Sea Dogs set to play three-in-three

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs are set to venture into Quebec for the first time this season as they look to put a tough weekend behind them.

The Sea Dogs dropped back-to-back games at TD Station this past weekend, falling 4-1 to the Cape Breton Eagles on Saturday and 3-1 to the Val-d'Or Foreurs on Sunday.

Saturday's loss ended a five-game winning streak for Saint John. They now own a record of 6-3-1-1 for 14 points, placing them fifth in the Eastern Conference and ninth overall in the QMJHL.

The Sea Dogs have yet to face two of the three teams they'll play on this road trip. They have only played the Drummondville Voltigeurs, winning 4-3 in a shootout on Oct. 12

Here's a look at this weekend's three-in-three.

Friday at Gatineau (6-3-2-1, 15 points, 4th Western, 7th QMJHL)

Saturday at Blainville-Boisbriand (3-8-1-0, 7 points, 8th Western, 17th QMJHL)

Sunday at Drummondville (3-6-0-2, 8 points, 7th Western, 16th QMJHL)

On paper, this trip is built pretty well for Saint John, facing the toughest opponent (again, on paper) first. It's worth noting that Drummondville has played just two home games so far this year.

The Sea Dogs are 2-1-0-0 against Western Conference opponents this season. Their lone loss was Sunday against Val-d'Or.

It will be interesting to see how the Sea Dogs perform this weekend and what changes they may make after a challenging weekend. Certainly something to keep an eye on is the team's offense, which has scored just three even strength goals over the past three games. Saint John has really been relying on a strong power play for much of this early season.

The Sea Dogs have a road heavy few weeks ahead of them. Following this three-game trip, they return home to host the Moncton Wildcats on Halloween before immediately hitting the road to visit the Eagles the next day, which will not be an easy turnaround. The following weekend, the Sea Dogs visit the Halifax Mooseheads and Charlottetown Islanders.

Radkov off to impressive start

Saint John Sea Dogs fans got a good look at why the Val-d'Or Foreurs sit first overall in the QMJHL standings on Sunday.

The Foreurs grabbed a 3-0 lead over the Sea Dogs in the second period and hung on for a 3-1 victory, completing an impressive four-game sweep through the Maritimes. Val-d'Or outscored opponents 19-5 during the four-game stretch.

Val-d'Or now owns a 10-1-1-0 record, placing them first overall. That includes a 7-0-1-0 record on the road.

Sea Dogs fans have gotten used to seeing former Dogs play starring roles when facing their old club. Sunday was no different as goaltender Arseni Radkov made 33 stops in a first star performance. That included stopping all 19 shots he faced in the third period.

Radkov is now a solid 4-0-1 on the year, owning a 2.32 goals against average – the third best in the QMJHL – and a .913 save percentage.

The Sea Dogs did manage to keep Nolann Héroux off the scoresheet on Sunday. The former Sea Dogs forward, who has spent much of the season on Val-d'Or's top line, has five goals and nine assists in 12 games with the Foreurs.

Héroux isn't the only former Sea Dog currently averaging over a point-per-game in the QMJHL this season. Here's a look at how all the ex-Dogs have performed so far.

Player	Team	GP	Goals	Assists	Points
Nolann Héroux	VDO	12	5	9	14
Chad Bellemare	SHE	10	6	5	11
Egan Beveridge	QUE	10	5	2	7
Cole Renaud	ROU	12	3	2	5
William Yared	SHA	9	3	0	3
Elliot Dubé	BLB	12	2	1	3
Max Vilen	MON	6	0	0	0

Chad Bellemare leads the Phoenix in goals and is tied for the team's points lead.

The Phoenix also include goaltender Kyan Labbé, a fourth-round pick of Saint John in the 2023 QMJHL Entry Draft. Labbé is currently tied for the league lead in wins with six.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 3-1

FINAL: Val-d'Or 3, Saint John 1

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - It was a less than ideal weekend for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

After falling 4-1 to the Cape Breton Eagles on Saturday, the Sea Dogs followed that up with a 3-1 loss to the Val-d'Or Foreurs on Sunday at TD Station. The Sea Dogs entered the weekend on a five-game winning streak.

Defenseman Brandon Delarosbil scored Saint John's lone goal, which came in the second period with the team already down 3-0. While the Sea Dogs were able to get plenty of puck possession time as the game progressed – and the Foreurs began to run out of gas – the team struggled to break through the Foreurs' defensive structure. When they could get shots, former Dog Arseni Radkov was there to make the saves.

Val-d'Or led 2-0 after the first and grabbed a 3-0 advantage in the second. The Foreurs, playing their third game in three days and fourth in five, showed signs of fatigue as the game moved along – but they had enough left in the tank to hold on for the victory. Shots in the third were 15-4 in favour of Saint John.

Gabriel Provencher, Maxime Sauthier and Josh Demers had Val-d'Or goals. Radkov made 33 stops in the win.

Samuel Meloche was pulled after allowing two goals on three shots in the first period. Rafaël Courchesne made 20 stops in relief.

The Foreurs head home having swept their four-game Maritimes road trip. They sit first overall in the QMJHL with a 10-1-1-0 record.

Game Day 11: vs Foreurs

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs will look to rebound from their worst loss of the season this afternoon at TD Station.

The Sea Dogs were beaten in all areas of the game by the Cape Breton Eagles on Saturday, falling 4-1. The loss ended a five-game winning streak for Saint John and also marked their first regulation loss on home ice this season.

Things don't get any easier for the Sea Dogs this afternoon. Their opponent, the Val-d'Or Foreurs, enter play today on a five-game winning streak and sit first overall in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League standings with a 9-1-1-0 record.

The Foreurs will be playing their third game in three days and fourth in five. They've outscored opponents 16-4 on this Maritimes road trip.

Today's contest concludes a six-game homestand for the Sea Dogs. They won't play at home again until Halloween.

Game time today is 3 p.m.

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

2026-27 regular season records: The Sea Dogs are 6-2-1-1 for 14 points (fourth Eastern/seventh QMJHL) while the Foreurs are 9-1-1-0 for 19 points (first Western/first QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Cape Breton Eagles on Saturday. Olivier Groulx scored Saint John's lone goal. Samuel Meloche made 28 stops in the loss. The Foreurs are coming off a 2-1 win in Moncton last night. Nolann Héroux and Philippe Veilleux scored for Val-d'Or. Vincent Moreau made 26 saves in the win.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 4-1

FINAL: Cape Breton 4, Saint John 1

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - It wasn't a pretty end to the Saint John Sea Dogs' five-game winning streak on Saturday.

The Sea Dogs were bettered in all areas by the Cape Breton Eagles, falling 4-1 at TD Station. It was Saint John's first loss in five games and the first time in seven matches they failed to earn at least a point.

Maxim Schafer scored twice for Cape Breton while Aiden McCullough and Noah Jettelson added singles. Lucas Beckman made 16 stops in the win.

Saint John struggled at both ends of the ice, giving the Eagles a number of odd-man rushes and quality chances while also being unable to generate a lot in terms of offense. The Sea Dogs were outshot 19-5 and 8-5 in the second and third periods, respectively. 

Saint John's only significant amount of offensive zone pressure came late in the first period, allowing Olivier Groulx to open the scoring and give the Dogs a 1-0 lead after one. Cape Breton took control in the final two periods though, scoring twice in each.

Even the Sea Dogs' power play, which has been so good all year, couldn't solve the Eagles, going 0/4.

Samuel Meloche made 28 stops in the loss.

Saint John won't have much time to think about this loss. They host the Val-d'Or Foreurs tomorrow at TD Station – which will not be an easy battle.

Game Day 10: vs Eagles

Shane Wilkie/Cape Breton Eagles

SAINT JOHN - Two teams that have been heading in opposite directions of late collide today at TD Station.

The Saint John Sea Dogs, who have won five straight, host the Cape Breton Eagles, losers of three straight, this afternoon at 4 p.m. Both teams were expected to be amongst the best in the QMJHL this season but have gotten off to very different starts.

This will already be the third meeting of the season between the Sea Dogs and Eagles. Both of the previous two games required extra time.

Both teams should be rested and ready for this big tilt. The Eagles haven't played since Monday in Sherbrooke while the Sea Dogs have been off since hosting the Drummondville Voltigeurs on Monday.

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

2026-27 regular season records: The Sea Dogs are 6-1-1-1 for 14 points (third Eastern/fourth QMJHL) while the Eagles are 2-3-1-3 for eight points (ninth Eastern/14th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-3 shootout win over the Drummondville Voltigeurs on Monday. Alexander Donovan, Lawrence Williams and Jabez Seymour scored for Saint John. Rafaël Courchesne made 23 saves in the win. The Eagles are coming off a 4-3 overtime loss in Sherbrooke on Monday. Elias Schneider, Maxim Schafer and Reece Peitzsche scored for Cape Breton. Lucas Beckman made 31 stops in the loss.