STATION NATION POST-GAME
FINAL/SO: Saint John 4, Moncton 3
MONCTON – He wasn’t listed on the Sea Dogs roster, but he saved the game for Saint John. With under two minutes to go and the game tied 3-3, Marco Cousineau slid across the crease to rob the Wildcats of a two-on-one chance. The save allowed the Sea Dogs to go to defeat the Moncton Wildcats 4-3 in a shootout.
It was anything but perfect as the Sea Dogs’ special teams once again struggled with the Wildcats scoring all of their goals on the power play.
Saint John was no doubt humbled in the shootout win. They were trailing for most of the game to a Wildcats team missing nine regular players.
Right off the opening faceoff the Sea Dogs had a great chance. Stanislav Galiev broke through the Moncton defense but shot wide. Cats starter Nicola Riopel, playing his first home game of the season, was caught out of position but Galiev missed on the back hand chance.
At 17:07 the Wildcats managed to get the puck in Cousineau’s crease but he snatched it up with the leather. Then Nicholas Deschamps had a good chance in close but tipped the puck wide of the net.
The game took up a physical tone in the first period. Matt Tomah laid out Stephen MacAulay. That was followed by four straight punishing hits by the two teams in a back and forth frame.
Scott Trask was stopped by Cousineau’s pad on a turnover followed by team mates Christian Morin and Nicholas Petersen colliding in the Saint John zone.
With Olivier Daoust in the box at 8:23, Saint John went to the power play. Petersen had a terrific chance to open the scoring on a breakaway but slid his backhand shot wide. Then, the struggling Steven Anthony was stopped twice by the QMJHL’s reigning M.V.P.
Saint John had a great first penalty kill with Nicholas Pard in the box for slashing at 10:14. The Sea Dogs got sticks in the lane constantly and kept Wildcat shots to a minimum.
Fast forward to 17:03 of the period, Moncton had two great chances in close. The pressure only grew on the Dogs’ defense when Danick Gauthier took two for goalie interference at 17:26. On the power play, Alex Saulnier gave a cross crease pass to Deschamps who netted his twenty-first of the season to make it 1-0 Cats.
Shots were 8-6 Moncton in the first period.
At 1:49 Olivier Daoust high sticked Tomas Jurco by the Saint John bench. He would be okay as Nathan Beaulieu was robbed by the glove of Riopel. But with Marek Hrivik in the box, Petersen tied the game on a rebound in close. Riopel complained that he was interfered with but the goal stood.
After the goal MacAulay sent a shot just wide followed by a mad scramble in the Saint John goal with the puck not crossing the line.
At 8:53 MacAulay took a goaltender interference penalty as he stem rolled Riopel. Moncton had some good pressure on the power play but could not score.
Saint John then got into some penalty problems. Simon Despres hauled down Randy Cameron and was given four minutes for high sticking. Then Yann Sauve flipped the puck out of play and was given a delay of game penalty.
On the two man advantage, Daniel Pettersson ripped a shot high glove side and into the corner to make it 2-1 Wildcats at 16:30.
Shortly after the Cats extended their lead to 3-1 thanks to Marek Hrivik. He found the rebound that Cousineau tried to clear and scored through a screen for the imports fifteenth goal of the season.
Shots were 12-11 Moncton in the second period.
Jurco ripped a shot off the post from the faceoff dot at 1:41. That seemed to spark the Sea Dogs as Gauthier scored through the five-hole at 1:54 to make it 3-2 Sea Dogs.
Matt Tomah placed another big hit on MacAulay shortly after the goal and then Morin nailed Tomah in a quest for revenge. Gauthier had a wide open net but missed the Hoffman rebound.
Moncton had a great chance to tie the game on a two-on-one with Hrivik who passed off to Deschamps but Cousineau made the pad save.
Saint John got yet another goalie interference call at 8:38. There was mad scramble in the Sea Dog crease but the puck did not go in across the line.
At 14:35, Vancouver Canucks prospect Yann Sauve showed what veteran leadership is all about. He blasted a shot from just inside the blue line and found its way past Riopel through a massive screen to tie the game up 3-3.
With under two minutes to go, Saint John coach Gerard Gallant called a timeout. But the break backfired as Moncton broke loose on a two-on-one chance with Hoffman the only man back. Hoffman slid to try and stop a pass from happening – but it didn’t work. The pass came to the glove side of Cousineau who slid across the crease to make a tremendous game saving stop.
After regulation, shots were 32-23 Saint John.
In overtime, it was all Saint John. The Moncton defense struggled to keep up with Hoffman in corners as he looked to playing against boys once again. A few minutes later, Kirkpatrick had the best chance on a backhand that went just wide as Riopel was without a stick.
Shots were 2-2 in overtime.
Mike Hoffman shot first for Saint John in the shootout and scored five-hole on Riopel.
After Allain Saulnier was stopped, Tomas Jurco made some nice stick moves to beat the Moncton goaltender five-hole.
Alex Saulnier had to score but Cousineau made the blocker save and jumped up in celebration as the Sea Dogs came all the way back to defeat the Wildcats.
Cousineau improves to 11-14-0 on the year. Saint John went 1/5 on the power play.
Riopel suffered his first loss of the season and fell to 2-1-0. Moncton scored all of their goals on the power play and went 3/7 on the night.
NEXT GAME: Moncton Wildcats vs Saint John Sea Dogs. Saturday, January 2, 2009 at 7:00 pm at Harbour Station.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
RIVALRY CUP REPORT
LOTS OF PROMOTIONSThe Wildcats have a number of promotions at the Coliseum tonight. Here is a rundown of what they will be offering tonight from a Moncton Wildcats Press Release.
$50,000 up for grabs in Rivalry Cup Round 4 Shoot Out:
Five lucky fans will have a chance to shoot for $10,000 cash when the Wildcats take on the Saint John Sea Dogs in Round 4 of the Rivalry Cup in Thursday’s New Years Eve contest night. Legends Restaurant will be serving food starting at 5:00 pm, the Coliseum doors will swing wide open at 6:00 pm and the puck will drop at 7:00 pm.
Ride the Rails with $2000 in travel vouchers:
Game Sponsor Via Rail, is offering fans a chance to win $2,000 in travel vouchers. What a great way to see Canada with a Via vacation.
Cheer for the Year offers great prizes from: Irving Tissue, CAA, McDonalds, Crystal Palace, YMCA Moncton, Cavendish Farms, and Boston Pizza.
Game entertainment events will feature:
The second intermission Mascot Challenge with our Wild Willie, mad as a winter storm, after the way he lost in Saint John taking on Fleaburn. We want a Willie win – come cheer him as he gains another point for the Cats.
Wild Willie pulled out of the last contest with a reported lower body injury. The last matchup in Saint John caused a lot of controversy, as the contest was not fair towards Willie.
One point is up for grabs in the contest.
Some other events taking place:
Free face painting, balloon animals and clowns, the Initiation Riverview Hornets in a mini-hockey game in the first intermission, the game’s 2010th fan will get a special prize, a jelly bean guessing contest, when the Cats score their 4th goal, fountain Coke will be on sale for $1.00 until the end of the game, the Dieppe Gold Blades figure skaters will be the flag bearers before the game, and a special pre-game puck drop featuring difference makers within our community.
Final bids for Art on Ice:
The Art on Ice program will end with Thursday’s game. Fans will still be able to bid on the great creative work by elementary school children from the District 2 Community schools up to the end of the second period. The winners names will be announced during the game’s third period.
NO RESPECT HERE
Have you ever seen Alexander Ovechkin holding the Stanley Cup? No you haven’t. Would the NHL love to use it as a marketing tool? You better believe they would.
So why hasn’t this happened? Because you can’t allow a player who has never won the trophy to hold it.
If the Sea Dogs want this Rivalry Cup to become a series event, why are Sea Dog players always holding the trophy in ads if they have never won it? The contest is losing respect by the day.
FOOD DRIVE DOUBLEHEADER
New Years Eve will host the Wildcats portion of the holiday food drive. Saint John will host their drive on Saturday at Harbour Station.
You could win (Moncton Wildcats) game tickets for the rest of the season by bringing a non-perishable item to Thursday’s game. As part of this year’s Rivalry Cup competition, the team with the highest number of pounds of donated food will win five points toward a Rivalry Cup victory.
As Station Nation has said earlier, we encourage Sea Dog fans to bring canned goods where it is being judged on weight.
Once again, five points are rewarded to the winner. That’s a lot of points!
BIG NEWS
It’s well known that Moncton takes the Rivalry Cup much more serious than Saint John. It has gone so far in Wildtown that the Times & Transcript has named it one of the top 10 news stories of the year.
"I think the intent was to look at the two cities," said Wildcats general manager Bill Schurman in reference to the idea behind the Rivalry Cup. "The two communities are rivals in a number of ways whether it be business, entertainment or sports.
Schurman also gave got a shot in at Sea Dogs fans.
"We've always been blessed with our fans travelling to watch us in Saint John," he said. "We have not seen Saint John fans coming here in the numbers that we have going there.”
To view the full article click HERE.
The two rival fan nations have been much more active towards each other this season, with some verbal attacks being placed at one another following the December 13 game in Moncton. We will likely see fist fights and cars flipped over if the two teams ever meet in the playoffs. Fingers crossed.
TIME CHANGE
If you have not taken notice, there has been a time change for the March 14 game in Moncton. The Sunday matchup was originally scheduled for 4:00 pm but will be bumped ahead to an 8:00 pm start.
The change is because the game will air live across the country as Rogers Sportsnet's “CHL Game of the Week.”
HOTEL PACK AVAILABLE
If your thinking of going up to tonight’s game, you’re in luck. The Crowne Plaza hotel is offering a package for New Years Eve starting at $175. You could get one night accommodation, one Holiday Fun Pack, four tickets to the game, soft drink and fries for four at the Concession stands, an autographed program and your name will be entered into a draw for an autographed hockey stick, signed by Brandon Gormley.
For information and terms, click HERE.
Game entertainment events will feature:
The second intermission Mascot Challenge with our Wild Willie, mad as a winter storm, after the way he lost in Saint John taking on Fleaburn. We want a Willie win – come cheer him as he gains another point for the Cats.
Wild Willie pulled out of the last contest with a reported lower body injury. The last matchup in Saint John caused a lot of controversy, as the contest was not fair towards Willie.
One point is up for grabs in the contest.
Some other events taking place:
Free face painting, balloon animals and clowns, the Initiation Riverview Hornets in a mini-hockey game in the first intermission, the game’s 2010th fan will get a special prize, a jelly bean guessing contest, when the Cats score their 4th goal, fountain Coke will be on sale for $1.00 until the end of the game, the Dieppe Gold Blades figure skaters will be the flag bearers before the game, and a special pre-game puck drop featuring difference makers within our community.
Final bids for Art on Ice:
The Art on Ice program will end with Thursday’s game. Fans will still be able to bid on the great creative work by elementary school children from the District 2 Community schools up to the end of the second period. The winners names will be announced during the game’s third period.
NO RESPECT HERE
Have you ever seen Alexander Ovechkin holding the Stanley Cup? No you haven’t. Would the NHL love to use it as a marketing tool? You better believe they would.
So why hasn’t this happened? Because you can’t allow a player who has never won the trophy to hold it.
If the Sea Dogs want this Rivalry Cup to become a series event, why are Sea Dog players always holding the trophy in ads if they have never won it? The contest is losing respect by the day.
FOOD DRIVE DOUBLEHEADER
New Years Eve will host the Wildcats portion of the holiday food drive. Saint John will host their drive on Saturday at Harbour Station.
You could win (Moncton Wildcats) game tickets for the rest of the season by bringing a non-perishable item to Thursday’s game. As part of this year’s Rivalry Cup competition, the team with the highest number of pounds of donated food will win five points toward a Rivalry Cup victory.
As Station Nation has said earlier, we encourage Sea Dog fans to bring canned goods where it is being judged on weight.
Once again, five points are rewarded to the winner. That’s a lot of points!
BIG NEWS
It’s well known that Moncton takes the Rivalry Cup much more serious than Saint John. It has gone so far in Wildtown that the Times & Transcript has named it one of the top 10 news stories of the year.
"I think the intent was to look at the two cities," said Wildcats general manager Bill Schurman in reference to the idea behind the Rivalry Cup. "The two communities are rivals in a number of ways whether it be business, entertainment or sports.
Schurman also gave got a shot in at Sea Dogs fans.
"We've always been blessed with our fans travelling to watch us in Saint John," he said. "We have not seen Saint John fans coming here in the numbers that we have going there.”
To view the full article click HERE.
The two rival fan nations have been much more active towards each other this season, with some verbal attacks being placed at one another following the December 13 game in Moncton. We will likely see fist fights and cars flipped over if the two teams ever meet in the playoffs. Fingers crossed.
TIME CHANGE
If you have not taken notice, there has been a time change for the March 14 game in Moncton. The Sunday matchup was originally scheduled for 4:00 pm but will be bumped ahead to an 8:00 pm start.
The change is because the game will air live across the country as Rogers Sportsnet's “CHL Game of the Week.”
HOTEL PACK AVAILABLE
If your thinking of going up to tonight’s game, you’re in luck. The Crowne Plaza hotel is offering a package for New Years Eve starting at $175. You could get one night accommodation, one Holiday Fun Pack, four tickets to the game, soft drink and fries for four at the Concession stands, an autographed program and your name will be entered into a draw for an autographed hockey stick, signed by Brandon Gormley.
For information and terms, click HERE.
PRE-GAME: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Moncton Wildcats
Game DayBrunswick News Rivalry Cup: Game Four
Saint John Sea Dogs vs Moncton Wildcats
Tonight, December 31, 2009 @ 7:00 pm
Moncton Coliseum
Visiting Team: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 33-6-1-0 (1st in Atlantic Division)
Last Game: 5-2 Win vs PEI on Tuesday
Leading Scorer: Nicholas Petersen: 32-24-25-49
Notes: The Saint John Sea Dogs will be without their captain Mike Thomas tonight. He is serving the third game of a three game suspension he got for taking his helmet off during a fight. He had an eventful game in Moncton last time, including some chats with Wildcat fans… Jonathan Huberdeau will miss the game because he is playing for Team Quebec at the World Under-17’s in Timmons, Ont. He has one goal and one assist against Moncton and scored a shootout goal against Louis Domingue… Stanislav Galiev leads all rookies in scoring with 10 goals and 30 assists. In three games against Moncton, he has a team high two goals and has added an assist… Nicholas Petersen has three assists against Moncton… Danick Gauthier has a 100% shooting percentage. He has one goal on his only shot… Steven Anthony is a -4 in three games against the Cats… rookie defenseman Pierre Durepos is a Shediac native and played for the Moncton Hawks last season… the Dogs have the most wins of any team in the QMJHL with 33… sit first overall in the Atlantic division, the QMJHL, and second in the BMO CHL Top 10 Rankings… goaltender Marco Cousineau is expected to make his Saint John debut tonight. In three games played against Moncton with the PEI Rocket, he is 0-3 with a 4.52 GAA and 0.871 save percentage… Saint John is a league best 17-3-1-0 on the road this season but are 0-1 in Moncton. They have also scored the most road goals with 91… 9-1-0-0 in their last 10 road games and have won two straight (Halifax and Bathurst)… Nicholas Petersen is a league best +40… because the league only allows three 20-year-olds on each team, Karel St. Laurent will backup Cousineau… 8-2-0-0 in their last 10 games and have won three straight… have yet to lose after the holiday break.
Home Team: Moncton Wildcats
Record: 23-11-1-2 (2nd in Atlantic Division)
Last Game: 4-3 Win at Acadie-Bathurst on Tuesday
Leading Scorer: Nicolas Deschamps: 33-20-30-50
Notes: The Wildcats have six NHL drafted players on their roster: Randy Cameron (Detroit), Mark Barberio (Tampa Bay), David Savard (Columbus), Gabriel Bourque (Nashville), Nicola Riopel (Philadelphia) and Nicholas Deschamps (Anaheim)… the Moncton Wildcats have been hit hard with injuries of late. Tuesday night in Bathurst they were missing nine players - two defensemen and seven forwards. All seven forwards would normally play on the club's top three lines. The Wildcats had eight rookies among the 12 forwards in their lineup… two top prospects for the 2010 NHL entry draft will be on the shelf according to News 91.9’s Les Stoodly. Brandon Gormley is expected to miss the game and possibly the next few. Kirill Kabanaov is still recovering from a broken wrist and rejoined the club last week… Scott Brannon is out with a concussion, Matt Brown is out for a month, Andrew Roski is recovering from surgery and will miss the rest of the season, Dillon Donnelly is at the World Under-17’s, and Ted Stephens is recovering from a concussion… the Wildcats acquired Gabriel Bourque from the Baie-Comeau Drakkar for a first round pick and Raphael Bussieres. Bourque will not be in the lineup because he is playing Team Canada at the World Juniors… the Wildcats also acquired Chicoutimi star Nicolas Deschamps for two draft picks, Matthew Bissonnette, and Jeremy Barriault. Deschamps has been on a tear since joining the Wildcats and scored on his first shot on his first shift in Halifax last Sunday. In two games, he has two goals and four assists. His 50 points on the season is good for sixth in league scoring… Randy Cameron has a team high five points, two goals and three assists, against Saint John this season. David Savard also has five points – all assists… Daniel Pettersson is a team high +3 against the Dogs… Moncton is 12-4-0-0 at home this season and are 7-3-0-0 in their last 10 games there… have won five straight home games... goaltender Nicola Riopel makes his first home appearance since rejoining the Wildcats a couple weeks ago.
Saint John vs Moncton:
This Season (GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS):
3-2-1-0-0-4
Home: 2-2-0-0-0-4
Road: 1-0-1-0-0-0
Goals For: 10
Goals Against: 12
Last Season (GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS):
8-2-6-0-0-4
Home: 4-1-3-0-0-2
Road: 4-1-3-0-0-2
Goals For: 19
Goals Against: 31
All-Time- Not Including This Season (GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS):
32-11-19-2-0-24
Home: 16-7-8-1-0-15
Road: 16-4-11-1-0-9
Goals For: 96
Goals Against: 139
Station Nation Facts:
- Today’s match is game four of the 2009-2010 Brunswick News Rivalry Cup Challenge. Saint John currently leads the challenge 5.5 – 4.5.
- Past results this season have been 4-3 Saint John in a shootout and 3-2 Sea Dogs in overtime. Both games were at Harbour Station. The other game was held at the Moncton Coliseum, a game that saw the Wildcats end the Sea Dogs’ 22-game winning streak with a 7-3 win.
- The last time these two teams met on December 13, Moncton scored almost every way possible. They scored a shorthanded goal, a power play goal, an even strength goal, and a penalty shot goal. The penalty shot goal came while shorthanded.
- Ted Stephens was recently named the Yukon territories 2009 athlete of the year.
- The newly acquired Gabriel Bourque tied a Canadian junior team record with seven points (three goals and four assists) in a single game as the Canadians defeated Latvia 16-0 on Boxing Day.
- Matthew Bissonnette has yet to report to the Sagueneens after being traded from the Wildcats. He is a prospect for the 2010 NHL entry draft and has reportedly asked for a trade.
- Star goaltender Nicola Riopel will no doubt get a large ovation tonight at the Coliseum in his first game back in Moncton. He was the QMJHL’s MVP last season and was a first team all-star.
Important Info:
Venue: Moncton Coliseum
Capacity: 6,450
Arena Guide: http://www.qmjhlarenaguide.com/wildcats.htm
Saint John Media: Radio- News 88.9 FM (http://www.news889.com/)
Live Video Streaming: http://www.qmjhl.mytelus.com/
Post-Game Coverage: http://www.stationnation.blogspot.com/, Telegraph-Journal, Times & Transcript
TWITTER
I will be tweeting during today’s game @station_nation. I’ll have the latest updates and stats so be sure to follow us this afternoon.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
DONE DEAL
Saint John Sea Dogs director of hockey operations Mike Kelly has pulled the trigger on a trade that will see goaltender Marco Cousineau playing in a Sea Dogs jersey."This is very good news because they are the best team in the league,” said Cousineau in a phone interview last night with Sports Juniors Magazine. “I have the chance to win twice, it cannot be bad news.”
Cousineau won a league championship with Drummondville last season and was named the top goaltender of the 2009 Mastercard Memorial Cup. He also won the defensive player of the week award once in his career and was placed on the second all-star team in 2007-08.
The price for the overage goalie comes at a steep price however. The Rocket opted to add draft picks for the next two QMJHL Entry Drafts by obtaining three 2010 picks: Second round pick (Baie-Comeau), a fourth round selection from (Lewiston-from Saint John) and a seventh round pick. They also pick up a 2011 third round selection.
Along with Cousineau, Saint John gets the Rocket’s 2010 fifth round pick (Baie-Comeau) in 2010 Entry Draft.
“Marco is a talented goalie with a significant amount of post-season experience,” said Kelly to saintjohnseadogs.com. “He’s a great addition to our roster and we’re looking forward to having him in Saint John for the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs.”
“The play of Evan Mosher this year has given us some tremendous flexibility to be able to trade Marco and acquire significant draft picks for this year and next," said Rocket President Serge Savard Jr. in a release. "Evan has played extremely well and has earned the number one position and we want to give him the opportunity to carry this team forward for the remainder of this year."
Cousineau’s career is yet another feel good story. He was drafted in the twelfth round, 204 overall, by the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in 2006. He played in 26 games as a rookie and had a record of 4-12-0. He spent the next one-and-a-half seasons in Baie-Comeau before being traded by the Drakkar to Drummondville on January 7 of this year.
He went 12-4-0 with the Volts and carried them into the post-season. In the playoffs, he had a record of 13-3-0 as the Voltigeurs went on to win the Presidents Cup. Then in Rimouski at the Memorial Cup, he picked up the Hap Emms Memorial Trophy as the top goaltender of the tournament.
His regular season stats are anything but spectacular. In his four year career, he has a record of 69-74 with a goals against average of 3.18 and save percentage of 0.896. But as Mike Kelly pointed out, Cousineau is a big game goaltender.
In 23 career playoff games, he has a record of 14-7 with a G.A.A. of 2.45 and save percentage of 0.912. In four games in the 2009 Memorial Cup, he went 2-2-0 with a G.A.A. of 2.94 and save percentage of 0.911.
In 2008, he was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the third round, 83 overall, in the NHL entry draft. He will become the sixth drafted player on Saint John’s current roster.
News of this trade broke last week and was first reported by RDS as a done deal last night. He sat on the bench at Harbour Station last night as the Sea Dogs defeated the Rocket 5-2. It is believed that he did travel back to the Island with the Rocket.
Also, with Cousineau being 20-years-old, Saint John will likely be trading overage goaltender Marc-Antoine Gelinas in the coming days.
SEA DOGS POST-GAME NOTEBOOK
ROCKET-SEA DOGS GAME AT A GLANCEFinal Score: PEI 2, Saint John 5
Saint John Goals: Nicholas Petersen (23, 24), Mike Hoffman (26), Steven Anthony (15), and Nathan Beaulieu (7)
PEI Goals: Louis Philippe Lacroix (1), and Josh Currie (4)
Winning Goaltender: SNB – St. Laurent, Karel (12-2-0)
Losing Goaltender: PEI – Mosher, Evan (9-5-0)
News 88.9 Top Dog: Steven Anthony
THE NUMBERS
Shots on Goal: Saint John 10+22+9=41, PEI 2+9+11=22
Power Play: Saint John 0/4, PEI 1/4
Attendance: 4,742
SCRATCHES
Scratches for Saint John were Mike Thomas (serving second game of a three game suspension) and Jonathan Huberdeau (playing for Team Quebec at the World Under-17’s).
Scratches for Prince Edward Island were Brad Yetman (not yet with team), Michael Stinziani (not yet with team as he was in the air at game time), and Jimmy Oligny (playing for Team Quebec at the World Under-17’s).
BATTLE OF THE BACKUP’S
Both Saint John and PEI played their backup net minders on Tuesday night. Evan Mosher got the start for the Rocket while Karel St. Laurent started for Saint John.
Both played very well, especially St. Laurent who carried a shutout into the third period.
HOW THE TRADE WINDS BLOW
The Rocket got off to a slow start, and rightfully so. Just hours before puck drop the Rocket front office was wheeling and dealing their top players.
The Victoriaville Tigres acquired Joel Champagne (90-01-24) and Chris Doyle (90-03-22) from the PEI Rocket for Jonathan Bonneau (90-07-10), Michael Ortika (93-05-24), a first, a third and a fourth round pick in 2010 and a second round pick in 2011.
The PEI Rocket also obtained forward Michael Stinziani (89-05-11) from the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in return for a fourth round pick in 2010.
In addition, the Rocket dealt Brandon MacLean and a sixth-round pick in 2010 to Rouyn-Noranda for defenceman Brad Yetman.
"It was a shock for the team today,'' P.E.I. head coach Eric Lavigne said to the Telegraph-Journal of the trade that sent Champagne and Doyle to Victoriaville. "But that's life and it's part of hockey.''
"It was a tough day for P.E.I.,'' Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant said. "They traded away a couple of their veterans and they didn't have a full team here tonight. When there are two or three trades made in one day, it's going to shake your team up. It's definitely a distraction and it's a tough time of year for some kids.''
Jonathan Bonneau was the only player to make his Rocket debut last evening. He took two minor penalties and had one shot.
SMOOTH SAILING
The Sea Dogs played very well last night and did not seem out of sync like they did Sunday in Bathurst.
"The guys were really skating and moving the puck,'' Gallant said. "We looked like a really fresh team and I was really happy with the effort. We played a really solid game.''
Only two players, defensemen Christian Morin and Gabriel Bourret, didn’t register a shot on goal. The Dogs could have easily had another 20 shots counted, but had a hard time hitting the net.
CARZY CROWD
What many fans will not realize is that the Sea Dogs set a record last night. The impressive crowd of 4,742 was Tuesday attendance record for the Saint John Sea Dogs hockey club.
The previous record makes this a little a freaky. On December 27, 2005, 4,203 fans saw the Sea Dogs pick up one of their 15 wins in the 2005-06 campaign. The score was 5-2 just as it was last night. Who was it against? Answer: The PEI Rocket.
Tuesday was also the first ever Toonie Tuesday held by the Sea Dogs. It was a huge success as have all discounted ticket nights this season. The crowd would have likely been larger if it was not for a snow storm and freezing temperatures outdoors.
ON THE WORLD STAGE
Team Atlantic got off to a rough start yesterday at the World Under-17 Hockey Championship in Timmons, Ontario. They fell 7-0 to a tough United States team. Sea Dogs prospect Aiden Kelly had a strong match however and was named player of the game.
At Kapuskasing, Ont., Sea Dog rookie Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and an assist, and Quebec posted the only win by a Canadian team on the tournament's opening day. Alex Filiatrault, Samuel Henley and Olivier Archambault also scored for Quebec (1-0). Wilson Dumais and Zachery Franko replied for West (0-1).
Also yesterday, Sea Dogs draft pick Chris Kreider scored a hat trick for the Americans as they defeated the Latvian’s 12-1 at the World Junior Hockey Championships in Saskatoon.
CANADIAN PRESS RECAP
Sea Dogs 5 Rocket 2
At Saint John, N.B., Nicholas Petersen had back-to-back goals and added two assists as the Sea Dogs beat out P.E.I.
Mike Hoffman scored and had two assists for Saint John (33-6-1), while Steven Anthony and Nathan Beaulieu also scored.
Josh Currie had a goal and an assist for the Rocket (20-15-4), while Louis-Philippe Lacroix added a single.
SEADOGSTV HIGHLIGHTS
QUICK HITS
Saint John sported the exact same lineup as they did on Sunday in Bathurst… Tim Roszell said during the game that the Vancouver Canucks have asked Yann Sauve to play more physical and even drop the gloves more often… goaltender Karel St. Laurent turns 19-years-old today… the line of Steven Anthony-Tomas Jurco-Michael Kirkpatrick was nothing less than unbelievable on Tuesday night… Nathan Beaulieu’s seventh goal of the season gives him the team lead in defensemen goal scoring… Steven Anthony scored his first goal since November 29 against Quebec… this was the only Tuesday home game of the season... the lady that hosts the intermission events said "shutout" over the speaker just moments before the Rocket scored their first goal. She has said a few things that have crossed the line this line season.
NEXT GAME
Brunswick News Rivalry Cup Game 4: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Moncton Wildcats. Thursday, December 31, 2009 at 7:00 pm at Moncton Coliseum.
The New Year's Eve game tomorrow will feature face painting, balloon animals, clowns, buskers, prizes from numerous sponsors and five fans will get to shoot for $10,000. The 2,010th fan to enter the building will receive a special prize. Fans are asked to bring non-perishable items for a charity food drive and those who do so will be eligible to win Wildcats tickets for the remainder of the season.
Saint John currently leads the Rivalry Cup standings with 5.5 points. Moncton has 4.5 points.
TRADE CONFIRMED BUT STILL NOT OFFICIAL
Goaltender Marco Cousineau has confirmed to Sports Juniors Magazine that he has been traded to Saint John by the PEI Rocket. There is still no mention of the return for the 20-year-old net minder.
RDS first reported that the deal was done yesterday afternoon. The report said that Cousineau would be traded by PEI to Saint John for four draft picks over the next two seasons. The Saint John Sea Dogs and PEI Rocket organizations have yet to confirm any of this.
"It's out of my control,'' Cousineau said when asked if his team is expecting more trades involving marquee players to the Telegraph-Journal."We don't know what is going to happen. We can just wait and see. It's part of the business and we still have to think about doing our jobs.''
Backup Evan Mosher started for the Rocket last night in Saint John while Cousineau sat on the bench. Sea Dogs backup goalie Karel St. Laurent started for Saint John. According to the report by Sports Juniors, Cousineau did travel back to the Island on the team bus.
With Cousineau being an overage player, the Sea Dogs will have to give up goaltender Marc-Antoine Gelinas with forwards Mike Hoffman and Nicholas Petersen virtually unmovable.
This deal is expected to be completed today so Cousineau can play tomorrow evening in the pressure cooker that will be game four of the Brunswick News Rivalry Cup.
Station Nation will have the latest on this deal when word finally comes out.
RDS first reported that the deal was done yesterday afternoon. The report said that Cousineau would be traded by PEI to Saint John for four draft picks over the next two seasons. The Saint John Sea Dogs and PEI Rocket organizations have yet to confirm any of this.
"It's out of my control,'' Cousineau said when asked if his team is expecting more trades involving marquee players to the Telegraph-Journal."We don't know what is going to happen. We can just wait and see. It's part of the business and we still have to think about doing our jobs.''
Backup Evan Mosher started for the Rocket last night in Saint John while Cousineau sat on the bench. Sea Dogs backup goalie Karel St. Laurent started for Saint John. According to the report by Sports Juniors, Cousineau did travel back to the Island on the team bus.
With Cousineau being an overage player, the Sea Dogs will have to give up goaltender Marc-Antoine Gelinas with forwards Mike Hoffman and Nicholas Petersen virtually unmovable.
This deal is expected to be completed today so Cousineau can play tomorrow evening in the pressure cooker that will be game four of the Brunswick News Rivalry Cup.
Station Nation will have the latest on this deal when word finally comes out.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
MIDDLE FRAME WAS ALL IT TOOK
STATION NATION POST-GAMEFINAL: PEI 2, Saint John 5
SAINT JOHN – The second period was all it took as the Saint John Sea Dogs defeated the PEI Rocket 5-2 on Toonie Tuesday at Harbour Station. Saint John scored five goals en route to a lopsided victory over their division rivals.
The Sea Dogs outplayed the Rocket from opening faceoff to the final buzzer in a dominating performance. Nicholas Petersen had two goals and two assists while Mike Hoffman had the game winner and two assists. Steven Anthony and Nathan Beaulieu added singles for the winners.
The Rocket were playing with a different look on Tuesday, after making several deals that sent the likes of Chris Doyle and Joel Champagne off the Island. Their offense was missed by the Rocket as they could only register two goals on goaltender Karel St. Laurent.
Both teams came slow out of the gate slow but Saint John still had the better chances. A nice pass from Kevin Gagne set up Steven Anthony in the slot but he shot high and wide of the Rocket goal.
Christian Morin made his Harbour Station debut in fine fashion as he laid out a Rocket player in the Sea Dogs zone and got a loud cheer from the Saint John faithful. Then Christopher Guay placed a big hit on Stanislav Galiev and was slow to get. He would be okay.
Neither team had any solid scoring chances in the first five minutes with many Sea Dog shots going wide.
Later on, Zach Phillips had a good chance as Rocket net minder Evan Mosher was caught out of position but made the save. Then Mosher robbed Michael Kirkpatrick with the leather in close.
With Brendan Wright in the penalty box, Mosher made a sprawling save on Kirkpatrick in the crease. The Sea Dogs had some good chances on the power play but struggled getting shots through the stingy Rocket defense.
After Mosher stopped Simon Despres on a one timer, PEI went back on the penalty kill at 19:12 after Philippe-Louis Lacroix hauled down Mike Hoffman. Kirkpatrick had the best chance off a beautiful set up by Nicholas Petersen but sent the shot wide. The Sea Dogs had some terrific pressure on the power play but were stopped by Mosher.
Saint John outshot the Rocket 10-2 in the first period. Of the 10 shots, four were listed as dangerous chances.
Saint John was still on the power play to start the second stanza. Tomas Jurco was stopped in close from a bad angle. That was all the Sea Dogs could do on the abbreviated man advantage.
Newly acquired Jonathan Bonneau went to the box for tripping at 1:58. The Sea Dogs had lots of pressure on the power play but could not connect to open the scoring.
Josh Currie had the best chance for the Rocket as he had a wide open net but could not beat Karel St. Laurent, who was virtually invisible in the Saint John goal in the first period. Then at the other end the Sea Dogs opened the scoring off a nice give-and-go with Hoffman and Petersen. Petersen finished off the play at 7:12 to make it 1-0 for the home side.
Following the goal it was all Sea Dogs. Anthony’s original shot banked off Mosher right to Kirkpatrick but tipped the puck wide of the net. Then Nicholas Pard wired a shot that was blockered away.
Petersen made it 2-0 at 10:32 off an absolute blast from just inside the blue line that beat Mosher high over the shoulder to make it 2-0.
Morin went to the box for tripping at 12:16. Pard did some terrific work in the Rocket zone by avoiding a few hits but could not beat Mosher while shorthanded. Then Gabriel Bourret blasted a shot but Petersen could not find the rebound.
It became 3-0 Saint John at 15:35 after Petersen threw the puck in the front. The puck went to a wide open Hoffman who snapped a shot upstairs for his twenty-sixth goal of the season.
Bonneau had a great chance after the goal for the Rocket but St. Laurent stood tall in his crease. Then Jurco just wide at the PEI net at other end.
Saint John broke loose on a three-on-one but only managed to shoot wide of the goal. The puck came around the boards to Anthony who fired a slap shot past Mosher from the right point to make it 4-0 at 18:12.
Just 43 seconds later Nathan Beaulieu scored the goal of his career in the crease to make it 5-0 Sea Dogs. Beaulieu somehow made a spin move with no room at all and managed to get a shot over Mosher’s glove.
The Sea Dogs completely dominated the Rocket in shots as they fired 22 to PEI’s 9. Saint John had 11 dangerous scoring chances in the frame.
Kirkpatrick had the best chance early as he shot high and wide of the Rocket goal, causing Mosher to lose his stick for a short time.
Bonneau took his second penalty of the game at 5:06 after he hooked down a Saint John player. Stephen MacAulay had a terrific chance in front but had his shot blocked by a Rocket defender. Then with the power play over, Andrew Langan broke loose looking for his first QMJHL goal but sent his shot high and was deflected away by Mosher.
At 8:44 Michael Kirkpatrick took two for hooking. Saint John did a masterful job on the penalty kill, giving the Rocket no quality chances on the man advantage.
Zach Phillips fired a shot off the crossbar half way through the third period. Then Simon Despres let loose a wild backhander that was stopped by Mosher.
Gabriel Bourret took an interference call at 13:57. The Rocket made the Sea Dogs rookie defenseman pay for his mistake as Lacroix's shot went through a screen to make it 5-1. St. Laurent was not to happy after the goal with his team mate Christian Morin who appeared to screen him on the play.
St. Laurent wasn’t to shook up after the goal as he robed import Adam Polasek with the glove. Then Hoffman fed Petersen with a cross ice pass but went high over the Rocket net.
Simon Despres went to the sin bin at 16:15. Josh Currie made a wonderful deke around St. Laurent but could not beat the glove of the Sea Dogs’ soon-to-be-19-year-old goaltender.
Morin and Jarred Struthers had a little scrap after a whistle at 18:19 with both picking up double minors. The Rocket seemed to be sparked after that and made it 5-2 in the final minute of play. Currie went wide around Bourret and around the goal and beat a fallen St. Laurent for his fourth goal of the season.
PEI outshot Saint John in the third period 11-9. The Sea Dogs won the total shots on goal battle 41-22.
Karel St. Laurent picks up the win and improves to 12-2-0 on the year while Evan Mosher fell to 9-5-0. PEI went 1/4 on the power play while Saint John went 0/4.
NOTES: See Station Nation tomorrow for Sea Dogs Post-Game Notebook.
NEXT GAME: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Moncton Wildcats. Thursday, December 31, 2009 at 7:00 pm at Moncton Coliseum.
REPORT: COUSINEAU TRADE A DONE DEAL
RDS is reporting that the PEI Rocket and Saint John Sea Dogs are expected to announce in the next few hours that goaltender Marco Cousineau will be traded to the Sea Dogs. In exchange, the Sea Dogs will give the Rocket four draft picks over the next two seasons.Halifax Mooseheads play-by-play man John Moore, a trusted source around the QMJHL, has also confirmed on his Twitter page that two sources have told him that Cousineau heading to Saint John is a done deal.
The Sea Dogs host the Rocket tonight at 7:00 pm at Harbour Station which only strengthens the reports of the deal being close to finished. No lineup notes for tonight’s game have been announced.
The Rocket have been holding a fire sale all day. They traded forwards Joel Champagne and Chris Doyle to Victoriaville earlier today. They also acquired Michael Stinziani from the Chicoutimi Sagueneens.
Cousineau has struggled this season at times but is a proven goaltender with big game experience. He has a record of 10-14-0 this season and has a goals against average of 3.40. He has one shutout which was a 4-0 win over Saint John on October 13.
The 20-year-old goaltender led the Drummondville Voltigeurs to the Presidents Cup last season. After being traded from Baie-Comeau mid-season, he went 12-4-0 with the Volts and then 13-3-0 in the post season. In the 2009 Mastercard Memorial Cup, he was named the best goaltender of the tournament.
In 2008, he was drafted in the third round (83rd overall) by the Anaheim Ducks in the NHL Entry Draft.
With Cousineau being an overage goalie, the Sea Dogs will have to trade now number one goaltender Marc-Antoine Gelinas. The other two 20-year-olds in Mike Hoffman and Nicholas Petersen will not traded unless director of hockey operations Mike Kelly wants to be fired.
This deal has been rumored for just over a week now. The transaction would end the speculation of Jake Allen coming to the Sea Dogs. RDS reports that Allen may be part of a blockbuster involving Alex Wall of the Junior in exchange for Cape Breton’s Olivier Roy and Logan Shaw.
SEA DOGS NOTEBOOK
FORMER DOGS ON THE MOVETwo former Sea Dogs are on their way to the Gatineau Olympiques.
The Val D'Or Foreurs traded Alex Noel (92-07-07), Kevin Guerette-Charland (89-05-10), Benjamin Lecomte (90-05-31) and a first round pick in 2011 to the Gatineau Olympiques for Alexandre Touchette (90-01-04), Alexandre Quesnel (89-11-03), Nicolas Boyer (90-07-04), a fifth round pick (from Halifax-from Chicoutimi) in 2010 and a fifth round selection in 2011.
Charland was traded by the Sea Dogs last season in exchange for the Foreurs' top pick in the CHL Import Draft, a pick used to draft Tomas Jurco.
Lecomte was traded last week in exchange for left winger Christian Morin.
SAME FACES, WRONG PLACES
Peter McGuire's column today was the first to mention a mistake in the Sea Dogs' 2009-10 trading card set.
The mistake has Nicholas Petersen's and Mike Hoffman's faces on the opposite of each other's players card. The Sea Dogs are offering an autographed version of the cards if fans wish to exchange them.
A LOOK BACK
In the Times & Transcript year in review, the Rivalry Cup is featured.
January 29 -- The Times & Transcript reports that the Saint John Sea Dogs have issued a friendly challenge to the Moncton Wildcats to see who can attract the most fans at their next two head-to-head games this season. The loser will have to don the winning team's jersey at the winner's home rink at a subsequent match.
March 10 -- The Rivalry Cup between the Moncton Wildcats and Saint John Sea Dogs, which Moncton won, is played on this night at the Moncton Coliseum.
FOOD DRIVE THIS SATURDAY
The Saint John Sea Dogs' half of the Rivalry Cup holiday food drive will be held this Saturday at Harbour Station. The Moncton Wildcats will have their part of the drive on New Years Eve at the Coliseum. All donations will go to local food banks.
The contest will award the team with the heaviest crop of food with five points in the Rivalry Cup standings.
Although whatever non-perishable food items you bring will be appreciated, Station Nation is strongly encouraging fans to bring canned items because the contest is based on weight.
ROCKET PULL THE TRIGGER
The most interesting part of tonight’s game? The pre-game warm-up and lineup notes.The Victoriaville Tigres acquired Joel Champagne (90-01-24) and Chris Doyle (90-03-22) from the PEI Rocket for Jonathan Bonneau (90-07-10), Michael Ortika (93-05-24), a first, a third and a fourth round pick in 2010 and a second round pick in 2011.
The details of the trade were released early this morning by the Victoriaville newspaper la Nouvelle Union. Unless this deal was done long ago, Bonneau and Ortika will not likely be in the PEI lineup tonight at Harbour Station. (7:00 pm, News 88.9 FM)
Champagne, a Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick, leads the Rocket in scoring with 18 goals and 25 assists. In five games against Saint John this season, he has two goals and three assists. Champagne was featured as the poster boy in the Telegraph-Journal’s “Sea Dogs Game Day” today.
Doyle, a New York Rangers draft pick and PEI native, is fourth in team scoring with 15 goals and 18 assists. In five games against the Sea Dogs, he has one goal and five assists.
The Rocket were expected to make a run at the league title this season, but in typical Rocket fashion, they have struggled at times. They sit fourth in the Atlantic division with a record of 20-14-1-3.
The Rocket also obtained forward Michael Stinziani (89-05-11) from the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in return for a fourth round pick in 2010. Chicoutimi has been one of the biggest sellers this season as they traded star Nicholas Deschamps to the Moncton Wildcats last week.
The former Cape Breton Screaming Eagle has five goals in only 19 games played this season with the Sags.
Be sure to listen to tonight’s game scratches and lineup notes at Harbour Station following warm-up.
PRE-GAME: PEI Rocket vs Saint John Sea Dogs
Game DayPEI Rocket vs Saint John Sea Dogs
Tonight, December 29, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Harbour Station
Visiting Team: PEI Rocket
Record: 20-14-1-3 (4th in Atlantic Division)
Last Game: 3-0 loss at Cape Breton on Sunday
Leading Scorer: Joel Champagne: 36-18-25-43
Notes: The Rocket have five NHL draft picks: Marco Cousineau (Anaheim), Jordan Southorn (Buffalo), Chris Doyle (New York Rangers), Benjamin Cassavant (Washington), and Joel Champagne (Toronto)… PEI has no New Brunswick native players on their roster… 4-5-0-1 in their last 10 games… have lost three straight games… the Rocket are ranked fifth in the league in penalty killing with a rating of 80.6%... 10-7-0-3 on the road this season and have lost three straight… Benjamin Cassavant and Chris Doyle each have six points against Saint John this season… Cassavant has been a Sea Dog killer this season, scoring four goals against the Dogs in five games… Brendan Wright has 12 penalty minutes against the Sea Dogs… Jarred Struthers and Adam Polasek are a team worse -5 against Saint John… on December 19, PEI traded disgruntled forward Brandon Street to Victoriaville for Bradley MacDonald… the Rocket will be missing therapist Kevin Elliot tonight. Elliot is the assistant therapist for team Canada at the world juniors in Saskatoon… Rocket assistant coach Corrada Micalef will be missing the game because he is the assistant coach for Team Quebec at the World Under-17’s in Timmons, Ont… Jimmy Oligny will miss the game due to Team Quebec duties at the Under-17 championships… the Rocket were victims three times in Saint John’s epic 22-game winning streak… goaltender Marco Cousineau shutout the Sea Dogs 4-0 on October 13 at the Civic Centre.
Home Team: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 32-6-1-0 (1st in Atlantic Division)
Last Game: 5-4 Win at Acadie-Bathurst on Sunday
Leading Scorer: Nicholas Petersen: 31-22-23-45
Notes: Mike Thomas will miss the game because he is serving the second of a three game suspension for taking his helmet off during a fight… Jonathan Huberdeau will miss the game because he is playing for Team Quebec at the World Under-17’s… the Sea Dogs called up Andrew Langan from Woodstock before Sunday’s game in Bathurst. The Dogs will likely dress all seven defenseman again with the team playing a forward short… Stanislav Galiev leads all QMJHL rookies in scoring with 10 goals and 28 assists in 38 games played. His +30 rating is tops among first year players… have the league’s second best road record of 15-3-0-0… they are 9-1-0-0 in their last 10 home games but are coming off a 4-2 loss to the last place Halifax Mooseheads on December 17… have yet to allow a shorthanded goal at Harbour Station this season… have played the fourth fewest home games in the league… have the third worst penalty kill in the league with a rating of 74.4%... Mike Hoffman, Nicholas Petersen, and Michael Kirkpatrick all have a team high five points against PEI this season… Hoffman has had an eventful few games with the Rocket that include a fight, a fractured foot, and five goals in five games… newly acquired left winger Christian Morin makes his home debut tonight. In one game against the Rocket this season, he is -1 and has registered six shots on goal… coaches Mike Kelly and Gerard Gallant are PEI natives.
Saint John vs PEI:
This Season (GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS):
5-3-2-0-0-6
Home: 2-1-1-0-0-2
Road: 3-2-1-0-0-4
Goals For: 14
Goals Against: 14
Last Season (GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS):
8-6-2-0-0-12
Home: 4-4-0-0-0-8
Road: 4-2-2-0-0-4
Goals For: 31
Goals Against: 23
All-Time- Not Including This Season (GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS):
26-15-8-1-2-33
Home: 14-9-3-1-1-20
Road: 12-6-5-0-1-13
Goals For: 115
Goals Against: 110
Station Nation Facts:
- It’s the first and only Toonie Tuesday tonight at Harbour Station. With the purchase of an adult seat, special $2 youth tickets are available for Tuesday’s game (all tickets subject to $1 surcharge), the final home match of the calendar year for Saint John. According to the Sea Dogs’ Facebook page, fans can purchase up to 10 $2 tickets.
- The big rumor going around lately has Rocket goaltender Marco Cousineau heading to Saint John in a package that includes 17-year-old rookie Zach Phillips. No media source has confirmed the rumor.
- This is the last game at Harbour Station for 2009 and the decade.
- The Rocket were hit with the H1N1 bug earlier this season.
- In PEI’s last game, Cape Breton’s Olivier Roy shutout the Rocket on Sunday as he made 30 saves. Ben Duffy of the Rocket had a team high four shots.
- In Saint John’s last game, the Sea Dogs almost blew two three goal leads but hung on for a 5-4 road win in Bathurst. Tomas Jurco and Mike Hoffman both had a pair of goals.
- Results this season have been 6-1 PEI in Saint John, 4-0 PEI in PEI, 5-2 Saint John in Saint John, 4-1 Saint John in PEI, and 4-1 Saint John in PEI.
Important Info:
Venue: Harbour Station
Capacity: 6,297
Saint John Media: Radio- News 88.9 FM (www.news889.com)
Live Video Streaming: www.qmjhl.mytelus.com
Post-Game Coverage: www.stationnation.blogspot.com, Telegraph-Journal, The Guardian
Post-Game Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/user/seadogstv
Twitter
Follow us on Twitter @station_nation for in game updates during tonight’s game.
Monday, December 28, 2009
SEA DOGS POST-GAME NOTEBOOK
SEA DOGS – TITAN GAME AT A GLANCEFinal Score: Saint John 5, Acadie-Bathurst 4
Saint John Goals: Tomas Jurco (10, 11), Mike Hoffman (24, 25), and Simon Despres (6)
Acadie-Bathurst Goals: Jess Tanguy (1), Jeremie Blain (4), Jonathan Lessard (21), and Taylor Lambke (14)
Winning Goaltender: SNB – Gelinas, Marc-Antoine (21-5-0)
Losing Goaltender: BAT - Nadeau, Guillaume (L-4-10-0)
News 88.9 Top Dog: Marc-Antoine Gelinas
THE NUMBERS
Power Play: Titan 0/3, Sea Dogs 1/7
Shots on Goal: Titan: 12+7+12=31, Sea Dogs: 12+25+9=46
Attendance: 1,573
SCRATCHES
Bathurst scratched Patrick Jones and Bryce Milson who are playing at the World Under-17 Hockey Championships in Timmins, Ont. Marshall Worden is still suspended after a fight during warm-up in Cape Breton.
Scratches for Saint John were Jonathan Huberdeau and Mike Thomas. Huberdeau is playing for Team Quebec at the Under-17 tournament. Mike Thomas is suspended for three games after taking his helmet off in a fight on December 18 in Halifax.
LANGAN CALLED UP
With Huberdeau and Thomas out of the lineup for at least the next three games, Saint John native and former Vito Andrew Langan was called up before Sunday’s game.
In 30 games this season with the Woodstock Slammers, he has 16 goals and 24 assists, which places him fourth in MJAHL scoring. In 11 career games with the Sea Dogs, he has one assist. He was the last cut from Sea Dogs training camp this August.
He told News 88.9 in an intermission interview that he will be with the team until the new year.
NO DEFENSE
Marc-Antoine Gelinas may have allowed four goals, but Saint John’s defense didn’t come to play on Sunday night.
"That's OK in the offensive zone when you're cycling the puck,” said Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant in the Telegraph-Journal. “But when you're circling in the defensive zone and you're cheating and you're looking for offensive chances from cheating, it never happens and that's why teams get back in it against us.''
It’s easy to say that the Saint John defense was looking for points on Sunday. Every defenseman had a shot on goal including five shots by Simon Despres and four by Yann Sauve.
FRESH MEAT
Goaltender Mager-Dugas, forward Jess Tanguy, Zack O'Brien and David Gilbert all played their first game with the Titan.
Tanguy scored his first QMJHL goal on Sunday in his first career game.
MORIN MAKES HIS DEBUT
Newly acquired defenseman Christian Morin played very well in his Sea Dog debut. He was traded from Val-d’Or in exchange for Benjamin Lecomte.
He said that the Sea Dogs are expecting him to block shots, play physical, and work on the penalty killing unit. He wore former Dog Olivier Ouellet’s number 12.
Lecomte was not in the Foreurs line-up last night in Rouyn-Nornada, a game that was delayed 45 minutes because Val-d’Or forgot their jerseys. He is expected to be traded to Gatineau.
CANADIAN PRESS RECAP
Sea Dogs 5 Titan 4
At Bathurst, N.B., Mike Hoffman and Tomas Jurco both scored twice as Saint John edged the Titan.
Simon Despres had the winner for the Sea Dogs (32-6-1).
Jonathan Lessard had a short-handed goal for Acadie-Bathurst (14-19-5), while Jeremie Malouin, Taylor Lambke and Jess Tanguy also tallied.
OUT OF TOWN
Elsewhere in the QMJHL, it was Quebec 10 Chicoutimi 1; Shawinigan 7 Gatineau 5; Lewiston 4 Victoriaville 3; Cape Breton 3 P.E.I. 0; Moncton 10 Halifax 1; and Rouyn-Noranda 6 Val-d'Or 3.
QUICK HITS
With Mike Thomas unable to play, Mike Hoffman wore the captains “C” on his sweater. Nicholas Petersen wore the extra “A”… with the Sea Dogs missing two forwards, all seven defenseman dressed… Tim Roszell said there is no word on if Olivier Ouellet will report to the Shawinigan Cataractes, where he was traded to last week… Tomas Jurco turns 17-years-old today… Jurco set a QMJHL career high by scoring two goals in a game… there were a large number of Sea Dogs fans in attendance on Sunday with many folks having time off for the holiday’s… every Sea Dog player had at least one shot on goal. Hoffman led the way with six… Michael Kirkpatrick had a team high three assists... six Sea Dog players had four or more shots on goal...This was the first game back from the holiday break for both teams. "We weren't ready today,'' Hoffman said to the Telegraph-Journal. "The first game back after the break is usually a little messy and we showed it out there.
NEXT GAME
PEI Rocket vs Saint John Sea Dogs. Tuesday, December 29, 2009 at 7:00 pm at Harbour Station.
With the purchase of an adult seat, special $2 youth tickets are available for Tuesday’s game (all tickets subject to $1 surcharge), the final home match of the calendar year for Saint John. According to the Sea Dogs’ Facebook page, fans can purchase up to 10 $2 tickets. This is the only Toonie Tuesday of the season.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
DEFENSE SLIPS AS OFFENSE CLICKS
STATION NATION POST-GAMEFINAL: Saint John 5, Acadie-Bathurst 4
BATHURST – The Saint John Sea Dogs opened the second half of their 2009-10 season the same way they started the first half – with a one goal win in Bathurst. The Sea Dogs defeated the new look Acadie-Bathurst Titan 5-4 Sunday afternoon at the K.C. Irving Regional Centre.
Despite some defensive miscues and lineup juggling, the Sea Dogs’ stellar offense came through to push the Dogs to victory. Tomas Jurco set a career high with two goals in a game. Mike Hoffman also had a pair while Simon Despres netted the game winner for Saint John.
Saint John fired 46 shots on the Titan’s new number one goalie Guillaume Nadeau. Bathurst replied with goals from Jeremie Malouin, Taylor Lambke, Jess Tanguy, and Jonathan Lessard.
It was a fairly uneventful first period. Stanislav Galiev started the second half like he ended the first one with a good chance in close but sent it off the side of the goal.
With call-up Andrew Langan in the box at 3:06, Saint John got their first chance to reverse their first half penalty killing woes. They did a good job as the only good chance came when Olivier Malka ringed a shot off the post.
Simon Despres set up fellow Pittsburgh prospect Nicholas Petersen in front but was stopped by the toe of Guillaume Nadeau. Then Nicholas Pard was stopped on a wraparound followed by Langan wristing a shot off the outside of the right post.
Jonathan Lessard had the best Titan chance earlier on when he streaked across down low but was stopped by Marc-Antoine Gelinas.
Pard set up Stephen MacAulay but was stopped. Then MacAulay stole a puck away from a Bathurst player but shot wide on Nadeau.
One of the best scoring chances for Saint John came when Kevin Gagne broke loose from defenseman Alexis Bernier but Nadeau stood tall in the Bathurst crease and made the save.
Tomas Jurco made it 1-0 at 15:08. Jurco and Michael Kirkpatrick went in on a two-on-one with Jurco shooting wide of the goal. Kirkpatrick found the puck behind the net and tried to bank it off Nadeau but went in front to Jurco. The import wired a shot, while the puck was in midair, to net his tenth goal of the season. The goal went under a lengthy review to see if the puck was knocked in with a high stick but was ruled a goal.
Newly acquired David Gilbert cut in front around Gagne but was stopped by Gelinas. The rebound went to Taylor Lambke but the Sea Dogs overage goaltender made the save.
Despite Saint John having the better scoring chances, shots were 12 a piece in the first period.
Eric Faille opened the second period with a good chance on a wide open net but was robbed by Gelinas. The puck went down the ice to Petersen who’s shot rebounded to Hoffman who scored to make it 2-0 Sea Dogs only 51 seconds into the period.
At 2:22 Julien Tremblay took a hooking penalty. After Kirkpatrick was stonned on a one timer by Nadeau, Hoffman blasted a shot from the point that rolled past the Titan goaltender to make it 3-0 for the visitors at 2:37.
Petersen had a good scoring chance that produced a juicy rebound to Zach Phillips but was stopped by Nadeau.
Playing in his first career QMJHL game, Jess Tanguy made it 3-1 as he skated around a fallen Gelinas in the crease. Gelinas was out of position after a bizarre shot from the point went off a broken stick and landed in the crease. Time of the goal was 4:16.
At 10:41 Jeremie Malouin picked up a puck that bounced off the back boards. He scored on a sharp angle shot that went under Gelinas to put the Titan within a goal.
Hoffman made a beautiful no look pass between his legs to Galiev but his shot was stopped not once, but twice by Nadeau.
The Sea Dogs got their two goal lead back at 14:02. Tomas Jurco scored an amazing one as he walked into the slot, made a backhand-to-forehand move, then scored to the right of Nadeau to make it 4-2 Saint John. The goal was Jurco’s second of the game.
Nicholas Pard was cut with a high stick at 16:27 and gave the Dogs a four minute power play. Saint John had several terrific chances, including a Petersen shot going off the post, but Nadeau kept his cool making some nice saves to keep Bathurst in the game.
The Sea Dogs outshot the Titan 25-7 in the second period, with most of those shots coming late in the period on the power play.
Gelinas denied Blackhawks prospect David Gilbert to open up the third frame. The overage net minder made a great left to right move to keep the puck out of the Sea Dogs' net.
Simon Despres got the Sea Dogs’ three goal lead back at 4:28. Despres walked across the goal and chipped a shot up and over a kneeling Nadeau to make it 5-2 Saint John.
Vincent Arseneau took a dumb four minute penalty at 6:56 as he banged his stick off the boards in displeasure over the original call. The penalty turned out to be good for the Titan as Lessard scored shorthanded from the slot at 7:09 to make it 5-3.
The Malouin brothers had some good chances as one blasted a shot wide on the penalty kill and the other was robbed by the stick of the Sea Dogs goalie. The K.C. Irving Regional Centre applauded their defenders as they kept Saint John to minimal chances on the power play.
Jurco went in alone near the half way point of the period but was hooked up by Jeremie Blain. Then Danick Gauthier, who has been quiet of late, nailed Gilbert into the goal post but no call was made.
With Langan in the box again, Lessard went in alone behind the defense but was robbed by the right leg of Gelinas. The Titan pulled Nadeau for the six-on-four advantage but could not register any good scoring chances.
With under a minute to go, Mike Hoffman tried for the hat trick but hit the post on the empty net and was called icing. That gave the Titan a faceoff in the offensive zone where Lambke tipped in a Malka shot to make 5-4. But that would be as close as the Titan could get as the Sea Dogs picked up the win.
Bathurst outshot the Sea Dogs 12-9 in the third period. Saint John won the shots on goal battle in the game by outshooting the Titan 46-31.
Marc-Antoine Gelinas picked up the win and improved to 21-5-0 on the season. Saint John went 1/7 on the power play.
Guillaume Nadeau fell to 4-10-0 on the season. Bathurst went 0/3 on the power play.
NOTES: Mike Thomas missed the game due to a three game suspension. He was suspended after taking his helmet off in a fight on December 18 in Halifax… Andrew Langan was called up from the Woodstock Slammers of the MJAHL to replace Thomas… Jonathan Huberdeau missed the game because he his playing for Team Quebec at the World Under-17’s in Timmins, Ont… visit Station Nation tomorrow for Sea Dogs Post Game Notebook.
NEXT GAME: PEI Rocket vs Saint John Sea Dogs. Tuesday, December 29, 2009 at Harbour Station at 7:00 pm.
PRE-GAME: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Acadie-Bathurst Titan
Game DaySaint John Sea Dogs vs Acadie-Bathurst Titan
Today, December 27, 2009 at 4:00 pm
K.C. Irving Regional Centre
Visiting Team: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 31-6-1-0 (1st in Atlantic Division)
Last Game: 7-1 Win at Halifax on Dec. 18
Leading Scorer: Nicholas Petersen: 30-22-21-43
Notes: Saint John sits first in the Atlantic division, first overall in the QMJHL, and second in Station Nation’s CHL Rankings… scratch Jonathan Huberdeau from the Sea Dogs’ lineup today. He is playing for team Quebec at the World Under-17 Championships in Timmins, Ontario… the Sea Dogs no longer have Olivier Ouellet on their roster as he was sent to Shawinigan last week for a draft pick. Ouellet had not been with the team since November 19… Benjamin Lecomte is no longer with the club as he was traded to Val-d’Or in exchange for defenseman Christian Morin. Morin is expected to make his Sea Dog debut today wearing affiliate player Rob McEwan’s number two. In 25 games this season, Morin has five goals and four assists… the Sea Dogs are ranked second in the country in the BMO CHL Top 10 Rankings for a sixth straight week… coming off a dominating 7-1 win in Halifax over a week ago. Before that, Saint John was embarrassed on home ice by the Mooseheads and lost 4-2… this game kicks off a hectic schedule for Saint John where they play five games in eight days… have won all three of their games in Bathurst this season… Mike Hoffman has a team leading five goals vs the Titan this season… Stanislav Galiev, Yann Sauve, and Kevin Gagne all have six assists against Bathurst this year… owners of the league’s best road record at 16-3-1-0… have scored the most road goals in the league with 86… 9-1-0-0 in their last 10 road games.
Home Team: Acadie-Bathurst Titan
Record: 14-18-3-2 (5th in Atlantic Division)
Last Game: 6-5 overtime loss at Rimouski on Dec. 18
Leading Scorer: Eric Faille: 37-18-25-43
Notes: The Titan have been very active on the trade front. Zach O’Brien was acquired from the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies by the Titan last week. O'Brien was a fourth-round pick of the Moncton Wildcats in 2008, before being traded to Rouyn-Noranda last August. The St. John's, N.L., native has yet to play a game in the QMJHL, electing instead to stay at home to attend school. A member of the St. John's Fog Devils, of the Newfoundland Midget AAA Hockey League, he has 42 goals and 19 assists in 16 games this season. O’Brien will likely play today but will decide on December 31 whether to stay with the Titan or go back to Newfoundland. In exchange for O’Brien, the Titan gave up number one goaltender Nicholas Champion… The Titan traded Maxime Renaud to the Baie-Comeau Drakkar for Christopher Giroux. Giroux was then sent to the Quebec Remparts for Chicago Blackhawks prospect David Gilbert… Gilbert is the only NHL drafted Titan player. He was drafted by the Blackhawks in the seventh round on the 2008 NHL entry draft… 4-4-1-1 in their last 10 games… currently on a five game losing streak… In five games against Saint John this season, Taylor Lambke has a team high six points… Jonathan Lessard has a team high 20 goals in 37 games played… averaging 1,432 fans per game this season… have the third worst home record in the league at 7-8-1-1… 5-5-0-0 in their last 10 home games but have lost two straight.
Saint John vs Acadie-Bathurst:
This Season (GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS):
5-5-0-0-0-10
Home: 2-2-0-0-0-4
Road: 3-3-0-0-0-6
Goals For: 29
Goals Against: 12
Last Season (GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS):
8-7-0-0-1-15
Home: 4-4-0-0-0-8
Road: 4-3-0-0-3-7
Goals For: 27
Goals Against: 19
All-Time-Not including this season (GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS):
36-14-19-1-2-31
Home: 18-8-13-0-1-17
Road: 18-6-6-1-1-14
Goals For: 112
Goals Against: 141
Station Nation Facts:
- This is the first game of the unofficial first half for both teams. This means that Saint John will likely be wearing their white sweaters from here on in on the road.
- The Titan’s average attendance of 1,432 is the worst in the league. Their smallest and largest crowds have come against Saint John this season.
- Saint John has yet to make any major moves since the trade period opened. "I don't think we're desperate for anything," Sea Dogs associate coach and hockey operations director Mike Kelly said to the Telegraph-Journal. "We're going to do whatever we can to improve our team, but at the same time, the balance is somewhere between how much youth you're willing to part with and what you need," he said. "We have good young players we're really happy with."
- Past results this season have been: 4-3 Saint John in a shootout in Bathurst, 5-2 Saint John is Bathurst, 6-1 Saint John in Saint John, 8-2 Saint John in Saint John, and 6-4 Saint John in Bathurst.
- Their last win in Bathurst on December 12 was the Sea Dogs’ twenty-second straight win. It would Saint John’s last win on their epic streak as they lost the next day in Moncton. In that game vs the Titan, Saint John had a 3-0 lead just 1:59 into the first period.
- The K.C. Irving Regional Centre opened in September of 1996, at a cost of $21 million. Funding was provided from all three levels of government - municipal, provincial and federal. The contractor was Foulem Construction and the architect was Jacques Boucher.
Important Info:
Venue: K.C. Irving Regional Centre
Capacity: 3,162
Arena Guide Info: http://www.qmjhlarenaguide.com/titan.htm
Saint John Media: Radio- News 88.9 FM (www.news889.com)
Live Video Streaming: www.qmjhl.mytelus.com
Post-Game Coverage: Telegraph-Journal, www.stationnation.blogspot.com
Saturday, December 26, 2009
SEA DOGS NOTEBOOK
CHL MIDSEASON REPORTPatrick King of Rogers Sportsnet has published his Canadian Hockey League midseason report on Sportsnet.ca. The Sea Dogs were called the surprising team of the QMJHL’s first half.
There was little doubt the Sea Dogs had the potential to surprise this season, but even they would probably admit success came quicker than expected. The franchise began the season with a new head coach, new general manager and several new faces in the lineup, and the transition was seamless.
The Sea Dogs set the third-longest winning-streak in league history after rattling off 22 straight wins just before the holiday break. Saint John's dominance is the only surprising aspect of its resurgence. When the league returns from break, Saint John will be the team to beat in the second half of the season.
Former Sea Dog goalie Troy Passingham was called the surprising player in the OHL. Passingham ended up with the Windsor Spitfires this season after being released by Saint John in 2008.
Passingham was as unknown as they came entering the new season, yet quickly established himself as Windsor's starting goaltender. The Spitfires planned on going with overage goaltender Josh Unice this season, but cut ties with the injured goaltender to make room for Memorial Cup hero Dale Mitchell.
Passingham began training camp as the No. 3, behind Unice and 17-year-old Steve Gleeson. The newcomer won the job after Unice's injury and Gleeson's request to be traded closer to his home in Toronto. Passingham's numbers are among the league leaders in each category. The only question that remains is if the Spitfires' brass will seek a proven veteran or ride with their surprise reclamation project.
To view the entire report click HERE.
LECOMTE TRADED AGAIN?
According to Sports Juniors Magazine, Benjamin Lecomte has been traded to the Gatineau Olypiques. Lecomte was traded by Saint John to the Val-d’Or Foreurs last week in exchange for Christian Morin.
To view the French article click HERE.
SEA DOGS HOCKEY CARDS
If you’re frustrated with looking through packs of hockey cards at Harbour Station to try and finish your team set, we have the answer.
L’Imaginaire, a sports store in Quebec City, is offering the entire set for $14.99 plus shipping. To purchase the set click HERE.
GALIEV DISSED AGAIN
Stanislav Galiev was once again rejected by the International Scouting Service. The latest rankings were released on Christmas day.
Galiev continues to search for respect in the scouting community despite leading all QMJHL rookies in scoring. Many scouts are now suggesting that his high point total is because of his veteran line mates in Nicholas Petersen and Mike Hoffman.
A pair of Moncton Wildcats were on the list in Brandon Gormley and Kirill Kabanov. To view the full listings from the World of Junior Hockey click HERE.
GALIEV HONORED BY H.F.
Hockey’s Future named Stanislav Galiev one of the top 10 draft eligible players in the QMJHL. Here is what they had to say about the Russian rookie:
Galiev, who played last season in the USHL, has the good fortune of playing for the top team in the QMJHL, and he plays on a line with Nicholas Petersen and Mike Hoffman, two 20-year-old veterans who under most other circumstances would likely be playing in the AHL at this point. Who wouldn't find success in that environment?
That isn't to say that the young Russian isn't talented. He currently leads all QMJHL rookies with 10 goals and 38 points in 37 games. The top selection in the 2009 CHL Import Draft, Galiev has come as advertised: a wizard with the puck with the ability to thread a pass or score a goal through holes that no one else can see. Playing for the league's best team only improves his profile.
To view the full article click HERE.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
HAPPY FESTIVUS
Happy Holiday's from all of us at Station Nation! Unless a trade foes down or any other significant news happens, we'll be on a holiday break. We will be back on December 27 with the Station Nation Sea Dogs/Titan Pre-game.Be sure to follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/station_nation for breaking news, updates, and in game coverage.
Were on Facebook too. Search "Station Nation- Saint John Sea Dogs" to become a fan of this publication.
For every Sea Dog video you'll want to see, subscribe to us on YouTube at www.youtube.com/StationNationSJ.
WILDCATS UP FOR THE CHALLENGE
Despite the fact that the Moncton Wildcats are 18 points behind Saint John for first place in the Atlantic division, they are ready to make a serious run at the QMJHL title."When we found out that Nicola Riopel was on his way back, we felt that we owed it to our team to try to get a little older upfront," said Moncton head coach and director of hockey operations Danny Flynn to the Times & Transcript. "We went after two of the top forwards in the league that we felt would be on the move in the trade period."
Moncton acqired Anaheim Ducks prospect Nicolas Deschamps yesterday from the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. The price was high to acquire the talented forward as they gave up Matthew Bissonnette, Jeremy Barriault, a 2010 fourth round draft pick, and a 2011 first roound pick.
The Wildcats have already been buyers this season as they acquired Gabriel Bourque earlier this week. Bourque is currently playing for Team Canada at the world juniors.
"We think that if we can get everybody healthy and everybody committed to team goals that we have a chance to make some noise," said Flynn. "We've had an incredible run of injuries and we still haven't been able to get our lines set or our team set.
"We've added two quality forwards in Bourque and Deschamps. Riopel was the best goalie in the league last season and he's coming back. MacDonald was a quiet addition on defence and he's going to get an opportunity to prove himself. We've definitely improved our team."
Moncton next plays Saint John on New Year's Eve at the Coliseum.
The Sea Dogs appear to be holding out a bit as their plans remain a mystery to everyone. They've only made two minor moves but are expected to make some noise. There is no doubt that the Sea Dogs may be getting some itchy feet while watching the Wildcats improve greatly.
There were some other trades yesterday. Shawinigan traded defenceman Adam Bourque-Leblanc, 20, and forward Christophe Tremblay, 17, to Chicoutimi yesterday. It acquired forward Jean-Philippe Foucher, 17, and a fourth-round draft pick in 2010.
Shawinigan sent forward Maxime Legault, 20, a fourth-round draft pick in 2010 and a second-round draft pick in 2011 to Cape Breton yesterday. It acquired forward Maxmilien Le Sieur, 17, defenceman Michael Ward, 20, a second-round draft pick in 2010 and a first-round draft pick in 2011.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
A WEEKLY TRADITION
This will make your pre-Christmas Eve celebrations even better. The Saint John Sea Dogs are ranked for the sixth straight week as the second best team in the country in the BMO CHL Top 10 Rankings.The Sea Dogs lost an awful game and won another easily this week. They fell 4-2 to the last place Halifax Mooseheads on Thursday at Harbour Station. The embarrassment sparked the Dogs as they defeated the Mooseheads 7-1 the next day at the Metro Centre.
The depleted Windsor Spitfires who have six players away at the World Junior tournament remain in first place. Coming up in third behind Saint John is the Barrie Colts who have won 21 straight games.
The full BMO CHL MasterCard Top Ten Rankings can be found below:
1 – Windsor Spitfires, OHL (29-4-0-4)
2 – Saint John Sea Dogs, QMJHL (31-6-1-0)
3 – Barrie Colts, OHL (29-4-0-1)
4 – Calgary Hitmen, WHL (26-9-1-1)
5 – Drummondville Voltigeurs, QMJHL (26-10-0-2)
6 – Saskatoon Blades, WHL (24-7-1-3)
7 – Tri-City Americans, WHL (26-9-0-0)
8 – Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors, OHL (24-7-3-1)
9 – Victoriaville Tigres, QMJHL (25-10-1-1)
10 – Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL (25-11-0-2)
Honorable Mentions:
Quebec Remparts (24-8-2-3)
Kitchener Rangers (24-8-1-2)
Medicine Hat Tigers (22-11-2-4)
RIVALRY CUP REPORT
T & T LIKES THE CUPThe Moncton Times & Transcript enjoyed the December 13 Rivalry Cup game they decided to tell the world. This is what they had to say about the Wildcats’ 7-3 over Saint John:
If there wasn't already an intense rivalry between the Moncton Wildcats and the Saint John Sea Dogs in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, there definitely is now.
The fans responded to this intriguing matchup, as 5,298 were in attendance and, at least the Moncton fans, got their money's worth. I can honestly say that the game was certainly the most intense regular season contest -- in any sport -- I've seen in my three years in Moncton.
Final score was Moncton 7, Saint John 3, with the overall winner being hockey fans and the QMJHL.
What was even more surprising was how many Sea Dogs fans had made the trip from Saint John to try to help will their side to a 23rd straight victory. Normally when the away team scores at the Coliseum the crowd goes quite silent, but there were plenty of diehards dressed in Sea Dog blue there to jump out of their seats and cheer.
To view the full article written by Cole Hobson click HERE.
ANYTHING ELSE TO GIVE?
If your New Year's Eve plans are set to be held anywhere besides the Moncton Coliseum – cancel them. Not only will the on-ice battle between Saint John and Moncton be the most intense yet, but the off-ice show is setting up to be just as good.
Fans will have the chance to win with the "Cheer for a Year" promotion. Lucky fans will receive a year's supply of a number of great prizes, Including; McDonalds for a Year, a CAA Membership, a year's supply of Irving Tissue, a Membership to the YMCA and more prizes being added daily. Fans will also have the chance to win $2000 in travel vouchers from the Game Sponsor VIA Rail!
As if the prizes weren't enough, one lucky fan will have the chance to shoot during the intermission for $10,000 through the scoro contest.
Excitement will be in the air at the Coliseum on New Year's Eve. Free Face painting, Clowns, and Buskers will be adding to the atmosphere. The game also marks the finale of the Art-on-Ice program which supports community school breakfast programs. A special prize for the 2010th person through the door will make one fan's night and there are many surprises in store for those who come.
WILD WILLIE IS READY
After pulling out of the last mascot challenge due to a lower body injury, Wild Willie is hard at work trying to get his reputation back. Sea Dogs mascot Fleaburn will take on Wild Willie on New Year’s Eve at the Moncton Coliseum in the second intermission battle. Fleaburn took the first challenge in Saint John under what the Wildcats are calling “suspicious circumstances.”
THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM
The Sea Dogs’ holiday break is just the calm before the storm. After their eight day break is complete, Saint John’s junior hockey team plays five tough games in eight days.All five are against divisional opponents including two games each with Bathurst and Moncton. Saint John is 5-0 against Bathurst this season with one game going to a shootout. They have outscored their provincial rivals 29-12 in those five meetings.
The last time the Sea Dogs played the Wildcats, their 22 game winning streak came to an end. Playing in front of over 5,000 fans at the Moncton Coliseum, the Sea Dogs got a taste of post-season intensity.
"The crowd was as ready as their team was,'' said goaltender Marc-Antoine Gelinas to the Telegraph-Journal."They were the seventh player (the whole game) and I think we felt it. Even after the second goal when they tied it up, we kind of let down and they were really pumped. It was our third game in three nights, so we were already tired, and that crowd didn't help.''
Saint John is 2-1 versus the Wildcats this season. The two wins both came in extra time with one being in a shootout and the other decided in overtime. Despite that, Saint John is being outscored 12-10 by the Wildcats this season thanks to a 7-3 blowout loss on December 13.
Here is a look at the upcoming schedule:
December 27: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Acadie-Bathurst Titan. 4:00 pm at K.C. Irving Regional Centre.
December 29: PEI Rocket vs Saint John Sea Dogs. 7:00 pm at Harbour Station. This game will be the first and only Toonie Tuesday of the season. Buy 1 adult ticket, get up to 10 youth tickets for just $2! (plus service fee) The 97.3 the Wave Extreme Team is back in action with lots of great Irving prizes for the fans! They'll have face painting for the kids, great giveaways all night long, and of course exciting Sea Dogs hockey!
December 31: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Moncton Wildcats. Brunswick News Rivalry Cup Game 4. The Wildcats are giving away over $50,000 in cash and prizes. Cheer for a year and win a year's worth of Irving Tissue, MacDonalds, CAA Membership, YMCA Membership and more! One lucky fan will have the opportunity to shoot to win $10,000. Other prizes include $2000 in Travel Vouchers from Game Sponsor VIA Rail, Tickets to Remainder of Wildcats Season, and more!
January 2: Moncton Wildcats vs Saint John Sea Dogs. Brunswick News Rivalry Cup Game 5. The Sea Dogs haven’t released any information on promotions yet but this game will play host to the Saint John portion of the holiday food drive.
January 3: Acadie-Bathurst Titan vs Saint John Sea Dogs. The special 4-for-$40 ticket special will be available. There will be a kids play area on the concourse and post-game autographs.
SAUVE NAMED STUDENT OF THE MONTH
After compiling the latest school results, team academic consultants from around the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League today released the names of the scholastic players of the month for November.The Saint John Sea Dogs' award winner this month is defensman Yann Sauve. The Vancouver Canucks prospect is highly regarded by his Kinesiology professor. He is very thorough and conscientious. He obtained excellent marks in his tests and assignments this fall, and is an excellent example for his younger teammates.
This is the first time Sauve has won the award. This initiative’s goal, which was developed by the QMJHL and its member clubs, is to recognize student athletes’ performances both on the ice and in the classroom.
Here is the listing of this month’s award winners:
Acadie-Bathurst Titan – Cameron Critchlow
Baie-Comeau Drakkar – Emrick Guillemette
Cape Breton Screaming Eagles – Logan Shaw
Chicoutimi Saguenéens – Antoine Roussel
Drummondville Voltigeurs – Alexandre Comtois
Gatineau Olympiques – Benjamin Laliberté
Halifax Mooseheads – Mathieu Corbeil-Thériault
Lewiston MAINEiacs – Mathieu Gingras
Moncton Wildcats – Olivier Daoust
Montreal Juniors – Matt Provost
P.E.I. Rocket – Christopher Guay
Quebec Remparts – Mikael Tam
Rimouski Océanic – William Plourde
Rouyn-Noranda Huskies – Jean-Sébastien Bérubé
Shawinigan Cataractes – Raphaël Pouliot
Val-d’Or Foreurs – Sean Coulton
Victoriaville Tigres – Joël Chouinard