GAMEDAY
Moncton Wildcats vs Saint John Sea Dogs
Tonight, September 8, 2011, 7:00pm
Harbour Station
PREVIEW
SAINT JOHN – The last time the Saint John Sea Dogs played
a meaningful game, they skated off the ice with the most prized possession in
junior hockey.
Tonight, the quest for glory begins again.
Saint John will of course be having a video presentation
to honour all of their accomplishments. The team captured their first President’s
Cup and Memorial Cup and second regular season and division championship.
The Sea Dogs will however be holding off on raising their
banners due to the amount of returning players that will miss this evening’s
game. Saint John will be missing 10 regular players this evening and are also
missing three other players who could turn pro.
Of the 16 Sea Dogs who will be attending National Hockey
League training camps, only three are expected to play this evening. Saint John’s
rookie filled lineup will be a major factor heading into tonight’s contest and throughout the next few weeks.
The Wildcats will be missing just three players this
evening due to NHL camps - defensemen Brandon Gormley (Phoenix) and Daniel Milan
(Tampa Bay) and forward Olivier D'Aoust (Dallas).
Moncton beat Saint John twice during the pre-season when
both teams featured rookie-laden lineups. Both Wildcat wins were by one goal.
Tonight’s game is the first of eight the two rival squads
will play this year. Saint John won all eight contests last year.
NOTES: Marek Hrivik and Ludlow Jr Harris finished the
pre-season with a team high four points each. Harris had three goals and an
assist while Hrivik had two goals and two assists… Mark Tremaine and Harris
both recorded a team high three goals in the pre-season. Hrivik, Mitchell
Deruelle and Alex Saulnier all recorded two goals… Moncton outscored their
opposition 20-18.
IN NET: Roman Will, a rookie import goaltender, had a
solid pre-season, allowing five goals against in just over 118 minutes of
action. He finished exhibition play with a 1-1-0-0 record, a 2.54 goals against
average, and a 0.923 save percentage.
Brandon Thibeau finished exhibition play with a GAA of
3.00 and a save percentage of 0.882. He played nearly 120 minutes in net and
allowed six goals on 51 total shots.
WHO’S MISSING: According to the Times & Transcript, the
Wildcats will be missing the following players this evening due to National
Hockey League rookie camps: defensemen Brandon Gormley
(Phoenix) and Daniel Milan (Tampa Bay) and forward Olivier D'Aoust (Dallas)
NEWCOMERS: Notable acquisitions for the Wildcats during
the off-season include Will, Brandon Shea, and Patrick Delisle-Houde.
Will was selected by the ‘Cats with their top pick in the
2011 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft while Shea was drafted in the first
round of June’s QMJHL Entry Draft. Shea, an American who played against Saint
John during the pre-season, chose the Wildcats over Boston College.
Delisle-Houde, 20, was acquired in a trade during the off-season.
The forward had 16 goals and 19 assists in 56 games with the Rimouski Oceanic
last year.
LAST GAME: Moncton’s final pre-season game was a 4-3
shootout win in Halifax on Saturday. Marek Hrivik scored two goals and Mark
Temaine added another in regulation play. Sebastien Dyk scored the only goal of
the shootout. Brandon Thibeau allowed three goals on 25 shots in 60 minutes of
play and didn’t allow any shootout goals.
Best Wildcats Video We Could Find On YouTube
Wildcat players carving some snow:
NOTES: Danick Gauthier led the Sea Dogs in pre-season
scoring with six points… Gauthier also led the team in assists with five… Brock
Morrison had a team high four goals. Alexandre Beauregard had three while Aidan
Kelly and Oliver Cooper had two… the Sea Dogs outscored their opposition 21-20
in five exhibition contests.
IN NET: With Mathieu Corbeil away at Columbus Blue
Jackets camp, Charlie Millen and Sebastien Auger will handle the goaltending
duties for the Sea Dogs.
Millen had a 6.03 goals against average and a 0.778 save
percentage in just under 60 minutes of work in the pre-season. He allowed six
goals on 27 total shots.
Auger played 87 minutes in exhibition, recording 4.80 GAA
and a 0.825 save percentage. He allowed seven goals on 40 total shots against.
Simon Despres (Pittsburgh), Eric Gelinas (New Jersey) and
Steven Anthony (Vancouver) are all eligible to return to Saint John but will likely
turn pro.
According to the Times & Transcript yesterday, Nathan
Beaulieu (Montreal) and Danick Gauthier and Alexandre Beauregard (both Phoenix)
are the only NHL campers expected to play tonight.
FILLING HOLES: With so many players gone to NHL camps,
several Sea Dogs will be given the opportunity to step up and fill the voids.
"It gives me a good opportunity to really show
what I have," said forward Devon Oliver-Dares to the Telegraph-Journal.
"It's a great opportunity for the younger guys to show they belong in this
league."
Guys like Oliver-Dares, Jason Cameron, Aidan Kelly, and
Tyrone Sock who usually occupy the fourth line or bottom pairing will get the
opportunity to play a more prominent role.
Then there are rookies like Brock Morrison, Colin
Campbell, Oliver Cooper, and Benjamin Hade who will get a chance to try and
impress the coaching staff some more.
LAST GAME: Saint John fell 5-4 in a shootout in their
final exhibition game last Wednesday against Bathurst. Danick Gauthier, Ryan Tesink, Oliver
Cooper and Alexandre Beauregard scored for the Dogs. Sebastien Auger and
Mathieu Corbeil combined to stop 32 of 36 shots against.
There will be a bunch of
promotions going on tonight.
The first 6,000 fans who
enter the building tonight will receive a limited edition
keepsake of the 2011 Memorial Cup champion Sea Dogs, compliments of the team
and Irving Oil.
A fan fest will take place
in the Harbour Station parking lot from 4-6 p.m., something that includes a
public barbecue and live music. There will be a video presentation inside the
building prior to the game. The Rivalry Cup, President Cup and Memorial Cup - all
trophies the Sea Dogs won last season - will be on display.
Tonight will also be the first game of the 2011-12
Brunswick News Rivalry Cup.
One
(1) point will be awarded for an overtime or shootout loss, two (2) points for
an overtime or shootout win, and three (3) points for a regulation win.
Based
on game-by-game attendance numbers, one (1) point will be given for 4,000 or
more fans, two (2) points for 5,000 or more fans, and three (3) points for
6,000 or more fans.
OPENING THINGS UP
This will be the second time the Sea Dogs play on first
day of the regular season. They opened up the 2007-08 season with a 4-1 loss in
Lewiston against the then reigning President’s Cup champion Maineiacs.
The Wildcats played in the league’s opening game last
year as 2010 President’s Cup champions, falling 2-1 in a shootout against
Bathurst.
OTHER GAMES TODAY
None
None
ARENA INFO
Venue: Harbour Station
Seating Capacity: 6,297
Average Attendance: N/A
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, Times & Transcript, L’Acadie Nouvelle
TWITTER
Follow Station Nation on Twitter at www.twitter.com/station_nation for in-game updates, scores, stats, and live coverage during tonight’s game.
AFTER THE BUZZER
Live Web Feed: Telus
Television: None
Live Blog: Station Nation
Post-Game Coverage: Station Nation, Telegraph-Journal, Times & Transcript, L’Acadie Nouvelle
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 travel up the highway to face
the Titan in Bathurst tomorrow night at 7:30pm.
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