WJC Today - 12/31/11

MONCTON - Where was Charlie Coyle yesterday? The Pipeline Show has the answer.

"Charlie Coyle was sick, hopefully he'll be ready to play tomorrow," said Team USA coach Dean Blais to TPS after the game. Coyle did play a bit, but saw limited ice time.

So, the bad news is that Coyle has the flu. The good news is that he only has the flu. It seems Saint John forwards have been cursed when it comes to injuries this season.

"I'm not feeling 100% right now and that was the reason why coach decided not to play me," Coyle said in the post game interview area. I asked him to clarify if that was coach Blais' call or not, "Yeah. He knew I wasn't 100% so that's what he decided." 

… 

"Yeah, I wanted to give all I had," he confirmed, "I got a few shifts at the end but it was too late." [The Pipeline Show]

Coyle stayed on the bench throughout the game and had a front row seat for Team USA’s stunning 5-2 loss to Czech Republic, eliminating them from medal contention. The Sea Dogs forward had two shots in the game – both in the first period – and was a -1.

You probably know the story of yesterday’s game by now. Petr Mrazek puts on one of the coolest goaltending performances in recent history, the Czechs score three times in the third, and the USA is done.

Here are the highlights.

Tonight, Team USA takes on Jonathan Huberdeau, Nathan Beaulieu, and Team Canada at 9pm on TSN. Coverage begins at 8:30pm.

Tomas Jurco and Slovakia played yesterday as well, falling 9-1 to Sweden. Jurco assisted on the Slovaks lone goal, had two penalty minutes, two shots, and  a -2 rating. 

LIVE BLOG: Sea Dogs vs Wildcats

MONCTON - The Saint John Sea Dogs, losers of two straight, head to Moncton today to face the Wildcats, losers of eight straight, today at 4pm. Follow along for updates.

GAMEDAY 42: at Moncton

GAMEDAY

Saint John Sea Dogs vs Moncton Wildcats

Today at 4pm

Radio: News 88.9 | Webcast: Telus | TV: None | Live Blog: SN

Moncton Coliseum – Moncton, NB

PREVIEW

MONCTON – The Saint John Sea Dogs travel to Moncton to clash with the Wildcats tonight for the first part of the annual New Year’s doubleheader. The Sea Dogs and Wildcats meet again on Monday at Harbour Station.

The Sea Dogs enter play today with a record of 28-11-0-2 and sit first in the Maritimes Division and second overall in the league with 58 points. They are two points back of the first-place Quebec Remparts who have played two fewer games.

Saint John is 12-8-0-1 on the road this year and have outscored opponents 76-69.

The Wildcats enter today’s game with a record of 17-19-3-0 for 37 points. They sit fourth in the Maritimes Division and 12^th overall on the league. Moncton is 10-6-3-0 at home this season and have outscored opponents 61-55.

NUMBERS

	Saint John	Moncton
Record	28-11-0-2 (1st Maritimes)	17-19-3-0 (4th Maritimes)
Home Record	- - -	10-6-3-0
Road Record	12-8-0-1	- - -
Streak	0-1-0-1	0-7-1-0
Last 10	5-4-0-1	1-7-2-0
Goals For	175	108
Goals Against	123	133
Overall PP	22.5% (9th)	27.1% (2nd)
Home PP	- - -	29.1% (2nd)
Road PP	19.8% (11th)	- - -
Overall PK	77.5% (8th)	83.9% (2nd)
Home PK	- - -	85.2% (3rd)
Road PK	70.8% (15th)	- - -
PIM/GAME	16.1 (6th)	14.3 (14th)

RECAP: That Just Happened. Dogs Lose 4-3.

FINAL: PEI 4, Saint John 3 (SO)

SAINT JOHN – Matthew Bursey had quite a homecoming on Friday night at Harbour Station.

The Saint John native stunned his hometown team by scoring the shootout winner to give the Prince Edward Island Rocket an improbable 4-3 victory over the Saint John Sea Dogs. Bursey had a section of Harbour Station cheering him on loudly throughout the game and they exploded when he beat Sea Dogs goaltender Sebastien Auger in the third round of the shootout.

The Rocket were 1.1 seconds away from losing but Josh Currie netted the equalizer, sending the game to overtime and eventually a shootout. Jessyko Bernard and Ben Duffy had the other regulation goals for PEI. Maxime Lagace made 33 saves for the win.

PEI opened the scoring but never took the lead again. The Rocket battled all night long and never allowed the Sea Dogs to take a two-goal lead.

As for Saint John, it was pretty much the same story. The Sea Dogs were missing seven regular forwards and Scott Oke who was traded on Thursday. They just couldn’t grind out another goal. Saint John’s power play also struggled, going 0-for-4.

It certainly wasn’t the greatest way to end the 2011 home schedule.

The Dogs had goals from Aidan Kelly, Stephen MacAulay, and Charles-Olivier Roussel. Auger made 20 saves in the loss.

Dogs Finish Third In CP Voting

SAINT JOHN – The Canadian Press has named the Grey Cup champion BC Lions their ‘Team of the Year’ for 2011. According to the CP, “the Lions finished with 116 points in the poll, including a majority of the first-place votes (22).”

The Western Conference champion Vancouver Canucks finished second with 82 points while the Memorial Cup champion Saint John Sea Dogs finished third with 69 points. Third place ain’t too bad at all.

Looking back, how fun was it to be a Sea Dogs fan in 2011? Some of the highlights include:

• Finishing off one of the greatest regular seasons in league history.
• Winning the President’s Cup in double-overtime.
• Becoming the first Maritime team to win the Memorial Cup.
• The parade down King St.
• Having three players taken in the first round of the NHL draft and five overall.. 

What a year. 2012 is going to have to be pretty incredible to beat this

LIVE BLOG: Rocket vs Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs host the PEI Rocket tonight at 7:30pm. Follow along for updates from Harbour Station.

GAMEDAY 41 - vs PEI

GAMEDAY

PEI Rocket vs Saint John Sea Dogs

Tonight at 7:30pm

Radio: News 88.9 | Webcast: Telus | TV: None | Live Blog: SN

Harbour Station – Saint John, NB

PREVIEW

SAINT JOHN - The PEI Rocket are in town tonight to face the Saint John Sea Dogs at 7:30pm at Harbour Station. Tonight is the Sea Dogs’ first home game since December 10 when Saint John beat Halifax 7-3.

Saint John enters play tonight with a 28-11-0-1 record and sit first in the Maritimes Division and second overall in the league with 57 points. The Dogs are 6-4-0-0 in their last 10 games and are coming off a 4-3 loss in Bathurst on Wednesday.

The Sea Dogs are 16-3-0-0 at the Station and have outscored opponents 96-50.

PEI enters action this evening with a record of 9-25-2-2. They sit last in the Maritimes Division and last overall in the league with 22 points. They are four points back of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies who currently own the final playoff spot.

The Rocket are 3-15-0-1 on the road and have been outscored 104-57. They have the least amount of road wins in the league.

THE NUMBERS

	PEI	Saint John
Record	9-25-2-2 (6th Maritimes)	28-11-0-1 (1st Maritimes)
Home Record	- - -	16-3-0-0
Road Record	3-15-0-1	- - -
Streak	1-0-0-0	0-1-0-0
Last 10	3-6-0-1	6-4-0-0
Goals For	120	172
Goals Against	175	119
Overall PP	21.4% (10th)	23% (9th)
Home PP	- - -	26.5% (6th)
Road PP	17.4% (13th)	- - -
Overall PK	72.8% (17th)	76.8% (9th)
Home PK	- - -	84% (4th)
Road PK	69.3% (16th)	- - -
PIM/GAME	17.7 (2nd)	16.2 (6th)

WJC Today - 12/30/11

TODAY’S ACTION

Two Sea Dogs will be in action today at the World Junior Hockey Championships.

At 4:30pm AST, Charlie Coyle and Team USA take on the Czech Republic in Edmonton. It’s a huge game for the Americans as they try to bounce back from their 4-1 loss to Finland on Wednesday. The contest can be seen on TSN.

At 6:30pm in Calgary, Tomas Jurco and Slovakia take on Sweden in a game that can be seen on TSN2. The Swedes needed a shootout to beat Switzerland on Wednesday.

At 9pm, Denmark takes on Finland on TSN2 and at 11pm Latvia faces Switzerland.

ABOUT LAST NIGHT

As expected, Team Canada ran over Denmark last night at the World Junior Hockey Championships, winning 10-2 to improve to 3-0.

Moncton Wildcats defenseman Brandon Gormley had a big night, scoring two goals and was named player of the game. Mark Stone had a pair as well while Scott Harrington, Freddie Hamilton, Brett Connolly, Quinton Howden, Ryan Strome and Brendan Gallagher added singles. Goaltender Mark Visentin made 24 saves for the win.

Michael Bournival was sick and did not play, so Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman Nathan Beaulieu played as a forward for much of the game. He played okay, firing three shots on goal. He had an even rating and also took a charging penalty in the third period.

Jonathan Huberdeau had an assist, a cross checking penalty, went 1/2 in the faceoff circle, had five shots on goal and was a +3. There was a scary moment in the third period when he collided knee-on-knee with a Denmark player. Both would be okay though.

Canada played well in the first two periods but hit some rough patches in the third period. Penalties continue to be a problem for them. It looked as though Team Canada head coach Don Hay was going throw something when Huberdeau took a penalty late in the third. 

Canada’s next game is Saturday night against Team USA. It is their final game of the preliminary round.

What Will Saint John Do Next?

SAINT JOHN – Moments after the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League made the Scott Oke trade official, the internet exploded with rumours that Jerome Gauthier-Leduc was heading to Saint John in a separate deal.

RDS reported that it was a done deal but the Oceanic have since denied the reports. Now, Jean-Francois Plante of Le Droit is reporting that the Gauthier-Leduc deal will only happen if Maxime Garvel, who the Sea Dogs traded to Rimouski today, reports to Rimouski. If he does, Saint John will send back the first round pick they received today in exchange for the Gauthier-Leduc.

This could all be true. This could all be false. Now, we wait and see what happens.

The Sea Dogs drafted Gravel in the 2011 QMJHL Entry Draft but didn’t report to training camp in August.

Gauthier-Leduc is the best offensive-defenseman in the league having recorded 51 points – 20 goals and 31 assists – in just 35 games. The 19-year old Buffalo Sabres prospect was among the first round of cuts from Team Canada’s world junior selection camp earlier this month.

Even if this deal doesn’t turn out to be true, it’s probable that Saint John will do something big by January 7. The Sea Dogs now have three first round picks for this year’s draft, and it’s awfully rare to have that many in a year you a have shot at a league title.

The Chronicle Herald’s Willy Palov tweeted this today.

I get the feeling that 1st-round pick Saint John got from Rimouski will be packaged with other assets to get Brandon Gormley.

How crazy would this be? Also, how weird would it be? Gormley was booed at Harbour Station when he played for Team QMJHL in the Subway Super Series.

Another option on defense is Cape Breton’s Morgan Ellis. He’ll cost a few assets as well, but like Gauthier-Leduc or Gormley, he would be a big boost on the backend.

What will Saint John do next? We’ll find out soon.

Oke Traded To Rimouski

SAINT JOHN - Scott Oke has been traded to the Rimouski Oceanic.

News broke this afternoon on Twitter that Oke had been traded to Rimouski along with prospect Maxime Gravel and a third round draft pick in exchange for a first and seventh round draft pick. The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League has since confirmed the transaction.

The third round pick sent to Rimouski was originally Chicoutimi’s. The first coming to Saint John was originally Moncton’s and the seventh was Bathurst’s.

Oke was Saint John’s third-round pick, 37th overall, of the 2009 QMJHL Entry Draft. He appeared in nine games in 2009-10, recording no points and a -4 rating. Last season, Oke registered five goals and five assists in 54 games. He added a goal and five assists in 18 playoff games, helping Saint John win the President’s Cup and eventually the Memorial Cup.

In 37 games this year, the 18-year old has nine goals and 13 assists in 37 matches. He attended part of Dallas Stars training camp this past fall as a free agent invitee.

Gravel, who was selected by Saint John in June’s draft, did not report to training camp this year.

Saint John now has three first round picks for the 2012 QMJHL Entry Draft. There’s a very good chance Saint John won’t own many – if any – of these picks in two weeks’ time. Something big is going down. 

This is the first significant transaction Saint John has made since the QMJHL’s trading period opened at the beginning of the holiday break.

Photo Credit: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

WJC Today - 12/29/11

TODAY

Jonathan Huberdeau, Nathan Beaulieu, and the rest of Team Canada are back in action tonight when they take on Denamrk at 9pm. TSN’s coverage begins at 8:30pm.

Also, tonight at 11pm, Russia takes on Latvia.

CZECH REPUBLIC - CANADA

Team Canada cruised to a 5-0 win over the Czech Republic last night in Edmonton, improving to 2-0 at the World Junior Hockey Championships.

The line of Jonathan Huberdeau, Mark Stone and Ryan Strome had another strong night. Huberdeau setup Stone in the first period to open the scoring for Canada. Huberdeau finished the night with an assist, went 1/2 on faceoffs, had one shot on goal and was a +1.

Winnipeg Jets prospect Mark Scheifele had a pair of goals while Stone, Brett Connolly, and Ryan Strome added singles. Goaltender Scott Wedgewood, making his first start of the tournament, picked up the shutout win.

Nathan Beaulieu had one shot on net in the win and collected 12 penalty minutes. Late in the third period, Beaulieu was given a checking to the head penalty which is accompanied with a 10-minute misconduct.

Here are the highlights.

POSTSCRIPT: Sea Dogs 3, Titan 4

A collection of recaps from last night’s 4-3 Saint John Sea Dogs loss to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan…

Our recap. The Titan picked up their fourth win of the season over the Sea Dogs, winning 4-3. Bathurst had a 4-1 lead in the opening minutes of the third and hung for the win.

The Telegraph-Journal’s recap. Danick Gauthier, Aidan Kelly and Stephen MacAulay did the scoring for Saint John, which was missing several high-end players, including Jonathan Huberdeau, Nathan Beaulieu, Tomas Jurco and Charlie Coyle, who are all playing at the World Junior Hockey Championship.

SaintJohnSeaDogs.com’s recap. Zach O’Brien had two goals to seize the QMJHL lead with 33 on the season, Sebastien Trudeau had a goal and two assists and Mirko Hoefflin chipped in a single. Matthew Bissonnette had two assists and Robert Steeves made 30 saves for the win.

The Titan website’s recap. It was back to work tonight for the Titan players as they were hosting the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The Canadian Press’ recap. The Saint John Sea Dogs are the top team in the Maritimes Division, but it doesn't seem that way when they play their division rival, the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

SN Live Blog replay. The Sea Dogs were missing unlimited players.

MISSING IN ACTION: The Sea Dogs were without forwards Jonathan Huberdeau, Tomas Jurco, and Charlie Coyle and defenseman Nathan Beaulieu due to their participation in the World Junior Hockey Championships. Forward Oliver Cooper is also away at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

Forwards Ryan Tesink (knee), Stanislav Galiev (wrist), and Devon Oliver-Dares (head) were also out due to injuries.

RECAP: Somethin' 'Bout Bathurst. Dogs Lose 4-3.

By SN Staff

FINAL: Saint John 3, Bathurst 4

BATHURST – The Acadie-Bathurst Titan continued their winning ways over the Saint John Sea Dogs on Wednesday night at the KC Irving Regional Centre.

The Titan picked up their fourth win of the season over the Sea Dogs, winning 4-3. Bathurst had a 4-1 lead in the opening minutes of the third and hung for the win.

Zach O’Brien scored twice for Bathurst while Mirko Hoefflin and Sebastien Trudeau added singles. Robert Steeves made 30 saves for the win.

Saint John had goals from Danick Gauthier, Aidan Kelly, and Stephen MacAulay. Mathieu Corbeil allowed four goals on 19 shots before getting pulled in the third. Sebastien Auger took over and stopped all five shots he faced in relief. Corbeil didn’t look all that sharp on Wednesday while Auger made a few great stops.

We don’t even know what to say. Pretty much the same story it has been for several weeks now. Considering the amount players Saint John is missing right now, this was another decent showing.

The PEI Rocket come to town on Friday.

LIVE BLOG: Sea Dogs vs Titan

Sea Dogs Notebook

BUSY TIMES

Tonight’s game in Bathurst kicks off a busy stretch for the Sea Dogs. Here’s a look at their next six games.

Tonight – at Bathurst

Friday – vs PEI

Saturday – at Moncton

Monday – vs Moncton

Wednesday, Jan. 4 – vs Gatineau

Saturday, Jan. 7 – at Halifax

The final day of the World Junior Hockey Championship is Thursday, January 5.

SURPRISE SURPRISE

Danick Gauthier has been named the QMJHL’s surprising player of the first half by Sportsnet. Gauthier enters action tonight in a tie for the league lead in goals with 31.

“The defending MasterCard Memorial Cup champions were going to need someone to step up to alleviate some of the departures via junior graduation,” writes Patrick King of Sportsnet. “An enhanced role for Gauthier turned into instant results for the overage forward, who's enjoying his finest season yet. Although he's not the player who will receive the majority of attention from the opposition, game-plans now feature him to some length.”

Gauthier has already scored more goals this season than his previous QMJHL season totals combined. With all the injuries the Sea Dogs had in the first half, they are very fortunate that Gauthier has stepped

it up offensively this year.

The Armada were named Sportsnet’s surprising team. Gatineau's Garrett Clarke and the PEI Rocket were an the disappointing ends.

TEST

The Sea Dogs are one of the questions in the National Post’s 2011 in sports year-end quiz.

24. The Saint John Sea Dogs watched the movie Bridesmaids during the Memorial Cup, then made sure the term could not be applied to them in the final. Who was the runner-up in the tournament?
(a) Kootenay Ice
(b) Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors
(c) Owen Sound Attack
(d) Bridesmaids? Has Slap Shot gone the way of the video store?

We’re not sure if this cool or kind of embarrassing.

GAMEDAY 40: at Acadie-Bathurst

GAMEDAY

Saint John Sea Dogs vs Acadie-Bathurst Titan

Tonight at 7:30pm

Radio: News 88.9 | Webcast: Telus | TV: None | Live Blog: SN

KC Irving Regional Centre – Bathurst, NB

PREVIEW

The second half of the Saint John Sea Dogs’ 2011-12 season kicks off tonight when they travel to Bathurst to take on the Titan at 7:30pm tonight.

The Sea Dogs enter play this evening with a record of 28-10-0-1 and sit first in the Maritimes Division and second overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. They are three points back of the Quebec Remparts who have played one fewer game.

Bathurst sits third in the Maritimes Division with a record of 18-18-2-2 for 40 points. They sit 10^th overall in the QMJHL standings.

Saint John is missing a boat load of players. They’ve struggled against Bathurst this season. Tonight should be interesting.

THE NUMBERS

	Saint John	Acadie-Bathurst
Record	28-10-0-1 (2nd Maritimes)	18-18-2-2 (3rd Maritimes)
Home Record	- - -	11-7-1-1
Road Record	12-7-0-1	- - -
Streak	2-0-0-0	0-1-0-0
Last 10	7-3-0-0	7-3-0-0
Goals For	169	153
Goals Against	115	153
Overall PP	23.1% (8th)	28.1% (1st)
Home PP	- - -	31.6% (1st)
Road PP	20% (11th)	- - -
Overall PK	76.4% (11th)	77.7% (7th)
Home PK	- - -	80% (9th)
Road PK	69.8% (15th)	- - -
PIM/GAME	16.4 (6th)	15.7 (9th)

WJC Today - 12/28/11

SLOVAKIA 3 – LATVIA 1

Tomas Jurco became the third Saint John Sea Dog to score in this year’s World Junior Hockey Championship last night in Calgary. Jurco made a beautiful tip to open the scoring for Slovakia who would go on to defeat Lativia 3-1.

Jurco’s goal came at 15:28 of the second period on a power play. The skilled forward, wearing his usual No. 13, finished the contest with three shots and a +1 rating.

Michal Toman and Marek Tvrdon also scored for Slovakia. Juraj Simboch got the win in goal, making 25 saves.

The Calgary Sun had an article on Jurco yesterday. In his 2.5 seasons in North America, “the magician” has played in some big games.

"I have played a few big games here, including the Memorial Cup. That's a huge thing in Canada, too, so I think that's what made me stronger," Jurco said. "And that's why I'm not nervous now (during the world juniors), because I know I already played those games and all I have to do is just stay focused and keep playing my way."

There were only two games yesterday. The other saw the Czech Republic pound Denmak 7-0.

TODAY’S GAMES

After a quiet day yesterday, things get rolling again today at the world juniors with four games on the schedule. All four Sea Dogs representing their country will play today.

It all starts at 4:30pm AST when Charlie Coyle and the Americans take on take on Finland in a game that can be seen on TSN. Coyle had a hat trick in the USA’s opening game.

At 6:30pm, Sweden takes on Switzerland on TSN2.

Jonathan Huberdeau, Nathan Beaulieu, and Team Canada faceoff against the Czech Republic at 9pm. TSN’s pre-game show begins at 8:30pm. Huberdeau is coming off a five-point game on Monday against Finland. Beaulieu also had an assist in the game.

Lastly, Tomas Jurco and the Slovaks will have a big test at 11pm on TSN2 when they take on the Russians.

STATS

Just two days into the world juniors, the four Sea Dogs taking part – Huberdeau, Beaulieu, Jurco and Coyle – all have at least one-point and have combined to score five goals and five assists.

Huberdeau, meanwhile, currently sits first in tournament scoring with five points. Coyle is tied for second in goals with three.

WJC Today - 12/27/11

FINLAND – CANADA

By now you know the story – Jonathan Huberdeau and Mark Stone basically dismantled Finland yesterday.

Stone had a hat trick and Huberdeau a goal and four assists in Team Canada’s 8-1 win over Team Finland to open up the 2012 World Junior Hockey Championship. Brendan Gallagher, Dougie Hamilton, Brett Connolly and Ryan Strone also scored for Canada while Mark Visentin got the win in net.

Along with his five points, Huberdeau took a penalty, won a faceoff, had two shots on goal and was a +4 in the game. The line of Huberdeau, Stone and Strome was Canada’s best on Monday.

Sea Dogs defenseman Nathan Beaulieu assisted on Huberdeau’s second period power play goal. Along with the helper, the Montreal Canadiens prospect served a penalty, took two shots and had an even rating.

Moncton Wildcats defenseman Brandon Gormley had an assist and was a +3. Shawinigan Cataractes forward Michael Bournival had no points and was a -1.

Chicoutimi Sagueneens netminder Christopher Gibson got the start in goal for Finland. He was in net for all eight goals and faced a total of 42 shots.

Here’s what the internet is saying yesterday’s tournament opener/Huberdeau’s performance.

• According to everyone on the internet, Devante Smith-Pelly is done for the tournament with a fractured foot. He sustained the injury the same way Jonathan Huberdeau did back in November – while blocking a shot. Huge loss for Canada.
• Buzzing The Net has a great post on Huberdeau’s performance. "It's feeling way better,” Huberdeau said of his foot, “but my conditioning [stamina] is little bit behind. I have to keep working on that and it's feeling better every day."
• Canada.com – Huberdeau got back up to speed quickly. “It’s great to see Jonathan get some confidence and start the tournament off with a game like that,” said Canadian head coach Don Hay. “Jonathan really sees the ice well and can put pucks into small areas. He has real good vision and it pays off by him making good plays.”
• The Edmonton Journal – a solid first impression. "I'm getting a ton of chances and just to play with these players - Strome and Huberdeau are so skilled," Stone said. "You could see it out there tonight. Just getting to the net is the way I'm going to score goals and I know they're going to find me."
• The Vancouver Sun - 'Little things' pay off in big way for Canada. "I mean ... not right now," said Huberdeau when asked in Canada needs to make any improvements heading Wednesday’s game. "We played great for 60 minutes today… For sure, we'll need adjustments, like every game. But that's what we're going to practise for the next game."
• Bob McKenzie’s blog. For Huberdeau to miss this time, it was probably as good a thing as it was for anybody because he was a physically tired player when he came back from the Panthers' training camp. Even though he lit it up in the Quebec league early on this year, he probably benefitted from having a six week rest, if you want to call it that.
• Sam Cosentino’s blog in which he spells Saint John incorrectly. After the game he told me that he's still using the protective skate shield, but a smaller, lighter version than that used by some NHL defencemen. Huberdeau's playmaking and snipability make him Canada's top offensive threat.
• Patrick King’s blog on Sportsnet.ca. "I've had some pretty good passes go my way," Stone said. "Huberdeau found me in the slot wide open twice so I just have to go to the net and guys like him and (Ryan) Strome are going to find me."
• A good column from Eric Duhatschek of The Globe and Mail.
• In case you were wondering, the Harper Governmentsupports the world juniors.

Charlie Coyle Is Good

The first day of the World Junior Hockey Championships certainly gave Saint John Sea Dogs fans some reasons to be excited about the second half.

After Jonathan Huberdeau recorded a goal and four assists in Team Canada’s 8-1 win over Finland earlier in the day, Charlie Coyle registered a hat trick in Team USA’s 11-3 win over Team Denmark on Monday night in Edmonton.

Along with his three goals, Coyle had five shots, a +3 rating and went 8-for-16 in the faceoff circle according to the International Ice Hockey Federation’s website. He opened the scoring just 24 seconds in, tipping a point shot past the Denmark goaltender. He added another marker in the second period and netted his third in the final frame. He was named player of the game for the Americans.

Coyle had three goals and 11 assists in 16 games at Boston University this season. He’ll be joining the Sea Dogs after the world juniors.

According to a tweet from the Boston Hockey Blog, “Coyle had a hat trick once during his 3 semesters at BU. It came in his first game in a BU sweater, an exhibition against UToronto.”

Also of note, Connor Brickley, whose QMJHL rights are owned by Saint John, left the game after a skate appear to clip his leg. The University of Vermont has denied recent rumours that he is close to signing with the Sea Dogs.

Team USA’s next game is on Wednesday afternoon against Finland. 

VIDEO: Huberdeau's 5 Point Night

Jonathan Huberdeau went into beast mode on Monday in Edmonton, helping Team Canada to an 8-1 win over Team Finland to open the 2012 World Junior Hockey Championships.

Huberdeau recorded four assists and a goal in the victory for a Canada high five points. The trio of Huberdeau, Mark Stone and Ryan Strome was unreal as the three scored five of Canada’s eight goals.

The Saint John Sea Dogs captain’s teammate, Nathan Beaulieu, also had an assist in the win, helping setup Huberdeau’s power play goal in the second period.

Let’s take a look at Huberdeau’s performance, goal-by-goal, because we can do that.

Finland - Canada Gameday

There is a ridiculous amount of world junior hockey on today, and it all gets rolling with Team Canada taking on Team Finland at 4:30pm today. TSN’s pre-game show begins at 4pm.

Here are the expected line combos for Team Canada, as tweeted by TSN’s Bob McKenzie.

Schwartz – Scheifele – Gallagher
Huberdeau – Strome – Stone
Howden - Freddie Hamilton - Smith-Pelly
Bournival – Jenner - Connolly
Pearson 

Gormley-Dougie Hamilton
Harrington-Murray
Oleksiak-Pysyk
Beaulieu 

Mark Visentin is expected to start in goal. Should be interesting. 

The other games today: Latvia vs Sweden at 6:30pm, Denmark vs USA at 9pm, and Switzerland vs Russia at 11pm. All three of these games can be seen on TSN2.

Some stuff:

• Buzzing The Net examines the changes to Canada’s line combos.
• CTV Montreal has an article about the three Canadiens prospects playing for Team Canada.
• The Hockey Writers’ Slovakia preview.
• Puck Worlds has a Team Canada preview, medal predictions and a preview of today’s action.
• Puck Daddy’s WJC viewing guide. Tomas Jurco is listed as one of the players to watch.
• In TSN's world junior preview show, Sea Dogs forward Charlie Coyle was named the No. 4 player to watch at this year's tournament. Nifty stuff.

WJC Today - 12/26/11

CANADA - FINLAND
Here. We. Go.

The 2012 World Junior Hockey Championships begin this afternoon in Edmonton as Team Canada takes on Team Finland at Rexall Place. Game time is 4:30pm. TSN’s pre-game show begins at 4pm. Buzzing The Net will be live blogging all the action.

Canada, whose roster features Saint John Sea Dogs forward Jonathan Huberdeau and defenseman Nathan Beaulieu, went 2-1 in pre-tournament play with wins over Finland and Switzerland and a loss to Sweden. Huberdeau, coming off a broken foot, played okay in exhibition action but clearly still isn’t operating at 100%. Beaulieu played very well in his role of being an offensive defenseman, creating several scoring chances in all three games.

“Ready to roll here after a great sleep ! Here we go,” tweeted Huberdeau this morning.

Beaulieu and Huberdeau will become the third and fourth Sea Dogs to suit up for Team Canada in the history of the club. Forward Chris DiDomenico (Gold, 2009) and defenseman Simon Despres (Silver, 2011) are the others.

Finland fell 3-1 to Canada back on December 19. Mark Stone, Boone Jenner, and Brendan Gallagher all scored for Canada. Mark Visentin got the win in goal.

OTHER GAMES
In other action today, Charlie Coyle and Team USA take on Denmark tonight at 9pm in a game that can be seen on TSN2. Coyle had two goals in the United States’ 5-0 win over Slovakia on Friday. They went 2-1 in pre-tournament play, beating the Swiss and Slovaks but fell to the Russians.

Sweden takes on Latvia and Switzerland faces Russia later today. Both of these contests can be seen on TSN2 as well.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from us here at SN. Hope it's a good one.



Canada. Finland. Tomorrow. Buckle up.

'Twas The Night Before Christmas...

(Ed. Note: We get a lot of awesome emails from Sea Dogs fans. One awesome email came from Matt Garnett. He was kind enough to allow us to post this. Enjoy.)

By Matt Garnett

T’was the night before Christmas when all through the rink,

No one was stirring or raising a stink,

The black and pink socks were hung with care,

In hopes that Scott McCain soon would be there.

Tesink and Galiev in their hospital beds,

While visions of returns danced in their heads,

Gallant with a ‘stache and Kelly with a beard,

It left no doubt to why the coaches were feared.

When out on the ice there arose such a clatter,

DK sprang from the room to see what was the matter,

From the depths of the rink he flew from the bowels,

Someone interrupted him from washing the towels.

WJC Today - 12/24/11

CANADA – SWEDEN

Team Canada was looking pretty good last night until they allowed three goals in just under two minutes. They trailed 3-1 after one and eventually fell 5-3 to Team Sweden in world junior pre-tournament action in Edmonton.

Mark Stone, Brendan Gallagher, and Jaden Schwartz all scored for Canada. Devante Smith-Pelly had an unlimited amount of hits. Mark Visentin was not good in net, looking shaky for much of the night. Scott Wedgewood took over halfway through the game and looked much better. The media is probably going to debate the goaltending about 600 times this weekend.

Canada looked a lot better in the second half of the game – especially in the third period. The pace and intensity level was impressive for an exhibition game. It was a very entertaining contest.

As for the two Saint John Sea Dogs who played in the game, Nathan Beaulieu had another strong performance. He generated a few good scoring chances again. Beaulieu looked solid in all three pre-tournament games.

It wasn’t the best night for Jonathan Huberdeau as he took two minor penalties in the second period. He was on the ice in the final minute for Canada but they could not net an equalizer. Sweden scored an empty netter to make it a 5-3 final.

Canada finishes pre-tournament action with a 2-1 record. They begin the tournament on Boxing Day against Finland.

US – SLOVAKIA

Sea Dogs forward Charlie Coyle had a pair of goals in Team USA’s 5-0 win over Team Slovakia last night in Three Hills, Alberta. Coyle opened and ended the scoring for the US.

It was a rough pre-tournament for Tomas Jurco and Slovakia. They went 0-2 and were outscored 8-0.

The US begins the tournament on Boxing Day against Denmark in Edmonton while Slovakia begins play on December 27 against Latvia in Calgary.

Hoffman Makes NHL Debut With Sens

Mike Hoffman made his National Hockey League debut on Friday night.

The Ottawa Senators recalled the former Saint John Sea Dogs forward on Friday on an emergency basis. Hoffman skated for the Sens in their 2-1 overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday in Raleigh.

Hoffman wore No. 68 for the Senators and saw nine minutes and one second of ice-time. He had no points or shots and finished the game a -1.

The 22-year old who has spent this season playing with the American Hockey League’s Binghamton Senators became just the third Sea Dog to see action in a NHL game. Defensemen Yann Sauve and Simon Despres are the others. Goaltender Mathieu Corbeil was a backup goaltender for the Columbus Blue Jackets earlier this year but did not play.

"I was going home for Christmas holidays, but I'd much rather be here," Hoffman said before the game.

"I feel pretty good," he added. "I had a few exhibition games so far and I just want to take the experience I got from those games and carry it into a regular-season one. It’s definitely a great opportunity for me and I’ve got to take every opportunity I can get right now.”

"We’re excited for him," said Senators head coach Paul MacLean. "He showed some great speed during the exhibition season and he’s worked hard in Binghamton. That team has struggled, along with him, but he does bring an awful lot of speed to his game and if he can bring that to us tonight and that energy of playing in his first game, it’s going to help the team a lot."

Hoffman has seven goals and 10 assists in 32 games with the Baby Senators this year.

Photo Credit: Sens Twitter

Sea Dogs Notebook

LAST CHANCE

Your last chance to purchase Sea Dogs items in time for Christmas is Saturday. Sea Dogs Styles is open from 10pm – 1pm. Items for sale include a wide variety of hats, shirts, jumbo hockey cards and Memorial Cup championship stuff.

THE BOOK

One of the items that can be purchased at Sea Dogs Styles is the team’s commemorative Memorial Cup championship book, “Hockey Heaven.” The Fredericton Daily Gleaner had an article about the book on Friday.

“If a picture is worth a thousand words, as the old cliche suggests, there are thousands of them here: behind the scenes stuff, from training camp, through a record tying 58 win regular season, through the playoffs, the Memorial Cup and the downtown parade that saluted Saint John's champions, the first team from Atlantic Canada to win the Memorial Cup,” writes the Gleaner’s Bill Hunt.

It is an unreal book. We highly recommend checking it out.

FREE TICKETS

If you are looking to win two free Sea Dogs tickets to a game of your choice, here’s how.

1. Go to Barbbaarbbarb.com.

2. Follow the instructions near the bottom of the page.

There is also a pretty solid interview with Nathan Beaulieu on the site.

FIGHT OF THE YEAR

Brett Gallant’s fight against Joel Rechlicz earlier this year in the American Hockey League has been named the hockey fight of the year by Yahoo’s Puck Daddy blog.

“This AHL fight between Gallant, a winger for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, and Rechlicz of the Hershey Bears tops the list for two reasons: First, because the undisputed fight of the 2010-11 season between John Erskine and Eric Boulton occurred in 2010; and second, because this fight was a [expletive] marathon,” writes Greg Wyshynski. “The amount of quality punches thrown and the rally by Gallant to extend the fight were fantastic.”

The former Sea Dogs enforcer has a goal and an assist in 17 games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers this season.

Some Slovakia WJC Previews

Tomas Jurco and Team Slovakia aren’t exactly getting a whole lot of media attention prior to the World Junior Hockey Championships. But they are getting some, and we’ve compiled it in this post for your convenience. Click the links for the full previews.

• NHL.com’s Group A preview: “After back-to-back eight-place finishes, Slovakia is looking to improve on that spot. This will not be the year for Slovakia, which has not earned a medal since 1999. Returning forward Tomas Jurco will shine, but his individual effort will not be enough to claw Slovakia into medal contention,” writes Aaron Vickers. Mike Morreale of NHL.com predicts Slovakia to finish eighth.
• Puck Worlds' Slovakia preview: “There isn't a lot of depth in this group, but there's also some pretty strong high-end talent here,” writes Bruce Peter. “Both Jurco and Tvrdon are top point producers in major junior, with Tvrdon being a bit under the radar having lost most of his draft year to major knee operation.” Puck Worlds predicts Slovakia to finish 4^th in Group A.
• The Calgary Herald’s capsule: “Who to watch: Kosice’s Tomas Jurco of the QMJHL Saint John Sea Dogs and Marek Tvrdon of the Vancouver Giants are expected to be among their most dangerous players. Jurco, a right-winger, is 12th in league scoring with 45 points, while the left-winger Tvrdon sits in 20th in WHL stats with 14 goals and 23 assists.”
• The Pipeline Show’s Slovakia preview: TPS lists Jurco as one of Slovakia’s keys to success. “Jurco will be looking to improve on his one point he notched in last year's event, and the Detroit Red Wings are excited to see him and how the 2nd round pick from last June measures up against the rest of the World. He's not on an Island with Slovakia, but the high end skill is pretty thin.” They predict Slovakia to finish sixth or seventh.
• OurHometown.ca's 20 players to watch at the WJC: Jurco is listed at No. 17. Nathan Beaulieu and Jonathan Huberdeau both made the list as well.
• The Hockey News’ preview: In the January 2^nd edition of THN, they predict Slovakia to finish sixth.
• Yahoo! Sports' preview. “Mostly I think we have a better defence this year than offence, so it’s going to be more defensive play,” said Jurco. “We can still do some things in the offensive zone … but on defence we have a lot of drafted guys. If we play together, I hope we can go farther than last year, to quarter-finals.”

Slovakia takes on Charlie Coyle and Team USA tonight in Three Hills, Alberta. The Slovakian junior team has been practicing in the Alberta town this week.

“We can practice, we can do our stuff, what we need to do,” Jurco told Global Edmonton. “We’re really thankful that we could be here.”

Here’s Slovakia’s round-robin schedule for the tournament.

December 27 – Latvia vs Slovakia

December 28 – Slovakia vs Russia

December 30 – Slovakia vs Sweden

December 31 – Switzerland vs Slovakia

Senators Recall Mike Hoffman

The Ottawa Senators have recalled a former Saint John Sea Dog.

The Senators have officially called up Mike Hoffman from the American Hockey League on an "emergency basis" and, according to the Ottawa Sun, is expected to play this evening when they take on the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh. Game time is 8pm AST and can be seen on Sportsnet.

The 22-year old has seven goals and 10 assists in 32 games with the AHL’s Binghamton Senators this year. He had seven goals and 18 helpers in 74 regular season games last year with them. He added a marker and eight assists in 19 playoff games, helping Binghamton capture the Calder Cup.

This is the first NHL recall of Hoffman’s career. He was a fifth round pick of the Sens in the 2009 National Hockey League Entry Draft.

If Hoffman suits up for Ottawa tonight, he will become the third Sea Dog to appear in an NHL game, joining defensemen Yann Sauve and Simon Despres. Both Sauve and Despres played with Hoffman in 2009-10.

Hoffman played as an overager with Saint John in 2009-10, scoring 46 goals and 39 assists in 56 regular season games. He had 11 goals and 13 assists in 21 playoff contests, helping the Sea Dogs reach the President’s Cup final. The Kitchener native will always be remembered for his insanely hard shot. 

WJC Today - 12/23/11

ABOUT LAST NIGHT

Team Canada cruised to a 7-1 victory over Switzerland last night in world junior pre-tournament action.

Devante Smith-Pelly scored twice while Boone Jenner, Mark Stone, Freddie Hamilton, Tanner Pearson, and Ryan Strome added singles. Scott Wedgewood got the win in goal. Moncton Wildcats defenseman Brandon Gormley had two assists.

Here are some Sea Dogs related notes on the game.

• Playing in his first game since November 5, winger Jonathan Huberdeau didn’t look bad in his debut. Canada plays Sweden tonight, a much tougher opponent. It will be interesting to see how Huberdeau, still not at 100%, stakes up against some stronger competition.
• Huberdeau started the game on a line with Winnipeg Jets prospect Mark Sheifele and Anahiem Ducks draft choice Devante Smith-Pelly. He had a few scoring opportunities in the opening frame but couldn’t beat Swiss netminder Tim Wolf. Canada led 3-1 after 20 minutes.
• In the third period at 6:14, Huberdeau threw the puck through the crease while falling. Tanner Pearson was right there to slide it in and make it 6-1 Canada.
• Huberdeau took a penalty late in the third period after slashing a Swiss player who high-sticked him the face. The call drew plenty of boos from the Red Deer crowd.
• “I’m not quite there but it was pretty good for not playing for six weeks,” said Huberdeau to the Edmonton Sun. “For me, just getting into a game was a big deal. But for everybody coming north to Red Deer and now getting back on the bus to Edmonton means it’s getting pretty close. I think we’re getting better every day and that we’re going to be ready for the 26th.”
• Nathan Beaulieu had another solid game and had a few scoring chances. He has played well in both pre-tournament games.
• Really bizarre seeing Beaulieu, Huberdeau and Gormley playing for the same team.

IN THE NEWS

The Globe and Mail had an article on Thursday comparing Huberdeau and Mark Stone.

Huberdeau Expected To Play Tonight

For the first time in a long time, Jonathan Huberdeau is expected play in a competitive hockey game.

“I think I’m ready now to play a game,”Huberdeau told the Calgary Herald on Wednesday. “It’s nice to be back with the team.”

“For execution, I’m not really at my top right now,” he added. “I need two games maybe to get back and ready for the 26th.”

The Herald also reported that Huberdeau hopes to play tonight against Switzerland and Friday against Sweden in pre-tournament action. He will wear extra protection on his skate to protect his foot throughout the tournament.

Huberdeau broke his foot on November 5 in a game in Baie-Comeau. He had 10 goals and 18 assists in just 13 games before getting hurt.

Canada defeated Finland 3-1 in their first pre-tournament game on Monday. Sea Dogs defenseman Nathan Beaulieu was held off the score sheet but had a couple of solid scoring chances in the contest.

Team Canada plays their final exhibition game tomorrow against Sweden at Rexall Place. The tournament begins on Boxing Day with Canada taking on Finland.

In other action tomorrow, Tomas Jurco and Slovakia take on Charlie Coyle and the Americans. 

Looking Back At The First Half

By Andrew McGilligan

SN Staff

With the Christmas break upon us, let's take a look back at the first half of the season.

BIGGEST STORY LINES

News 88.9 reporter and Sea Dogs play-by-play man Tim Roszell recently said the biggest stories of the season thus far are injuries and rise of Danick Gauthier.

Let's start with the injuries.

It's not just the volume of injuries, but many have been to key contributors, particularly the forward group. The most significant injury is the foot of Jonathan Huberdeau. While the third-year Sea Dogs forward is currently on Team Canada for the World Junior tournament, how effective he will be remains to be seen.

Before going down, the Sea Dogs captain had 28 points in just 13 games. In addition to Huberdeau, Russian sniper Stanislav Galiev has also been sidelined and limited to just five games. The Washington Capitals prospect was averaging just above a point per game with six on the season.

Not only has the injury cost Galiev part of his 19-year-old season, but it eliminated his final opportunity to represent his country at the world junior tournament.

Next up on the parade of walking wounded is Ryan Tesink. After a great camp with the St. Louis Blues, the Port City native was off to a great start in his second season. In 20 games, Tesink has notched 25 points and tied his rookie output of eight goals.

Several other players have been sidelined at other points of the first half, but missing three of your top forwards is a huge blow for any team.

However, big injuries leave opportunities for other guys to step up and Gauthier, in this regard, is the ultimate opportunist.

Coming into the season, Gauthier had scored 29 goals in his Quebec Major Junior Hockey League career. He's eclipsed that career mark in 37 games this season by notching 31 goals thus far. At the holiday break, Gauthier is tied for the league goal-scoring lead with Zach O'Brien of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

Coyle Named To Team USA

Charlie Coyle has been named to Team USA’s roster for the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championships. USA Hockey announced their final roster for the tournament this morning.

Coyle, who left Boston University last week to sign with the Saint John Sea Dogs, is one of four forwards to make the team that won bronze at last year’s event. The 19-year old was one of the top Americans in last year’s tournament, recording two goals and four assists for six points in six games.

He has three goals and 11 assists in 16 games with BU this season. He’ll be joining the Sea Dogs for the second half.

Coyle recorded a goal in Team USA’s pre-tournament 7-3 win over Switzerland last night. The Americans fell 6-3 to Russia on Tuesday. The Pipeline Show has a complete recap of last night’s game.

University of Vermont forward Connor Brickley, whose QMJHL rights are held by the Sea Dogs, also made the team. UVM has denied recent rumours that he is close to signing with Saint John.

In 15 games with UVM this year, Brickley has eight goals and two assists.

The US plays their final exhibition game on Friday against Slovakia. They open the tournament on Boxing Day against Denmark. They’ll play Jonathan Huberdeau, Nathan Beaulieu, and Team Canada on New Year’s Eve. 

Sea Dogs Notebook

KELLY TALKS TRADE PERIOD

Sea Dogs director of hockey operations and associate coach Mike Kelly spoke to the Times & Transcript earlier this week aboutthe trade period.

"We think we have a good team and our best players are our older players," said Kelly. "Obviously, when you're in that position you're going to try to improve your team if you can and we'll look to do that.

"We go into the trade period with the attitude that yes we want to improve our team, but we're not going to pay over the top. What we believe is fair is what we'll stick with and if we're not able to get trades done then we'll move on."

Kelly wouldn’t say if he was after a specific player.

"We've talked to a lot of teams about a lot of players," said Kelly. "I don't get into specifics. I don't think it's fair to the kids."

It’s been a fairly quiet trade period so far. The deadline is January 7.

STORE HOURS

Christmas is almost here – and Sea Dogs Styles has extended store hours. From the Sea Dogs:

The store will be open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Dec. 23. The last day for Sea Dog Styles Christmas shopping will be on Dec. 24, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

Fans looking to browse merchandise online can do so via the store’s new and improved web page at http://saintjohnseadogs.com/page/merch. For orders outside normal hours, fans can email info@saintjohnseadogs.com

I was down there yesterday. The Sea Dogs’ Memorial Cup commemorative book, ‘Hockey Heaven,’ is unreal. They also have some new hat styles and the jumbo hockey cards of each player have returned.

Also, Cleve’s Source for Sports has an unlimited amount of Memorial Cup championship hats (pictured).

CHRISTMAS GIFTS

Speaking of Christmas, Telegraph-Journal columnist Peter McGuire had his annual gift giving piece in Tuesday’s paper. This year’s edition features plenty of gifts related to the 2012 Memorial Cup host site selection.

Scott McCain - a second Memorial Cup championship. Let's have former prime minister Jean Chretien - an ambassador for Shawinigan - present the hardware, offering congratulations to McCain, whose reply might be, 'Thanks. You may have won the battle, but we won the war.' 

The 2012 Memorial Cup Selection Committee - not a darn thing.

Some solid gifts right there.

Dogs Ranked 4th At The Half

The Saint John Sea Dogs close out the first half of the 2011-12 season ranked fourth in the Canadian Hockey League. The latest edition of the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings were released this afternoon.

The Sea Dogs enter the holiday break on a two-game winning streak. They defeated the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 4-3 on Friday at Centre 200 and the Moncton Wildcats 5-2 on Sunday in the Hub City.

Saint John sits second in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with a record of 28-10-0-1 for 57 points. They are two points back of the first-place Quebec Remparts.

The Remparts are ranked third in the top 10 this week. The only other QMJHL team to crack this week’s list were the Shawinigan Cataractes at No. 5. The Halifax Mooseheads were an honourable mention.

The weekly rankings of the Canadian Hockey League’s Top 10 teams are selected by a panel of National Hockey League scouts.

Here are the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings for week 14.

1. London Knights (25-7-0-1)
2. Tri-City Americans (27-7-0-0)
3. Quebec Remparts (28-6-2-1)
4. Saint John Sea Dogs (28-10-0-1)
5. Shawinigan Cataractes (25-9-2-2)
6. Plymouth Whalers (22-9-2-1)
7. Kamloops Blazers (24-9-1-1)
8. Edmonton Oil Kings (23-9-1-2)
9. Kitchener Rangers (22-10-1-0)
10. Moose Jaw Warriors (22-9-3-1)

Honourable Mention:
Ottawa 67's (20-9-4-1)
Halifax Mooseheads (22-11-1-2)
Vancouver Giants (22-12-1-1)

This week 14 edition of the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 will be the final set of rankings for 2011, with the next list to be released the first week of January, 2012.

In Buzzing The Net’s Dynamic Dozen this week, the Sea Dogs were ranked second behind the Remparts.