Tough Weekend Ahead For Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs have a busy weekend ahead of them. On Friday, they host the Acadie-Bathurst Titan and Saturday the Halifax Mooseheads. Then on Sunday, the Sea Dogs and Moose meet again but shift venues to the Halifax Metro Centre.

The most important thing to note heading into this weekend’s three-in-three?  Fans at Friday and Saturday’s games at Harbour Station can receive a special gift of Sea Dogs wrapping paper courtesy of Advocate Printing, while quantities last.

Besides wrapping paper, here are a few other things to note regarding the three team’s lineups.

• According to today’s Telegraph-Journal, Zack Phillips and Nathan Beaulieu will both play tomorrow night against Bathurst. The two will leave for Team Canada's world junior selection camp in Calgary on Saturday morning, meaning they will miss both Saturday and Sunday’s games against the Mooseheads. Team Canada’s camp begins Saturday and goes to December 14. Also, according to the T-J, it is still unclear if Jonathan Huberdeau will participate in the camp due to a broken foot.
• Last Friday against Shawinigan, Bathurst’s Jeremie Blain was given a game misconduct for “racial taunts, gestures and slurs” towards the Cataractes’ Jonathan Racine. He played on Saturday but has since been suspended two games and will not play on Friday against Saint John. The Titan were also fined $500. Blain has six goals and 15 assists in 23 games this season.
• The Titan announced yesterday that they have recalled 16-year old forward Carl Marois. He has eight goals and four assists in 28 games with Levis Commandeurs of the Quebec Midget AAA ranks.
• Martin Frk is expected to make his season debut for the Mooseheads tomorrow. The Herd play Friday in Charlottetown before their back-to-back games against Saint John. Frk has been out since August because of a concussion. Frk, a top prospect for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, had 22 goals and 28 assists in 62 games with Halifax last year.
• According to Metro Halifax, the Moose will be without San Jose Sharks defensive prospect Konrad Abeltshauser who “has left to participate in the IIHF's Pool B world junior championship.” He has four goals and 19 assists in 25 games this year. Defenseman Austyn Hardie is expected to return from a jaw injury this weekend.

Saint John is only 1-1-0-1 against Bathurst this season. The Mooseheads are 19-7-1-2 and sit 10 points back of the Dogs. The Herd have also played five fewer games and will have Nathan MacKinnon this weekend, so an unlimited amount of goals could be scored. 

The shorthanded Sea Dogs, who are coming off an ugly performance on Sunday against Chicoutimi, will need to bring their A-game this three-in-three.

Photo Credit: Marc Henwood/Station Nation