Saturday, February 11, 2023

This and that on a Saturday

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs
It's been a disappointing season for the Drummondville Voltigeurs, which resulted in general manager Philippe Boucher stepping down earlier this week.

The Volts, despite having what most would consider an above average lineup, are 21-24-4-1 on the season, placing them last in the Central Division and sixth in the Western Conference. The team made a coaching change earlier in the season but the move hasn't had a significant impact on results.

Boucher was under contract until the completion of the 2025-26 season.

The Volts have won back-to-back games since the move, defeating the Cape Breton Eagles 3-2 in overtime and then putting an end to the Halifax Mooseheads' point streak with a 6-4 win Friday night.

Some other notes...

  • The Mooseheads' epic point streak came to an end at 25 games with that loss in Drummondville. Halifax hadn't lost in regulation time since Nov. 27. The loss came just hours after the Zachary L'Heureux indefinite suspension was announced by the league.
  • The Mooseheads and Quebec Remparts have both clinched playoff spots. Quebec has an eight-point lead on Halifax in the standings.
  • The Remparts suffered a rare loss on Friday, falling 5-4 in Chicoutimi. Former Sea Dogs forward Charles Savoie had a fight in that game - the first fighting major handed to the Remparts this season.
  • In an unexpected move, the Val-d'Or Foreurs fired general manager Pascal Daoust on Wednesday (the same day Boucher resigned). The Foreurs have been tumbling in the standings - but that was expected given that the team traded away Justin Robidas and Alexandre Doucet.
  • The Daoust firing is certainly notable from a Saint John standpoint as the Sea Dogs and Foreurs have been frequent trade partners in recent years. The Foreurs currently own Saint John's first-round pick in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft, which will likely be a lottery pick.
  • Oddly, the day after Daoust's firing, the Foreurs defeated the Victoriaville Tigres 7-0. The Tigres sit fifth overall in the league.
  • Val-d'Or's first-round pick is currently owned by the Moncton Wildcats - and they're no doubt enjoying the Foreurs' fall down the standings.
  • Former Sea Dogs forward Connor Trenholm was not in Moncton's lineup on Friday due to an injury. Trenholm took a puck to the face late in the first period on Wednesday at TD Station and did not return.
  • The Gatineau Olympiques defeated the Ottawa 67's 5-2 on Thursday. The 67's currently sit first overall in the OHL standings. The two meet again Saturday in Gatineau in front of a sold out Slush Puppie Centre.
  • More inter-league play, please. It's time to make the investment.
  • The Atlantic University Sport men's hockey regular season comes a close on Saturday. Former Sea Dogs forward Matt Green and the Dalhousie Tigers will be the lone team to miss the playoffs. Green enters Saturday's season finale tied with Campbell Pickard for the Dalhousie lead in scoring (seven goals and 12 assists for 19 points).
  • The UNB Reds (Gardiner MacDougall, Kale McCallum and Nick Blagden) and Saint Mary's Huskies (Dawson Theede) have earned first-round byes in the AUS playoffs.
  • Check out this save by former Sea Dogs goaltender Thomas Couture. The Acadia Axemen commit now has a 21-15 record to go along with a .910 save percentage and 2.81 goals against average with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies this season.
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