POSTSCRIPT: Screaming Eagles 2, Sea Dogs 7

SEA DOGS –SCREAMING EAGLES GAME AT A GLANCE
Final Score: Screaming Eagles 2, Sea Dogs 7
Saint John Goals: Michael Kirkpatrick, Kevin Gagne, Tomas Jurco (3), Jonathan Huberdeau, and Guillaume Cloutier.
Cape Breton Goals: Brad Cuzner and Taylor MacDougall.
News 88.9 Top Dog: Pierre Durepos

THE NUMBERS
Power Play: Screaming Eagles: 2/9, Sea Dogs: 1/4
Shots on Goal: Screaming Eagles: 9+10+11=30, Sea Dogs: 5+16+4=25
Length: 2:12
Attendance: 3,459

SAINT JOHN SCRATCHES
Missing from the Sea Dogs lineup because of National Hockey League Rookie/Training Camps were: Simon Despres (Pittsburgh), Mike Thomas (Edmonton), Steven Anthony (Vancouver), Stephen MacAulay (St. Louis), and Stanislav Galiev (Washington).

Also out was defenseman Gabriel Bourret.

RECAP
It was a rather dominant game for the Saint John Sea Dogs in just their second match of the 2010-11 regular season campaign. On the strength of a four goal second period, the Dogs walked over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 7-2 on Friday night at Harbour Station.

Michael Kirkpatrick opened the scoring while shorthanded at 5:21. But while the same Cape Breton player was still serving his penalty, Brad Cuzner evened the affair at 5:32. Saint John would go into cruise control from there.

Kevin Gagne scored at 12:25 and Tomas Jurco added another a few seconds later to give Saint John a 3-1 lead heading into the intermission.

In the second, Jonathan Huberdeau extended the Sea Dogs’ lead. Then, rookie Guillaume Cloutier fired a point shot that hit something on the way in to make it a 5-1 game. Jurco would add two more in the middle frame to record the hat trick.

In the third, Taylor MacDougall recorded a power play goal at 15:56 to make it a 7-2 final.

JURCO THE MACHINE
After not even attending Training Camp due to scholastic commitments in Slovakia, Tomas Jurco is showing no signs of rust.

In just two regular season games, the second year Sea Dog has five goals. He recorded his first career hat trick in the Quebec league last evening.

After a bit of a slow start to the year last season, Jurco finished strong and recorded a Sea Dogs rookie record 26 goals. He added another seven goals in the post-season.

PICHE WAS SOLID
After Karel St. Laurent allowed a couple of weak goals on Friday night, the newly acquired Frederic Piche was given the start in net.

GRANT RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL

Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Alex Grant was released from hospital earlier today after being carried off the ice in a stretcher yesterday at the London, Ontario NHL Rookie mini-tournament.

Penguins General Manager Ray Shero said in a release that Grant sustained a broken wrist and whiplash after being hit by an Ottawa Senator during Saturday’s prospect game at the John Labatt Centre in London. The defenseman will be re-evaluated by Penguins doctors when the team returns to Pittsburgh later this week.

The hit happened just a few minutes into the Penguins’ Saturday afternoon game against the Senators. He was injured when Ottawa's David Dziurzynski drove him into the boards while the two were skating hard into the end zone.

Grant, his neck and extremities immobilized, was removed from the ice on a stretcher and transported to a nearby hospital.

A former captain of the Saint John Sea Dogs, Grant played in 40 games with the East Coast Hockey League’s Wheeling Nailers last year. He recorded seven goals and 20 assists. Also, in 14 matches with the American Hockey League’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the offensive defensive registered three goals and two assists.

The 2005 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League first overall pick was selected by Pittsburgh in the fourth round, 118th overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

GRANT HOSPITALIZED AFTER UGLY HIT

Former Saint John Sea Dogs captain Alex Grant was involved in a scary incident yesterday afternoon. The Pittsburgh Penguins prospect was playing in the first rookie game at an NHL-mini tournament held annually in London, Ontario.

The Pens rookies would win the game 5-3 over the Ottawa Senators, but Grant was carried off on a stretcher after a nasty looking hit took place in the early part of the first period.

“But while the Penguins went home happy with the result, they did so with heavy hearts following a horrific injury early in the first period,” reports Hockey’s Future. “Alex Grant was taken to a local hospital after a scary incident in their own end. Grant was propelled into the boards head-first by David Dziurzynski, who received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for this actions. Grant lay face down on the ice, immobile, for 10 minutes as trainers and medical staff worked on him. He was carefully rolled onto a stretcher, his head and neck immobilized, and wheeled off the ice. There was no sign of movement from any part of Grant’s body or extremities. The Penguins stated that Grant was being held at the hospital for observation and will provide a statement Sunday to update the blueliner’s status.”

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Grant is being examined for possible neck, back, and wrist injuries.

Penguins General Manager Ray Shero added that, while the results of those tests still are not known, the way Grant was handled on the ice, as well as the examinations he received, were primarily "a precaution."

At this time, Grant status is still unknown. Along with Hockey’s Future, several media sources have stated that the Penguins are expected to release some information on Grant sometime today.

Eric P. of the Wilkes-Blog has video of the hit. It can be seen at the 50 second mark of this video:


Now 21, Grant was drafted by Pittsburgh in the fourth round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. The 2005 first overall pick in the QMJHL Entry Draft was battling for a roster spot on the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Two of Grant’s QMJHL teammates are playing with the Pens rookies. Current Sea Dog Simon Despres played with the offensive defenseman in 2007-08 and part of the 2008-09 season. After being traded to Shawinigan at the 2009 holiday trading period, Grant played with Nicholas Petersen.

With Shawinigan in 2009, Grant and Petersen played against Mike Hoffman and Drummondville Voltigeurs. It was in that series that Chris DiDomenico severely injured his leg by going feet first into the boards.

The Penguins rookies return to action tonight against the Toronto Maple Leaf rookies.

JURCO, DOGS GIVE EAGLES A BEAT DOWN

SN RECAP
Final: Screaming Eagles 2, Sea Dogs 7

SAINT JOHN – Most pre-season predictions have the Saint John Sea Dogs finishing in the upper echelon of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Those same predictions have the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles finishing the year in the league basement.

If tonight’s game was any indication, those predictions should become reality.

Saint John stomped on the Eagles on Saturday night at Harbour Station, defeating Cape Breton 7-2 in both teams second game of the year.

Sophomore Tomas Jurco continued his hot start, recording his first career hat trick in the win. The Slovakian now has five goals to start his second QMJHL campaign. Single markers came courtesy of Michael Kirkpatrick, Kevin Gagne, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Guillaume Cloutier.

Newly acquired goaltender Frederic Piche stopped 28 pucks for his first win of the season.

Brad Cuzner and Taylor MacDougall each scored for the Eagles.

Francois Lacerte and Alexandre Veronneau combined to stop 18 shots.

MacDougall kicked things off just 52 seconds into the game by taking a hooking penalty. While shorthanded, Cory MacIntosh broke in alone but had his shot stopped by Piche’s blocker.

With Pierre Durepos in the box for tripping, Kirkpatrick opened up the scoring while shorthanded. The 20-year picked up the puck after an Eagle defender lost control of it in his own zone and fired a shot into the top corner to make it 1-0 Saint John at 5:21.

The Eagles would tie the game with Durepos still in the box at 5:32. Piche tried to clear the puck behind the net but had his shot land on an Eagle stick. After a quick exchange behind the goal, a pass from behind the goal line found the stick of Cuzner in front who inserted the disc into an empty net.

Aidan Kelly had a good scoring chance a few minutes later, wiring a wrister high and wide in a clear shooting lane.

Saint John made it 2-1 at 12:25 when Gagne fired a low wrist shot through a screen that fooled Veronneau in the Cape Breton net.

The Sea Dogs took control at 12:47. Zach Phillips sent a perfect pass to Jurco at the top of the crease. The import made no mistake, chasing Veronneau from the net with a low shot.

Phillips almost made it 4-1 during some four-on-four action but found the post.

Shots in the first stanza were 9-5 Eagles.

Spencer Metcalf was in pain just four minutes into the second period. Metcalf went down like a ton of bricks after taking a shot in the leg. He would be helped off the ice and did not put any pressure on his left leg.

With Lacerte in the Eagles net, the goaltender tried to grab the loose puck at the side of the goal but failed. Huberdeau picked it up and performed a wraparound to make it 4-1 for the home side.

After Cape Breton finally had some okay scoring pressure, Sea Dogs rookie Guillaume Cloutier let a shot go from the point at 8:56 that hit several things before it found the mesh of the Cape Breton goal.

On the power play at 10:44, Huberdeau fed Jurco with a cross crease pass that would make it a 6-1 Saint John lead.

Just after Jurco was held up on another great scoring chance, the Slovak picked up his own rebound at 19:28 to complete the hat trick and make it a 7-1 Sea Dogs lead going into intermission.

Shots in the middle frame were 16-10 Saint John.

The Eagles actually had a decent scoring chance halfway through the final frame. An Eagle player was parked at the side of the Saint John crease but somehow could not get wood on it to bat it by Piche.

After a penalty filled and uneventful third, Cape Breton found the score sheet again when William Carrier sent a great pass to an open MacDougall in front at 15:56. The Fredericton native sent a shot off the post and in to make it a 7-2 game.

Shots in the third were 11-4 Cape Breton.

The visitors would win the shots-on-goal battle by firing 30 shots to Saint John’s 25.

The Sea Dogs were 1/4 on the power play while the Eagles were 2/9.

NOTES: See Station Nation Postscript tomorrow.

NEXT GAME: Saturday, September 19, 2010 vs the Halifax Mooseheads at 7:00 pm at Harbour Station.

LIVE BLOG: Screaming Eagles vs Sea Dogs

Comments: OFF

PRE-GAME: Cape Breton Screaming Eagles vs Saint John Sea Dogs

GAME DAY

WHO: Cape Breton Screaming Eagles vs Saint John Sea Dogs
WHEN: Tonight, 7:00pm
WHERE: Harbour Station

THE MATCHUP
After a thrilling 6-4 season opening victory, it’s right back to business for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Saint John (1-0-0-0) hosts the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (1-0-0-0) tonight at 7:00 pm at Harbour Station.

The Sea Dogs opened up the 2010-11 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League season last night with a 6-4 victory over the PEI Rocket. Tomas Jurco and Ryan Tesink each scored a pair of goals while Michael Kirkpatrick added three assists.

The line of Tesink – Kirkpatrick – and Jonathan Huberdeau was Saint John’s best and could produce again tonight if Sea Dogs Head Coach Gerard Gallant elects to keep the three elite players together.

Goaltender Karel St. Laurent picked up the win for the Dogs. He wasn’t great, but good enough to pickup a win. It will be interesting to see if the Sea Dogs coaching staff chooses to go with the 20-year old goaltender again or if Frederic Piche will get the call between the pipes.

Cape Breton also made their season debut last night at the Halifax Metro Centre against the Mooseheads. The new look Screaming Eagles recorded a 3-2 victory over their provincial rivals.

William Carrier, Taylor McDougall, and Brad Cuzner each scored for the Eagles in the win.

Net minder Francois Lacerte made 29 saves in the win.

The Sea Dogs and Eagles did not meet in the pre-season.

THE LAST TIME THEY MET
Tomas Jurco did this move on former Eagles goalie Olivier Roy.


"The shootout spin-o-rama for sure needs to (be added),” said Jurco to the Telegraph-Journal about the move not being a feature in EA Sports NHL 11. “That would be great."

NOT THAT GOOD
By most pre-season predictions, the Screaming Eagles are expected to finish in the basement of the 18-team QMJHL. Many say only the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies will be worse.

"We have size and toughness on defence," said Cape Breton head coach Mario Durocher to the Times & Transcript. "We have a solid first line. I think we're going to be a balanced team. It's not going to be a one-two punch. Everybody can bring something to the table. I think we can surprise some people. We're looking to finish in the middle of the league. Our goal is to (finish in the top eight) and get home-ice advantage in the opening playoff round."

“A lot of players need to overachieve for the Eagles to squeeze into the top half of the standings,” writes the Chronicle Herald’s Willy Palov, who picked the Eagles to finish 13th overall. “They will be competitive most nights but might wind up losing a lot of close games.”

FAN FEST
From SaintJohnSeaDogs.com:

The Fourth Annual Saint John Sea Dogs Fan Festival will be held at Harbour Station's westernmost entrance this afternoon beginning at 4pm, with supporters of the Port City's major junior squad set to enjoy music, food, face painting, and more as the 2010-11 season enters its second day.

ARENA INFO
Venue: Harbour Station
Seating Capacity: 6,297
Average Attendance: 4,522
Year Built: 1993
QMJHL Arena Guide

MEDIA GUIDE
Radio (Sea Dogs): News 88.9 FM
Live Web Feed: Telus
Television: None
Live Blog: Station Nation
Post-Game Coverage: Station Nation, Telegraph-Journal, Cape Breton Post

TWITTER
Follow Station Nation on Twitter at www.twitter.com/station_nation for in-game updates, scores, stats, and live coverage during tonight’s game.

AFTER THE BUZZER
The Sea Dogs take a week off to prepare for a match against the Halifax Mooseheads next Saturday at Harbour Station at 7:00 pm.

Photo: David Connell