News & Notes From Saturday's Game

Super Bowl Sunday. May the team that records the most footballs or whatever win!

Some stuff from last night’s game…

• The Huskies ended a five-game losing streak with the win.
• Saint John’s last Quebec road trip of the regular season ended with a decent 1-2 record. They lost 4-2 in Shawinigan and 6-1 in Rouyn-Noranda but did win 2-0 in Val-d’Or.
• Matthew Highmore scored the Sea Dogs’ only goal in the game 34 seconds into the second as he deflected a Thomas Chabot shot. That goal opened the scoring but Rouyn-Noranda would then score six unanswered.
• With Chabot picking up an assist on that Highmore goal, the rookie defender now has helpers in four straight games. He has six assists in his past six games.
• Definitely looked like Francis Beauvillier’s second period goal was kicked in. It was reviewed and still called a good goal.
• After doing a good job at containing the league’s best power play on Friday, the Sea Dogs allowed three man advantage goals on eight chances on Saturday. Saint John went 1-for-5.
• Sebastien Auger got some time off on Saturday as Chase Gaudet made his Sea Dogs debut in net. Although he allowed six goals, he did face 47 shots. He made some solid saves in the game. It was his first QMJHL appearance since December 11, 2012 when he was with Shawinigan.
• Saint John only had 16 shots on goal in the game and just three of them were considered dangerous. Yikes.
• Highmore had nine of Saint John’s 16 shots and two of the three dangerous ones. No other Sea Dog had more than one shot.
• Former Charlottetown Islander Jack Nevins had three assists, giving him eight points against Saint John this year.
• The QMJHL website had hits listed at 42-26 in favour of the Huskies. That is ridiculously high. I’m guessing any kind of contact was considered a hit.
• The Sea Dogs were without forwards Stephen Anderson (upper body), Joey Richard (shoulder), and Samuel Dove-McFalls (healthy) along with defensemen Michael Abbott (hand) and David Weckworth (upper body). Goaltender Antoine Landry also remains out with a lower body injury.
• Weckworth was injured in Friday’s game in Val-d’Or.
• With the loss, the Sea Dogs remain one-point back of the Sherbrooke Phoenix who hold the league’s final playoff spot. Shawinigan won last night, moving them within a point of Saint John. As usual, there are no games scheduled for Super Bowl Sunday.

NOTES: Alexander McQuaid had four hits… Alexandre Leclerc had five hits… Saint John only won 27 of 70 faceoffs… small penalty boxes at Iamgold Arena… Chase Gaudet took a delay of game penalty in the second when he played the puck outside the trapezoid behind the net… $1,070 went to the 50/50 winner… Saint John plays six of their 10 games in February at home.

SN Three Stars

3. The play Mackenzie Brown made in the third to prevent a goal

2. Matthew Highmore
1. The Huskies animated intro video

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs kick off a bizarre three-in-three on Friday night at Harbour Station against the Rimouski Oceanic.