This Season Was Alright For Fighting

FREDERICTON – There are some numbers from the Saint John Sea Dogs’ 2011-12 regular season that really jump out at you.

The team racked up 50 wins and 100 points for the third straight season. They averaged a team record 4,561 fans per game at Harbour Station. Mathieu Corbeil’s goal against average of 2.38 led the league. They had a league high 28 home wins. They were 35-3-0-0 when scoring first. 31 of Saint John’s 50 wins came against Maritime Division opponents. They outscored opponents 125-57 in second periods. They averaged a league best 26.6 shots against per game. But one number that really jumps out – the Sea Dogs’ fight numbers.

Saint John dropped the gloves 68 times this year according to HockeyFights.com, the fourth most fights in the league this season. The fight total is almost double what it was a year ago. It’s the second most the Sea Dogs have ever had in one season, even more than their expansion season.

Simple math tells us that the Sea Dogs averaged one-fight per game this year.

Here’s a year-by-year look. All numbers from HockeyFights.com.

Season	Fight Total
2011-12	68
2010-11	37
2009-10	32
2008-09	30
2007-08	60
2006-07	91
2005-06	67

19 different Sea Dogs participated in scraps this season. Not surprisingly, Ian Saab and Grant West both had a team high 15 fights. Spencer MacDonald had five while Oliver Cooper, Nathan Beaulieu, and Stephen MacAulay each had four. The full list can be found here.

It’s unlikely the fight per game average will carry over into the post-season. Saint John had just seven fights in last season’s playoffs and one the year before. 

Photo Credit: Marc Henwood/Station Nation