Notebook: Fullerton's impressive season

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Angelo Fullerton is ending his junior career on a high note.

The 20-year-old forward has scored nine goals in his past nine games to give him 25 of the season, which is currently the Saint John Sea Dogs team lead. He's also posted 18 assists in the 59 games he has appeared in.

Fullerton spent the previous three seasons with the Cape Breton Eagles, who he and the Sea Dogs will visit for a pair of games this weekend. His previous career high for points in a season was 16. His previous high for goals was nine.

The Quispamsis native has more goals and points this season than his previous three seasons combined.

He's offensive contributions have likely exceeded expectations. Fullerton attended Sea Dogs training camp on a loan from the Eagles and was later acquired for a sixth-round pick.

Fullerton and fellow overagers Julien Wasmer and Maxime Côté were honoured before Saint John's final regular season home game this past Saturday.

ATTENDANCE IS IN

Saint John's final attendance figures are in – and they're positive.

Saint John will finish the regular season with an average attendance of 3,273 fans per game, a significant increase over last season's average of 2,811. This is Saint John's best attendance figure since the 2019-20 season when the team averaged 3,345 fans per game.

The Sea Dogs currently own the sixth best average attendance in the QMJHL. They haven't finished higher than fifth since the 2021-22 season.

Saint John had two big home crowds to end the season. Announced attendance for last Friday's game was 5,093 while Saturday's was 6,150 – which was a sell out. The Saturday crowd was the largest since the 2017-18 season (6,165).

The team is inching closer to those pre-pandemic totals, which is good news.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 4-2

FINAL: Halifax 4, Saint John 2

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - A three-goal third period lifted the Halifax Mooseheads past the Saint John Sea Dogs on Saturday at TD Station.

Quinn Kennedy scored 2:07 into the third period while Shawn Carrier and Liam Kilfoil followed up with goals to lift the Mooseheads to a 4-2 victory. Caylen Blake scored Halifax's other goal.

Alexis Joseph scored in the final minute of the third but that was as close as Saint John could get. Nolann Héroux netted Saint John's other goal.

It was another fairly even game played between the two. This was the final meeting of the season series, which saw the Moosehead win five of the eight contests.

There were no goalie fights in this game – or any real carryover from that incident. Nicolas Gillham-Cirka made 34 saves in the win while Rafaël Courchesne made 25 stops in the loss.

The Sea Dogs have now lost three straight games.

Radkov, Bresson suspended; MacPherson recalled

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - Goaltenders Arseni Radkov and Owen Bresson have both been suspended following their Friday night fight.

The roster sheet for Saturday's rematch between the Saint John Sea Dogs and Halifax Mooseheads lists both goaltenders out of the lineup with suspensions – but no lengths were included. We'll have to wait for confirmation by the league on if the suspensions are more than a game.

UPDATE March 15: Radkov and Bresson have both been suspended five games by the QMJHL for a "fight involving a goaltender."

The fight took place during the second period of Friday's 5-4 Mooseheads win over the Sea Dogs at TD Station. The altercation began when Alexis Gauthier went hard to the net, which led to Bresson giving the Sea Dogs forward a few shots with his blocker. Radkov then made his way to his own blue line and was soon met in the neutral zone by Bresson.

Both were given two game misconducts: one for fighting and another for removing their own helmets/masks.

This was the first goalie fight in Sea Dogs franchise history.

With Radkov out, the Sea Dogs have recalled Jase MacPherson from the under-18 Kensington Wild. The Sea Dogs are lucky with the timing. The Wild are playing in the provincial final but have no games scheduled for Saturday or Sunday.

MacPherson, who turned 17 on Thursday, made 38 saves in Kensington's 3-2 win over the Charlottetown Knights in Game 1 of the provincial final on Friday.

MacPherson, a second-round pick of Saint John in last year's QMJHL Entry Draft, has been recalled previously to be a backup but has not seen any game action with the Sea Dogs.

The Sea Dogs are also in action on Sunday when they visit the Charlottetown Islanders.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 5-4

FINAL: Halifax 5, Saint John 4

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs came up just short against the Halifax Mooseheads on Friday.

The Sea Dogs trailed 3-0 in the first period but made a game of it, ultimately falling 5-4 in an entertaining contest at TD Station.

Saint John trailed 3-0 and 4-1 but managed to pull within a goal in the second period. Saint John had a great chance to tie things up late in the third, going to a five-on-three power play with 1:25 remaining. The Sea Dogs were able to generate some strong pressure in the offensive zone but could not net an equalizer.

The Mooseheads dominated most of the first period but the rest of the game was fairly even. Halifax has now won four of the seven games between the two this season with one more meeting to come – which will happen Saturday at TD Station.

This game will be remembered for some time because of the second period goalie period fight between Arseni Radkov and Owen Bresson. It wasn't an overly nasty game before or even after the fight, but it was a spirited tilt between the two netminders in the neutral zone.

Caylen Blake, Samuel Rousseau, Oleg Kulebiakin, Liam Kilfoil and Owen Phillips all scored for Halifax. Bresson allowed three goals on 15 shots before being tossed from the game. Nicolas Gillham-Cirka allowed a goal on 11 shots in relief.

Angelo Fullerton netted a pair of goals for Saint John while singles came from Everett Baldwin and Dylan Rozzi. Radkov allowed four goals on 23 shots while Rafaël Courchesne allowed a goal on 16 shots.

Video: Goalie fight in Saint John

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - What just happened?

Goaltenders Arseni Radkov and Owen Bresson dropped the gloves during the second period of Friday's Saint John Sea Dogs home game against the Halifax Mooseheads.

Things truly escalated quickly. After what had been a mild game in terms of rough stuff, Bresson gave Sea Dogs forward Alexis Gauthier a punch with his blocker. Soon after, Radkov skated to his own blue line and, soon enough, the two netminders started throwing punches in the neutral zone.

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Game Day 60 & 61: vs Mooseheads

Trevor MacMillan/Halifax Mooseheads

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs will play their final home games of the regular season this weekend.

The Sea Dogs will host the Halifax Mooseheads tonight at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m. The team will play three games on the road to finish the regular season, but this weekend's contests will be the team's final matches at TD Station until the playoffs.

Halifax sits one spot ahead of Saint John in the standings. But the Moose have an 11-point lead with five games to play, so the Sea Dogs won't be able to catch them. Saint John is locked into the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Sea Dogs will look to try and improve their home record in these final games. The team is 11-17-2-0 at TD Station this season.

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

Records: The Sea Dogs are 22-32-5-0 for 49 points (eighth Eastern/15th QMJHL) while the Mooseheads are 27-27-3-3 for 60 points (seventh Eastern/12th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 6-3 loss in Moncton on Sunday. Zachary Morin, Alexis Joseph and Nolann Héroux scored for Saint John. Arseni Radkov made 42 saves in the loss. The Mooseheads are coming off a 3-2 overtime in win Cape Breton on Sunday. Quinn Kennedy, Connor MacPherson and Oleg Kulebiakin scored for Halifax. Owen Bresson made 19 saves in the win.

Notebook: Regular season nearing an end

Trevor MacMillan/Halifax Mooseheads

Just five regular season games remain for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The Sea Dogs will play their final home games this weekend, hosting the Halifax Mooseheads on Friday and Saturday. Note that the Saturday game has a 4 p.m. start.

After that, the Sea Dogs will play their final three games of the regular season all on the road. They visit the Charlottetown Islanders on Sunday and then travel to Cape Breton for games March 20-21.

Saint John has respectable records against all three opponents remaining on their schedule:

vs Halifax: 3-2-1-0

vs Charlottetown: 3-2-2-0

vs Cape Breton: 3-3-0-0

The Sea Dogs have qualified for the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League playoffs, so they'll play at least four more games after the regular season ends. Saint John will play whichever team finishes first in the Eastern Conference – either the Chicoutimi Sagueneens or Moncton Wildcats.

SPLITS VS MONCTON
Check out these home/away splits for the Sea Dogs when facing the Moncton Wildcats over the past five seasons.

Sea Dogs vs Wildcats at Moncton: 10-10-1-1

Sea Dogs vs Wildcats at Saint John: 3-17-0-1

Sunday was the final regular season meeting between the Sea Dogs and Wildcats. Saint John went 1-7-0-0 against Moncton this year with their lone win coming at Avenir Centre.

Some Sunday stats

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - Everett Baldwin tied a Saint John Sea Dogs franchise record on Saturday.

Baldwin scored his 13th goal of the season in Saint John's 5-4 loss to the Charlottetown Islanders, tying the team record for most goals by a rookie defenseman in a single season.

Baldwin ties Jakub Zboril who posted 13 goals during the 2014-15 season.

In terms of points, Baldwin now has 36 on the season, tying him with Luke Green for the third most by a Sea Dogs rookie defenseman. Nicolas Bilodeau (43 points) and Radim Salda (41) still sit ahead of him.

The Sea Dogs have seven games remaining in the regular season. 

Baldwin has three goals and four assists over his past six games. Seven of his 13 goals have come since Jan. 4.

The Tampa Bay Lightning prospect is committed to Providence College for next season.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 5-2

FINAL: Saint John 5, Halifax 2

Trevor MacMillan/Halifax Mooseheads

HALIFAX - The Brian Casey coaching era got off to an impressive start on Friday.

The Saint John Sea Dogs had a dominant first period, outshooting the Halifax Mooseheads 22-3 and scoring twice en route to a 5-2 win at Scotiabank Centre.

Saint John added two more in the second period and could have had a few more in the third if not for the play of Halifax netminder Owen Bresson.

The Mooseheads were able to make a game of it in the third, getting within two at 11:51. But a Dylan Rozzi goal with 5:48 remaining gave Saint John some insurance and ended Halifax's momentum. 

The Mooseheads aren't exactly an elite team this season, but still, this was an impressive showing for Saint John following Thursday's coaching change. Now we'll see what they can do against a stronger Charlottetown Islanders team on Saturday.

The Sea Dogs were playing without forwards Alexis Joseph, William Yared and Olivers Murnieks and had to use defenseman Vincent Croteau as a fourth line forward – which makes this result all the more impressive. The big guns who were dressed produced with Alexander Donovan scoring twice and posting an assist; Rozzi, Zachary Morin and Maxime Côté added singles; and Olivier Groulx had three assists.

Arseni Radkov made 28 saves in the win.

Oleg Kulebiakin and Quinn Kennedy scored for Halifax. Bresson made 37 saves in the loss.

Game Day 56: at Halifax

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

HALIFAX - Tonight's game in Halifax got a whole lot more interesting yesterday.

With coaches Travis Crickard and Mark Lee no longer with the Saint John Sea Dogs, the Brian Casey era officially begins tonight at Scotiabank Centre. Game time is 7 p.m.

Obviously, Casey will have had limited time to prepare the Sea Dogs for this game – but you never know what's going to happen in the first game after a coaching change. Teams often look reinvigorated in the first game.

The Sea Dogs are coming off a Quebec road trip that saw them drop the first two games before picking up a key regulation time win in Gatineau on Sunday.

The Mooseheads, meanwhile, have had some struggles in the second half but still sit nine points ahead of the Sea Dogs.

Stream/TV/Radio: FloHockey/None/None

Records: The Sea Dogs are 20-30-5-0 for 45 points (eighth Eastern/15th QMJHL) while the Mooseheads are 24-25-3-3 for 54 points (seventh Eastern/13th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 2-1 win in Gatineau on Sunday. Angelo Fullerton and Alexander Donovan scored for Saint John. Arseni Radkov made 29 saves in the win. The Mooseheads are coming off a 7-1 win in Rimouski on Sunday. Jasu Mensonen scored a pair of goals for Halifax while singles came from Shawn Carrier, Connor MacPherson, Quinn Kennedy, Daniel Walters and Oleg Kulebiakin. Owen Bresson made 23 saves in the win.

Robinson, Zubek debut with new teams

Summerside Western Capitals Facebook

MONCTON - Justin Robinson earned a win in his Summerside Western Capitals debut on Saturday.

Robinson made 20 saves in Summerside's 3-2 win over the Pictou County Weeks Crushers. Both of Pictou's goals came in the third period with one coming on a power play in the final minute.

In net for the Crushers was George Gallant, who the Capitals traded to Pictou to make room for Robinson.

The Saint John Sea Dogs traded Robinson to the Moncton Wildcats on deadline day. The Wildcats are keeping Jacoby Weiner as Rudy Guimond's backup, allowing Summerside to sign Robinson.

The Capitals, who are hosting the Centennial Cup national championship in May, currently sit first overeall in the Maritime Junior Hockey League standings with a 25-7-4-3 record.

In 19 games with the Sea Dogs this season, Robinson went 6-9-1 with a 3.97 goals against average and a .886 save percentage.

Some other Sunday news and notes...

• Defenseman Patryk Zubek, who was released by the Sea Dogs and claimed off waivers by the Newfoundland Regiment, finally debuted with his new team on Friday. The import d-man was a +3 with one shot in the Regiment's 8-4 home win over the Rimouski Oceanic.
• The Moncton Wildcats fell 7-4 to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens on Saturday night, a major showdown between two of the top teams in the QMJHL. The Sags led 5-1 in the second period but Moncton was able to make a game of it with a third period push.
• The Sagueneens won all three games of a challenging three-in-three through the Maritimes, defeating Halifax, Charlottetown and Moncton.
• The Sagueneens were outshot 12-2 in the third period on Saturday. Both of their shots were empty net goals. I doubt that has ever happened in league history.
• Packed house of 8,470 at Avenir Centre for Hockey Day in Canada. 
• The Wildcats and Sagueneens meet again next Saturday in Chicoutimi.
• The Cape Breton Eagles had a seven-game road trip come to an end on Sunday in Moncton, which included two games in both Shawinigan and Boisbriand along with stops in Rimouski, Drummondville and finally Moncton.
• The much hyped Ivan Ryabkin made his Charlottetown Islanders debut on Friday. In Saturday's 6-3 win over the Halifax Mooseheads, the Carolina Hurricanes second-rounder posted a goal and four assists. After posting another three points on Sunday, the Russian has an impressive two goals and eight points in three games. 
• The Ottawa 67's – one of the top teams in the OHL – won both of their games against the Gatineau Olympiques this weekend. They were close games, though, with Ottawa winning 2-1 on Friday and 5-3 on Saturday. The Sudbury Wolves, meanwhile, defeated the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 5-3 on Sunday.
• The expansion Penticton Vees, who entered the CHL Top-10 for the first time in team history last week, have now won 11 straight games. They sit second in the WHL's Western Conference behind the Everett Silvertips.
• The Medicine Hat Tigers had a 19-game winning streak come to an end on Saturday when they fell 8-5 to the Prince Albert Raiders.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 5-2

FINAL: Halifax 2, Saint John 5

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - What a start to the new year.

Playing in their first game since the calendar changed, the Saint John Sea Dogs never trailed in a 5-2 victory over the Halifax Mooseheads on Sunday afternoon at TD Station.

The Sea Dogs opened the scoring and led 2-0 after the opening frame despite being outshot 13-5. Saint John would add three more in the third – which included an empty netter – in the victory.

Shots in the game were 33-23 in favour of the Mooseheads.

Oskar Drabczynski, Angelo Fullerton, Everett Baldwin, Olivier Duhamel and Dylan Rozzi all scored for Saint John. Rafaël Courchesne made 31 stops in the win.

Liam Kilfoil and William Bent had Halifax goals. Nicolas Gillham-Cirka made 18 stops in the loss.

Game Day 36: vs Mooseheads

Trevor MacMillan/Halifax Mooseheads

SAINT JOHN - Just two days out from the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League trade deadline, the Saint John Sea Dogs host the Halifax Mooseheads at TD Station.

Game time this afternoon is 3 p.m.

The Sea Dogs have fallen to 1-2-1-0 against the Mooseheads this season thanks to back-to-back losses prior to the Christmas break. 

The Mooseheads were in action last night, falling 3-2 in a shootout to the Moncton Wildcats. The Sea Dogs, meanwhile, have not played since that wild 6-5 loss to the Newfoundland Regiment on New Year's Eve.

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

Records: The Sea Dogs are 13-19-3-0 for 29 points (ninth Eastern/17th QMJHL) while the Mooseheads are 18-14-1-2 for 39 points (sixth Eastern/10th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 6-5 loss to the Newfoundland Regiment on Wednesday. Alexis Joseph had a hat trick for Saint John while singles came from Everett Baldwin and Alexander Donovan. Rafaël Courchesne made 35 saves in the loss. The Mooseheads are coming off a 3-2 shootout loss in Moncton last night. Malik L'Italien and Quinn Kennedy scored for Halifax. Nicolas Gillham-Cirka made 34 stops in the loss.

Notebook: Top prospect signs USHL tender

USHL

The player recruitment issues aren't going away for the QMJHL.

Earlier this week the USHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks announced that forward Zaac Charbonneau, one of the top prospects for the 2026 QMJHL Entry Draft, has signed a tender agreement with the club for the 2026-27 season.

“We are getting an elite player that is passionate and loves the game, and it shows in his compete, his IQ, and his ability to score goals from anywhere,” said Lumberjacks general manager Jim McGroarty in a news release. “When you are talking hockey, or anything with Zaac, he always has a smile on his face. These are the types of young men we want in the locker room and our community.”

Charbonneau has played US prep school hockey at Mount St. Charles the past two seasons.

There's still a chance Charbonneau could opt to play in the QMJHL next season, but players have been honouring these commitments of late – which hasn't been good news for the Q. The hope was that these types of things would go away with the NCAA rule change – but they're still happening.

The Lumberjacks in particular have been a problem for the QMJHL. Fredericton native Tynan Lawrence, a top prospect for this year's NHL Draft, is in his second season with the Lumberjacks.

WORLD JR UPDATE

Olivers Murnieks and Team Latvia will face Sweden in Friday's quarterfinals.

Murnieks registered an assist and went 16-14 in faceoffs in 19:54 of ice time in Latvia's 4-2 loss to Czechia on Wednesday, the final day of preliminary round play at the IIHF World Junior Championship.

Latvia finished fourth in Group B with four points. They'll now crossover and face Sweden, who finished first in Group A thanks to a 6-3 win over the United States on Wednesday.

The other quarterfinals will see Czechia face Switzerland, the US take on Finland and Canada face Slovakia.

Following Friday's quarterfinals, the semifinals will take place Sunday and the finals on Monday.

JOSEPH HAT TRICK

Alexis Joseph recorded his second career QMJHL hat trick on Wednesday in Saint John's 6-5 loss to the Newfoundland Regiment.

Here's a look at all three goals:

Joseph also had an assist in the game. He tied a career high for both goals and points in a single game.

Joseph sits sixth in QMJHL rookie scoring with 33 points and is tied for fourth in goals with 17.

Tuesday night notes

Tim Austen/IIHF

This and that on a Tuesday night...

• Olivers Murnieks and Team Latvia have secured a spot in the quarterfinals of the IIHF World Junior Championship thanks to a 6-3 win over Denmark on Tuesday. Murnieks played 21:45 and recorded two assists – his first points of the tournament – three shots, a + 1 rating and he went 14-13 in the faceoff circle. Latvia will play Czechia on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. on the final day of preliminary round play. All four quarterfinals will take place Jan. 2.
• Egan Beveridge made his debut with the Quebec Remparts on Monday, recording two shots, two hits, two penalty minutes and a -1 rating in a 6-0 loss to the powerhouse Chicoutimi Sagueneens. He played on the team's fourth line with Nathan Birch and Andrew Waugh. 
• It's been a rough go for Jacob Beaulieu and the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada this week. After blowing a 3-0 lead and losing to Chicoutimi on Sunday, the Armada blew another 3-0 lead and fell 5-4 in a shootout to the Sherbrooke Phoenix on Monday. Beaulieu, playing on the Armada's fourth line again, took two minor penalties in Monday's loss and was a -1 with one hit.
• The Moncton Wildcats will host the Charlottetown Islanders in front of a sold out Avenir Centre on New Year's Eve. TD Station will definitely not be sold out, but hopefully there is a good crowd. The Sea Dogs had a season high 3,673 fans attend their home game on Sunday.
• All 18 QMJHL teams will play on New Year's Eve, ranging from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. local starts.
• The Halifax Mooseheads have signed free agent defenseman Brenden Espenell from the BCHL's Alberni Valley Bulldogs. The Winnipeg native is committed to Merrimack College for the 2026-27 season.
• The Newfoundland Regiment and Baie-Comeau Drakkar made a big trade on Tuesday, which included Gordie Dwyer's son, Ryan Dwyer, joining the Regiment.
• A reminder that the QMJHL's trade deadline is Jan. 6, which is now less than a week away.
• ECHL games will resume on New Year's Eve after the league and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA) announced that both parties have ratified an agreement on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Notebook: ECHL happenings

There's a lot going on in the ECHL right now.

It's probably fair to say that the league is as stable as it's ever been but a player strike – which could begin on Boxing Day – could certainly put a halt to that.

We'll see how this all plays out over the next few days, but it's sounding like the two sides are quite far apart. Cancelling games would be devastating for many of the league's teams.

While we wait to see what happens off the ice, here are a few notes from on the ice:

• Former Sea Dogs forward Nathan Noel was recently claimed by the Norfolk Admirals. The 28-year-old has a goal and two assists in four games with the Admirals. Noel had been playing with the Iowa Heartlanders. The St. John's native has appeared in 194 career ECHL games over seven seasons.
• Former Sea Dogs forward Nico Blachman was suspended five games and fined an undisclosed amount on Dec. 20 for some warmup shenanigans in a game against the Indy Fuel. Blachman has appeared in just three games with the Fort Wayne Komets this season but has 23 penalty minutes.

  Nico Blachman is in the lineup tonight. On an unrelated note, the Fuel and #Komets have a little get together during warm ups here at Memorial Coliseum. pic.twitter.com/BGomKwY59t

  — James Krause (@jkrausepro) December 20, 2025

• Drew Elliott has an impressive eight goals and six assists in 17 games with the Tulsa Oilers this season. In the regular season and playoffs combined, Elliott now has 23 points in 26 career ECHL games.

FIRST GOAL STRUGGLES

The Sea Dogs scored first in just 11 of their 32 games in the first half of the QMJHL season. The Charlottetown Islanders and Rimouski Oceanic have also only scored first in 11 games while the Victoriaville Tigres have done so a league low nine times.

The Dogs are also one of two teams – the last-place Baie-Comeau Drakkar being the other – with a below .500 record when scoring the game's first goal. Saint John 4-6-1-0 in those contests.

Here's a look at the entire league (click the enlarge):

WJC SOON

Sea Dogs forward Olivers Murnieks and Team Latvia open the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship on Saturday against Team Canada.

As Steven Ellis wrote in his Team Latvia preview at Daily Faceoff, this tournament will offer Murnieks a chance to get a challenging season back on track.

Perhaps the more interesting prospect is Olivers Mūrnieks, who is coming off a concussion. Projected to go in the first round early on, Mūrnieks has had a difficult season with the Saint John Sea Dogs, with just 13 points in 22 games. He was one of Latvia’s best forwards at last year’s tournament and is easily one of the most skilled centers in the nation’s history. Can he use this event to help get his game back on the right track?

Murnieks has appeared in just one QMJHL game since Nov. 30. His last game action came on Dec. 4.

The IIHF website also has a world juniors preview that includes a mention of Murnieks.

About those shorthanded goals

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Let's talk about shorthanded goals.

• The two shorthanded goals scored by Alexis Joseph in Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Halifax Mooseheads give the Saint John Sea Dogs eight on the year, good for a tie for second in the league. The Newfoundland Regiment also have eight while the Shawinigan Cataractes lead the QMJHL with nine.
• The Regiment have allowed just one shorthanded goal this year. The Drummondville Voltigeurs are the lone team that has yet to allow one.
• Joseph now has three shorthanded goals on the season, placing him in a tie for the second most in the QMJHL. Newfoundland's Dawson Sharkey has a league high five.

  This kid's alright!
  Alexis Joseph (2027) picked up two short-handed tallies for the Saint John Sea Dogs tonight 👀@SJSeaDogs | @QMJHL | @LHJMQ#GoDogsGo #QMJHL #LHJMQ pic.twitter.com/bvYMcuuo6N

  — FloHockey (@FloHockey) December 19, 2025

• Oddly, all three of Joseph's shorthanded goals have been scored at Scotiabank Centre. The 16-year-old now has five goals in four games against the Mooseheads this season.

  DÉJÀ VU
  Alexis Joseph (2027) scored a goal tonight that was a near-perfect replica of his very first QMJHL goal 🤯#GoDogsGo #QMJHL #LHJMQ pic.twitter.com/OI7sa5QWZx

  — FloHockey (@FloHockey) December 19, 2025

• Joseph leads all QMJHL rookies in shorthanded goals and points.
• Only five Sea Dogs have ever scored two shorthanded goals in a game: Felix Schutz (2005-06), Chris DiDomenico (2006-07), Mathieu Joseph (2016-17), Spencer Smallman (2016-17) and Joseph (2025-26).
• Joseph has now scored the second most shorthanded goals in a season by a Sea Dogs rookie. Schutz holds the record with an impressive six shorties scored in Saint John's 2005-06 expansion season.
• Schutz (2005-06) and Joseph (2015-16) hold the team record for most shorthanded goals in a season with six.

The Sea Dogs are back in action on Sunday, Dec. 28 when they host the Charlottetown Islanders at 3 p.m.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 4-3 (OT)

FINAL: Saint John 3, Halifax 4 (OT)

Trevor MacMillan/Halifax Mooseheads

HALIFAX - The Halifax Mooseheads needed just nine seconds of overtime to defeat the Saint John Sea Dogs 4-3 on Thursday night at Scotiabank Centre.

Eddy Doyle scored on Halifax's first and only shot of the extra frame, securing the extra point for the Mooseheads and a sweep of this midweek home-and-home with Saint John. The Moose defeated the Sea Dogs 4-3 in Saint John the night before.

Halifax led 2-0 entering the third period but the Sea Dogs, like Wednesday night, stormed back. Alexis Joseph scored shorthanded just 1:59 into the final frame and then Zachary Morin quickly tied things up at 2:47.

The Moose retook the lead at 7:03 only for Joseph to tie things up again with another shorthanded marker at 13:30. Unfortunately for Saint John, they could never take the lead in this game, falling in the extra frame.

Along with Doyle, Amelio Santini, with a pair, and Caylen Blake scored for Halifax. Owen Bresson made 24 saves in the win.

Rafaël Courchesne made 32 stops in the loss.

The Sea Dogs outshot the Mooseheads for the first half of the game but, like Wednesday, they couldn't find their finish until the third. In that third, Saint John scored three times on just five shots. Halifax, meanwhile, had 18 shots in the the final frame, outshooting Saint John 36-27 overall.

Saint John will finish the first half with a 12-18-2-0 record for 26 points, placing them a disappointing 17th overall in the QMJHL.

Game Day 32: at Halifax

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

HALIFAX - The Saint John Sea Dogs will look to build off a strong finish last night.

The Sea Dogs trailed the Halifax Mooseheads 4-0 in the third period but managed to cut the deficit to 4-3. That would be as close as Saint John would get, but the team will look to carry that momentum into tonight's rematch at Scotiabank Centre. Game time is 7 p.m.

Last night's loss extended Saint John's home losing streak to six games. The good news for the Sea Dogs is that they've been much better on the road so far this season, a trend they'll look to continue tonight.

This is the final game of the first half for both teams.

Stream/TV/Radio: FloHockey/None/None

Records: The Sea Dogs are 12-18-1-0 for 25 points (ninth Eastern/17th QMJHL) while the Mooseheads are 16-12-1-1 for 34 points (fifth Eastern/eighth QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs and Mooseheads met last night at TD Station where Halifax earned a 4-3 win. Quinn Kennedy and Shawn Carrier each scored twice for Halifax. Zachary Morin, Elliot Dubé and William Yared scored for Saint John. Owen Bressen made 28 saves in the win. Rafaël Courchesne made 21 stops in the loss.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 4-3

FINAL: Halifax 4, Saint John 3

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - A third period comeback fell just short for the Saint John Sea Dogs on Wednesday at TD Station

The Sea Dogs trailed the Halifax Mooseheads 4-0 in the third period at one point and were able to cut the deficit to 4-3 – but that would be as close as they would get.

Saint John outshot Halifax 31-25 and had plenty of chances but struggled to find enough finish. They also went 0/4 on the power play. Mooseheads goaltender Owen Bresson had a strong game in net, making 28 saves in the win.

The loss dropped the Sea Dogs to a disappointing 5-11-0-0 at home so far this season and extended their home losing streak to six games. They are now 12-18-1-0 overall, keeping them 17th overall in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.

The Mooseheads grabbed a 1-0 lead at 5:27 of the opening frame when Quinn Kennedy scored. Saint John started to get things going on a four-minute power play later in the first but they couldn't convert on their chances. 

In the second, Shawn Carrier scored just 1:13 in to keep momentum going. Kennedy added another at 13:09 to give Halifax a commanding 3-0 advantage. Saint John had their chances in the middle frame but they couldn't beat Bresson.

Saint John couldn't score on a power play that carried over into the third. Instead, back at even strength at 2:45, Carrier netted his second to give the Moose a 4-0 advantage.

Zachary Morin got Saint John on the board at 5:08 of the third followed by Elliot Dubé at 11:18 and William Yared at 17:02. The Sea Dogs pulled Rafaël Courchesne later in the game but they couldn't add another despite generating pressure in the offensive zone.

Courchesne made 21 stops in the loss.