Murnieks, Latvia to play for U18 bronze; Wildcats, Sagueneens a win away from final

Micheline Veluvolu/IIHF

MONCTON - Olivers Murnieks and Team Latvia will play for bronze at the IIHF U18 Men's World Championship.

Latvia, coming off a major upset of the United States in the quarterfinals, fell 1-0 to host Slovakia in semifinal play on Friday. The Latvians were outshot 22-14 in the loss.

Latvia will play Czechia in the bronze medal game on Saturday morning. Slovakia will take on Sweden for gold.

Murnieks had two shots and was a -1 in 22:18 of ice time – which was the second most on the team. The Saint John Sea Dogs forward has a goal and five assists in six games at the event.

Murnieks was named one of Latvia's best players of the tournament after the game.

Par labākajiem trīs Latvijas U-18 izlases hokejistiem atzīti Patriks Plūmiņš, Olivers Mūrnieks un Martins Klaucāns 🇱🇻#U18MensWorlds #hokejs pic.twitter.com/9DkHymQPdT

— Rems Ratņikovs (@HKJ_Apskatnieks) May 1, 2026

A few other Friday night news and notes...

• The Moncton Wildcats are a win away from returning to the QMJHL final for a second straight season. Teddy Mutryn and Tommy Bleyl each had a goal and two assists in Moncton's 6-2 victory over the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada on Friday at Avenir Centre.
• Niko Tournas, who scored 43 goals in the regular season, ended a seven-game goalless streak with a third period marker. He hadn't scored since Game 1 of the second round.
• Former Sea Dogs forward Jacob Beaulieu left the game briefly in the third period after taking a big hit along the boards. He did return to the game and was given an unsportsmanlike misconduct at 14:24 of the third period. Beaulieu finished a +1 and had three hits.
• Former Sea Dog Elliot Dubé, meanwhile, went 3/5 on faceoffs in the loss. Max Vilen had one assist and four shots for the Wildcats.
• Armada goaltender William Lacelle left the game in the third period with an apparent lower body injury. He had to be helped off the ice following Moncton's fifth goal.
• Three of the four officials – including both referees – that worked last Saturday's Armada/Wildcats game worked this game. Last Saturday's game ended with both benches emptying onto the ice for a lengthy gathering after the game.
• Game 6 is Sunday in Boisbriand.
• The Chicoutimi Sagueneens are also a win away from the QMJHL final after defeating the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 4-0. Lucas Beckman stopped all 21 shots he faced in the shutout. Game 6 is Sunday in Rouyn-Noranda.

QMJHL issues statement on Chicoutimi's disallowed goal

Rouyn-Noranda Huskies

The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League issued a statement Thursday regarding a controversial call during Wednesday night's semifinal playoff matchup between the Chicoutimi Sagueneens and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.

Late in the first period and with the Huskies leading 2-1, the Sagueneens scored what replays on the  FloHockey broadcast appeared to show was a goal. The play was reviewed and it was declared not to be a goal. 

Jugez par vous-mêmes...#fierdetresags#DéfendonsNosCouleurs pic.twitter.com/mKDxrgaA5Q

— Saguenéens (@SagueneensLHJMQ) April 30, 2026

The Huskies won the game 4-3 to even the series at 2-2.

In a statement, the league said officials do not have access to all the camera angles used on the broadcast.

Following the Saguenéens’ disallowed goal on Wednesday night, the QMJHL would like to clarify a few points.

To ensure consistency across the league, the QMJHL uses an identical video replay system for its video judges and on-ice officials in all 18 of its arenas. However, due to technical limitations, this system cannot utilize all of the web broadcaster’s camera angles. Furthermore, the QMJHL wants to ensure that the footage used for reviews is indeed controlled by the league so that the decision-making process remains independent of the teams involved.

In yesterday’s specific case, the camera located behind the net was not accessible to the video judge and officials. The footage they had access to therefore did not allow them to confirm, beyond any doubt, that the puck had crossed the goal line.

The QMJHL is aware of the limitations of the current system and was already in the process of implementing more effective technology league-wide for the 2026-2027 season, which will allow access to additional cameras for the benefit of our players, teams, officials and fans.

Situations like this have happened in the past, but rarely of this magnitude during the league semifinals. In this region, there were some minor incidents like this when Rogers TV broadcast games back in the day.

Game 5 of this series takes place Friday in Chicoutimi.

The QMJHL's other semifinal continues on Friday night as well with the Moncton Wildcats returning home to host the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. That series is also tied 2-2.

Donovan returning to Saint John

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs announced a significant roster move on Thursday.

Forward Alexander Donovan, who was originally slated to begin his time at the University of Denver in the fall, will return to Saint John for a second season with the Sea Dogs.

Donovan, who turned 19 earlier this month, recorded 25 goals and 28 assists in 63 regular season games, finishing second on the team in goals and third in points. He added a goal and an assist in four playoff games.

The forward finished just shy of the franchise record for goals in a season by a rookie, which is 26.

“I’m thrilled to return for a chance to do something special,” said Donovan in a news release. “The opportunity to be back with this group is exciting, and there’s unfinished business. See you soon, Saint John.”

The Connecticut native signed with the Sea Dogs last June as a free agent.

The announcement isn't overly surprising given that Denver, coming off another national championship, is rarely a program struggling with talent. Donovan likely would have been near the bottom of the team's depth chart in 2026-27, but will instead be a major piece in Saint John.

Getting Donovan back for a second season is huge for the Sea Dogs – and hopefully a good omen as the off-season really starts to get rolling.

Murnieks, Latvia upset USA at U18 worlds; Canada eliminated

Micheline Veluvolu/IIHF

Olivers Murnieks and Team Latvia pulled off a historic upset on a wild day at the IIHF U18 Men's World Championship.

The Latvians defeated heavily favoured Team USA 5-2 in quarterfinal play, advancing the underdogs into Friday's semifinals against host Slovakia.

Murnieks had two assists in the victory. He also registered two shots while playing a team high 23:41.

The Saint John Sea Dogs forward, who missed most of the second half with injuries, now has a goal and five assists in five games at the tournament. His strong showing should give his draft stock a bit of a boost.

"He had a pair of assists today and has legitimately been one of the most impactful players, regardless of team," writes Steven Ellis in Daily Faceoff. "He makes so many smart passes, and he’s a wizard in the faceoff dot, too. Murnieks deserves love for his two-way game, and he’s a play-driver on a team like Latvia. Without him, the Latvians would have struggled to even make the playoffs."

Sea Dogs prospect Jamie Glance was named the United States' player of the game. He had five shots and was a -1 in 15:43 of ice time.

Glance finishes the tournament with a goal and four assists in five games.

The United States outshot Latvia 45-16 in the game – but the Latvians never trailed. Their final two goals were empty netters.

This is the first time Latvia has defeated the Americans at the under-18 level. As Canadians know, Latvia is no stranger to upsets in international junior hockey.

Team Canada, meanwhile, was also defeated in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, falling 4-2 to Sweden. Fredericton's Tynan Lawrence had an assist in the loss.

Alexis Joseph and Cameron Chartrand remained out of the lineup. Joseph, who is a year younger than most of the roster, appeared in just two games before being scratched for the remainder of the tournament. Chartrand did not play in any games.

Sweden will play Czechia in the other semifinal. Czechia defeated Finland to advance.

Germany, meanwhile, has been relegated from the top division following a 4-3 loss to Norway in the relegation game. They'll be replaced by Switzerland at the 2027 event.

Armada even series with Wildcats

Sebastien Gervais/Blainville-Boisbriand Armada

The Moncton Wildcats are coming home with a split.

William Lacelle made 36 saves to lead the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada to a 3-2 win over the Moncton Wildcats on Tuesday night, evening the Gilles-Courteau Trophy semifinal playoff series at 2-2.

The Wildcats opened the scoring but the Armada connected twice in the final minute of the first period to grab momentum. In the second, it looked as though Tommy Bleyl had tied the game with a power play goal but it was called back due to goaltender interference.

The Armada scored midway through the third period to take a 3-1 advantage – a goal that proved to Blainville-Boisbriand's only shot of the period. Shots in the third were 17-1 in favour of Moncton.

Gabe Smith's 13th goal of the playoffs got Moncton within one at 17:54 of the third – but that would be as close as the 'Cats would come.

Torkel Jennersjo, Maël Lavigne and Matt Gosselin had Armada goals. Lavigne, who now has 13 goals this post-season, has scored in five straight games.

Smith and Rian Chudzinski had Moncton goals. Smith has scored in six straight games. Rudy Guimond made 18 stops in the loss.

Former Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman Max Vilen had two shots in the loss. For the Armada, Jacob Beaulieu had one shot while Elliot Dubé was held off the scoresheet.

The series now shifts back to Moncton where Game 5 will take place Friday night at Avenir Centre. Game 6 will be Sunday afternoon in Boisbriand.

In the other semifinal series, the Chicoutimi Sagueneens hung on for a 4-3 win over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies to take a 2-1 series lead. Game 4 is Wednesday night in Rouyn-Noranda.

Wildcats take series lead; quarterfinals set at U18 worlds

Blainville-Boisbriand Armada

The Moncton Wildcats took a 2-1 series lead in the Gilles-Courteau Trophy semifinals on Monday.

The Wildcats scored three goals in five minutes during the second period in a 6-2 win over the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada at Centre d'excellence Sports Rousseau. The Armada led 1-0 and 2-1 but could not contain the 'Cats.

The lopsided score comes after two very tight games in Moncton. The Wildcats won 3-2 in a four overtime game last Thursday and 5-4 on Saturday.

Teddy Mutryn had a goal and two assists while Tommy Bleyl had three helpers. St. Andrews native Gabe Smith scored his 12th goal of the playoffs.

Former Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman Max Vilen was a +1 in the win.

For the Armada, Jacob Beaulieu had two shots and took a roughing penalty in the first period. Elliot Dubé also took a roughing penalty later in the opening frame.

Despite Saturday's post-game rough stuff, nothing out-of-the-ordinary happened in this game. 

The other semifinals series, which features the Chicoutimi Sagueneens and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, is tied 1-1. That series resumes on Tuesday in Rouyn-Noranda.

A few other things...

• At the IIHF U18 World Championship on Monday, Canada defeated Finland 7-0 on the final day of preliminary round play. Alexis Joseph and Cameron Chartrand did not play for Canada. The Canadians finished second in Group A and will play Sweden in Tuesday's quarterfinals.
• Olivers Murnieks had an assist and two shots in 20:20 of ice time in Latvia's 5-2 loss to Slovakia. Latvia, who finished fourth in Group A, will play the United States in the quarterfinals.
• On Sunday, Murnieks had a goal and two assists in Latvia's 8-1 victory over Norway. He also recorded three shots and was a +2 in 19:36 of ice time.
• Sea Dogs prospect Jamie Glance had a goal and three assists in the United States' 11-2 victory over Germany. Glance played 18:44 and also registered five shots. The Americans finished first in Group B.
• Mathieu Joseph and the Los Angeles Kings had their season come to an end on Sunday, falling 5-1 to the Colorado Avalanche and losing the first round playoff series in four games. Joseph appeared in two of the four contests and was held pointless. He was also held pointless in 12 regular season games with the Kings.
• The only other former Sea Dog still alive in the Stanley Cup Playoffs is Joe Veleno of the Montreal Canadiens – but Veleno has yet to dress for a playoff game. The Habs and Tampa Bay Lightning are tied 2-2 in a very tight series.
• The Truro Bearcats are Maritime Junior Hockey League champions. The Bearcats defeated the Edmundston Blizzard 5-3 on home ice on Monday to take the championship series in five games. The Bearcats will represent the MHL at next month's Centennial Cup in Summerside.