POSTSCRIPT: Cataractes 3, Sea Dogs 2

A collection of recaps from yesterday’s 3-2 Saint John Sea Dogs loss to the Shawinigan Cataractes…

Our recap. The Saint John Sea Dogs took on The Shawinigan Cataractes on Sunday afternoon for the annual Support The Troops game. The two teams played in front of a crowd of 3,780.

The Telegraph-Journal’s recap (paywall). Another interesting chapter has been added to the Saint John Sea Dogs’ rivalry with the Shawinigan Cataractes.

Le Nouvelliste’s recap. Shawinigan ended their 12-game losing streak. So that’s good.

The Canadian Press’ recap. Ryan Tesink, with a goal and an assist of his own, and Jonathan Huberdeau replied for the Sea Dogs (9-9-0), who were playing their 500th regular-season game in the QMJHL.

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

SaintJohnSeaDogs.com’s recap. It was the 500th regular season game for the Saint John Sea Dogs as they took on the Shawinigan Cataractes in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action Sunday afternoon. The Sea Dogs dropped the contest 3-2 in front of 3,780 fans at Harbour Station.

The Cataractes website’s recap. Shawinigan won and stuff.

MISSING IN ACTION: The Sea Dogs were without Olivier LeBlanc, Benjamin Hade, Matthew Highmore, Mackenzie Brown, Pierre Durepos, Spencer Smallman, and Andreas Tsogkas on Sunday afternoon.

Devon Oliver-Dares returned to the Saint John lineup after missing the past two.

PRE-GAME: It was Support Our Troops Day at Harbour Station on Sunday afternoon so there was a big pre-game ceremony. Like last year, the team left a section in the upper bowl empty. Names were placed on each seat to honour the 158 fallen soldiers in Afghanistan. The Sea Dogs wore Poppies and yellow ribbons on their helmets.

FIRST PERIOD: It was an ugly first period for Saint John. They fired just four shots on goal in the frame and had very few solid scoring chances. Shawinigan scored twice on seven shots to lead 2-0 after one. The Sea Dogs entered the game with a 2-5-0-0 record when trailing after one.

HUBERDEAU: Jonathan Huberdeau scored in the second period. It was his first goal since October 19 in Chicoutimi. He now has 11 goals and 12 assists in 18 games this year.

TESINK: Ryan Tesink now has goals in four straight games. He helped setup Saint John’s first goal and scored the second. The St. Louis Blues prospect now has eight goals and 10 assists this year.

GAGNE: Kevin Gagne played in his 252^nd QMJHL game on Sunday, setting a team record for games played by a defenseman. Yann Sauve held the previous record.

FOURNIER: Alex Fournier is certainly having a rough start to his QMJHL career. He entered the game with a 0-2 record to go along with a 8.50 goals against average and a 0.754 save percentage. He allowed two soft goals on seven shots in the first and was replaced by Sebastien Auger to start the second.

Fournier now has a 8.14 GAA to go with a 0.750 SV%. He’s only played in four games but those numbers are not pretty. It’ll be interesting to see when – or if – he starts on Saint John’s upcoming three-in-three road trip through Quebec.

KOYS: Slovakian import Patrik Koys recorded an assist on Shawinigan’s game winning goal. It was his first QMJHL point. Koys was the 25^th overall pick in the CHL Import Draft during the off-season.

SHOTS: The Sea Dogs trailed on the shot clock for most of the game but finished with a 27-27 tie. Interestingly, every Sea Dogs player had a shot on goal. Ryan Tesink led the way with four.

STREAK: Shawinigan ended their 12-game losing streak with the win. It was their first victory since October 5 and just their third win of the season.

STANDINGS: The Sea Dogs are now back at .500 with a 9-9-0-0 record for 18 points. They sit fifth in the Telus Maritimes Division and 13^th overall in the QMJHL.

POST-GAME: The Sea Dogs were put back on the ice after yesterday’s loss. “Disappointed by his team’s 3-2 loss Sunday at Harbour Station, Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Mike Kelly ordered his troops back on the ice just minutes after the setback,” reports Scott Briggs of theTelegraph-Journal. The skate lasted about 35 minutes.

As the T-J notes, the Sea Dogs did the same thing following a loss to Shawinigan during the 2009-10 season. Gotta love the drama involved in Sea Dogs-Cataractes games.

500: This was the Sea Dogs’ 500^th regular season game in team history. It was also Equipment Manager David Kelly’s 500^th regular season game. He was honoured in a pre-game ceremony.

NOTES: This was Saint John’s final home game until November 24… there were new Tim Hortons board ads. Yes, this is news… David Weckworth left for a short time in the second period after a big collision. He would return… JC Campagna had six shots for Shawinigan… Yan Dumontier had three hits… Devon Oliver-Dares had four hits… let’s forget this game ever happened.

HIGHLIGHTS: Courtesy of SeaDogsTV.

OUT OF TOWN

Blainville-Boisbriand 3 at Acadie-Bathurst 6

Drummondville 2 at Chicoutimi 6

Val-d'Or 5 at Gatineau 3

Halifax 5 at Rimouski 6 (SO)

SSS: Ryan Tesink and Jonathan Huberdeau are in Quebec this week to take part in the Subway Super Series. Team QMJHL takes on Team Russia in Game 1 of the series tonight at 8pm.

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs travel to Sherbooke for the first time to take on the Phoenix on Friday at 8pm.