but there is clearly plenty of work to be done.

Halifax controlled the opening half of the first period on Saturday at Scotiabank Centre and grabbed a 2-0 lead. Riley Bezeau's goal with eight seconds remaining gave the Dogs - who had a strong final few minutes in the opening frame - a much needed lift entering the dressing room.

Josh Lawrence tied the game at 1:22 of the second period only to have Elliot Desnoyers put Halifax back in front just 1:37 later. Despite the Moose goal, the Sea Dogs really picked up momentum in the middle frame, outshooting the home side 17-7.

Alex Drover tied the game at 3-3 at 5:56. The Sea Dogs were applying some good offensive zone pressure late in the third but, in a very 2020-21 Sea Dogs moment, Markus Vidicek scored to put Halifax in front 4-3 at 17:20. Fortunately for Saint John, Roy netted the equalizer at 18:34.

Josh Lawrence had a great chance to win the match late in overtime but hit the post. In the shootout, Bobby Orr, of course, scored the winner.

Cole McLaren made 37 stops in the win and Creed Jones made 23 saves in the loss.

Game Day 4: at Halifax

HALIFAX - At long last, the Saint John Sea Dogs will play a hockey game.

After having their past two games against the Moncton Wildcats postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the Moncton area, the Sea Dogs will play their first match since Oct. 9 this evening, visiting the Halifax Mooseheads. It's the first meeting of the regular season between the Dogs and Moose.

Halifax enters tonight's 7 p.m. contest on a four-game losing streak.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Eastlink TV/CFBC 930 AM/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 1-1-1-0 for three points (fourth Maritimes, 12th QMJHL) while the Mooseheads are 1-3-1-0 for three points (fifth Maritimes, 13th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 2-1 shootout win over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Oct. 9 at TD Station. Joshua Roy scored in regulation and netted the only goal of the shootout. Noah Patenaude made 34 stops in the win. The Mooseheads are coming a 5-0 home loss to the Charlottetown Islanders last night. Cole McLaren allowed four goals on 26 shots in 40 minutes of play. Brady James allowed a goal on 13 shots in the third.

2020-21 head-to-head: This is the first meeting of the season between the two.

2019-20 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 7-1-0-0 against the Mooseheads last season while Halifax went 1-7-0-0 against Saint John. 

Last meeting: A Sept. 13 pre-season game at TD Station where the Sea Dogs defeated the Mooseheads 6-3. Brady Burns and Charlie DesRoches each scored a pair while singles came from Josh Lawrence and Liam Leonard. Jordan Dumais scored a pair for Halifax and Zachary L'Heureux netted the other. Noah Patenaude allowed a goal on 14 shots and Daniel Moody two goals on 22 shots in the win. Cole McLaren allowed three goals on 22 shots and Brady James two goals on 15 shots in the loss.

U Sports cancels championships - but AUS could still play

There will be no University Cup champion crowned for a second straight year.

U Sports announced on Thursday that all winter sport national championships - which includes men's hockey - have been cancelled for the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19 and the travel restrictions the pandemic has created. This year's tournament was scheduled to take place in March at Charlottetown's Eastlink Centre.

It's the second straight year that COVID-19 has forced the cancellation of the University Cup. Last year's tournament in Halifax took place at the same time as the global sports shut down began and was forced to end after just one day of action.

While this is obviously bad news, there is still a chance we see university hockey in Canada this season - especially in the Maritimes. Atlantic University Sport announced that a return-to-play committee will make a recommendation on how (or if) to proceed with conference games and championships by mid-November.

"The committee will focus its efforts on the areas of health and safety, financial accountability, and travel concerns, and will provide its recommendations to the AUS board of directors by early November," stated an AUS press release."

"A board decision is then expected by mid-November."

The Quebec conference, RSEQ, has only cancelled sports until Jan. 15. What that means for hockey is fuzzy given that its men's teams play in the Ontario conference. Canada West and Ontario have both cancelled Winter sports and championships - but they could still take part in exhibition matches.

"While the conferences are not sanctioning any sporting activities, members will be able to schedule exhibition games if local health authorities permit," writes Ben Steiner of 49-sport.com. "This has already gone on in fall sports, with exhibition games for soccer and golf taking place."

This decision impacts a ton of Saint John Sea Dogs alumni, most of whom play for Ontario, Quebec and Maritime schools. You have to wonder if a lot of university players may end up going pro, especially guys who are in or are nearing their final season of eligibility/schooling. European leagues are up and running and the ECHL is planning on a December return - both of which may be enticing destinations.

Quebec team games on hold until Oct. 28

And then there were five.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced the inevitable on Wednesday, postponing all games involving the 12 Quebec-based teams until Oct. 28. Nearly half of those teams were in or heading towards the province's red zone, which prohibits sports, while one of those clubs and another are still dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak.

According to a press release, "the league’s decision was made by the Assembly of Members in a meeting held earlier today. With half of the Quebec-based teams located in red zones, it became almost impossible to operate in these circumstances. Nevertheless, QMJHL student-athletes will continue to practice in their facilities while pursuing their studies.

"The QMJHL is working closely with public health officials and is committed to following their guidelines. The league’s cooperation is essential for the pursuit of its activities."

The league said it will reassess the situation in two weeks, when hopefully Quebec has the pandemic much more under control.

This news seemed more and more likely with each passing day as more markets were added to red zones. The big question was whether the league would continue to operate in the Maritimes - and the answer is yes.

With the exception of the Moncton Wildcats - who are currently in the provinces's orange phase, which prohibits sports activities and entertainment venues - the five other Maritimes-based clubs will continue on as scheduled. Moncton's games for this weekend have been postponed, but the club has been given permission to continue to practicing, according to the Times & Transcript.

The Saint John Sea Dogs were scheduled to host the Wildcats last Saturday and visit Moncton on Friday, but both of those games will have to be played at a later date. Saint John's next game will be on Saturday when they visit the Halifax Mooseheads - and Nova Scotia confirmed Wednesday that the province's borders will remain open to New Brunswickers despite the recent outbreaks.

So, none of this is ideal, but hopefully it's only temporary and all teams are back in action come November.

The WHL, meanwhile, announced Wednesday that it plans to begin its regular season on Jan. 8 with teams only playing within their divisions. The OHL plans to start on Dec. 1.

Another QMJHL team to be put on pause

A seventh Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team will be forced to take a pause due to COVID-19.

It was announced Tuesday that Victoriaville will be the latest QMJHL market to be placed into the red zone by the Quebec government, putting on a pause on the team's games until further notice.

According to the Victoriaville newspaper La Nouvelle Union, the region won't be turned red until Monday, meaning the Tigres could technically play their weekend games. We'll see what happens.

Victoriaville joins the Quebec Remparts as teams in the East Division that are in red regions while it's believed the Shawinigan Cataractes could soon be in the same boat. In the West, the Drummondville Voltigeurs, Gatineau Olympiques and Blainville-Boisbriand Armada are all in the red. The Armada and Sherbrooke Phoenix, meanwhile, are dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks amongst themselves.

In the Maritimes, Moncton has been placed into the orange phase by the New Brunswick government, which puts a pause on all sporting events and closes entertainment venues. Last Saturday's Wildcats game in Saint John was postponed and the team will presumably be out of action for at least a couple weeks. No official announcement has been made yet.

So less than three weeks into the regular season, six teams are impacted by government regulations and two by COVID outbreaks (the Armada fall into both categories). This is a rough scene for the QMJHL, and we're reaching the point where you have to wonder if hitting the brakes for a few weeks is the simplest - and safest - option. This past week showed all of us just how quickly things can take a turn.

The Sea Dogs are scheduled to play in Moncton on Friday night, but that game is unlikely to happen. On Saturday, assuming the Atlantic bubble is still a thing, Saint John will visit the Halifax Mooseheads

Sea Dogs/Wildcats game postponed

SAINT JOHN - Tonight's Saint John Sea Dogs home game against the Moncton Wildcats has been postponed by the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

The decision comes after the Moncton area was placed back into the orange phase by the provincial government due to the recent COVID-19 outbreak.

From the Sea Dogs:

Following the New Brunswick Government’s decision to return the Moncton area to the Orange level, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League postpones tonight's game between the Saint John Sea Dogs and the Moncton Wildcats until further notice. The game was scheduled to take place at TD Station in Saint John, NB.

In New Brunswick, an Orange level translates into the following rules: no organized sports are allowed, sport and recreational facilities are closed as well as large live event venues. This also includes travel restrictions that limit travel outside the designated zone. 

This announcement does not effect any future Sea Dogs home games. The QMJHL remains in constant contact with regional Public Health Officials. We thank you for your patience and understanding during this time and urge everyone to stay safe.

Moncton went into the orange phase at midnight and the government has requested people not travel in and out of the area. The Wildcats played in Halifax last night and were not expected to return home, allowing them to play tonight's game in Saint John. Obviously some thoughts changed overnight - and it's probably the right call. There's no point in taking chances when there's plenty of time to reschedule this game for later in the season.

The Sea Dogs are scheduled to play in Moncton next Friday, but that game will likely get postponed as well.

This is the first COVID related issue for a QMJHL team in the Maritimes this season. In Quebec, there have been confirmed cases on the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and Sherbrooke Phoenix, which have postponed several games. Meanwhile, the Armada, Quebec Remparts and soon the Drummondville Voltigeurs have all been placed in red zones by the Quebec government, which will put a pause on sports for the rest of the month.

Game Day 4: vs Wildcats

SAINT JOHN - Two teams coming off their first wins of the season meet tonight at TD Station.

The Saint John Sea Dogs are coming off a 2-1 home shootout win over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan last night while the Moncton Wildcats picked up a 4-2 road win over the Halifax Mooseheads. Game time tonight is 7 p.m.

So... will this game be played? At the time of this writing, everything was good to go. The Wildcats were not expected to spend the night in Moncton, which went back into the orange phase as of midnight last night, putting limitations on sports, entertainment venues and travel in and out. The bigger question might be: when will the Wildcats play after tonight's game?

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/CFBC 930 AM/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 1-1-1-0 this season for three points (fourth Maritimes, 12th QMJHL) while the Wildcats are 1-2-0-0 for two points (fifth Maritimes, 14th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 2-1 shootout win over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan last night on home ice. Joshua Roy scored Saint John's only goal in regulation and the only goal of the shootout. Noah Patenaude made 34 saves in the win. The Wildcats are coming off a 4-2 win in Halifax last night. Jacob Stewart scored a pair while singles came from Gabriel Bernier and Connor Olson. Dakota Lund-Cornish made 20 saves in the win.

2020-21 head-to-head: This is the first meeting of the season between the two.

2019-20 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 3-5-0-0 against the Wildcats last season while Moncton went 5-3-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Sept. 25 in pre-season action where the Wildcats defeated the Sea Dogs 3-2 in overtime at TD Station. Dominic Leblanc scored twice for Moncton while Jacob Hudson netted the overtime winner. Jeremie Poirier and Brady Burns scored for Saint John. Dakota Lund-Cornish made 21 stops in the win. Creed Jones made 36 stops in the loss.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 2-1 (SO)

FINAL: Bathurst 1, Saint John 2 (SO)

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs picked up their first win of the season on Friday night at TD Station.

Joshua Roy scored in regulation time and added the only goal of the shootout to give the Sea Dogs a 2-1 victory over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Two of Saint John's three games so far this season have needed extra time.

The Sea Dogs fired 50 shots on net in the win but had a hard time beating Titan netminder Chad Arsenault - the last-minute pickup who has been one of the league's best stories. Arsenault has helped the Titan earn points in all three of their games, allowing just four goals on 120 total shots.

Saint John had a number of excellent scoring opportunities that were denied by Arsenault. The Dogs still weren't quite clicking on all cylinders, but this game was definitely the club's best 65-minute performance of the year.

Noah Patenaude made 34 saves in the win. The Sea Dogs are now 1-1-1-0.

Bennett MacArthur scored Bathurst's lone goal.

Game Day 3: vs Titan

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs will look to earn their first win of the season tonight at TD Station.

The Sea Dogs lost both games they played last weekend, blowing a third period lead in Bathurst on Friday and then had a comeback fall short on Saturday against Charlottetown. It was obvious that the team had plenty to work on and tonight, after a week of practice, we'll see how they look.

Game time between the Sea Dogs and Acadie-Bathurst Titan tonight is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/CFBC 630 AM/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 0-1-1-0 for one point (fifth Maritimes, 15th QMJHL) while the Titan are 2-0-0-0 for four points (second Maritimes, fourth QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 6-5 loss to the Charlottetown Islanders last Saturday. Nicholas Girouard, Peter Reynolds, Dawson Stairs, Josh Lawrence and Jeremie Poirier scored for Saint John. Creed Jones made 29 stops in the loss. The Titan are coming off a 2-0 win in Moncton last Sunday. Bennett MacArthur and Mathieu Desgagnes score for Bathurst. Chad Arsenault made 34 saves in the shutout win.

2020-21 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 0-0-1-0 against the Titan while Bathurst is 1-0-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: One week ago at the KC Irving Regional Centre where the Titan defeated the Sea Dogs 4-3 in overtime. Mathieu Desgagnes scored a pair for Bathurst while singles came from Cole Huckins and Riley Kidney. Saint John goals came from Joshua Roy, Kale McCallum and Alex Drover. Chad Arsenault made 33 saves in the win. Noah Patenaude made 42 stops in the loss.

Notebook: Looking ahead to the 2021 Draft

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

With the 2020 NHL Draft finally over, it's time to start looking ahead to 2021.

2020 was a pretty good draft for the Saint John Sea Dogs with Jeremie Poirier going in the third-round and William Villeneuve in the fourth. 2021 could be just as good if not better for the Sea Dogs.

The Sea Dogs have a strong 2003-born draft class, highlighted by Joshua Roy, Peter Reynolds and Cam MacDonald.

In Scott Wheeler's pre-season top 32 (hello, Seattle!) for the 2021 NHL Draft posted on The Athletic, Roy was ranked 22nd - one slot ahead of Halifax Mooseheads forward Zachary L'Heureux.

"He’s an excellent puck possession player who can win battles, keep plays alive, and create off the cycle," wrote Wheeler. "Now I just want to see him do some more damage off the rush."

Roy has a goal and an assist in two games this season.

GOOD PICKS

The Toronto Maple Leafs, who selected Sea Dogs defenseman William Villeneuve in the fourth-round, were among Scott Wheeler's winners of the 2020 NHL Draft.

"His offensive package reminds me of Evan Bouchard (though with less upside, obviously), in that he’s constantly producing near the top of his age group without ever really looking like he’s a dynamic player," wrote Wheeler his piece on The Athletic. "And his defensive game, despite a mediocre stride, is already pretty polished. The numbers alone should’ve made him a no-brainer at least a round earlier. The Leafs clearly believe they can help him get quicker."

Wheeler labelled the Calgary Flames, who picked Dogs d-man Jeremie Poirier in the third-round, as an overtime winner.

"He might be the most purely talented defenceman in the draft with the puck on his stick," Wheeler wrote. "And though there are legitimate concerns about how he manufactures that offence (by giving up too much defensively), I’ll take that bet where they took it every time."

Poirier, Villeneuve selected in NHL Draft

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Two Saint John Sea Dogs defensemen were selected in the 2020 NHL Draft.

Jeremie Poirier was selected in the third-round, 72nd overall by the Calgary Flames while William Villeneuve was taken in the fourth-round, 122nd overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Poirier, who was ranked as a late first- or early second-round pick by most draft publications, slid to the third-round. He's known as perhaps the most skilled defensemen in this year's draft class - but his slide was mostly due to his defensive play, something the Flames will no doubt want the 18-year-old to work on.

"I'm really happy the Flames gave me the opportunity to go out there and prove myself ... it's a dream come true."#Flames third round pick Jeremie Poirier checks in after being selected 72nd overall! pic.twitter.com/zihffbs1Qz

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) October 7, 2020

Poirier, who was selected by the Sea Dogs with the eighth overall pick in the 2018 QMJHL Entry Draft, became the first Saint John player to be selected by the Flames. Poirier is coached by former Flames bench boss Greg Gilbert and former player Jeff Cowan.

Things aren't great

MONCTON - Folks, we've been through some bad days together over the past few months, and today was certainly one of them.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League confirmed today that 18 - yes, 18 - members of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada have tested positive for COVID-19. The team has paused activities indefinitely and "players and staff have been placed in isolation for a period of 14 days," according to the league.

The Sherbrooke Phoenix, who played against the Armada last weekend, have had one player test positive, according to La Tribune. It's unclear how long the Phoenix will be out of action but the league has postponed all of the team's games this weekend and next.

The Armada and Quebec Remparts could be out of action even longer with the teams playing in COVID red zones, as determined by the Quebec government. The province has put a hold on all sports until the end of October in those areas - although the QMJHL plans to fight the ruling.

The Armada's games for this week and next have been postponed. As for the Remparts, only their games scheduled for this weekend have been postponed so far.

Closer to home, the 17 new cases of COVID at a Moncton special care home is obviously concerning. If cases continue to climb and there are signs of community spread outside the home, you have to wonder what the province may do with its sports.

Five QMJHL players picked in first round

Embed from Getty Images

Five players from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League were selected in Tuesday's first round of the 2020 NHL Draft.

As expected, Rimouski Oceanic forward Alexis Lafreniere was picked first overall by the New York Rangers.

In five career QMJHL games against Saint John, Lafreniere recorded five goals and eight assists over three seasons. It's unclear where - if anywhere - Lafreniere will play until the NHL season starts up, which is planned for Jan. 1.

Dawson Mercer was the next QMJHL player taken, going 18th overall to the New Jersey Devils. Mercer's teammate in Chicoutimi, Hendrix Lapierre, went 22nd overall to the Washington Capitals. The two were watching the draft together in the same room.

Halifax Mooseheads defenseman Justin Barron was selected 25th overall by the Colorado Avalanche. Then, with the next-to-last pick of the first round, the Dallas Stars took Mavrik Bourque of the Shawinigan Cataractes 30th overall.

19 of the 31 players picked on Tuesday were from the Canadian Hockey League.

A few other tidbits...

• From Sportsnet: Lafreniere was the first Quebec born player to go first overall since Marc-Andre Fleury in 2003 and the first Quebec born skater to go first since Vincent Lecavalier in 1998.
• The last time Lafreniere was drafted? The 2017 QMJHL Entry Draft - which was held in Saint John.
• Sudbury's Quinton Byfield, who was selected second overall by the Los Angeles Kings, had two goals and an assist with Canada Black at the 2018 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge held in Saint John and Quispamsis.
• The Ottawa Senators... did something cool!?
• According to TSN, Mercer is the seventh Newfoundlander to ever be selected in the first round.
• On the NBC broadcast, Pierre McGuire compared Mercer to Mike Fisher and made some sort of bizarre reference to him marrying someone like Carrie Underwood.
• The Capitals hadn't selected a QMJHL player since 2010 when they picked Stanislav Galiev from Saint John and Samuel Carrier from the Lewiston Maineiacs (!).
• Barron joins Nathan MacKinnon, Ryan Graves and Shane Bowers as Nova Scotians in the Colorado Avalanche system.

Rounds two through seven take place Wednesday afternoon beginning at 12:30 p.m. Sea Dogs players to keep an eye on: Jeremie Poirier (ranked 18th amongst North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting), William Villeneuve (99th), Charlie DesRoches (179th) and Brady Burns (207th). Poirier is expected to hear his name called fairly early.

The Sea Dogs have had a player selected in every NHL Draft since 2014.

Will Poirier be drafted tonight?

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Will Jeremie Poirier hear his name called at tonight's virtual NHL Draft?

Many draft publications have Poirier being selected late in round one of this year's draft, which begins at 8 p.m. this evening on Sportsnet. Rounds two through seven take place tomorrow.

Poirier was ranked 18th amongst North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. Outlets and draft experts have him going anywhere from 20 to 50.

Corey Pronman of The Athletic has Poirier being selected 29th overall by the Vegas Golden Knights.

"I had Poirier going in the second round of my last mock, but he’s looked sharp to start the season and has earned positive reviews from scouts," Pronman wrote in his final mock draft, released last night. "He also fits a lot of what Vegas likes to target at the draft in terms of skill, and the Golden Knights have a need in the system for a defenseman who can create a lot of offense."

Pronman previously had Poirier going 41st overall to Carolina. He also had William Villeneuve going 83rd to Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, Scott Wheeler of The Athletic has Poirier ranked 23rd, Villeneuve 39th and Charlie DesRoches 100th.

In Sam Cosentino's final draft rankings, Poirier didn't crack the first round but was an honourable mention.

"As of right now there are concerns about his defending or a willingness to work on it," Cosentino wrote on Sportsnet.ca. "Then again, when you’re this gifted offensively, with great skating ability, who would want to defend?"

Other QMJHL players who will/could hear their name called tonight: Alexis Lafreniere (obviously), Dawson Mercer, Hendrix Lapierre, Mavrik Bourque and Justin Barron.

COVID-19 has arrived in the QMJHL

COVID-19 has officially hit the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

After making it through training camps, pre-season and the first weekend of the regular season, the QMJHL has had to hit the pause button on three of its Quebec based franchises.

The league announced this afternoon that a Blainville-Boisbriand Armada player has tested positive for the virus. It's the first known positive case for a QMJHL player.

The Armada and the Sherbrooke Phoenix, who played each other twice last weekend, have "paused their activities until the investigation by public health officials is complete," according to a league press release.

The league said that players and staff will now be isolated and tested. Also, public health officials have been contacted and are exploring the nature of all contacts between players and staff. Any additional findings will be shared with both the teams and the league.

The announcement came not long after it was confirmed that the Armada and Quebec Remparts would have to pause activities - which seemingly involves both practices and games - for a month now that both teams are in "red zones" as designated by the Quebec government. COVID-19 cases have been rapidly rising in Quebec - particularly in urban areas like Montreal and Quebec City.

By the sounds of it, the league will try and find a way to get an exemption.

Since the beginning of training camps at the end of August, the conduct of our activities has been above reproach. The return to play protocol was approved and applauded by Public Health Officials in Quebec and by the three Maritime-based Provinces in which the league operates. It has been hailed as thorough and effective. As a matter of fact, the League would like to congratulate the players and team staff members for their flawless execution.

Over the course of the next few days, we will share with Quebec Public Health Officials additional measures which will render the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada’s and Quebec Remparts’ bubbles even more secure. We hope that these new directives will be well-received by Quebec’s health agency. The QMJHL is convinced that these additional measures will go above and beyond what is required to protect our players, staff and officials and enable all of our teams to continue playing.

Even if the league gets an exemption and can continue play in the red zones, this is just not good. Cases keep going up in Quebec with no sign of slowing down. Things are likely to get worse before they get better - but let's hope that doesn't end up being the case.

Notebook: A bad start but plenty of time

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs are off to a winless start for the fist time since the 2017-18 season.

The Sea Dogs finished opening weekend with a 0-1-1-0 record thanks to an 4-3 overtime loss in Bathurst and a 6-5 home loss to Charlottetown. The team's last winless opening weekend was in 2017-18 when Saint John dropped their first four games of the season (they won three straight after that).

So... what does this mean? Nothing. It means pretty much nothing. It's always nice to get off to a strong start, but losing back-to-back games is going to happen during a season. The Sea Dogs got off a 2-0 start last season and then lost three straight. We know how last season went.

The Sea Dogs also started 0-2 in 2016-17 and 2011-12, seasons that saw them rebound well enough to win the President Cup (although they did start those seasons without some key regulars due to NHL camps).

UP NEXT

The Sea Dogs and Titan will have a rematch this Friday at TD Station. On Saturday, the Dogs welcome the Moncton Wildcats to town. Both of those games begin at 7 p.m.

The following weekend, the Sea Dogs are in Moncton on Friday, Oct. 16 and then travel to Halifax to face the Mooseheads on Saturday, Oct. 17.

The Sea Dogs will continue to play games on back-to-back nights until mid-November.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 6-5

FINAL: Charlottetown 6, Saint John 5

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - Opening weekend was a rollercoaster ride of emotions for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

After blowing a 3-0 third period lead on Friday and losing in overtime, the Sea Dogs dug themselves into a hole on Saturday at TD Station, found a way out of it, but ultimately fell 6-5 to the Charlottetown Islanders.

The Islanders led 2-0 after one - despite being outshot 18-13 - and grabbed a 4-0 lead in the second period. Saint John scored in the final few minutes of the second and then netted three goals in the third - which included Josh Lawrence's tying goal at 15:56.

Charlottetown managed to retake the lead at 17:03 with Brett Budgell scoring on a wide open net. The Isles scored an empty netter at 18:35 to make it 6-4. Jeremie Poirier scored with 26 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to one and the Dogs had a decent chance in the dying seconds - but that's as close as they would come to tying things up a second time.

It was a bizarre and disappointing weekend for the Sea Dogs who are clearly still trying to shake some of the bad habits from the past couple seasons. Saint John struggled in both ends and just couldn't get things clicking for any substantial amount of time. Fortunately it's early, but this is not the start anyone hoped to see.

Cédric Desruisseaux scored a hat trick for Charlottetown while singles came from Budgell, Lukas Cormier and Patrick LeBlanc. Cormier, who will have his name heard at this week's NHL Draft, added two assists.

Poirier, Nicholas Girouard, Peter Reynolds, Dawson Stairs and Josh Lawrence scored for Saint John. Lawrence added two assists.

In a battle of former Rimouski Oceanic goaltenders, Colten Ellis bested Creed Jones, making 32 saves in the win. Jones, making his regular season debut, made 29 stops in the loss.

Game Day 2: vs Islanders

SAINT JOHN - After a rough season opening loss, the Saint John Sea Dogs return home looking to earn their first win of the regular season.

The Sea Dogs host the Charlottetown Islanders this evening. The Isles are expected to be one of the top teams in the Maritimes Division this season and are coming off a 4-2 victory in Moncton last night.

The Sea Dogs blew a 3-0 lead last night. The Islanders overcame a 2-0 deficit. We'll see what happens tonight.

Game time at TD Station is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/CFBC 930 AM/QMJHL Live

2020-21 records: The Sea Dogs are 0-0-1-0 for one point (fourth Maritimes, 10th QMJHL) while the Islanders are 1-0-0-0 for two points (second Maritimes, sixth QMJHL).

2019-20 records: The Sea Dogs finished the shortened season with a 30-33-1-0 record for 61 points (fourth Maritimes, sixth Eastern, 11th QMJHL) while the Islanders were 33-26-5-0 for 71 points (third Maritimes, fifth Eastern, seventh QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-3 overtime loss in Bathurst last night. Joshua Roy, Kale McCallum and Alex Drover scored for Saint John. Noah Patenaude made 42 saves in the loss. The Islanders are coming off a 4-2 win in Moncton last night. Thomas Casey scored a pair for Charlottetown while singles came from Keiran Gilbert and Lukas Cormier. Colten Ellis made 20 saves in the win.

2020-21 head-to-head: This is the first meeting of the season between the two.

2019-20 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 1-7-1-0 against the Islanders last season while Charlottetown went 8-1-0-0 against Saint John.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 4-3 (OT)

FINAL: Saint John 3, Bathurst 4 (OT)

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

BATHURST - Maintaining leads is officially a problem for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

After blowing several leads throughout the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League pre-season, the bad habit has carried over into the regular season. The problem was on full display in the team's season opener on Friday at the KC Irving Regional Centre, falling 4-3 in overtime to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan after entering the third period with a 3-0 advantage.

Things were looking good for the Sea Dogs until Mathieu Desgagnés got the Titan on the board at 5:16 of the third. Cole Huckins scored a little over four minutes later on a rebound and then Desgagnés netted his second of the game a minute later to even things up.

Riley Kidney scored the overtime winner with 15 seconds remaining in the extra frame.

The Sea Dogs looked decent in this game, but similar to last Friday's pre-season loss to Moncton, just didn't seem to have that extra jump the squad showed at times earlier in exhibition play. Saint John's offense was coming in waves and they dominated puck possession at times in the first few games of the pre-season. That style seems to have slowly slipped away the past few games for whatever reason. Yes, they're facing more structured teams at this point... but still. Something has just looked off.

Saint John was outshot 46-36 in the game, which comes as a surprise given that the Titan are not an offensive powerhouse. Noah Patenaude looked pretty good in net - certainly much better than he did in his season debut a year ago when he allowed eight goals. Patenaude struggled with rebounds a bit, but looked much more comfortable compared to some of his games last season. He made 42 stops in the loss.

Chad Arsenault made 33 stops in the Titan net to collect the win.

Joshua Roy, Kale McCallum and Alex Drover scored for Saint John.

If anything, this loss will hopefully give the Dogs a spark moving into tomorrow's showdown with a much stronger opponent in the Charlottetown Islanders. We saw a bad habit from the pre-season carry over on Friday night, let's hope we don't see bad habits from the past couple seasons tomorrow.

Notebook: Sea Dogs ranked 8th in CHL

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs will open the 2020-21 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League season as the eighth ranked team in the country.

The CHL released its pre-season top 10 on Wednesday. The release is a bit of a head scratcher given that the other two major junior leagues may not begin play for another two months - or possibly even longer.

Presenting the 2020-21 Pre-Season #KiaCHLTop10 Rankings:@PhoenixSherbroo open at one ☝️

1-SHE, 2-EDM, 3-OSH, 4-VDO, 5-LDN, 6-KAM, 7-SAG, 8-SNB, 9-POR, 10-CHI.

Honours: BDN, PA, SHA, SOO, WSR

Weekly editions to resume when each of @TheWHL, @OHLHockey and @QMJHL are in action. pic.twitter.com/QK07wgYCWH

— CanadianHockeyLeague (@CHLHockey) September 30, 2020

The Sherbrooke Phoenix (first), Val-d'Or Foreurs (fourth) and Chicoutimi Sagueneens (10th) were the other QMJHL teams to crack the list. The Shawinigan Cataractes were an honourable mention.

WEBCAST DETAILS

The off-season was an emotional rollercoaster for the QMJHL's webcasts.

After many highs and lows, the QMJHL will kick off its regular season with the same provider, Neulion, on the same platform, QMJHL Live, that it has used for the past several years. There are expected to be some quality improvements, but we will find out beginning tonight.

Only two pricing options are available this season: a single game for $7.99 or a monthly all-access pass for $39.99. Season ticket members were sent a discount code for 50% off the monthly pass.

For anyone interested in purchasing the Neulion monthly streaming package to watch #QMJHL #LHJMQ hockey. 🥅🏒

Details ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/tVeHLgagT8

— Denis Leblanc (@DenisL_1981) September 26, 2020

It's unclear if the OHL and WHL will be using Neulion again this season.

Game Day 1: at Bathurst

BATHURST - The strangest and longest off-season in Saint John Sea Dogs history has come to a close. Now, it's time to play the (real) games.

After months of uncertainty, the Sea Dogs will play their first game of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League regular season tonight against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. This should be the beginning of an upswing for the Sea Dogs, who have suffered a few rough years of rebuilding after winning the President Cup in 2017.

On paper, Saint John's lineup is stacked and looks poised for a three-year run. But the Sea Dogs - led by new head coach Greg Gilbert - need to show that promise on the ice. They have this season to figure things out before the pressure to win really hits next year.

Game time this evening at the KC Irving Regional Centre is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/CFBC 930 AM/QMJHL Live

2020-21 records: This is the first game of the regular season for both clubs.

2019-20 records: The Sea Dogs finished the shortened season with a 30-33-1-0 record for 61 points (fourth Maritimes, sixth Eastern, 11th QMJHL) while the Titan were 12-40-8-4 for 36 points (sixth Maritimes, 10th Eastern, 18th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 3-2 pre-season overtime loss to the Moncton Wildcats last Friday at TD Station. Jeremie Poirier and Brady Burns scored for Saint John. Creed Jones made 36 stops in the loss. The Titan are coming off a 10-4 pre-season home loss to the Charlottetown Islanders on Sept. 20. Alexis Dubé, Yannic Bastarache, David Doucet and Mathieu Desgagnés scored for Bathurst. Tommy DaSilva allowed six goals on 25 shots. Pierre-Vincent Guignard allowed for goals on 16 shots.  

2019-20 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 7-1-0-0 against the Titan last season while Bathurst went 1-6-0-1 against Saint John.