Game Day 28: at Baie-Comeau

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

BAIE-COMEAU, QC - The Saint John Sea Dogs begin a three-game Quebec road trip tonight.

The Sea Dogs, losers of six straight, will try and turn things around when they take on the Drakkar at 8 p.m. Atlantic. It's the first meeting of the season between the two, who currently occupy the bottom of the QMJHL standings.

The Drakkar have been at the bottom of the standings all season and have just five wins in 28 games. The Sea Dogs, meanwhile, have slid outside the playoff picture thanks to a very rough few weeks, one that has certainly turned this season's momentum heading in the wrong direction.

Saint John will try and get things back on the right track during this road trip. The Sea Dogs have been better on the road than at home this season, posting a respectable 5-6-1-0 record away from TD Station.

Following this game the Sea Dogs will visit the Chicoutimi Sagueneens and Quebec Remparts.

Stream/TV/Radio: FloHockey/None/Sea Dogs Audio Network

Records: The Sea Dogs are 10-16-1-0 for 21 points (ninth Eastern/17th QMJHL) while the Drakkar are 5-19-2-2 for 14 points (10th Eastern/18th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-2 home loss to the Moncton Wildcats on Sunday. Angelo Fullerton and Alexander Donovan scored for Saint John. Justin Robinson made 35 saves in the loss. The Drakkar are coming off a wild 7-6 overtime win over the Sagueneens on Sunday. Kyle Powers had a hat trick for Baie-Comeau while singles came from Shawn Pearson, Alexis Mathieu, Mattias Gilbert and Kieran Litterick. Justin Giguere made 43 stops in the win.

Big game in Baie-Comeau

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Going into the season, not many people had this Wednesday night game in Baie-Comeau circled.

But here we are in early December and this suddenly feels like the biggest game of the season for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The Sea Dogs have lost six straight games and seven of their past 10. They sit 17th overall in the 18-team QMJHL, placing them outside the league's playoff picture. They made a change in their hockey operations on Monday, allowing head coach Travis Crickard to put all of his attention into improving the on-ice product. 

There is definitely some panic here. But as the schedule makers fate would have it, the Sea Dogs have been granted a golden opportunity to start turning things around. The Drakkar are the lone team that sit below the Sea Dogs in the standings (seven points below them, in fact) and are just 2-10-0-1 on home ice this season.

Saint John, meanwhile, has been better on the road than at home this season, posting a 5-6-1-0 record.

It's just one game – a December one at that – but it sure feels like there's a lot on the line here. A win by the Sea Dogs would be a confidence booster, no doubt, proving that they can win a game they should – on paper – win. A loss though... it wouldn't be good.

Georgie takes back GM title

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs made a shakeup on Monday.

Team president Trevor Georgie is taking back the general manager role, the job he held from 2016 to 2023. Travis Crickard, who had been both head coach and general manager for the past year, will continue as head coach only.

“Travis is an excellent coach," Georgie said in an afternoon news release. "This adjustment allows him to focus fully on leading our group on the ice, which is where he makes the greatest impact. Our club has traditionally operated with separate GM and head coach roles, and returning to that model is the right step for our team at this time."

The Sea Dogs lost their sixth straight game on Sunday and they sit 17th overall with a 10-16-1-0 record. They have the second worst winning percentage in the QMJHL.

While the Sea Dogs still fall under the rebuilding category, this is not where most thought – or hoped – Saint John would be on Dec. 8. They have a young but high end roster, one that hasn't been able to reach its potential yet.

The season isn't quite half over, but it certainly felt like something had to happen to get things back on track.

Georgie held the general manager role for Saint John's 2017 President Cup championship and the 2022 Memorial Cup title. He's shown that he's not afraid to make big moves and will take big swings – something that adds a lot of intrigue to this year's holiday trade period, which opens in just a couple weeks on Dec. 19.

Crickard has been with the Sea Dogs since 2021 when he joined as an assistant coach. He took over as head coach in 2022 and took on the general manager title in 2024.

Removing the general manager role from Crickard should alleviate some stress on him – but also add some pressure. His job now will solely be to figure out how to unlock this roster's potential, which may not be a simple task.

The Sea Dogs will look to end their losing streak on Wednesday night when they visit the Baie-Comeau Drakkar – the only team that sits below them in the standings.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 4-2

FINAL: Moncton 4, Saint John 2

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs simply couldn't generate enough offense in a 4-2 loss to the Moncton Wildcats on Sunday at TD Station.

The Sea Dogs went up 2-0 in the first period but the team was unable to maintain that lead against a very hot Wildcats squad. Moncton went on to score three times in the opening frame to take a 3-2 lead – and the visitors would hold that score for much of the game.

Saint John was only able to generate 12 shots in the final two periods combined with a handful of those coming with the Sea Dogs pressing in the final couple minutes. Shots overall were 39-23 in favour of Moncton.

On the flip side, the Sea Dogs were able to keep it close with the Wildcats once again – although it was almost the complete opposite of Thursday's game when the Dogs were rolling offensively (recording 49 shots on goal) but struggling on defense. 

Goaltender Justin Robinson had a strong game in net, making 35 saves in the loss. Angelo Fullerton and Alexander Donovan scored Saint John's goals.

Moncton had a pair of goals from Alex Mercier and singles from Gabe Smith and Preston Lounsbury. Lounsbury iced the game with an empty netter at 19:19 of the third.

The loss was Saint John's sixth straight – with three of those coming against Moncton. The Sea Dogs are now 10-15-1-0 on the season, keeping them 17th overall.

Game Day 27: vs Wildcats

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs will try once again to snap their losing skid against the Moncton Wildcats.

The Sea Dogs fell 7-4 in Moncton on Thursday night, which extended their losing streak to five games. The two will meet again this afternoon – this time at TD Station. Game time for Saint John's teddy bear toss game is 3 p.m.

Halls = decked 🎄❄️

See this year's Christmas jerseys in action starting this Sunday for Teddy Bear Toss at 3:00 p.m. against the Wildcats!

🎟️ » https://t.co/6iKEhaRiX4#GoDogsGo pic.twitter.com/DbVg07DZ70

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) December 4, 2025

It's been a rough stretch for the Sea Dogs – but Thursday's game did have some positives. Saint John was able to fight back from a 4-1 deficit and tie it up at 4-4 early in the third period. While the Dogs weren't able to take the lead, getting back into the game – against one of the QMJHL's top teams – was at least a positive sign.

The Wildcats, meanwhile, are on a 7-0-0-1 run and now have the league's second best winning percentage.

Stream/TV/Radio: FloHockey/None/Sea Dogs Audio Network

Records: The Sea Dogs are 10-15-1-0 for 21 points (ninth Eastern/17th QMJHL) while the Wildcats are 18-6-2-1 for 39 points (second Eastern/second QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off that 7-4 loss in Moncton on Thursday. Alexis Joseph, Alexander Donovan, Olivier Duhamel and Olivier Groulx all scored for Saint John. Rafaël Courchesne made 26 saves in the loss. The Wildcats are coming off a 3-1 win over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies on Friday. Caleb Desnoyers, Kuzma Voronin and Preston Lounsbury scored for Moncton. Rudy Guimond made 31 stops in the win. 

A night of QMJHL hockey outdoors

TROIS-RIVIERES, QC - The temperatures were low but the vibes were high at the Hippodrome racetrack on Friday night.

The Victoriaville Tigres edged the Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in the second game of the 55 Cup, a four-team tournament that also includes the Drummondville Voltigeurs and Shawinigan Cataractes. Victoriaville and Drummondville will meet in Sunday's final while Sherbrooke and Shawinigan will play for third on Saturday.

The Hippodrome is quite a venue, with horse racing on this site dating all the way back to 1830. This was my 14th outdoor hockey game and fourth non-NHL – but a couple of those non-NHL games were played the day after an NHL game at the same venue. The Hippodrome had an impressive setup given that these QMJHL games are the highlight of a week long hockey festival.

The most challenging part of the event was finding the entrance. Once fans made their way in, they were greeted to an area of food trucks and sponsorship activations.

There was also a merchandise trailer.