GAMEDAY 19: vs Sagueneens

GAMEDAY

Chicoutimi Sagueneens vs Saint John Sea Dogs

Tonight, October 29, 2011 at 7pm

Harbour Station

PREVIEW

SAINT JOHN – Tonight’s the night.

After a long wait, the Saint John Sea Dogs will finally raise their President’s Cup and Memorial Cup championship banners to the rafters of Harbour Station. Players, coaches, ownership, and staff will also receive their championship rings in a pre-game ceremony.

“As a lifelong Saint Johner, I know the people of this city are proud of their champions. To be the only Maritime team in the 93-year history of the Memorial Cup to bring home this national championship trophy means a tremendous amount to the organization, and the city as a whole,” Sea Dogs president Wayne Long said in a release earlier this week. “This is an accomplishment for everyone in the Greater Saint John area to celebrate.”

Fans attending tonight’s match – which is close to a sell-out – are asked to be in their seats early for the ceremony. The official game time is 7pm.

Several special guests will be on hand for the historic night. Canadian Hockey League President David Branch and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Commissioner Gilles Courteau will be among the special guests participating in the ring ceremony. Other confirmed guests include Saint John Mayor Ivan Court, Rothesay Mayor Bill Bishop, Quispamsis Mayor Murray Driscoll, Grand Bay - Westfield Mayor Grace Losier and area MLAs Dorothy Shephard and Glen Tait.

The Sea Dogs also announced yesterday that goaltender Jacob DeSerres, who was Saint John’s No. 1 goaltender in their march to the national championship, will in the building for the festivities.

Along with all the special ceremonies, there is also a game to play. The Chicoutimi Sagueneens are in town as they face the Sea Dogs for the first time this season.

The Sags have a record of 9-5-1-4 and sit fourth in the tough Telus East Division and sixth overall in the league with 23 points. They are 6-2-1-1 in their last 10 games and have not lost in regulation over their past four games.

Saint John has a record of 13-5-0-0 and sit first in the Maritimes Division and second overall in the league. They are winners of six straight and are 8-2-0-0 in their last 10 games.

NOTES: Charles Hudon leads the Sagueneens in scoring with eight goals and 11 assists for 18 points. Guillaume Asselin is second in points with five goals and 11 assists for 16 points… Hudon and Alexandre Lavoie each have a team high eight goals this season. Asselin and Etienne Brodeur both have five markers… former Sea Dog Gabriel Bourret leads the Sags in assists with 12. Asselin and Hudon both have 11 helpers each… Hudon is a team best +6… Jeremy Gergoire is a team worst -7… former Sea Dog Alexandre Beauregard has a team high 66 penalty minutes… Asselin has three power play goals… Hudon has taken a team high 57 shots… Chicoutimi is 4-3-0-2 on the road and have been outscored 38-27… the Sags have the league’s 14^th best power play with a rating of 19.3%... their 78.7% penalty kill is good for sixth in the league.

IN NET: Christopher Gibson will likely get the start in net for Chicoutimi. He has a record of 7-3-1-1 with a goals against average of 2.72 and a save percentage 0.904.

EX-DOGS: The unique part about tonight’s special events is that there are three former Sea Dogs on the Sagueneens and two of them helped Saint John capture the Memorial Cup.

Guillaume Cloutier was traded to the Sags during last year’s holiday trading period in the transaction that saw Eric Gelinas come to the Sea Dogs. The defenseman has a goal and an assist in 14 games with Chicoutimi this season.

Gabriel Bourret was sent to the Sags at the draft. He has two goals and 12 assists and sits third in team scoring with 14 points.

Lastly, Alexandre Beauregard, who scored the overtime goal in Game Six of the QMJHL final to give Saint John their first President’s Cup victory, was traded a few weeks ago to open an overage spot. In 13 games with the Sagueneens he has two goals and three assists in 13 games.

LAST GAME: Chicoutimi is coming off a 2-1 win in Charlottetown on Thursday night. Jeremy Gregoire and Cole MacMillan each had goals in the win. Christopher Gibson made 23 stops in the win.

Best Sagueneens Video We Could Find On YouTube: Christopher Gibson got drafted.

NOTES: Danick Gauthier leads the Sea Dogs in scoring with 17 goals and six assists for 23 points. Zack Phillips is second with nine goals and 12 assists for 21 points… Gauthier leads the Dogs in goals with 17. Phillips is second with nine while Tomas Jurco has seven… Phillips, Jonathan Huberdeau and Ryan Tesink each have a team high 12 assists… Charles-Olivier Roussel is a team best +17. Gauthier and Kevin Gagne are each a +16… Gauthier has four power play goals. Phillips has three… Phillips has taken a team high 55 penalty minutes… Gauthier is tied for league lead in goals with 17… Gauthier is fourth in the league in shorthanded goals with two… Gauthier is tied for the league lead in game winning goals with three… Huberdeau and Stephen MacAulay each have three shorthanded assists to lead the league… 8-1-0-0 at home and have outscored the opposition 53-22… Saint John’s power play has a rating of 19.6% which is good for 12^th in the league… the Sea Dogs penalty kill is running at 72.1%, good for 14^th in the Q.

IN NET: Mathieu Corbeil will likely get the call between the pipes this evening. He is 10-2-0-0 with a 2.18 GAA and a 0.916 save percentage.

STREAK: Tomas Jurco is on a nine-game point scoring streak. Over that span he has recorded five goals and seven assists for 12 points.

LAST GAME: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 6-3 win over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles last night. Jonathan Huberdeau scored twice while Stephen MacAulay, Ryan Tesink, Zack Phillips and Danick Gauthier had solo mrkers. Mathieu Corbeil made 34 saves.

OUT OF TOWN

Acadie-Bathurst at Drummondville - 7:00 PM EDT

Rouyn-Noranda at Gatineau - 7:00 PM EDT

Shawinigan at Quebec - 7:00 PM EDT

Halifax at Val-d'Or - 7:00 PM EDT

THE RINK

Venue: Harbour Station

Capacity: 6,297

Average Attendance: 3,680

QMJHL Arena Guide

MEDIA GUIDE

Radio (Sea Dogs): News 88.9 FM

Live Web Feed: Telus

Television: None

Post-Game Coverage: Station Nation, Telegraph-Journal

Live Coverage: Follow Station Nation on Twitter (www.twitter.com/station_nation) for live in game coverage. All tweets will also appear in the SN Live Blog that is posted on this site.

NEXT GAME

The Sea Dogs travel to Rimouski to play the Oceanic on Wednesday at 8:30pm.