Russia's invasion of Ukraine will have an impact of junior hockey

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Russian national teams will not be permitted to take part in International Ice Hockey Federation events for at least the next several months.

Just days after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the IIHF has announced a "suspension of all Russian and Belarusian National Teams and Clubs from participation in every age category and in all IIHF competitions or events until further notice."

From a men's junior hockey perspective, this move impacts both the world under-18 championship and the rescheduled world junior championship.

Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman Yan Kuznetsov was left off the Russian roster that took part in December's world juniors, which were ultimately postponed by COVID-19 after a few days of competition. It was probably unlikely he would have been named to this summer's roster, but the possibility was there.

Russia will also no longer host the 2023 World Junior Hockey Championship, which was scheduled to be played this winter in Novosibirsk and Omsk.

Some more on Monday's news:

• You have to think a Canadian city or seven would be interested in hosting the 2023 world juniors. The Ottawa Senators are apparently interested in bringing the tournament back to the nation's capital for the first time since 2009, tweets Bruce Garrioch.
• Sportsnet's Mark Spector reports that Russia will not take part in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, which is scheduled to take place in Edmonton in early August. The tournament is not an IIHF event.
• The CHL hasn't been able host its annual six-game Canada-Russia Series since 2019 because of COVID-19. Monday's announcements certainly cast some doubts that it will be played this fall. It'll be interesting to see if the CHL creates another event to be held in its place. TSN, the CHL's national rights holder, would no doubt like to have some kind of world junior related event.
• I took a political science course in university so I'm qualified to write this: Russia has been hammered with sanctions from around the world and, even if they removed their troops from Ukraine tomorrow, it's hard to see them bouncing back quickly from all of this unless Vladimir Putin is removed as president. Getting Russian players onto CHL rosters next season could prove to be even more difficult than the days of COVID travel bans.
• The IIHF ban on Belarusian teams could have an impact on former Sea Dogs forward Evgeny Sapelnikov, who the team traded to Baie-Comeau at the deadline. Sapelnikov is the only Belarusian player in Sea Dogs history.
• Former Sea Dogs captain Alex Grant (pictured) had his season come to an end at the Olympic Games. Grant's KHL team, Helsinki based Jokerit, pulled out of the league's playoffs following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Grant had five goals and seven assists in 27 games during the regular season. This was his fourth season with the club.
• Here's hoping the worst days of this war are already behind us and this all gets resolved very soon.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 8-1

FINAL: Saint John 8, Moncton 1

MONCTON - After struggling to produce offense over the past three games, the Saint John Sea Dogs had little trouble scoring on Sunday at the Avenir Centre.

William Dufour netted a career high four goals in the Sea Dogs' 8-1 victory over the Moncton Wildcats. Saint John dominated the game throughout with Moncton's lone goal coming on a five-on-three power play in the third period.

The Wildcats, who had a COVID-19 outbreak within their team this past week, were missing a few regulars. Moncton recorded just 10 shots in the first two periods combined. Their lone goal came from Vincent Labelle.

Jonathan Lemieux, facing his old team for the first time, allowed eight goals on 51 shots.

Cam MacDonald, Vincent Sevigny, Jeremie Poirier and Raivis Ansons also scored for Saint John. Philippe Daoust, facing his old team for the first time as well, had three helpers.

Former Wildcat Thomas Couture earned the win in net, making 19 stops.

The victory ended a three-game losing streak for Saint John, a skid that saw them score a total of five goals. The team will hope this win pushes them in the right direction moving forward.

Game Day 41: at Moncton

MONCTON - For the first time since May 2, 2021, the Saint John Sea Dogs will take to the ice at Moncton's Avenir Centre.

The Sea Dogs and Wildcats met only twice in the first half with both of those games taking place at TD Station. They'll face each other seven times between today and May 1.

Saint John will look to end a three-game losing streak this afternoon, a skid that has seen them score a total of just five goals. They'll likely be facing a familiar face in net with Jonathan Lemieux presumably getting the start. This is the first meeting between the two clubs since that blockbuster trade on deadline day.

Game time this afternoon is 4 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/93 CFBC/TSN.ca or CHL TV

Capacity/Proof of Vaccination/Masks: 100%/Required/Required

Records: The Sea Dogs are 21-15-1-3 for 46 points (fourth Maritimes/fifth Eastern/eighth QMJHL) while the Wildcats are 19-13-4-1 for 43 points (fifth Maritimes/seventh Eastern/10th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 3-2 overtime loss in Bathurst yesterday. Philippe Daoust and William Dufour scored for Saint John. Thomas Couture made 26 saves in the loss. The Wildcats last played on Feb. 21 in Halifax where they fell 5-3 to the Mooseheads. Miles Mueller, Alexis Daniel and Brooklyn Kalmikov scored for Moncton. Jonathan Lemieux made 30 stops in the loss.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 3-2 (OT)

FINAL: Saint John 2, Bathurst 3 (OT)

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

BATHURST - The Saint John Sea Dogs dropped their third straight game on Saturday, falling 3-2 in overtime to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at the KC Irving Regional Centre.

The Sea Dogs had a much better showing compared to Thursday's 6-2 loss in Halifax. But one thing remained the same - the Sea Dogs just can't seem to find the back of the net right now.

Saint John entered Saturday's game averaging 3.91 goals per game, the third best average in the league. They haven't hit that mark in any of their past three games, scoring a total of just five goals.

Philippe Daoust and William Dufour scored for Saint John in this game. The Sea Dogs registered 30 shots but Titan netminder Jan Bednar had a very strong showing in net, especially in the third period where he made a couple big stops off Dufour chances and another on a Brady Burns opportunity.

Thomas Couture, who was pulled from Thursday's game after allowing three goals on six shots, rebounded Saturday and made 26 stops in the loss. He likely would not have started this game if Nikolas Hurtubise wasn't sidelined with an injury.

Felix Lafrance scored the overtime winner at 2:20 of the extra frame, beating Thomas Couture over the shoulder from a sharp angle near the goal line. Bennett MacArthur scored Bathurst's regulation time goals. The Titan were missing several regulars from their lineup due to injuries/illness.

This is the second time this season Saint John has lost three or more games consecutively. They'll look to end the streak on Sunday in Moncton.

Game Day 40: at Bathurst

BATHURST - The Saint John Sea Dogs will look to get things back on the right track today at the KC Irving Regional Centre.

After winning their first four games of the restart, the Sea Dogs have dropped three of their past five games. This recent stretch includes a tough 2-1 home loss to the Drummondville Voltigeurs on Sunday and an ugly 6-2 loss in Halifax on Thursday.

Today's road game against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan will be Saint John's toughest matchup since play resumed. The Sea Dogs may catch a bit of a break though with the Titan expected to be missing some regulars due to injury/illness.

Game time today is 4 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/93 CFBC/CHL TV

Capacity/Proof of Vaccination/Masks: 100%/Required/Required

Records: The Sea Dogs are 21-15-0-3 for 45 points (fourth Maritimes/fifth Eastern/eighth QMJHL) while the Titan are 21-11-2-2 for 46 points (second Maritimes/third Eastern/sixth QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 6-2 loss in Halifax on Thursday. Jacob Chantler and Vincent Sevigny scored for Saint John. Thomas Couture was pulled after allowing three goals on six shots in the first period. Nikolas Hurtubise allowed three goals on 19 shots in relief. The Titan are coming off a 5-4 overtime win on Monday in Charlottetown. Hendrix Lapierre and Jacob Melanson both scored twice while Felix Lafrance netted the overtime winner. Jan Bednar made 28 stops in the win.

Sea Dogs face tough test Saturday; Sunday's game in some doubt

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

A tough test awaits the Saint John Sea Dogs on Saturday in Bathurst.

The Sea Dogs and Titan will meet for the first time since both squads loaded up during the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League trading period. Note that this is a 4 p.m. puck drop at the KC Irving Regional Centre.

The Titan, like the Sea Dogs, had their ups and downs in the first half of the season. But the team has had a strong showing lately, winning six of their seven games since the restart. Their lone loss came in overtime to the league-leading Charlottetown Islanders - a team they managed to beat in overtime this past Monday.

Bathurst added to their already solid offense during the trade period, acquiring Felix Lafrance - who sits in a tie with Saint John's William Dufour for second in league scoring - and Miguel Tourigny - who leads all QMJHL defensemen in scoring.

The Titan have been battling some injuries/illness of late and it appears they'll be missing some regulars again on Saturday.

The Titan have recalled forwards Philippe Collette and Cole Young for tomorrow's game.

Le Titan a rappelé les attaquants Philippe Collette et Cole Young pour le match de demain.#GoTitanGo⚔️ pic.twitter.com/4NuiBsTjhv

— Titan d'Acadie-Bathurst (@ABTitan) February 25, 2022

After a good start to the second half, Saint John has lost three of their past five games. That includes a 6-2 loss in Halifax on Thursday, a loss where the team came out flat and often looked sloppy. The Sea Dogs trailed 3-0 less than 10 minutes into Thursday's contest and they'll certainly look to have a much better start on Saturday.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 6-2

FINAL: Saint John 2, Halifax 6

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

HALIFAX - It was a game to forget for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The Halifax Mooseheads scored three times in the first 7:43 of Thursday night's contest at Scotiabank Centre, leading the home side to a 6-2 win over the Sea Dogs.

After a rough start, the rest of the game didn't as badly for the Sea Dogs, but they looked quite flat and were often sloppy. They registered a respectable 28 shots but only 13 were considered dangerous. Saint John has scored just three goals over their past two games following Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Drummondville Voltigeurs.

Jacob Chantler and Vincent Sevigny scored for Saint John. Thomas Couture was pulled after allowing three goals on six shots in the first period. Nikolas Hurtubise made 16 stops in relief.

Zachary Beauregard and Zachary L'Heureux each scored a pair of goals for Halifax while singles came from Liam Welsh and Evan Boucher. Mathis Rousseau made 26 saves in the win.

Welsh opened the scoring just 2:34 into the first period. Yan Kuznetsov had the puck behind the goal and sent a blind pass in front that was easily picked up by Welsh and put behind Couture.

Halifax doubled their lead at 4:14 when Beauregard put in a rebound. Then at 7:43, L'Heureux was in front and deposited a rebound, giving the Mooseheads a 3-0 advantage and ending Couture's night.

Saint John got on the board at 13:05 when William Villeneuve fired a pass from the sideboards that found Chantler in front, making it 3-1. That would be the lone bright spot of a sloppy opening period by the Dogs.

The Mooseheads kept rolling in the second period when L'Heureux fired a bullet from the top of the circle over the shoulder of Hurtubise, making it 4-1. Then at 7:40 on a power play, an Elliot Desnoyers shot was stopped, Markus Vidicek picked up the rebound and passed to Boucher who scored to make it 5-1.

Not long after a William Dufour goal was called back due to an offside, Sevigny fired a bomb from the point past Rousseau at 17:09 to make it a 5-2 game after two.

Beauregard scored a power play goal with just 32 seconds remaining in the third period to give the Mooseheads a 6-2 victory.

Game Day 39: at Halifax

HALIFAX - The Saint John Sea Dogs return to Scotiabank Centre tonight.

The Sea Dogs defeated the Mooseheads last Friday in Halifax in what proved to be a physical and intense game, resulting in a few suspensions. Could we see more of the same tonight? We'll find out shortly after puck drop at 7 p.m.

Both teams have been fighting with the injury and illness bugs recently, so we could some different looking lineups this evening.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/93 CFBC/CHL TV

Capacity/Proof of Vaccination/Masks: 3,000 fans/Required/Required

Records: The Sea Dogs are 21-14-0-3 for 45 points (third Maritimes/fourth Eastern/seventh QMJHL) while the Mooseheads are 21-15-1-1 for 41 points (fourth Maritimes/fifth Eastern/eighth QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 2-1 home loss to the Drummondville Voltigeurs on Sunday. Brady Burns scored Saint John's lone goal while Nikolas Hurtubise made 17 stops in the loss. The Mooseheads are coming off a 5-2 loss in Charlottetown last night. Brandon Abbass and Jordan Dumais scored for the Moose. Brady James made 30 stops in the loss.

Notebook: COVID postponements return

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

It was inevitable that COVID-19 would force the postponements of some Quebec Major Junior Hockey League games in the second half. Still, Tuesday's news was not something anybody wanted to hear.

The league has postponed this weekend's pair of contests between the Charlottetown Islanders and Cape Breton Eagles "due to a COVID-19 outbreak." The QMJHL has come across as quite transparent with case reporting over the past couple years, but Tuesday's news release was noticeably vague.

Both the Ontario Hockey League and Western Hockey League have had a fairly large amount of games postponed since the Omicron variant arrived. But, both leagues have since gotten things much more under control and have had far fewer postponements in recent weeks.

COVID seems to be hitting hockey leagues across the Maritimes right now. The Maritime Junior Hockey League announced the postponement of six more games Tuesday while the NB/PEI Major U18 Hockey League postponed its showcase event last weekend.

UP NEXT

The Sea Dogs are scheduled to play three road games this week (unless COVID has other plans).

The Dogs return to Halifax on Thursday to face the Mooseheads at 7 p.m. It's a rematch of last Friday's eventful contest that saw a few players suspended. Speaking of suspensions, Halifax forward Zachary L'Heureux is back in action after serving a lengthy one of his own.

On Saturday the Sea Dogs and Titan face off for the first time since the trade deadline. Both teams have loaded up and are among the championship contenders in the league. This game is a 4 p.m. start in Bathurst.

Then on Sunday, Philippe Daoust, Thomas Couture and the Sea Dogs visit Jonathan Lemieux and the Moncton Wildcats. That game is also a 4 p.m. start.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 2-1

FINAL: Drummondville 2, Saint John 1

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - Jacob Goobie made 45 saves to lead the Drummondville Voltigeurs to a 2-1 win over the Saint John Sea Dogs on Sunday at TD Station.

Luke Woodworth scored the game-winner with just 1:55 remaining in the third period. Jacob Dion scored Drummondville's other goal.

The Sea Dogs dominated much of the game, outshooting the Voltigeurs 46-19. Despite all the shots, the Volts did a good job at limiting quality chances, whether it be through blocking shots or boxing the Dogs out of danger areas.

Brady Burns scored Saint John's lone goal in the frustrating loss. Nikolas Hurtubise made 17 stops in net.

Galiev, Jurco win Olympic medals

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Two former Saint John Sea Dogs are leaving the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games with medals.

Stanislav Galiev helped the Russian Olympic Committee win silver while Tomas Jurco and Slovakia won bronze.

Galiev, who was originally on ROC's reserve roster, appeared in four games in Beijing and was held pointless. He did not play in Sunday morning's gold medal game that saw Finland defeat the ROC 2-1.

The 30-year-old Galiev continues to add to his impressive collection of rings and medals.

2008-09: USHL Clark Cup champion

2010-11: QMJHL President Cup champion

2010-11: CHL Memorial Cup champion

2011-12: QMJHL President Cup champion

2012-13: ECHL Kelly Cup champion

2017-18: KHL Gagarin Cup champion

2022: Olympic Games silver medalist

Galiev spent three seasons with the Sea Dogs, helping the club go to three straight President Cup finals between 2010 and 2012. He has spent the past five seasons in the KHL.

Game Day 38: vs Voltigeurs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs will look to make it three wins in three days this afternoon at TD Station.

The Sea Dogs defeated the Halifax Mooseheads 3-2 on Friday and the Victoriaville Tigres 6-3 last night. This afternoon they'll face the Drummondville Voltigeurs at 3 p.m., a team that is also finishing up a three-in-three.

The Volts fell 5-2 in Bathurst on Friday and then blew a three-goal third period lead last night in Moncton, losing 6-5 in a shootout. They'll likely be an angry team this afternoon.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/93 CFBC/CHL TV

Capacity/Proof of Vaccination/Masks: 100%/Required/Required

Records: The Sea Dogs are 21-13-0-3 for 45 points (second Maritimes/third Eastern/sixth QMJHL) while the Voltigeurs are 15-13-5-3 for 38 points (third Central/fourth Western/11th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 6-3 home win over the Victoriaville Tigres last night. William Dufour scored a pair of goals while singles came from Vincent Sevigny, Ryan Francis, Josh Lawrence and Raivis Ansons. Thomas Couture made 23 saves in the win. The Voltigeurs are coming off a 6-5 shootout loss in Moncton last night. Alexis Morin, Simon Hughes, Sam Oliver, Justin Cote and Julien Rod scored for Drummondville. Riley Mercer made 30 saves in the loss.

2021-22 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 0-1-0-0 against the Voltigeurs this season while Drummondville is 1-0-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Nov. 6 in Drummondville where the Volts edged the Dogs 4-3. Jacob Dion, Simon Hughes, Tristan Roy and Jeremy Lapointe scored for Drummondville. Saint John goals came from Brady Burns (two) and Evgeny Sapelnikov. Francesco Lapenna made 27 stops in the win. Jonathan Lemieux was pulled after allowing two goals on seven shots. Noah Patenaude allowed two goals on 24 shots in relief.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 6-3

FINAL: Victoriaville 3, Saint John 6

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Victoriaville Tigres hung around but the Saint John Sea Dogs were too much for the rebuilding team to handle on Saturday at TD Station.

William Dufour scored a pair of goals as the Sea Dogs defeated the Tigres 6-3, getting some revenge for that 2-1 loss in Victoriaville earlier this season.

Former Tigres defenseman Vincent Sevigny also scored for Saint John along with Ryan Francis, Josh Lawrence and Raivis Ansons. William Villeneuve had three assists. Thomas Couture made 23 saves in the win.

Despite the Sea Dogs heavily outshooting the Tigres for most of the game, Victoriaville never mailed it in and made the most of their opportunities. This was the final game of a challenging three-in-three for the reigning President Cup champions.

Loick Daigle had a pair of goals for Victoriaville while Maxime Pellerin added a single. Nathan Darveau made 38 stops in the loss.

The Sea Dogs have now won six of the seven games they've played in the second half.

Blagden, Trenholm both suspended

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs' forward depth will be put to the test over the next few games.

The Sea Dogs dressed just 11 forwards for Friday's game in Halifax with Ryan Francis, Marshall Lessard and Olivier Picard all out. Now they'll be without the two players who were placed on the team's fourth line Friday: Nicholas Blagden and Connor Trenholm.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced Saturday that Blagden has been suspended 10 games for his staged fight with Halifax's Stephen Davis. Here's the news release from the league:

Sea Dogs forward Nicholas Blagden has been suspended for ten (10) games following a staged fight during last night’s game again the Halifax Mooseheads.

Blagden, a repeat offender, was suspended for five (5) games earlier in December for accumulation of codes 2.2 (fighting), aggressor and repeat offender.

Davis, who did not appear to be in great shape after the fight, has been suspended two games for taking part in the staged tilt.

🥊FIGHT🥊 Nicholas Blagden (@SJSeaDogs) vs. Stephen Davis (@HFXMooseheads). #QMJHL | #LHJMQ pic.twitter.com/vGqtzRh1JN

— Denis Leblanc (@DenisL_1981) February 19, 2022

Blagden has appeared in four games with Saint John since being acquired from the Moncton Wildcats, recording no points and 11 penalty minutes. He'll be eligible to return on March 12 when the Sea Dogs face the Wildcats.

Will crowds grow in second half?

SAINT JOHN - For the first time since mid-December, TD Station will be allowed to be at 100% capacity.

New Brunswick officially moved into Level 1 of its "Winter Plan" on Saturday, which allows sports facilities and entertainment venues to remove capacity restrictions. Masks and proof of vaccination will still be required.

Most of Saint John's home games this season have been without capacity restrictions. Only the past three games at TD Station - two this month and one in December - were limited to 50% with social distancing enforced.

Despite having only a few home games impacted by capacity restrictions, the Sea Dogs have not had a great season at the gate. Excluding the three games that have had capacity limitations, the Sea Dogs are averaging just 2,445 fans per game. The team has welcomed over 3,000 fans just twice this season with the largest crowd being 3,588.

Game Day 37: vs Tigres

SAINT JOHN - The defending President Cup champions make their lone appearance of the season at TD Station tonight.

The Victoriaville Tigres play their final game of a three-in-three Maritime road trip this evening against the Saint John Sea Dogs. It's been a rough trip so far, falling 7-1 in Bathurst on Thursday and 7-2 in Charlottetown last night.

A couple of Sea Dogs are very familiar with the Tigres. Defenseman Vincent Sevigny and goaltender Nikolas Hurtubise, acquired by Saint John during the holiday trade period, helped Victoriaville win last year's QMJHL championship.

Game time tonight is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/93 CFBC/CHL TV

Capacity/Proof of Vaccination/Masks: 100%/Required/Required

Records: The Sea Dogs are 20-13-0-3 for 43 points (third Maritimes/fourth Eastern/seventh QMJHL) while the Tigres are 14-17-3-2 for 33 points (fourth Central/sixth Western/14th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a hard fought 3-2 win in Halifax last night. Philippe Daoust scored all three of Saint John's goals while Nikolas Hurtubise made 33 saves in the win. The Tigres are coming off a 7-2 loss in Charlottetown last night. Loick Daigle and Egor Goriunov scored for Victoriaville. Nathan Darveau made 37 stops in the loss.

2021-22 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 0-1-0-0 against the Tigres this season while Victoriaville is 1-0-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Dec. 5 in Victoriaville where the Tigres defeated the Sea Dogs 2-1. Maxime Pellerin netted both Victoriaville goals while William Dufour scored for Saint John. Nathan Darveau made 33 saves in the win. Jonathan Lemieux made 23 stops in the loss.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 3-2

FINAL: Daoust 3, Halifax 2

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

HALIFAX - Philippe Daoust scored a hat trick to lead the Saint John Sea Dogs to a 3-2 victory over the Halifax Mooseheads on Friday night at Scotiabank Centre.

Daoust scored once in the second period and twice in the third in what proved to be an eventful and close match between two teams that haven't seen a lot of each other yet this season. Saint John lost a couple forwards in the game while the Mooseheads lost a few defensemen.

Nikolas Hurtubise made some key saves in net throughout the contest. He made 34 stops in the win with 18 of those coming in the third period.

Elliot Desnoyers and Zachary Beauregard scored for Halifax. Brady James made 32 saves in the loss.

The Mooseheads had the better of the chances in the first period, outshooting the Sea Dogs 12-8 and leading 1-0 thanks to Desnoyers' goal. The script flipped in the second period with Saint John outshooting Halifax 15-5 and Daoust tying the game. The Moose had a difficult time creating any scoring chances in the middle frame.

Beauregard and Daoust traded goals early in the third. The Sea Dogs overager then gave Saint John a 3-2 lead at 7:57 and the Dogs would hold on to that one-goal advantage the rest of the way. Hurtubise made some big saves down the stretch to secure the victory.

Game Day 36: at Halifax

HALIFAX - After a week away from game play, the Saint John Sea Dogs return to action tonight at Scotiabank Centre.

The Sea Dogs haven't played since last Friday's disappointing 6-1 loss in Rimouski, a defeat that ended a four-game winning streak. They'll look to get things back on track tonight as they play the first game of a three-in-three.

Tonight's contest will be the Mooseheads' first home game since Dec. 16 due to COVID restrictions in Nova Scotia. They've played four games since the league restarted play a few weeks ago, all of which were on the road.

Game time tonight is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Eastlink Community TV/93 CFBC/CHL TV

Capacity/Proof of Vaccination/Masks: 3,000 fans/Required/Required

Records: The Sea Dogs are 19-13-0-3 for 41 points (fourth Maritimes/fifth Eastern/eighth QMJHL) while the Mooseheads are 20-12-1-1 for 42 points (second Maritimes/third Eastern/sixth QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 6-1 loss in Rimouski last Friday. Josh Lawrence scored Saint John's only goal while Nikolas Hurtubise made 25 stops. The Mooseheads are coming off a 4-3 overtime win in Moncton on Tuesday. Bobby Orr, Attilio Biasca, Logan Crosby and Markus Vidicek all scored for Halifax. Brady James made 40 stops in the win.

Notebook: New dates for QMJHL Entry Draft

With the Canadian Hockey League season extended a couple weeks, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League has pushed its annual Entry Draft.

The two-day event will now take place July 4-5, which is the Monday and Tuesday following the final week of the 2022 Memorial Cup in Saint John. From the QMJHL:

The 2022 Entry Draft was initially scheduled to take place on June 17-18, 2022. However, with the recent schedule adjustments, the draft’s first round will now take place on the evening of Monday, July 4, while rounds 2-14 will occur the next day.

As originally planned, the QMJHL Entry Draft will once again, sadly, be virtual rather than on an arena floor.

Of note, the 2022 NHL Draft is scheduled to be held just a few days later, taking place July 7-8 in Montreal.

DUFOUR EARNS HONOURS

William Dufour: he's still pretty good.

The Sea Dogs forward was named the QMJHL's player of the week on Monday. He's the first Sea Dog to win the award this season, although defenseman Vincent Sevigny did win the honour twice already this year while he was a member of the Victoriaville Tigres.

Dufour was also named to the QMJHL's team of the week.

The New York Islanders prospect recorded three goals and five assists during Saint John's three-game road trip in Quebec last week. He had a 20-game point streak and seven-game goal streak come to an end last Friday in Rimouski.

New Memorial Cup dates announced

As expected, the dates for the 2022 Memorial Cup have officially been changed.

The Canadian Hockey League announced Wednesday that the tournament will now be played June 20-29, 2022 in Saint John. The event was originally scheduled for June 4-13 but with pandemic related challenges causing game cancellations across the three CHL circuits, moving the dates back was the best option.

“Due to ongoing challenges related to the pandemic, we have moved forward the schedule for the 2022 Memorial Cup presented by Kia with the assurance that it will allow all three of our member leagues to complete their regular season and playoff schedules and provide our fans with the highest level of competition,” said CHL president Dan MacKenzie in a news release. “We are excited to bring the best the CHL has to offer to Saint John and to crown a national champion for the first time in three years.”

There are a few differences between this schedule and the original. The new schedule will run from Monday to Wednesday rather than Saturday to Monday (which was already different than the usual Friday to Sunday format). Also, the game times will be much more Saint John friendly with no 8 p.m. local starts.

Here's a look at the new schedule:

Mon., June 20 – Game 1: Saint John vs. OHL at 6 p.m. ET

Tues., June 21 – Game 2: QMJHL vs. WHL at 6 p.m. ET

Wed., June 22 – Game 3: Saint John vs. WHL at 6 p.m. ET

Thurs., June 23 – Game 4: QMJHL vs. OHL at 6 p.m. ET

Fri., June 24 – Game 5: WHL vs. OHL at 6 p.m. ET

Sat., June 25 – Game 6: Saint John vs. QMJHL at 4 p.m. ET

Sun., June 26 – Tie-Breaker, if necessary, at 4 p.m. ET

Mon., June 27 – Semi-Final at 6 p.m. ET

Wed., June 29 – Championship Final at 6 p.m. ET

Fans are encouraged to buy tournament packages as there will be limited - if any - single-game tickets made available for purchase.

The Sea Dogs and the CHL have released an FAQ page that outlines ticketing questions.

All games will be broadcast on TSN and RDS.

A closer look at new Sea Dogs schedule

Micheal Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs will need some good fortune if they want to catch the Charlottetown Islanders in the Maritimes Division standings.

The Sea Dogs sit 13 points back of the Islanders with 33 regular season games remaining. It's not impossible for Saint John to catch up, but the Sea Dogs will need to consistently string wins together while hoping the Isles go on a losing skid or two (something that has been rare this season).

The easiest way for Saint John to gain ground on Charlottetown is simple - by beating them. The Islanders won four of the five meetings with the Sea Dogs in the first half. The two will face each other four times in the second half.

March 11 at Charlottetown

March 18 at Saint John

March 24 at Charlottetown

April 14 at Charlottetown

The Sea Dogs are 2-11-1-2 at Charlottetown's Eastlink Centre over the past five seasons.

Here are a few other things worth noting about Saint John's second half schedule, which is now confirmed.

• It's mid-February and the Sea Dogs have yet to play a game at Moncton's Avenir Centre this season. Saint John's first visit to Moncton will be Feb. 27. The two teams will meet seven times in the second half.
• Former Sea Dogs forwards Charles Savoie and Carter McCluskey, dealt to Cape Breton during the trade period, will play their old team for the first time on March 5 at TD Station.
• The Sea Dogs will make two trips to Cape Breton in the second half, playing the Eagles April 1-2 and April 16-17.
• Those April 16-17 games in Sydney will be played on Easter weekend which, in normal times, is typically a good weekend of playoff games around the league.
• The Islanders currently sit atop the Eastern Conference standings while the Quebec Remparts are second - six points ahead of Saint John. Patrick Roy and the Remparts make their lone visit of the season to TD Station on April 10.
• Joshua Roy and the Sherbrooke Phoenix make their long awaited visit to Saint John on April 19.
• Saint John wraps up the home portion of their schedule with back-to-back games against the Eagles on April 28-29. The Dogs end the regular season on May 1 in Moncton.
• Upcoming games against Quebec clubs: Feb. 19 vs Victoriaville; Feb. 20 vs Drummondville; April 6 vs Gatineau; April 10 vs Quebec; and April 19 vs Sherbrooke.
• The latest the Sea Dogs have ever played a regular season game is April 17, which happened last year. They'll play six games later than April 17 this year.

Patenaude return not impossible

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Could goaltender Noah Patenaude return to the Saint John Sea Dogs this season?

In a radio interview during Friday's Sea Dogs game in Rimouski, team president and general manager Trevor Georgie said it is possible - but there are no guarantees.

Patenaude has been out of the Sea Dogs lineup since suffering an injury during the team's Dec. 4 game in Sherbrooke.

"The good news is that the injury is not as bad as we thought it was in January," Georgie explained. "He's had an operation. He's healing from the operation and he's recovering at home in Switzerland. We would expect Noah to have a quicker recovery than most for the type of injury that he has sustained because of his naturally athletic state.

"It's possible he could be ready to return to on-ice practice and play before the Memorial Cup is complete. Initially were weren't optimistic but now based on the treatment and recovery, it's possible. Is it probable? I'm not sure. I'm not a doctor and so many things depend on the recovery period. But what seemed impossible at one point is certainly possible."

The 19-year-old is in his third season with the Sea Dogs. He was having a strong year before the injury, posting a 7-2-2 record to go along with a 2.96 goals against average and a .914 save percentage.

The Sea Dogs' concern about Patenaude's injury was apparent during the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League trade period when they acquired two goaltenders - Nikolas Hurtubise from Victoriaville and Thomas Couture from Moncton.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 6-1

FINAL: Saint John 1, Rimouski 6

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

RIMOUSKI, Que. - The Saint John Sea Dogs had a rough ending to their final Quebec road trip of the regular season.

The Sea Dogs rebounded from a rough opening period but played catchup all game, never leading in a 6-1 loss to the Rimouski Oceanic. The defeat ends Saint John's winning streak at four games. This was the team's first loss since the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League returned from its extended pause.

Frederic Brunet, Alexander Gaudio, Luka Verreault, Mael St-Denis, Ludovic Soucy and Jacob Mathieu all scored for Rimouski. Gabriel Robert made 32 stops in the win.

Josh Lawrence scored Saint John's lone goal. Nikolas Hurtubise made 25 stops in the loss.

After a rough first period that saw the Oceanic outshoot the Sea Dogs 15-7 and lead 2-0, Saint John rebounded in the second by outshooting Rimouski 15-4 - but trailed 3-1 entering the third.

Trailing 4-1, the Sea Dogs pulled Hurtubise with over five minutes remaining in the third. Soucy scored into the empty net at 15:15 to make it 5-1. Mathieu scored a power play goal at 18:32 to make it a 6-1 final.

Game Day 35: at Rimouski

RIMOUSKI, Que. - The second half officially starts tonight for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The Sea Dogs played their 34th game of the 2021-22 season on Wednesday in Chicoutimi, defeating the Sagueneens 5-1. The team has 34 more games to go, beginning with a matchup against the Oceanic tonight in Rimouski.

This evening's contest will be Saint John's final game in Quebec until the playoffs.

It's a late one again this evening. Game time is 8:30 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/93 CFBC/CHL TV

Capacity/Proof of Vaccination/Masks: 500 fans/Required/Required

Records: The Sea Dogs are 19-12-0-3 for 41 points (second Maritimes/third Eastern/sixth QMJHL) while the Oceanic are 16-12-2-2 for 36 points (second East/seventh Eastern/10th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-1 win in Chicoutimi on Wednesday. Yan Kuznetsov, Peter Reynolds, Vincent Sevigny, William Dufour and Peter Reynolds scored for Saint John. Thomas Couture made 25 stops in the win. The Oceanic are coming off a 7-5 loss to the Halifax Mooseheads on Tuesday. Cam Thomson had a pair of goals while singles came from Liam Kidney, Alexander Gaudio and William Dumoulin. Gabriel Robert allowed six goals on 29 shots in the loss.

2021-22 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 1-0-0-0 against the Oceanic this season while Rimouski is 0-1-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: This past Sunday at TD Station where the Sea Dogs defeated the Oceanic 6-2. William Dufour and Philippe Daoust each had a pair of goals for Saint John while singles came from Raivis Ansons and Cam MacDonald. Luka Verreault and William Dumoulin scored for Rimouski. Thomas Couture made 14 saves in the win. Patrick Hamrla allowed six goals through 40 minutes while Gabriel Robert stopped all 10 stops he faced in the third.

Full capacity QMJHL arenas coming soon

Full capacity arenas are returning soon to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

That is the plan/hope, at least. With Quebec and the Maritimes unveiling their reopening plans over the past few days, the QMJHL released a handy news release explaining the capacity situation in each jurisdiction.

The three New Brunswick clubs will be the first to allow full capacity, which begins next Friday. The majority of the Quebec teams will be allowed full barns by the end of the month while the two Nova Scotia clubs and the Charlottetown Islanders will have to wait nearly two more months.

Here are the breakdowns by province:

New Brunswick

Feb. 18 - Full capacity

Nova Scotia

Feb. 14 - 50% capacity up to 3,000 fans

March14 - 75% capacity up to 5,000 fans

April 14 - Full capacity

Prince Edward Island

Feb. 17 - 50% capacity

March 17 - 75% capacity

April 7 - Full capacity

Quebec

Feb. 21 - 50% capacity

Feb. 28 - Full capacity (except Videotron Centre)

March 14 - Full capacity

Large venues like Quebec City's Videotron Centre and Montreal's Bell Centre must wait until March 14 to be at full capacity. 

Grant scores in Olympic debut

Embed from Getty Images

Welcome to the Olympic Games Alex Grant.

The original Saint John Sea Dog scored Canada's first goal of Beijing 2022 just 4:43 into the first period, helping the team defeat Germany 5-1. The goal came after Eric O'Dell absolutely rocked Germany's Marco Nowak behind the goal line.

WHAT A SHOT 🎯

Check out #TeamCanada’s first goal of the #Beijing2022 men’s hockey tournament on @CBCOlympics ⬇️
pic.twitter.com/V9ue5NBQ5L

— Team Canada (@TeamCanada) February 10, 2022

Grant, still wearing No. 20 after all these years, had two shots in 13:32 of ice time.

Canada faces the United States early Saturday morning at 12:10 a.m. Their last preliminary round game is Sunday morning at 9:10 a.m. against China.

Two other Sea Dogs alumni have played in Beijing. Tomas Jurco, playing on a line with former Moncton Wildcat Marek Hrivik, had five shots in 15:58 of ice time in Slovakia's 6-2 loss to Finland. Stanislav Galiev, meanwhile, played in Russia's 1-0 win over Switzerland where he had one shot in 11:57 of ice time.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 5-1

FINAL: Saint John 5, Chicoutimi 1

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

CHICOUTIMI, Que. - The Saint John Sea Dogs won their fourth straight game on Wednesday night, defeating the Chicoutimi Sagueneens 5-1.

Peter Reynolds, who was out of the lineup for Tuesday's game, recorded two goals and an assist in the victory. William Dufour and Vincent Sevigny each recorded a goal and two assists. Yan Kuznetsov also scored while Thomas Couture, in his second start with the Sea Dogs, made 25 stops in the win.

Marc-Antoine Seguin scored Chicoutimi's lone goal. Kevyn Brassard made 34 stops in the loss.

The Sea Dogs had a much better performance Wednesday than they did the night before, winning a wild 7-5 game in Baie-Comeau. The team looked much more organized and in control - even while playing on the unfamiliar big ice in Chicoutimi.

Saint John is now 4-0-0-0 since the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League returned from its extended COVID pause.

The @SJSeaDogs have won four straight since coming back, averaging 5.5 goals-per-game along the way.

With goals like this it's easy to see why.@QMJHL | @CHLMemorialCup pic.twitter.com/1ENUsRbhCR

— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) February 10, 2022

Game Day 34: at Sagueneens

CHICOUTIMI, Que. - After a messy start to this road trip, the Saint John Sea Dogs will look to have a much better performance tonight against the Chicoutimi Sagueneens.

Although entertaining, Saint John struggled defensively in a 7-5 victory over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar -  a team that typically struggles to generate offense. Hopefully Tuesday's game was a lapse and the team can return to the form they had over the weekend, posting strong victories on home ice.

Game time tonight in Chicoutimi is 8:30 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/93 CFBC/CHL TV

Capacity/Proof of Vaccination/Masks: 500 fans/Required/Required

Records: The Sea Dogs are 18-12-0-3 for 39 points (third Maritimes/fourth Eastern/seventh QMJHL) while the the Sagueneens are 14-13-1-4 for 33 points (third East/eighth Eastern/13th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 7-5 win in Baie-Comeau last night. William Dufour scored a pair of goals while singles came from Jeremie Poirier, Vincent Sevigny, Marshall Lessard, Brady Burns and Riley Bezeau. Nikolas Hurtubise made 26 stops in the win. The Sagueneens are coming off an 8-1 home loss to the Charlottetown Islanders on Sunday. William Rouleau scored Chicoutimi's lone goal. Sergei Litvinov made 37 stops in the loss.

2021-22 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 0-1-0-0 against the Sagueneens this season while Chicoutimi is 1-0-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Nov. 13 at TD Station where the Sagueneens defeated the Sea Dogs 4-2. Matej Kaslik, Thomas Belgarde, Fabrice Fortin and Felix Lafrance all scored for Chicoutimi. William Dufour and Evgeny Sapelnikov scored for Saint John. Sergei Litvinov made 44 stops in the win. Noah Patenaude made 21 stops in the loss.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 7-5

FINAL: Saint John 7, Baie-Comeau 5

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

BAIE-COMEAU, Que. - It wasn't pretty at times, but the Saint John Sea Dogs picked up their third straight win on Tuesday night at the Henry Leonard Centre.

William Dufour led the way once again with a five-point night - two goals and three assists - as the Sea Dogs defeated the Baie-Comeau Drakkar 7-5. Jeremie Poirier, Vincent Sevigny, Marshall Lessard, Brady Burns and Riley Bezeau also scored.

The Drakkar, who were averaging less than three goals per game heading into this match, simply would not go away. The two teams traded goals and momentum for much of the night in what proved to be an entertaining match - but certainly not the greatest defensive game ever played.

While it was a much messier win than the two the Sea Dogs earned on home ice over the weekend, it's still a positive start to a three-game road trip. The Dogs will look to improve upon this performance Wednesday in Chicoutimi.

Nikolas Hurtubise, in his second start with the Sea Dogs, allowed five goals on 31 shots in the victory.

Benjamin Corbeil, Andrew Belchamber, Vincent Collard, Jacob Gaucher and Xavier Fortin all scored for Baie-Comeau. Olivier Ciarlo was pulled in the second period after allowing five goals on 21 shots. Olivier Adam made 10 stops in relief.

Game Day 33: at Baie-Comeau

BAIE-COMEAU, Que. - For the first time since Feb. 1, 2020, the Saint John Sea Dogs will take to the ice at Henry Leonard Centre and face the Baie-Comeau Drakkar.

Tonight's match kicks off a three-game road trip through the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's East Division for the Sea Dogs. They'll also be visiting Chicoutimi and Rimouski.

The Sea Dogs had a good weekend as their revamped roster made its debut. They'll look to keep those good vibes going this week.

Game time tonight is 8 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/93 CFBC/CHL TV

Capacity/Proof of Vaccination/Masks: 500 fans/Required/Required

Records: The Sea Dogs are 17-12-0-3 for 37 points (fourth Maritimes/fifth Eastern/eighth QMJHL) while the the Drakkar are 10-14-4-3 for 27 points (fourth East/ninth Eastern/15th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 6-2 home win over the Rimouski Oceanic on Sunday. William Dufour and Philippe Daoust each scored twice while Cam MacDonald and Raivis Ansons also had goals. Thomas Couture made 14 stops in the win. The Drakkar are coming off a 5-2 home win over the Halifax Mooseheads on Sunday. Evgeny Sapelnikov had a pair of goals while singles came from Nathan Baril, Xavier Fortin and Felix Gagnon. Olivier Adam made 31 stops in the win.

Notebook: Final Quebec trip set to start

For the final time this regular season, the Saint John Sea Dogs have bussed outside the Maritimes.

The team began its final Quebec road trip after Sunday's 6-2 win over the Rimouski Oceanic at TD Station. They'll visit Baie-Comeau, Chicoutimi and Rimouski this week.

The new-look Sea Dogs are coming off strong back-to-back home wins. They'll look to continue that momentum on this road trip.

Saint John sits ahead of all three of their road trip opponents in the standings. The Sea Dogs are 3-1-0-0 against teams from the East Division this season.

Following this road trip, the Sea Dogs will have a week to prepare for their next contest, a Friday, Feb. 18 match in Halifax against the Mooseheads.

DEBUTS

Several former Sea Dogs debuted with their new teams this weekend.

• Goaltender Jonathan Lemieux made 41 stops and was named third star in Moncton's 4-3 shootout win over Rimouski on Saturday.
• Forward Evgeny Sapelnikov had two goals and an assist in his first two games with the Drakkar. Both of his goals came in Baie-Comeau's 5-2 victory over the Mooseheads on Sunday, a game that saw Sapelnikov named first star.
• Defenseman Christopher Inniss did not play for the Sagueneens over the weekend, serving a two-game suspension he received in Saint John's final game before the Christmas break.
• Cape Breton had the weekend off, meaning Charles Savoie and Carter McCluskey have yet to suit up for their new club. The Eagles are in action Friday in Boisbriand.

THE SHUTOUT

Nikolas Hurtubise's shutout on Friday against the Armada: memorable in more than a few ways.

#QMJHL #LHJMQ BLB/SNB: @SJSeaDogs get their run to the Memorial Cup off to a spectacular start as Nikolas Hurtubise redirects 17, tied for the third fewest in a shutout in franchise history. Team's first goaltender to debut with a shutout since Jacob DeSerres, 10/16/10.

— Geoffrey Brandow (@GeoffreyBrandow) February 5, 2022

BEZAEU FIGHT

Via HockeyFights.com, here's Riley Bezeau's fifth fight of the season from Friday's game.

Bezeau, who served an automatic one-game suspension on Sunday for accumulating major penalties, continues to lead the league in fights.

Sea Dogs schedule released until Feb. 20

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs' schedule will continue on as originally planned until at least Feb. 20.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League unveiled the circuit's schedule for the week of Feb. 14-20 on Monday. The Sea Dogs will play three games during that stretch, with all three being part of the team's original 2021-22 schedule.

Including this week's games, here is Saint John's confirmed schedule until Feb. 20:

Tuesday, Feb. 8 at 8 p.m. at Baie-Comeau (away)

Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 8:30 p.m. at Chicoutimi (away)

Friday, Feb. 11 at 8:30 p.m. at Oceanic (away)

Friday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. at Halifax (away)

Saturday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. vs Tigres (home)

Sunday, Feb. 20 at 3 p.m. vs Voltigeurs (home)

According to the news release, "the balance of the 2021-2022 regular season calendar will be published at the end of February."

Saint John's schedule has seen minimal changes since the league restarted play on Feb. 4. The Dogs have yet to play any of the games that were postponed by the league's extended holiday pause.

The Feb. 18 contest in Halifax would be the Mooseheads' first home game since Dec. 16. We'll have to see if the Nova Scotia government allows that game to take place - and if so, with what kind of capacity limitations.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 6-2

FINAL: Rimouski 2, Saint John 6

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - William Dufour isn't slowing down.

The Saint John Sea Dogs' leading scorer netted his 24th and 25th goals of the season in a 6-2 win over the Rimouski Oceanic on Sunday at TD Station. Dufour now has points in 18 straight games and has scored in five straight.

Dufour opened the scoring just 3:45 into the contest and set the tone for a dominant opening period by the Sea Dogs. Other than a few penalties and a couple rough stretches in the second period, it was a smooth and solid victory by Saint John.

Along with Dufour, Saint John had a pair of goals from Philippe Daoutst and singles from Raivis Ansons and Cam MacDonald. Thomas Couture made 14 saves in the win.

Luka Verreault and William Dumoulin scored for Rimouski. Patrik Hamrla allowed six goals on 22 shots in the first 40 minutes. Gabriel Robert made 10 saves in the third period.

The Oceanic were missing a few key forwards - including leading scorer Xavier Cormier - due to injuries or COVID protocol and played less than 24 hours ago in Moncton. Even though the Sea Dogs were considered favourites to win this game, it's good to see the team beating teams they should beat - similar to Friday's win over the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. These types of wins have not come easy to this Sea Dogs team and it's a reason why they sit middle-of-the-pack in the standings.

Game Day 32: vs Oceanic

SAINT JOHN - The new-look Saint John Sea Dogs looked pretty good in their debut.

The Sea Dogs had a fairly dominant performance in a 4-0 win over the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada on Friday night at TD Station. Saint John outshot the visitors 40-17 with four different players scoring. Goaltender Nikolas Hurtubise recorded a shutout in his debut.

The Armada unloaded at the trade deadline - but no wins came easy for the Sea Dogs in the first half of the season. Winning games the team should win is a good start to the 2022 portion of the schedule.

The Sea Dogs will look to build off Friday's momentum this afternoon when they host the Rimouski Oceanic - the first of two meetings between the clubs this week. Game time today at TD Station is 3 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/93 CFBC/CHL TV

Capacity/Proof of Vaccination/Masks: 50%/Required/Required

Records: The Sea Dogs are 16-12-0-3 for 35 points (fifth Maritimes/seventh Eastern/10th QMJHL) while the Oceanic are 16-10-2-2 for 36 points (second East/fourth Eastern/seventh QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-0 home win over the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada on Friday. William Dufour, Marshall Lessard, Brady Burns and Philippe Daoust scored for Saint John. Nikolas Hurtubise made 17 saves in the shutout win. The Oceanic are coming off a 4-3 shootout loss in Moncton last night. Xavier Cormier scored a pair of goals while Simon Maltais recorded a single. Gabriel Robert made 26 saves in the loss.

2021-22 head-to-head: This is the first meeting of the season between the Sea Dogs and Oceanic.

2020-21 head-to-head: These two did not meet last season.

Last meeting: Way back on Jan. 28, 2020 in Rimouski where the Oceanic defeated the Sea Dogs 3-2. Zachary Massicotte, Nathan Ouellet and Adam Raska scored for the Oceanic. Maxim Cajkovic and Jeremie Poirier scored for Saint John. Creed Jones made 23 saves in the win. Zachary Bouthillier made 41 stops in the loss.

Notebook: Hurtubise impressive in debut

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Nikolas Hurtubise did something on Friday night that hadn't been done by a Saint John Sea Dogs goaltender in over two years: record a shutout.

That long length of time is a little misleading given how few games the Sea Dogs have played over the past two years compared to normal times. But still - that's a long time.

The last Sea Dogs shutout was recorded by Zachary Bouthillier, who made 32 saves in a 3-0 home win over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar on Jan. 12, 2020. Bouthillier had two shutouts during the 2019-20 season that ended abruptly due to COVID.

Hurtubise wasn't tested a ton on Friday, facing only 17 shots. But he was sharp when he had to be and made a few very nice saves.

Friday's contest began a stretch of five games in eight days for the Sea Dogs. We'll likely see Thomas Couture in action soon with Noah Patenaude still out with an injury suffered in December.

FAMILIAR FACES

It looks like Christopher Inniss could make his Chicoutimi Sagueneens debut on Wednesday against the Sea Dogs.

The overage defenseman was placed on waivers by Saint John at the trade deadline and was picked up by the Sags. Inniss was handed a two-game suspension for high sticking in Saint John's last regular season game on Dec. 18, a suspension that will presumably be served this weekend when the Sags host the Halifax Mooseheads and Charlottetown Islanders.

After this weekend's pair of games, Chicoutimi's next contest is on Wednesday against the Sea Dogs.

Inniss is just one of a few former Sea Dogs that Saint John will see in their first five games of the restart. They'll also be seeing Evgeny Sapelnikov (Baie-Comeau) and Alex Drover (Rimouski).

LONG TIME NO SEE

Folks, these are crazy times we live in.

• Last time the Armada visited Saint John (before Friday): Dec. 1, 2019
• Last time the Oceanic visited Saint John: Oct. 31, 2019
• Last time the Sea Dogs visited Baie-Comeau: Feb. 1, 2020
• Last time the Sea Dogs visited Chicoutimi: Jan. 31, 2020
• Last time the Sea Dogs visited Rimouski: Jan. 28, 2020

POWER RANKINGS

Stephane Leroux of RDS has moved the Sea Dogs all the way up to No. 2 in his latest QMJHL power rankings. Only the Charlottetown Islanders were ranked higher.

Rounding out the top five are Sherbrooke, Shawinigan and Quebec.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 4-0

FINAL: Blainville-Boisbriand 0, Saint John 4

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The new look Saint John Sea Dogs made a strong first impression on Friday night at TD Station.

Playing in their first game since Dec. 18, the Sea Dogs had a fairly easy time with a rebuilding Blainville-Boisbriand Armada team, picking up a 4-0 win. Shots in the game ended 40-17 in favour of Saint John.

After loading up at the trade deadline, the Sea Dogs dressed seven new players who have had just a couple weeks of practice time. Saint John got off to a bit of a slow start - perhaps some signs of rust - but seemed to get better as the game went along.

William Dufour scored his team leading 23rd goal of the season in the first period. Marshall Lessard and Brady Burns each scored power play goals in the second period. Philippe Daoust was given credit for a goal early in the third period to make it 4-0 final.

Despite not being tested a whole lot, newcomer Nikolas Hurtubise looked very comfortable in net, making 17 stops in the shutout win. He came up with a few big saves - including one on a penalty shot in the second period.

Game Day 31: vs Armada

SAINT JOHN - A revamped Saint John Sea Dogs team takes to the ice tonight at TD Station.

There won't be many fans in the building due to weather and COVID restrictions, but there will be plenty of new faces in the lineup when the Sea Dogs take on their expansion cousin St. John's Fog Devils Montreal Junior Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. Players acquired during the holiday trading period include:

#1 - G Thomas Couture

#19 - F Philippe Daoust

#21 - F Nicholas Blagden

#27 - F Connor Trenholm

#46 - D Vincent Sevigny

#55 - F Raivis Ansons

#63 - F Marshall Lessard

#70 - G Nikolas Hurtubise

The hope is, obviously, that this new Sea Dogs team comes flying out of the gate. But these are a lot of new players who have had only a couple weeks of practice time. No player has appeared in a game since Dec. 18. Things will take time to come together.

Including tonight's contest, Saint John has 38 games left on its schedule (fingers crossed they all happen). Every game is not a must-win, but the team would be wise to quickly start climbing up the standings to get into a more favourable playoff position.

Game time tonight is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/93 CFBC/CHL TV

Capacity/Proof of Vaccination/Masks: 50%/Required/Required

Records: The Sea Dogs are 15-12-0-3 for 33 points (fifth Maritimes/seventh Eastern/11th QMJHL) while the Armada are 15-12-2-1 for 33 points (second West/fourth Western/10th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs last played on Dec. 18 where they fell 4-3 to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at TD Station. William Dufour, Nathan Drapeau and Josh Lawrence all scored for Saint John. Jonathan Lemieux made 37 stops in the loss. The Armada are coming off a 4-3 overtime loss in Val-d'Or on Dec. 18. Mikael Denis scored a pair of goals while Alexis Gendron added a single. Charles-Edward Gravel made 23 stops in the loss.

Numbers from the first half

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - Will William Dufour make Saint John Sea Dogs history in the second half?

Dufour sits in a tie for second overall in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League scoring with 47 points in 28 games. With the league planning to play its full 68-game schedule, the Sea Dogs have 38 games remaining (fingers crossed) which gives the New York Islanders prospect plenty of time to rack up more points.

The Sea Dogs franchise record for points in a season is 105, which was set by Jonathan Huberdeau in 2010-11. Huberdeau is the only player in team history to record 100 points or more in a single season - but Dufour certainly has a shot at joining him.

Dufour also registered an impressive 22 goals in his first 28 games. The franchise record belongs to Danick Gauthier, who scored 47 in 2011-12.

Here's hoping COVID doesn't impact Dufour's record chase.

Jeremie Poirier, meanwhile, is nearing some franchise history as well.