RECAP: Spooked. Dogs Lose 2-1.

FINAL: Blainville-Boisbriand 2, Saint John 1

By Tim Lumsden

SN Staff

SAINT JOHN - The Sea Dogs faced off against the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada on a very wet Halloween in front of 2,694 people on Wednesday night at Harbour Station.

Sebastien Auger was the starting goaltender for Saint John, while Etienne Marcoux stood guard in net for The Armada.

FIRST PERIOD

The Armada scored the first goal of the game at 4:57 as Tommy Giroux just barely slid one by Auger.

Just after the first goal, the Armada suffered their first penalty as Aaron Hoyles was called for checking from behind.

Jonathan Huberdeau claimed the first Sea Dog penalty at 11:03 for high sticking.

The next penalty went out to Felix Plouffe for Hooking at 14:32.

With 1:46 left in the period, a little scuffle broke out by Auger. Only Blainville-Boisbriand pulled a penalty though as Marc-Olivier Roy was sent off for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The game was tied 1-1 by Ryan Tesink with 31 seconds left. Assists went to Stephen MacAulay and Jonathan Huberdeau.

Mitchell Robillard was handed a checking to the head penalty at the buzzer as Aidan Kelly was left lying on the ice. Robillard would only get 2:00 minutes which had several fans upset.

LIVE: Armada vs Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN – The Blainville-Boisbriand Armada are ranked 4^th in the CHL Top 10 this week and they are at Harbour Station tonight to take on the Sea Dogs. Follow along right here for updates.

Tweets by @station_nation

Sea Dogs Notebook

HALLOWEEN

In which Nathan Beaulieu and other members of the Hamilton Bulldogs show off their… laughs.

JERSEY AUCTION

The Sea Dogs are beginning to auction off the white jerseys players wore last season. The Sea Dogs website explains the entire operation that is being done through eBay.

PINK JERSEYS

The Sea Dogs announced Monday that few pink jerseys from Friday’s raffle remain unclaimed. They are:

#25 Mastrangelo – 3762

#27 Cooper – 4023

#30 Fournier – 4202

Steven Duda’s jersey was also unclaimed but has since been claimed.

Fans have until this Friday, Nov. 2 at 5 PM to claim their jerseys before they go to auction at a later date.

LEDUC

Former Sea Dog Alex Leduc has been suspended indefinitely by the St. Thomas University Tommies men’s hockey team because of “conduct unbecoming a student athlete.” According to HockeyScene.com, “during the third period of the Atlantic University Sport men’s hockey game between the St. Thomas University Tommies and the Saint Mary’s University Huskies on Saturday, October 27, Ryan said that Leduc showed clear intent to injure an opposing player.”

Brad Smith, the victim of the play, is believed to have suffered a broken ankle.

“In my opinion, it was completely out of frustration and was done thinking there would be no consequences,” said Tommies head coach Troy Ryan. “Smith was the target because he happened to be in a vulnerable situation and Alex took his frustrations out on him.”

Leduc spent parts of four seasons with the Sea Dogs from 2006-07 to 2009-10. His best came in 2007-08 where he recorded 41 points in 68 regular season games.

GAMEDAY 16 - vs Armada

GAMEDAY

Blainville-Boisbriand Armada vs Saint John Sea Dogs

Tonight at 7:00pm

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

Harbour Station – Saint John, NB

PREVIEW

SAINT JOHN – It’s Halloween - but much more importantly - it’s a game day in Saint John.

The Sea Dogs host one of the league’s best in the St. John’s Fog Devils Montreal Junior Blainville-Boisbriand Armada this evening at 7pm at Harbour Station. Upper bowl tickets can be purchased for just $8.

The Armada are considered to be a President Cup contender this season and they are off to a solid start. They enter action tonight with a 11-3-0-2 record and sit second in the Telus West Division and fourth overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. They sit one-point back of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies for first place in the division.

The great Christopher Clapperton leads the Armada scoring with 22 points in 16 games. Clapperton’s 10 goals are a team best while all-star defenseman Xavier Ouellet leads the squad in assists with 15.

The Armada have allowed just 34 goals against this season which is a league low. A lot of that has to do with the goaltending duo of Etienne Marcoux and Storm Phaneuf. The two sit first and second in the league in goals against average and first and third in save percentage.

The Sea Dogs will certainly be in for a challenge tonight against their expansion cousins.

Saint John enters action with an 8-7-0-0 record and sits fourth in the Telus Maritimes Division and 12^th overall in the QMJHL. The Dogs have had an up-and-down month but have won their past two games.

Jonathan Huberdeau continues to lead the Sea Dogs in scoring with 19 points in 15 games. He has just one assist over his last three games.

The Sea Dogs haven’t won a game in regulation time all month. They’ve got one last chance tonight.

VIDEO: Sunday's Mascot Intermission Game

Do you want to relive Sunday’s second intermission mascot scrimmage? Oh yes, yes you do.

Someone posted the entire thing on YouTube. The game featured several mascots from local businesses around Saint John. It’s difficult to see the St-Hubert chicken making his nice move with the puck but the video does have the fight between Foreman George and the UNBSJ guy.

It’s unfortunate the fight never reached the level of awesomeness as the Lewiston mascot fight back in 2011.

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

Coyle Off To Hot Start In AHL

Charlie Coyle made quite an impact in his short time with the Saint John Sea Dogs. After just seven games in the American Hockey League he is making quite an impact with the Houston Aeros.

Coyle has five goals and an assist in seven AHL contests. He has a total of 15 shots on goal and is also a +3

His latest offensive outburst came on Saturday night against the Milwaukee Admirals where he netted two goals in Houston’s 4-0 win. One of his goals was a thing of beauty.

Coyle’s six points place him 7^th in AHL rookie scoring behind the likes of Justin Schultz, Mikael Granlund, and Sven Baertschi. His five goals place him 7^th overall in league goal scoring.

The Aeros have a young, talented lineup and currently sit 6^th in the Western Conference with a 4-2-1-0 record. They are 4-0-1-0 in their last five games.

The other Sea Dogs connection playing in Houston, Zack Phillips, has a goal and assist in six games.

Houston is back in action on Friday night when they travel to Oklahoma City to take on the loaded Barons. 

POSTSCRIPT: Sagueneens 2, Sea Dogs 3 (OT)

A collection of recaps from yesterday’s 3-2 Saint John Sea Dogs overtime victory over the Chicoutimi Sagueneens…

Our recap. The Sea Dogs faced off against The Chicoutimi Sagueneens on Sunday afternoon at Harbour Station.

The Telegraph-Journal’s recap (paywall). But Marcus Cuomo scored with 9.4 seconds left to tie the tilt 2-2 and Oliver Cooper cashed in at 1:56 of overtime, lifting the Sea Dogs to a 3-2 victory before 3,128 fans at Harbour Station.

Le Quotidien’s recap. Heartbreaking loss for the Sags.

News 88.9’s recap. Featuring Tim Roszell’s goal calls.

SaintJohnSeaDogs.com’s recap. The Saint John Sea Dogs and Chicoutimi Sagueneens met at Harbour Station in front of 3,128 fans in Sunday’s Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. The Sea Dogs won in overtime by a score of 3-2.

Sagueneens.com’s recap. And so ends Chicoutimi’s road trip.

Live Blog replay.

MISSING IN ACTION: The Sea Dogs were without Benjamin Hade, Matthew Highmore, Spencer Smallman, Ryan Tesink, Mackenzie Brown, Pierre Durepos, and Stephen Anderson on Sunday afternoon.

Stephen Anderson missed the game with an “upper body injury" according to News 88.9.

Ryan Tesink served the final game of the two-game suspension he received for cross-checking last weekend in Baie-Comeau.

RECAP: 9.4 Seconds. Dogs Win 3-2.

FINAL: Chicoutimi 2, Saint John 3 (OT)

By Tim Lumsden

SN Staff

SAINT JOHN - The Sea Dogs faced off against The Chicoutimi Sagueneens on Sunday afternoon at Harbour Station.

Sebastien Auger and Julio Brillia guarded the nets for their respective teams.

FIRST PERIOD

First penalty of the game went to the Sags as Lukas Sedlak was sent off for interference at 2:59.

Sebastien Sylvestre took a hooking penalty at 7:36. That would send the Sea Dogs on another uneventful power play.

Jason Seed took the first Sea Dog penalty at 11:10 for high sticking.

Things heated up at 13:06 as Kevin Gagne took a nasty hit from behind. Lukas Sedlak took the checking from behind penalty while Steven Duda was given two minutes for roughing. Fans were not happy with that call at all, thinking Sedlak should have received a check to the head penalty. Despite the outrage from Saint John fans, the play soon continued.

SECOND PERIOD

Chicoutimi, once again, took the first penalty of the period as Simon Tremblay at 1:16 for hooking.

The Dogs took their first penalty at 3:44. Jason Cameron was sent off for boarding.

Laurent Dauphin from Chicoutimi took a penalty at 4:11 for delay of game.

Guillaume Cloutier joined him in the box just 30 seconds later for a slashing penalty.

After much anticipation, at 5:35, Jason Seed put the first goal on the board, thanks to assists from Kevin Gagne and Stephen MacAulay.

Aidan Kelly and Guilaume Asselin headed off to the box after a scuffle broke out behind Auger at 6:42. Kelly took four minuts for roughing while Asselin took two for roughing and two for slashing.

Seconds later another brawl broke out in the Sags' end. This time Michael Mastrangelo headed to the box with a high sticking penalty as well as a fighting call. Olivier LeBlanc received a misconduct for not clearing the area of a fight. Sebastien Sylvestre of the Sags also received a misconduct for not leaving the area and finally, Jeremy Gregoire went off to serve his fighting penalty.

Simon Tremblay took an unfortunate interference call at 9:37. He was sent to an already crowded penalty box.

The parade to the box continued as Jonathan Huberdeau was handed a tripping penalty at 10:16.

Chicoutimi tied the score at 12:37 as Tristan Tremblay scored the Sags' first goal. Simon Tremblay took the lone assist.

The final penalty of the second period went to Michael Gagnon at 17:27 for tripping.

LIVE: Sagueneens vs Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN – The Sea Dogs take on the Chicoutimi Sagueneens this afternoon at 3pm at Harbour Station. Keep it locked right here for updates.

Tweets by @station_nation

GAMEDAY 15 - vs Sagueneens

GAMEDAY

Chicoutimi Sagueneens vs Saint John Sea Dogs

Today at 3:00pm

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

Harbour Station – Saint John, NB

PREVIEW

SAINT JOHN – The Chicoutimi Sagueneens are in town today for an afternoon contest against the Saint John Sea Dogs. Puck drop is scheduled for 3pm at Harbour Station.

The Sea Dogs will be hoping to make it two straight wins today after pulling off a 4-3 overtime victory over the PEI Rocket on Friday night at the Station. Kevin Gagne scored at 2:44 of the extra frame to give the Dogs the extra point.

Saint John currently sits fifth in the Telus Maritimes Division and 14^th overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with a 7-7-0-0 record for 14 points. They are just 4-6-0-0 over their last 10 games but the team has been paying relatively well over the past few games.

Captain Jonathan Huberdeau is leading the way offensively with 10 goals and nine assists in 14 games this season.

The Sagueneens certainly won’t be as rested as the Sea Dogs. Chicoutimi played last night in Halifax and fell 6-2 to the mighty Mooseheads who are on a big time roll. The Sags, who led 2-0 after one, could only fire 17 shots on net in the loss.

Chicoutimi has been struggling of late and are on a 0-3-0-1 run and are just 4-5-0-1 over their last 10 games. The Sags sit 13^th in the league with a record of 6-8-1-1 for 14 points.

The Sags are led by Laurent Dauphin and Guillaume Asselin who each have 17 points in 16 games this season. Charles Hudon has not played since October 17 and is currently suffering from a concussion, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie.

This is the third and final game of a three-game trip through the Maritimes for the Sags. They played in PEI on Thursday and Halifax last night.

For Saint John, this is the second match of a stretch of three straight home games. They host the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada on Wednesday to close it out.

Sea Dogs Receive Championship Rings

Back to back! twitter.com/Durepos23/stat…
— Pierre Durepos (@Durepos23) October 27, 2012

Members of last year’s Saint John Sea Dogs President Cup winning team were given their championship rings last night. Several players – the few that are still with the team - and team staff tweeted photos of their new bling.

From what we can tell, each player’s last name is engraved on one side along with the numbers 68-18, Saint John's overall record last season. The other side has the President Cup with the phrase “Back To Back.”

Some more pictures/tweets after the jump.

POSTSCRIPT: Rocket 3, Sea Dogs 4 (OT)

A collection of recaps from last night’s 4-3 Saint John Sea Dogs overtime win over the PEI Rocket…

Our recap. The Saint John Sea Dogs took on the PEI Rocket on Friday as the Dogs held their annual Pink in the Rink game. 4,018 fans crowded into Harbour Station to cheer on their team as well as help raise some money for Breast Cancer Research.

The Telegraph-Journal’s recap (paywall). Kevin Gagne scored at 2:44 of overtime to lift the Saint John Sea Dogs to a 4-3 win over the P.E.I. Rocket in front of 4,018 fans Friday night at Harbour Station in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

News 88.9’s recap. Featuring Tim Roszell goal calls.

The Guardian’s recap. It’s the Telegraph-Journal’s recap!

SaintJohnSeaDogs.com’s recap. The Saint John Sea Dogs defeated the Prince Edward Island Rocket 4-3 in overtime at Harbour Station for Pink-in-the-Rink night in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action Friday night. The 4,018 fans in attendance saw the Sea Dogs raffle off the game-worn jerseys in support of Breast Cancer research.

PEIRocket.com’s recap. The PEI Rocket battled back from 2-0 and 3-1 deficits in the third period to force the game into overtime where they fell 4-3.

Live Blog replay.

MISSING IN ACTION: The Sea Dogs were without Ryan Kelly, Benjamin Hade, Matthew Highmore, Spencer Smallman, Ryan Tesink, Pierre Durepos, and Mackenzie Brown on Friday night.

Tesink served the first game of the two-game suspension he received for cross-checking last Saturday in Baie-Comeau.

RECAP: Thinking Pink. Dogs Win 4-3.

FINAL: PEI 3, Saint John 4 (OT)

By Tim Lumsden

SN Staff

SAINT JOHN – The Saint John Sea Dogs took on the PEI Rocket on Friday as the Dogs held their annual Pink in the Rink game. 4,018 fans crowded into Harbour Station to cheer on their team as well as help raise some money for Breast Cancer Research.

Sebastien Auger took the net for Saint John, sporting his new pink jersey. Antoine Bibeau defended the net for PEI.

FIRST PERIOD

3:25 into the first and the first fight of the evening exploded out of nowhere between Patrick McGrath and Michael Mastrangelo. Fans wondered what brought that one on. Was someone being a little pushy or was this left over animosity from a previous game?

Two minutes later, Devon Oliver-Dares headed to the box for interference as one of the Rocket was sent careening into their own bench.

Erik Robichaud of the PEI Rocket sent the Sea Dogs to the power play as he was called for tripping at 6:36.

Matthew Bursey and Jurij Repe took roughing penalties at 15:40. It was apparent early on that things could get rough quickly.

SECOND PERIOD

Alexis Pepin got five minutes and a game misconduct for checking to the head at 3:10.

Numerous opportunities came for Saint John during the power play. They were unable to break through PEI's defences until Stephen MacAulay put one past Bibeau, assisted by Jason Seed and Aidan Kelly, with just 23 seconds left on the Rocket penalty.

Devon Oliver-Dares took a seat in the box at 9:12 for roughing.

12:26 saw the second goal of the game scored by Jakub Izacky. Not only was it the second Sea Dogs goal, but it was also an unassisted one.

MacAulay was sent off at 13:30 for slashing.

LIVE: Rocket vs Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN – It’s Pink in the Rink night at Harbour Station as the Sea Dogs host the PEI Rocket. Follow along right here for updates.

Tweets by @station_nation

GAMEDAY 14 - vs Rocket

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 surprising PEI Rocket make a visit to Harbour Station tonight to take on the Saint John Sea Dogs. Game time for the annual Pink in the Rink game is 7:30pm.

The Rocket, who most had finishing at or near the basement of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League standings, are off to a solid 10-4-0-0 start and sit fifth overall in the league and second in the Telus Maritimes Division.

PEI has won three straight and are 7-3-0-0 in their last 10 games. They’ve played Saint John once previously this season, shutting out the Sea Dogs by score of 4-0 at the Charlottetown Civic Centre.

It’s certainly a change of pace for the Rocket. Over the past several seasons the team has either been terrible or never lived up to expectations. But now, it appears the squad is surpassing expectations for a change.

The Rocket will be taking on a Sea Dogs team that has had a rough month so far. Saint John has won just twice in October and hasn’t won a game in regulation time since September 30.

The Dogs have a 6-7-0-0 record and sit fifth in the Telus Maritimes Division and 14^th overall in the QMJHL. They have been outscored 54-36 by competition this season.

Saint John is led by Jonathan Huberdeau who has 18 points in 13 games this season. Ben Duffy leads PEI in scoring with 27 points in 14 contents.

This is the first of three straight home games for the Sea Dogs. Their home stand continues on Sunday against Chicoutimi and Wednesday against Blainville-Boisbriand.

Sea Dogs Notebook

WEEKEND

After almost a week off, the Saint John Sea Dogs return to action tomorrow night against the PEI Rocket. Game time is 7:30pm at Harbour Station.

Tomorrow’s game is the annual “Pink in the Rink” night where the Sea Dogs will be wearing pink jerseys in support of breast cancer research. The jerseys will be raffled off after the game. Tickets for the raffle are available now in the Sea Dogs office and are $5.00 each, 3-for-$10 or 10-for-$20. They are available in the Sea Dogs office, by calling 657-DOGS (3647) or via email: info@saintjohnseadogs.com.

The Rocket are off to a surprisingly good start (10-4-0-0) so tomorrow’s game should be a good one... hopefully.

On Sunday, the Sea Dogs host the Chicoutimi Sagueneens at 3pm. The Sags and Dogs met last Friday with Saint John winning 4-3 in a shootout.

LEADERS

After 13 games, captain Jonathan Huberdeau is still leading the way for Saint John offensively. He has a team high 10 goals and 18 points in 13 contests. Ryan Tesink is second with 13 points in 13 matches.

In net, Sebastien Auger’s numbers have come back down to earth a bit but he is still near the top half of the league in goals against average (11^th – 3.12) and save percentage (9^th – 0.906).

JURCO

Turns out former Sea Dogs forward Tomas Jurco just missed the cut for Hockey’s Future latest Top 50 prospect list.

“In Jurco's case, the talented lineup in Saint John of the QMJHL has made it difficult to make an accurate assessment of his skill level,” writes HF. “A slick puckhandler with top-six upside, he will have a chance to step out from the shadow of the vaunted Sea Dogs offense as he makes his pro debut with Grand Rapids in 2012-13. Improving his defensive game and play away from the puck will be essential to Jurco's success with the Detroit organization.”

Jurco has one goal in four games with the Griffins this season.

COACHING

The Sea Dogs are helping out with a coaching development thing on November 24. The details on that can be found here.

CUOMO

If you missed the Marcus Cuomo article in today’s Telegraph-Journal, the St. John’s Privateers Major Midget Hockey Club website has the whole thing.

VIDEO: NHLPA's Charlie Coyle Feature

It’s been a quiet few days in Sea Dogs land. Luckily, the NHLPA posted this black-and-white video interview with former Saint John forward Charlie Coyle.

Nice to see the NHLPA has been keeping busy over the past few months.

Coyle is off to a good start with the Houston Aeros. He has two goals and an assist in five games in his first season as a professional.

That’s all we got. Rocket vs Sea Dogs on Friday night at the Station. Giddy up. 

Tesink Gets Two Games For Cross-Check

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is proving once again that it can be just as inconsistent with its suspensions as the National Hockey League.

According to the QMJHL website, Saint John Sea Dogs forward Ryan Tesink has been suspended two games for an ugly cross-checking incident in the final minutes of Saturday’s 6-2 loss in Baie-Comeau.

Here’s the video, courtesy of HockeyFights.com.

How a completely unnecessary cross-check to the head gets only two games is beyond me.

The Sea Dogs are fortunate that they will be without the St. Louis Blues prospect for just two games. Tesink is second on the team in scoring with five goals and eight assists for 13 points in 13 games this season.

Saint John hosts the PEI Rocket on Friday and the Chicoutimi Sagueneens on Sunday. 

The Sea Dogs don't face the Drakkar again until November 25.

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

Pink In The Rink Is This Friday

The Sea Dogs announced details for the annual “Pink in the Rink” game today. The game, which will be held this Friday at 7:30pm against the PEI Rocket, will see the team wear pink jerseys in support of breast cancer research.

Sea Dogs equipment manager David Kelly tweeted some pictures of this year’s jersey yesterday.

Here is a better picture of our breast cancer awareness jerseys..hope you guys like them!! instagr.am/p/RECUgytQht/
— David DK Kelly (@SeaDogsDK) October 21, 2012

“We in the Sea Dogs organization are proud to support breast cancer research with the Pink-in-the-Rink program,” said Sea Dogs President Wayne Long in a team release. “It’s a fun event that helps raise awareness and funding for a great cause.”

According to the Sea Dogs, “this year’s post-game jersey presentation is taking on a different format, switching from a silent auction to a raffle. Tickets for the raffle are available now in the Sea Dogs office and are $5.00 each, 3-for-$10 or 10-for-$20. They are available in the Sea Dogs office, by calling 657-DOGS (3647) or via email: info@saintjohnseadogs.com.”

“We believe the switch to a raffle will allow a greater number of participants, a more even competition for all fans and hopefully, will generate additional funding for breast cancer research,” said Long.

The jersey winners will be announced at the end of the game and jerseys will be given out in numerical order according to the roster.

The Sea Dogs are also giving fans a chance to purchase a limited amount of pink socks from last year’s event to go along with raffle tickets. The offer is available online here.

VIDEO: Tesink's Cross-Check In B-C

Here’s why Ryan Tesink got a match penalty for cross-checking in the final minutes of Saturday’s 6-2 loss in Baie-Comeau.

Yikes.

The Drakkar were leading 4-2 at the time of this penalty. With Tesink in the box and 1:35 left, the penalty basically ended any hopes of a Saint John comeback. Baie-Comeau would score twice on the ensuing power play to win 6-2.

Tesink has five goals and eight assists in 13 games this season so any kind of suspension will certainly hurt the Sea Dogs.

Video via Chris Phillips/HockeyFights.com

POSTSCRIPT: Sea Dogs 2, Drakkar 6

A collection of recaps from last night’s 6-2 Saint John Sea Dogs loss to the Baie-Comeau Drakkar…

Our recap. It was one last game of a three game road trip for the Saint John Sea Dogs on Saturday afternoon as they battled the Drakkar in Baie-Comeau at Centre Henry-Leonard.

Plein Jour de Baie-Comeau’s recap. The Drakkar won.

The Canadian Press’ recap. Petr Straka scored twice as the Baie-Comeau Drakkar defeated the visiting Saint John Sea Dogs 6-2 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

News 88.9’s recap. Featuring Tim Roszell’s goal calls.

SaintJohnSeaDogs.com’s recap. The Sea Dogs played their final game of a three game Quebec swing Saturday night, dropping a 6-2 decision to the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

Live Blog replay.

MISSING IN ACTION: Steven Duda (healthy), Andreas Tsogkas (healthy), Benjamin Hade (upper body), Pierre Durepos (hip), Mackenzie Brown (knee), Matthew Highmore (shoulder), and Spencer Smallman (shoulder) did not play for Saint John.

ROAD TRIP: Saint John’s three-game trip through Quebec finishes with a 1-2-0 record. Despite the losing record and some lopsided scores, the Sea Dogs played pretty well considering the opponents. Both of their loses were really not decided until the final few minutes.

Saint John fell to 3-4-0-0 on the road this year with the loss.

RECAP: Homeward Bound. Dogs Lose 6-2.

FINAL: Saint John 2, Baie-Comeau 6

By Tim Lumsden

SN Staff

It was one last game of a three game road trip for the Saint John Sea Dogs on Saturday afternoon as they battled the Drakkar in Baie-Comeau at Centre Henry-Leonard.

Alex Fournier took the net for Saint John. Philippe Cadorette stood guard for the Drakkar.

FIRST PERIOD

First penalty of the afternoon went to Saint John as MacAulay got called for tripping, just 40 seconds into the period. Beauty of a shot by Jonthan Huberdeau was stopped by Philippe Cadorette with a nice glove save.

Jakub Izacky scored his second goal in two days, putting the Dogs on the board 1-0, with assists going to Marcus Cuomo and Kevin Gagne.

Valentin Zykov slipped past Fournier to tie the game 1-1 at 10:40.

Petr Straka came out of nowhere to score the second Drakkar goal at 13:51. Francis Turbide scored the lone assist. That would bring the score to 2-1.

With only seconds left of the period, Jonathan Huberdeau headed to the box for a holding call. The Sea Dogs would start the second period on the penalty kill.

Shots on goal were 10-9 in favour of the Drakkar.

Big Night For Former Sea Dogs

Thanks everyone for the congrats, feels good to get my first pro goal and win tonight twitter.com/zackphillips7/…
— zack phillips (@zackphillips7) October 20, 2012

It was a big night for former Saint John Sea Dogs in the American Hockey League last night.

Zack Phillips netted his first AHL goal in the Houston Aeros’ 5-1 win over the Texas Stars. The goal came unassisted at 13:46 of the third period.  Phillips was named third star of the game.

Charlie Coyle scored his second goal of the season in the game and also recorded four shots on goal.

LIVE: Sea Dogs vs Drakkar

BAIE-COMEAU, Que. – The Sea Dogs’ three-game road trip comes to an end today in Baie-Comeau. The Dogs battle the Drakkar today at 5pm. Follow along right here for updates.

Tweets by @station_nation

GAMEDAY 13 - at Baie-Comeau

GAMEDAY

Saint John Sea Dogs vs Baie-Comeau Drakkar

Tonight at 5:00pm

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

Henry Leonard Centre – Baie-Comeau, Que.

PREVIEW

BAIE-COMEAU, Que. – It’s been a solid road trip so far for the Saint John Sea Dogs and it comes to an end today. The Sea Dogs travel to Baie-Comeau to take on the Drakkar at 5:00pm in the third game of their three-game trip.

The Sea Dogs defeated the Chicoutimi Sagueneens 4-3 in a shootout last night. Jonathan Huberdeau, Jakub Izacky, and Jason Seed all scored in regulation for Saint John. Before that contest, the Dogs played well in a 5-2 loss in Quebec City against the Remparts.

Saint John is now 6-6-0-0 on the season, good for fourth in the Telus Maritimes Division and 12 overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Sea Dogs are also 3-3-0-0 on the road this year.

The Dogs are led by Jonathan Huberdeau who has 10 goals and eight assists in 12 matches. His 18 points place him 14^th overall in league scoring.

Baie-Comeau enters action tonight with a record of 6-4-0-1 and sit fifth in the Telus East Division and 11^th overall in the QMJHL. The Drakkar are 2-0-0-1 in their last three games.

Rookie Gabryel Paquin-Boudreau leads the Drakkar in scoring with four goals and six assists in 11 games.

This will be the first time these two teams have met since last season’s quarter-final playoff series. Saint John defeated Baie-Comeau in four straight to move on. The most memorable moment from the series was the Drakkar fans who continuously threw garbage on the ice. We'll see how those fans behave today.

POSTSCRIPT: Sea Dogs 4, Sagueneens 3

A collection of recaps from last night’s 4-3 Saint John Sea Dogs shootout win over the Chicoutimi Sagueneens…

Our recap. The Saint John Sea Dogs travelled to Chicoutimi to take on the Sagueneens on Friday night. This was the second of three away games for the Sea Dogs.

The Telegraph-Journal’s recap (paywall). Sebastien Auger made 31 saves on 34 shots and made all three stops in the shooutout to lead the Saint John Sea Dogs to a 4-3 victory over the Chicoutimi Sagueneeens in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

UniverseHockey.ca's recap. Heartbreaking loss for the Sags.

News 88.9’s recap. Featuring Tim Roszell’s goal calls.

SaintJohnSeaDogs.com’s recap. Friday’s Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action saw the Saint John Sea Dogs defeat the Chicoutimi Sagueneens with a 4-3 shootout decision in Chicoutimi.

Live Blog replay.

MISSING IN ACTION: Ryan Kelly (healthy), Michael Mastrangelo (healthy), Benjamin Hade (upper body), Pierre Durepos (hip), Mackenzie Brown (knee), Matthew Highmore (shoulder), and Spencer Smallman (shoulder) did not play for Saint John.

RECAP: Back To .500. Dogs Win 4-3.

FINAL: Saint John 4, Chicoutimi 3 (SO)

By Tim Lumsden

SN Staff

The Saint John Sea Dogs travelled to Chicoutimi to take on the Sagueneens on Friday night. This was the second of three away games for the Sea Dogs.

Protecting the nets tonight were Sebastien Auger for Saint John and Francis Desrosiers for Chicoutimi.

FIRST PERIOD

Marcus Cuomo almost slid the puck past Desrosiers at 3:15 but couldn’t quite make it through as the Chicoutimi goalie denied Cuomo the goal.

Chicoutimi took the first penalty of the game as the puck went up and over the glass at 6:29. Silas Neeposh went to the box, sending Saint John on the powerplay.

Jason Seed used the advantage to score his first regular season goal as a Sea Dog thanks to assists from Jonathan Huberdeau and Kevin Gagne

Steven Duda was sent off the ice for a tripping call at 8:28.

Following the Sea Dogs lead, Chicoutimi turned their power play into a goal as Laurent Dauphin scored their first of the game, bringing the score to 1-1.

Huberdeau got taken down and Jeremy Gregoire took a seat in the box for roughing at 10:04. Saint John went on the power play, hoping to take the lead.

Marcus Cuomo was sent off the ice for slashing at 16:00, once again, sending Chicoutimi to the power play. Lots of action took place in front of the Sea Dogs’ net but Auger remained steady and strong, denying all attempts to score during the Cuomo penalty.

Simon Tremblay and Jonathan Huberdeau did a little dance as the whistle went. Both were sent off for roughing at 19:28.

The first period was pretty much an equal match. There was a lot of energy and some great effort from both teams. Shots on goal were 11-9 for the Sagueneens.

LIVE: Sea Dogs vs Sagueneens

CHICOUTIMI – The Sea Dogs continue their Quebec adventure with a match against the Chicoutimi Sagueneens tonight at 8:30pm. Follow along for updates.

Tweets by @station_nation

GAMEDAY 12 - at Chicoutimi

GAMEDAY

Saint John Sea Dogs vs Chicoutimi Sagueneens

Tonight at 8:30pm

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

Georges Vezina Centre – Chicoutimi, Que.

PREVIEW

CHICOUTIMI, Que. – Tonight the Saint John Sea Dogs and Chicoutimi Sagueneens hook up for the first time since the 2012 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League semi-finals. Game time is 8:30pm at the Georges Vezina Centre in Chicoutimi.

The Sea Dogs defeated the Sagueneens in five games last spring and advanced to their third straight President Cup final while Chicoutimi’s season came to an end, a season that saw them incredibly knock off the Memorial Cup hosting Shawinigan Cataractes in the quarter-finals.

It was quite a playoff series with the final three games all going to overtime. It was Saint John’s toughest series and the most entertaining. The Sags lone win came in overtime of Game 3 in Chicoutimi which would prove to be Saint John’s only playoff loss.

There were a few memorable moments in the series. Etienne Brodeur did “The Worm” after scoring in overtime of Game 3, Charlie Coyle became of playoff legend with his Game 4 OT goal, Stanislav Galiev sent the Sea Dogs to the final with an OT goal in Game 5, and perhaps the most noteworthy moment came in the early stages on Game 5 when Jonathan Huberdeau illegally hit Charles Hudon. The Sea Dogs captain received a two-game suspension for the hit.

Saint John was not liked by Sags fans last year and, with Huberdeau back, they probably won’t be liked to much this season, either.

Chicoutimi is off to a decent start this season, currently occupying third place in the Telus East Division and seventh overall in the league with a 6-5-1-0 record. They’ve won three straight games and have outscored opponents 40-35.

The Sagueneens lineup looks quite a bit different than it did in the 2012 playoffs. They are led by Charles Hudon who has nine goals and seven assists in 11 games this season. Hudon was a fifth round pick of the Montreal Canadiens during the off-season.

The Sea Dogs enter action tonight with a record of 5-6-0-0 and sit fifth in the Telus Maritimes Division and 13^th overall in the league. They have lost two straight and haven’t won a game in regulation time this month. Saint John has been outscored 45-30 by opponents.

The Dogs are led by Jonathan Huberdeau who has nine goals and seven assists in 11 games this season.

This is the second game of a Quebec road swing for Saint John. Their trip concludes tomorrow with a match in Baie-Comeau.

Sea Dogs Notebook

TONIGHT

The Sea Dogs continue their road trip through Quebec tonight with a game against the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. Game time is 8:30pm. If you are considering buying the webcast, the setup in Chicoutimi is one of the worst in the league so you may want to save your money.

It will be the first time these two teams have met since the QMJHL semi-finals where Saint John won in five games. The Sea Dogs were not liked in Chicoutimi last season, so tonight should be interesting.

Saint John’s road trip ends tomorrow in Baie-Comeau. The Dogs faced the Drakkar in the quarter-finals last year.

GALLANT

Mooseheads play-by-play man John Moore posted parts of his interview with former Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant on YouTube. Gallant talks about his new role with the Montreal Canadiens, Stephen MacAulay and Kevin Gagne, and what he’s up to during the lockout.

COOPER

International Scouting Services says Oliver Cooper’s draft stock is on the rise.

“Power forward type, he scored a goal in the game while going to the net for 3 in 8 games and 5th point,” writes ISS. “We see an improvement in his skating over last year. He showed strength, driving the puck to the blue paint. He was involved physically and didn't shy away when things got aggressive. Cooper also logged power play time and looked very able during the 4 on 4 OT period. It was also noted that coach Kelly trusted him to be the only forward in a crucial 5 on 3 pk. Nice progression for this player.”

Cooper has three goals and two assists in 11 games with the Sea Dogs this season. 

TRANSITION

Open Ice Hockey has an article on the Sea Dogs’ transition season. Mike Kelly, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Ryan Tesink are all interviewed in the article.

“You’re tired a little bit,” Huberdeau said about playing long seasons and having short off-seasons. “It’s been three years now. We went far the first year in the playoffs [when we lost in the QMJHL finals to Moncton in 2010] and then two Memorial Cups. For sure it’s a lot of work throughout but it’s part of hockey. Maybe next summer I’ll be freer to get rested and get in the gym a lot.”

THN

The Sea Dogs are featured in the October 29 issue of The Hockey News. From the THN website:

In Last Minute of Play, Larry Humber’s crossword puzzle provides readers with a challenge, Jersey Hound looks at the new third jersey of the Saint John Sea Dogs, and more.

Got the issue in the mail the other day. It’s in there.

POSTSCRIPT: Sea Dogs 2, Remparts 5

A collection of recaps from last night’s 5-2 Saint John Sea Dogs loss to the Quebec Remparts…

Our recap. The final score may not show it, but the Saint John Sea Dogs put up a great performance against the No. 2 ranked team in the Canadian Hockey League on Wednesday night.

The Telegraph-Journal’s recap (paywall). The Saint John Sea Dogs skated with the nation’s second-ranked Quebec Remparts for 59 minutes but dropped a 5-2 decision in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action on Wednesday night.

News 88.9’s recap. Featuring Tim Roszell’s goal calls.

Le Soleil’s recap. Remparts goaltender Francois Brassard was solid last night.

Journal de Quebec’s recap. Shocker: Patrick Roy thinks his team can play better. He’s probably right.

SaintJohnSeaDogs.com’s recap. Olivier LeBlanc and Jonathan Huberdeau scored for the Sea Dogs while Sebastien Auger stopped 26 of 29 in the loss. The Sea Dogs now stand at 5-6.

Remparts.ca’s recap. The Remparts won. True story.

Live Blog replay.

MISSING IN ACTION: Ryan Kelly (healthy), Michael Mastrangelo (healthy), Benjamin Hade (upper body), Pierre Durepos (hip), Mackenzie Brown (knee), Matthew Highmore (shoulder), and Spencer Smallman (shoulder) did not play for Saint John.

According to News 88.9’s Tim Roszell, Durepos has suffered a setback in recovering from a hip injury. He will be re-evaluated soon. Durepos has not played yet this season.

RECAP: Fightin' Hard. Dogs Lose 5-2.

FINAL: Saint John 2, Quebec 5

QUEBEC CITY – The final score may not show it, but the Saint John Sea Dogs put up a great performance against the No. 2 ranked team in the Canadian Hockey League on Wednesday night.

The Sea Dogs fell 5-2 to the high powered Quebec Remparts in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action at the Colisee Pepsi. The match kicked off a three-game road trip for Saint John.

Quebec won the game by three but the final two goals were of the empty net variety. The Remparts led 3-1 after one and 3-2 after two. The home team outshot Saint John 31-26 overall.

It was a pretty solid performance by the Dogs who have struggled over the past few games. Hopefully the team puts up similar efforts in Chicoutimi and Baie-Comeau.

The Dogs had goals from Olivier Leblanc and Jonathan Huberdeau. Sebastien Auger made 26 saves in net.

The Remparts had a pair of goals from Adam Erne and singles from Mikhail Grigorenko, Samuel Gauthier, and Pierre-Maxime Poudrier. Francois Brassard made 24 saves in the win.

Here's a recap of the game...

LIVE: Sea Dogs vs Remparts

QUEBEC CITY – Big time test for the Sea Dogs tonight as they take on Patrick Roy’s Quebec Remparts at 8pm at Colisee Pepsi. We’ll have your game updates. Buckle up.

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GAMEDAY 11 - at Quebec

GAMEDAY

Saint John Sea Dogs vs Quebec Remparts

Tonight at 8:00pm

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

Colisee Pepsi – Quebec City, Quebec

PREVIEW

QUEBEC CITY – The Saint John Sea Dogs are in for a tough test tonight.

The Sea Dogs begin their first Quebec road swing of the season this evening, taking on the Quebec Remparts – one of the league’s best teams – at 8pm at Colisee Pepsi.

Quebec is off to a solid 8-1-0-0 start and sits first in the Telus East Division and third overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. They’ve outscored opponents 42-17. Their 42 goals in the third most scored by any team in the circuit.

To make things even tougher on Saint John, the Remparts are a perfect 5-0 at home this season and have outscored opponents 29-11. The Colisee is always a tough building to play in especially for a team with a lot of young and inexperienced players like the Sea Dogs.

The Remparts have an impressive lineup headlined by Mikhail Grigorenko, the 12^th overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft. The Russian forward leads the Remparts in scoring with eight goals and 12 assists in just nine games. Logan Shaw, Adam Erne, and Nick Sorensen are also among the team leaders in point production. Like Saint John last year, Quebec’s lineup is like an all-star team.

Saint John will certainly have their hands full tonight. The Dogs have struggled over the past few games and haven’t won in regulation time since September 30 in Moncton. Saint John’s defense has been an issue of late, giving up 31 goals over the past five games.

The Sea Dogs enter action this evening with 5-5-0-0 record and sit fourth in the Telus Maritimes Division and 12^th overall in the QMJHL. They’ve scored 28 goals this season while giving up 40. The Dogs are 2-2-0-0 away from Harbour Station.

Saint John continues to be led by Captain Jonathan Huberdeau who has eight goals and seven assists in 10 games.

Two Sea Dogs Named To QMJHL Team

Jonathan Huberdeau and Ryan Tesink have both been named to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League roster for the 2012 Subway Super Series. The league announced the full roster and coaching staff this afternoon.

Huberdeau was a lock to make the team since he is basically a lock to make the Canadian world junior team (unless the NHL lockout ends). The Sea Dogs captain, who leads the team in scoring with eight goals and seven assists in 10 games this season, missed last year’s Super Series because of a broken foot.

Tesink is second in Sea Dogs scoring with four goals and seven assists in 10 contests. A sixth round pick of the St. Louis Blues in 2011, Tesink is considered a long shot to make the Canadian world junior team this year.

According to the league's release, “each of the three CHL member leagues assembled a selection committee, working closely with Hockey Canada’s Chief Scout, Kevin Prendergast, to select the players for this year’s series.  The QMJHL selection committee included QMJHL’s Executive vice-president, Marcel Patenaude, Director of Hockey Operations, Pierre Leduc, QMJHL's special delegate to Hockey Canada, Charles Henry, General Manager and Head Coach of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, André Tourigny, President and General Manager of the Armada, Joël Bouchard and Head Coach of the Drummondville Voltigeurs, Mario Duhamel.  A total of twenty-five players will participate in the event this year.  The rosters for each individual game will be announced at a later date.”

The first game of the annual series is Monday, November 5 at Blainville-Boisbriand. The second game is on November 7 in Val-d’Or. The series then shifts to the Ontario Hockey League for two games and then heads to the Western Hockey League.

The QMJHL has struggled against the Russians over the past few seasons, which included losing both games last year. They’ll be looking for some redemption this season.

Every game of the series will be broadcast nationally on Sportsnet. 

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

Ex-Sea Dogs Make AHL Debuts

Several members of last year’s Saint John Sea Dogs team made their professional debuts in the American Hockey League over the weekend but, for the most part, it was fairly uneventful.

Charlie Coyle had the most success, scoring his first AHL goal on Sunday in the Houston Aeros’ 3-2 loss to the San Antonio Rampage.

Here are the game highlights:

Coyle also added an assist and had three shots in the contest. On Saturday in the Aeros season opener against the Charlotte Checkers, “Sir Charles” registered two shots and was a -1. He is wearing his usual No. 3.

Zack Phillips, also playing with the Aeros, had a shot and served two penalty minutes in the two games. The Fredericton native is wearing his old No. 51.

The Hamilton Bulldogs have played just one so far. Nathan Beaulieu was a +1 and had two shots in Hamilton’s 4-3 shootout victory over the Grand Rapids Griffins on Saturday. Former Sea Dogs goaltender Robert Mayer picked up the win in goal.

Four Sea Dogs Make Top 50 List

One current and three former members of the Saint John Sea Dogs were featured in the Fall edition of Hockey’s Future's Top 50 list of NHL prospects.

Not surprisingly, Jonathan Huberdeau is the top ranked Sea Dog coming in at No. 4.

“Huberdeau can be electrifying with his creativity, shifty moves, and quick skating speed,” writes Hockey’s Future. “The game-breaking forward possesses great hands and playmaking skills, which are complemented by his high hockey IQ and offensive vision. His defensive abilities, solid two-way play, and excellent work ethic are too often overshadowed by his offensive talents.”

Nail Yakupov, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Dougie Hamilton all sit above Huberdeau in the rankings.

Charlie Coyle, who is currently playing with the American Hockey League’s Houston Aeros, came in at No. 25.

“Coyle has the size, speed, and puck possession skills to dominate down low in the offensive zone while setting up teammates or playing in the high traffic areas,” says HF.

Nathan Beaulieu, currently playing with the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs, was ranked 27^th.

“A puck-moving defenseman, Beaulieu has excellent skating ability which allows him to activate quickly in transition to the offensive attack,” explains HF. “He has quick hands, good vision of the ice, and the patience to wait for the right opening to develop in front of him.”

Pittsburgh Penguins prospect and current Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defenseman Simon Despres came in at No. 31.

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation