GAME DAY
WHO: Lewiston MAINEiacs vs Saint John Sea Dogs
WHEN: Tonight, 7:30 pm
WHERE: Harbour Station
VISITING TEAM: Lewiston MAINEiacs
Record: 21-9-0-2 (Tied 1st in Telus East Division)
Last Game: 4-3 loss at Moncton yesterday
Leading Scorer: Etienne Brodeur (32GP-24G-15A-39Pts)
Notes: The surprising Lewiston Maineiacs enter Harbour Station this evening with a record of 21-9-0-2 which is good for a tie with the Quebec Remparts for top spot in the Telus East Division. The Maineiacs sit in a tie for third overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League… Lewiston was ranked tenth in this past week’s BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings… the Maineiacs are coming off a 4-3 loss in Moncton last night against the Wildcats. Stefan Fournier, Pierre-Olivier Morin, and Samuel Henley all scored for the visitors. Former Acadie-Bathurst Titan goaltender Nicholas Champion now plays in Lewiston. He allowed four goals on 16 shots. The Maineiacs outshot the ‘Cats 43-20 in the game and 17-3 in the third period alone… the Maineiacs have been hot of late. Despite their loss yesterday in Wildtown, the American based team is 8-2-0-0 in their last 10 games… Lewiston has played the most amount of games of any QMJHL team this season with 32… 10-5-0-2 on the road this season and have outscored their opposition by a slim 60-57 margin. They are tied with the Wildcats and Montreal Juniors for the second most road goals scored this year with 60… the Maineiacs power play is ranked 12th in the league with a rating of 0.183… the Maineiacs have the fourth best penalty kill in the QMJHL with a rating of 0.828… Lewiston is the league leader in penalty minutes with 594 minutes in the penalty box over 32 games for an average of 18.6 per game… the surprising Etienne Brodeur leads the Maineiacs in scoring with 39 points in 32 games. He has a 13 point lead in the team’s point scoring leaders race… Brodeur leads the QMJHL in goals this season with 24… Brodeur can do just about anything apparently as he also leads the club in assists with 15… rookie Zachary Evans-Renaud has a team best +18 rating… Champion has played the most games so far this year in goal for Lewiston. He is 18-3-0-1 with a goals against average of 2.38 and save percentage of 0.907… this is the third and final game of a three game road swing through Atlantic Canada for Lewiston. The Maineiacs dominated the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on Tuesday night but ran into a hot goaltender, hanging on to win 3-2 in overtime. Lewiston then lost in Moncton last night and will face Saint John this evening. Things don’t get easier for Lewiston as they host the Montreal Juniors Sunday.
Record: 22-3-0-2 (1st in Maritime Division)
Last Game: 7-2 win at Bathurst Wednesday
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Huberdeau (27GP-19G-23A-42Pts)
Notes: The Saint John Sea Dogs enter tonight’s action with a record of 22-3-0-2 which is good for first place in the Maritime Division and seven points up on the second place Moncton Wildcats. The Sea Dogs are tied with the Montreal Juniors for first overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League but have played two fewer games than the Juniors this season… Saint John was ranked second in the recent BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings… the Sea Dogs are coming off a 7-2 road win against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan last Wednesday. Jonathan Huberdeau had a hat trick while Zach Phillips, Simon Despres, Steven Anthony, and Mike Thomas were the other Saint John goal getters. Phillips also had four assists in the game. Jacob DeSerres made 32 saves in the win… it’s home sweet home for the Sea Dogs. Saint John remains undefeated in regulation at Harbour Station this season with a record of 13-0-0-1. They have outscored their opposition by a wide margin of 74-30. They are averaging 5.28 goals per home game… the squad has been red hot of late. They are 12-0-0-1 in their last 13 games and 9-0-0-1 in their last 10 contests. They have picked 25 of a possible 26 points over the past 13 games and have not lost in regulation since a 5-1 road loss in Bathurst on October 22… the Sea Dogs still lead the league in goals scored with 135 scored in 27 games. They are now averaging exactly five goals per game… Jonathan Huberdeau leads the team in points with 42… the hottest player in the Canadian Hockey League, Zach Phillips, leads Saint John in goals with 20. He is on a four-game goal scoring streak and sits second in league goal scoring… Huberdeau leads the club in assists with 23… Frederic Piche will likely get the start in net tonight. He has a record of 10-1-0-2, a goals against average of 2.36, and a save percentage of 0.917. His last game was a 7-1 win over the Halifax Mooseheads last Sunday in Saint John… Sea Dogs center Michael Kirkpatrick returns to the lineup tonight after serving a three-game suspension… Saint John’s power play has been hot of late. The Dogs have gone 3/6 in both of their last two contests. Overall this season, the club is ranked sixth and has a rating of 0.224.
BIG GUNS SQUARE OFF
From the Sea Dogs website:
In addition to pitting a pair of nationally-ranked squads against one another, two of the QMJHL’s top snipers will be going head-to-head on Friday when Lewiston’s Étienne Brodeur (league-high 24 goals) and Saint John’s Zack Phillips (tied for second with 20) square off at the Station. Brodeur has played five more games than Phillips thus far on the 2010-11 campaign. The Sea Dogs’ mustachioed marksman is currently on pace to become the first player in franchise history to hit the 50-goal plateau this season.PHILLIPS PLAYING AGAINST OLD TEAM
Zach Phillips was once Maineiac property. Drafted by Lewiston in 2008, Phillips never played a game with the team. During the 2009 QMJHL Entry Draft, the Sea Dogs acquired the Fredericton native and a fifth round draft pick in exchange for a 2009 fifth round pick and a 2010 second and fourth round pick.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Rogers Sportsnet has labeled this contest the QMJHL Game of the Week:
The resurgent MAINEiacs are the league's feel-good story of the year after two rebuilding seasons. Lewiston is one of the hottest teams in the league with nine wins in its last 10 games, but will go up against the hottest team in Saint John. The Sea Dogs are performing up to expectations and advancing through tests relatively unscathed. It will be interesting to see which style wins out as the Sea Dogs can win playing in offensive and defensive situations.NOTES
- Former Moncton Wildcat Kirill Kabanov returns to Harbour Station tonight.
- Dillon Fournier will likely play his first ever game in Saint John tonight with the Maineiacs this evening. He was the first overall pick in the QMJHL Entry Draft in June.
- Saint John and Lewiston are old rivals.
- Michael Kirkpatrick looks forward to his return from suspension.
- The Maineiacs play-by-play man likes his hotel room temperature warm.
ARENA INFO
Venue: Harbour Station
Seating Capacity: 6,297
Year Built: 1993
QMJHL Arena Guide
MEDIA GUIDE
Radio (Sea Dogs): News 88.9 FM
Live Web Feed: Telus
Television: None
Live Blog: Station Nation
Post-Game Coverage: Station Nation, Telegraph-Journal, Sun Journal, Maine Hockey Journal, Pine Tree Pucks
Follow Station Nation on Twitter at www.twitter.com/station_nation for in-game updates, scores, stats, and live coverage during tonight’s game.
AFTER THE BUZZER
The Sea Dogs host Hugo Laporte and the Gatineau Olympiques tomorrow at 7:00 pm at Harbour Station.
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