GAMEDAY 35: vs Titan

GAMEDAY

Acadie-Bathurst Titan vs Saint John Sea Dogs

Tonight, December 9, 2011 at 7:30pm

Harbour Station

PREVIEW

SAINT JOHN – The Saint John Sea Dogs kick off a three-in-three tonight when they take on the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at 7:30pm at Harbour Station. The Dogs host the Halifax Mooseheads tomorrow night and then travel to Nova Scotia to face the Herd again on Sunday to complete their busy weekend.

The Sea Dogs are coming off a bad performance last Sunday against Chicoutimi. The Sagueneens scored four goals in third period to win 8-3 and hand Saint John just their second home loss of the season. The Dogs will need a better performance tonight if they want to get back on track.

Despite their recent struggles (7-2-0-1 in their last 10) and injury woes, Saint John still sits first overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with a record of 25-8-0-1 for 51 points. They are currently two points up on the Quebec Remparts for top spot although the Remparts have played two fewer games.

With the exception of last Sunday’s performance, the Sea Dogs have been great on Harbour Station ice this season. They have a record of 15-2-0-0 and have outscored opponents 87-44.

Bathurst enters play this evening sitting fourth in the Maritimes Division and 13^th overall in the league with a record of 14-16-2-2. The Titan have won two straight and are 5-4-0-1 in their last 10. On the road, the Titan are 5-9-1-1 and have been outscored 66-55.

Although the two teams sit on the opposite ends of the standings, the Sea Dogs have a hard time with the Titan this season. The Dogs are just 1-1-0-1 against Bathurst this year with both loses coming at the KC Irving Regional Centre.

The most recent meeting between the two squads was back on November 20 in Bathurst when the Titan needed a shootout to beat the Sea Dogs 6-5. Goaltender Sebastien Auger and the Saint John defense struggled in that game, allowing five goals on 22 shots.

NOTES: Zach O’Brien leads the Titan in scoring with 29 goals and 29 assists for 58 points. Sebastien Trudeau is second with 57 points and Matthew Bissonnette is third with 52… O’Brien has scored a team high 29 goals. Bissonnette is third with 25… Trudeau has a Titan high 42 assists. O’Brien is second with 29… Trudeau is a team best +9… Christophe Losier is a team worst -22… Sean Girard has served a Bathurst leading 54 penalty minutes… O’Brien has a team high 14 power play goals… Trudeau has three shorthanded goals… O’Brien has taken a Bathurst high 138 shots… O’Brien leads the league in goals with 29… Trudeau’s 42 assists are a league high… O’Brien’s 14 goals are a league high… Trudeau has a league high 22 power play assists… Trudeau’s three shorthanded goals tie him for the league lead… Bathurst has the best power play in the Q with a rating of 31.3%... Bathurst’s penalty kill is ranked seventh in the league with a rating of 77.3%.

IN NET: Robert Steeves will likely get the start in goal tonight. He is 9-7-2-2 with a goals against average of 3.63 and a save percentage of 0.880.

LAST GAME: Bathurst is coming off a 6-5 win over the Rimouski Oceanic on Tuesday. Matthew Bissonnette had a hat trick while Christophe Lalancette, Sean Girard and Zack O’Brien had singles for the Titan. Robert Steeves made 37 saves in net.

Best Titan Video We Could Find on YouTube: A Halifax – Bathurst brawl from back in the day.

NOTES: Zack Phillips leads the Sea Dogs in scoring with 17 goals and 34 assists for 51 points. Danick Gauthier is second with 42 while Tomas Jurco has 29… Gauthier leads the team in goals with 26. Jurco is second with 19 while Phillips has 17… Phillips has a team high 34 assists. Jurco is second with 20… Phillips is a team high +31… Ian Saab has served a Saint John high 96 penalty minutes… Gauthier and Jurco both have six power play goals… Phillips has taken a team high 116 shots… Gauthier’s 26 goals are good for second in the league… Phillips sits third in the league in assists with 34… Gauthier leads the league in game-winning goals with six… Saab’s 96 penalty minutes are a league high… the Sea Dogs’ power play is ranked ninth in the league with a rating of 22.9%... Saint John’s penalty kill is operating at 75.7% which is good for 11^th in the league.

IN NET: Mathieu Corbeil will likely get the start in goal. He is 19-5-0-0 with a goals against average of 2.26 and a save percentage of 0.916.

STREAKING: Zack Phillips enters tonight’s game on a 22-game point scoring streak. He has 13 goals and 28 assists over that span.

GOING AWAY: Phillips and Nathan Beaulieu are both headed to Team Canada’s world junior selection camp tomorrow, meaning they will miss both Saturday and Sunday’s game and possibly more if either can crack the squad. The camp begins Saturday and wraps up on December 14.

LAST GAME: Saint John is coming off an ugly 8-3 loss to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens on Sunday at Harbour Station. Tomas Jurco scored twice and Charles Olivier Roussel netted a solo marker in the loss. Mathieu Corbeil and Sebastien Auger each allowed four goals in the loss.

OTHER GAMES

Halifax at P.E.I. - 7:00 PM AST

Rouyn-Noranda at Quebec - 7:00 PM EST

Rimouski at Victoriaville - 7:00 PM EST

Val-d'Or at Blainville-Boisbriand - 7:30 PM EST

Baie-Comeau at Chicoutimi - 7:30 PM EST

Cape Breton at Gatineau - 7:30 PM EST

Drummondville at Shawinigan - 7:30 PM EST

THE RINK

Venue: Harbour Station

Capacity: 6,297

Average Attendance: 3,956

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 host Nathan MacKinnon and the Halifax Mooseheads tomorrow night at 7pm at Harbour Station. The annual Teddy Bear Toss will take place after Saint John scores their first goal.