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Saturday, February 28, 2015

RECAP: Sea Dogs Lose 6-2

FINAL: Gatineau 6, Saint John 2

SAINT JOHN – A night after producing a solid offensive performance in a win over the Charlottetown Islanders, the Saint John Sea Dogs had just eight shots on goal in the first two periods of a 6-2 loss to the Gatineau Olympiques on Saturday night at Harbour Station.

The Sea Dogs managed to score twice in the first period – on just five shots – thanks to goals from Mathieu Joseph and Mark Tremaine. But that would be all Saint John’s offense could produce. The Dogs also went 0-for-8 on the power play.

Alex Bishop got the start and made 26 saves in the loss. Francois Brassard made 19 saves in the win and scored his second (!) goal of the season.
Yan Pavel Laplante scored twice for Gatineau while singles came from Brassard, Valentin Zykov, Jonathan Bourcier and Yakov Trenin. Alexandre Carrier had three assists.

It was a big win for Gatineau who now have a four point lead over the Drummondville Voltigeurs for the league’s final playoff spot. The Sea Dogs remain in sixth.

Saint John travels to Bathurst on Friday to play the Titan.

GAME DAY 61: vs Olympiques

A preview of tonight’s game between the Gatineau Olympiques and Saint John Sea Dogs…

When and where: Tonight at 7 p.m., Harbour Station

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/96.1 NewSong FM/QMJHL Live

Records: The Olympiques are fifth in the West Division and 16th overall in the QMJHL with a record of 24-30-0-5 for 53 points. The Sea Dogs are second in the Maritimes Division and sixth overall with a 30-21-3-6 record for 69 points.

Last games: The Olympiques are coming off a 7-3 win over the Wildcats in Moncton last night. Valentin Zykov scored twice while singles came from Tommy Veilleux, Marc Beckstead, Yakov Trenin, Alex Dostie and Louick Marcotte. Francois Brassard was pulled after allowing two goals on five shots. Nicolas Lachance made 25 saves in relief. The Sea Dogs are coming off a 7-3 win over the Charlottetown Islanders last night at Harbour Station. Daniel Del Paggio, Mark Tremaine, Mathieu Joseph, Adam Marsh, Spencer Smallman, Justice Dundas and Thomas Chabot scored for the Sea Dogs while Sebastien Auger made 25 saves.

2014-15 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 0-1-0-0 against the Olympiques this season while Gatineau is 1-0-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Jan. 17 in Gatineau where the Olympiques edged the Sea Dogs 4-2. Jake Coughler and Marc Beckstead each scored twice for the ‘Piques while Justice Dundas and Mathieu Joseph each scored for the Dogs. Francois Brassard made 30 saves in the win while Sebastien Auger made 35 in the loss.

Previous meetings this season:
Saint John 2 @ Gatineau 4 (Jan 17 2015) Final

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Olympiques: Joey Richard

Random stat: Former Sea Dogs forward Joey Richard, who had five points in 25 games with Saint John last year, has nine goals and 17 assists in 56 games with the Olympiques this season.

RECAP: Sea Dogs Win 7-3

FINAL: Saint John 7, Charlottetown 3
Lorne Webster | SN Staff

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs (30-21-3-6) managed to open the floodgates in the second period and earn a convincing 7-3 victory over the visiting Charlottetown Islanders (28-26-1-3) Friday evening at Harbour Station.

The win was important for the Sea Dogs in their quest to earn home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. It could prove to be a turning point as the Sea Dogs look to find the mojo they had during the first half of the season - especially in light of the five close losses in eight games against the Islanders thus far this season.

Dan Del Paggio, Mark Tremaine, Mathieu Joseph, Adam Marsh, Spencer Smallman, Justice Dundas and Thomas Chabot scored for the Sea Dogs. Ross Johnston tallied two goals and Oliver Cooper added one for Charlottetown.  

A fairly open first period didn't produce any goals. The period was highlighted by a fight between Dundas and Johnston after the Islander cross checked Jakub Zboril into the end boards. Charlottetown led 13-7 on the shot clock in the first period.

The Sea Dogs came out flying to start the second period. At 6:41, Del Paggio swatted the rebound of a Joseph shot past Mason MacDonald to break the ice. Under two minutes later, Tremaine took Nathan Noel's clean face-off win and fired a bullet over MacDonald's blocker to extend Saint John's lead to 2-0. Less than a minute later, Kameron Keilly carried the puck into the Sea Dogs' zone, cut to the high slot and sent a hard pass to Johnston who tipped it past Sebastien Auger at the edge of the crease to make it 2-1. 

An apparent goal by Noel at 12:28 was disallowed when the video judge determined that the Sea Dogs were offside well before the goal. Joseph did in fact make it 3-1 when he came out of the penalty box and one-timed a pass from Tremaine past MacDonald at 14:45. Less than two minutes later, Marsh collected the puck after a mad goal mouth scramble and snapped it past MacDonald to extend the lead to 4-1. Smallman capped the second period onslaught with 14 seconds left when he blasted a slap shot through MacDonald's legs after a lovely cross ice feed from Noel to make it 5-1. Saint John fired 22 shots on net versus eight for the Islanders in the second period.

Darryl MacCullum relieved MacDonald to start the third period.  The Sea Dogs continued their strong play to start the third period and, on a power play at 4:55, Dundas tipped a back-door pass from Noel past MacCullum to extend Saint John's lead to 6-1. On a power play at 6:58, Cooper banged in a rebound to make it 6-2. A few seconds after that goal, Cooper suffered a TKO at the hands of Boko Imama. 

On another power play at 10:16, Johnston tipped a point shot past Auger to bring Charlottetown back to 6-3. The power play onslaught continued when Chabot took a cross ice feed from Jason Bell and his booming slap shot found the top corner to make it 7-3. Noel chipped in with his fourth assist of the game on Chabot's goal. Saint John outshot Charlottetown 12-7 in the third to end the game up 41-28 overall.

Friday, February 27, 2015

GAME DAY 60: vs Islanders

A preview of tonight’s game between the Charlottetown Islanders and Saint John Sea Dogs…

When and where: Tonight at 7:30 p.m., Harbour Station

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/96.1 NewSong FM/QMJHL Live

Records: The Islanders are fourth in the Maritimes Division and 11th overall in the QMJHL standings with a 28-25-1-3 record for 60 points. The Sea Dogs are second in the Maritimes and eighth overall with a 29-21-3-6 record for 67 points.

Last games: The Islanders are coming off a 2-1 loss to the Halifax Mooseheads on Saturday at Eastlink Centre. Daniel Sprong had Charlottetown’s only goal while Mason McDonald made 28 saves in the loss. The Sea Dogs are coming off a 3-2 loss in Cape Breton on Tuesday. Mark Tremaine and Spencer Smallman scored for Saint John while Sebastien Auger made 21 stops in the loss.

2014-15 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 2-3-1-1 against the Islanders this season while Charlottetown is 5-1-0-1 against Saint John.

Previous meetings:
Saint John 2 @ Charlottetown 4 (Feb 20 2015) Final
Saint John 4 @ Charlottetown 5 (Jan 4 2015) Final
Saint John 5 @ Charlottetown 6 (Nov 27 2014) Final
Charlottetown 3 @ Saint John 2 (Nov 22 2014) Final OT1
Charlottetown 1 @ Saint John 4 (Oct 12 2014) Final
Charlottetown 4 @ Saint John 5 (Oct 1 2014) Final SO
Saint John 2 @ Charlottetown 3 (Sep 12 2014) Final SO

Last meeting: Feb. 20 at Eastlink Centre where the Islanders defeated the Sea Dogs 4-2. Bradley Kennedy, Ross Johnston, Oliver Cooper and Filip Chalpik scored for Charlottetown while Nathan Noel and Spencer Smallman had Saint John markers. Mason McDonald made an impressive 50 saves in the win while Sebastien Auger made 30 in the loss.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Islanders: Will Thompson and Oliver Cooper

Random stat: In five games against the Islanders with Cape Breton, Jason Bell had a goal and four assists.

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Nine Games To Go

With nine games left to play in the 2014-15 regular season, every one of them will be important for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The Sea Dogs are currently in a fight for home ice advantage in the first round of this year’s playoffs. As pictured above, Saint John currently sits eighth with 67 points. The top eight teams in the league receive home ice advantage.

Saint John has gained a bit of ground over division rivals Halifax and Charlottetown – but the Sea Dogs have played two more games than each of them. The Dogs will play both of those teams twice down the stretch.

Here’s a look at the rest of Saint John’s schedule with each team’s winning percentage attached (Saint John's winning percentage is .568).

Feb. 27 vs Charlottetown - .526
Feb. 28 vs Gatineau - .440
March 6 at Bathurst - .310
March 8 vs Moncton - .698
March 11 vs Cape Breton - .500
March 13 at Moncton - .698
March 14 vs Halifax - .544
March 20 at Charlottetown - .526
March 21 at Halifax - .544

As you can see, the Sea Dogs have just three games left against teams that are at or below the .500 mark. Winning those games could prove to be crucial.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Wednesday News & Notes

The return of Jakub Zboril is a welcome addition to the Saint John Sea Dogs' lineup.

In his two games since returning from injury, the rookie defenseman has a goal and two assists.

His time away from Saint John’s lineup hasn’t hurt his draft status all that much. Sportsnet’s Damien Cox has him ranked 17th in his February draft rankings while the Chronicle Herald’s Willy Palov believes he is the fourth best prospect available from the QMJHL.

Zboril’s agent, Allan Walsh, has shockingly chimed in via Twitter.
Some other Sea Dogs news and notes…

  • In Cox’s draft rankings, he mentions that Thomas Chabot has been “limping along on sore hip flexor of late. Has had to stay in the lineup because of injuries to other Sea Dogs defenders.
  • In Palov’s rankings, Chabot was ranked as the fifth best prospect available from the QMJHL. Sherbrooke’s Jeremy Roy topped the list.
  • In Buzzing the Net’s CHL ‘Hot or Not’ this week, the Sea Dogs are not considered to be the league’s hottest team right now.
  • According to La Presse, Harbour Station has one of the QMJHL’s highest property values.
  • Saturday is Country Night at Harbour Station.
  • The Sea Dogs are back in action on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at Harbour Station when they host the Charlottetown Islanders. The Isles were scheduled to host the Moncton Wildcats tonight but the game was postponed due to weather.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

RECAP: Sea Dogs Lose 3-2

FINAL: Saint John 2, Cape Breton 3
SYDNEY, NS – Despite firing 40 shots on goal, the Saint John Sea Dogs came up short on Tuesday night at Centre 200.

Evgeny Svechnikov scored twice while Loik Leveille added a single in the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles’ 3-2 victory over the Sea Dogs. Alexandre Belanger had a strong night in net, making 38 saves in the win.

Mark Tremaine and Spencer Smallman scored for Saint John while Sebastien Auger made 21 saves in the loss.

Saint John’s offense was there, especially in the third where they had 21 shots, but simply couldn’t score enough. On a positive note, Saint John’s power play, which has struggled all year, went 2/4 in the loss.

The Sea Dogs have now lost five straight road games. They have two home games this weekend, which will be pivotal in the race for playoff home ice advantage.

The first period was fairly uneventful. Each team had a power play but couldn’t generate many chances. At even strength, Jacob Smith had a couple good chances for Cape Breton but could not cash in on either. Shots were 7-6 Cape Breton in the opening frame.

Saint John applied some good pressure in the offensive zone to start the second period. Shortly after though, the game went into boring mode for some time with neither team doing much of anything.

Leveille woke everyone up at 9:12, giving Cape Breton a 1-0 lead. Smith tried to backhand the puck towards the net but it his a Saint John skate and bounced to Leveille who shot it past Auger. 55 seconds later, Stephen Anderson sent a pass from behind the net to an open Svechnikov in the slot. The Cape Breton import made no mistake and made it 2-0.

Despite being outscored 2-0, shots in the second were 13-10 in favour of Saint John.

Saint John headed to the power play at 4:09 of the third. On that man advantage, Nathan Noel’s original attempt was stopped by Belanger but Tremaine was there to put it in and get the Sea Dogs back within one.

At 8:49, it was Cape Breton’s turn to head to the power play. At 9:18, Anderson found Svechnikov with a cross crease feed to put Cape Breton back in front by two.

With 5:38 to play, Saint John headed back to the power play. At 14:55, Smallman walked into the slot and fired a hard wrist shot under the glove of Belanger to make it a 3-2 contest.

With 1:11 left, the Sea Dogs pulled Auger in favour of the extra attacker. Tremaine had a tremendous chance to tie it but was robbed by the pad of Belanger.

GAME DAY 59: at Cape Breton

A preview of tonight’s game between the Saint John Sea Dogs and Cape Breton Screaming Eagles…

When and where: Tonight at 7 p.m., Centre 200

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/96.1 NewSong FM/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are second in the Maritimes Division and seventh overall in the QMJHL standings with a record of 29-20-3-6 for 67 points. The Screaming Eagles are fifth in the Maritimes and 15th overall with a 25-26-2-3 record for 55 points.

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-1 win over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Sunday at Harbour Station. Jakub Zboril, Mathieu Joseph, Spencer Smallman and Samuel Dove-McFalls all scored for Saint John while Sebastien Auger only had to make 14 saves in the win. The Screaming Eagles are coming off a 3-2 win over the Victoriaville Tigres on Saturday at Centre 200. Stephen Anderson, Maxim Lazarev and Marcus Hinds all scored for the Eagles while Alexandre Belanger made 28 saves in the victory.

2014-15 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 5-2-0-0 against the Screaming Eagles this season while Cape Breton is 2-4-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Jan. 25 at Harbour Station where the Screaming Eagles defeated the Sea Dogs 4-1. Evgeny Svechnikov, Alexandre Gosselin, Kyle Farrell and Stephen Anderson all scored for Cape Breton while Spencer Smallman scored Saint John’s lone goal. Miguel Sullivan made 24 saves in the win while Alex Bishop made 25 in the loss.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Screaming Eagles: Olivier LeBlanc and Stephen Anderson

Random stat: Adam Marsh, Spencer Smallman and Nathan Noel all have 10 points each against Cape Breton this season. Meanwhile, Evgeny Svechnikov, Kyle Farrell and Loik Leveille all have 10 points each against Saint John.

Monday, February 23, 2015

If The QMJHL Draft Was Today...


If the 2015 QMJHL Entry Draft was today, the Sea Dogs would be in pretty good shape.

If Drummondville finishes in the bottom two, that would get the Sea Dogs into the coin flip for the first overall selection. The Voltigeurs are currently tied with the Gatineau Olympiques with 51 points.

Although it should be the last thing on everyone’s mind right now, the league’s investigation into an incident involving six Olympiques players could play a major role in who gets into the coin toss.

Sunday, February 22, 2015

RECAP: Sea Dogs Win 4-1

FINAL: Bathurst 1, Saint John 4
Lorne Webster | SN Staff

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs (29-20-3-6) turned in their most complete 60-minute effort in a few weeks and were rewarded with a decisive 4-1 victory over the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan (15-37-4-2) Sunday afternoon at Harbour Station.

The win ended a recent four-game winless streak and also snapped a three game home winless streak against Bathurst. The win was critical in the Sea Dogs’ efforts to earn home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs, especially as they look forward to important games this week against division rivals Cape Breton (Tuesday) and Charlottetown (Friday).

Jakub Zboril, Mathieu Joseph, Spencer Smallman and Sam Dove-McFalls scored for the Sea Dogs while Egor Popov replied for Bathurst.

The fans were buzzing prior to puck drop about the return of Zboril to the line-up and he showed why he is viewed as a likely first round NHL draft choice. On a power play at 2:01, Zboril unleashed a laser from the point that went right through a screened Reilly Pickard to open the scoring. Just past the ten minute mark, Joseph completed a nice give-and-go with Dove-McFalls as he beat Pickard over the glove to make it 2-0 for Saint John. The Sea Dogs also led 11-6 on the shot clock.    

On another power play at 14:22 of the second, Smallman carried the puck to the high slot, faked a pass and wired a wrist shot to the top corner past a screened Pickard to extend Saint John's lead to 3-0. However, on the next shift, Sea Dog nemesis Andrew Ryan muscled his way to the front of the net and his wrist shot banked off Popov and past Sebastien Auger to bring the Titan back within two. Saint John outshot the Titan 16-5 in the second period.

The Sea Dogs continued their strong play to start the third period and, at 1:28, Dove-McFalls banged in the rebound of a Thomas Chabot point shot to reestablish Saint John's three goal lead at 4-1. Saint John’s onslaught of rubber resulted in another 17 shots on Pickard versus four for Bathurst in the third to end the game up 44-15 overall.

GAME DAY 58: vs Titan

A preview of today’s game between the Acadie-Bathurst Titan and Saint John Sea Dogs…

When and where: Today at 3 p.m., Harbour Station

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/96.1 NewSong FM/QMJHL Live

Records: The Titan are sixth in the Maritimes Division and last overall in the QMJHL with a 15-36-4-2 record for 36 points. The Sea Dogs are second in the Maritimes and eighth overall with a 28-20-3-6 record for 65 points.

Last games: The Titan are coming off a 7-0 loss in Rimouski on Thursday. Reilly Pickard and Daniel Vautour combined to make 27 saves in the loss. The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-2 loss in Charlottetown on Friday night. Nathan Noel and Spencer Smallman had goals for Saint John while Sebastien Auger made 30 saves in the loss.

2014-15 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 3-2-1-1 against the Titan this season while Bathurst is 4-3-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Feb. 13 at the KC Irving Regional Centre where the Titan defeated the Sea Dogs 3-2 in overtime. Andrew Ryan, Aaron Kerr and Christophe Boivin scored for Bathurst while Saint John goals came from Daniel Del Paggio and Adam Marsh. Reilly Pickard made 38 saves in the win while Sebastien Auger made 17 stops in the loss.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Titan: None

Random stat: In the bizarre season series between the two, the Titan have won three straight games at Harbour Station. Bathurst has five road wins all year.

Friday, February 20, 2015

RECAP: Sea Dogs Lose 4-2

FINAL: Saint John 2, Charlottetown 4

Lorne Webster | SN Staff

CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI - The Charlottetown Islanders (28-24-1-3) came out firing on all cylinders and beat the visiting Saint John Sea Dogs (28-20-3-6) 4-2 on Friday evening at Eastlink Centre. 

In a battle of division rivals pushing for home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs, the Islanders managed to end a three game losing streak and get within five points of Saint John - with one game in hand. The loss extends Saint John's winless streak to four games, which includes two overtime losses. 

Bradley Kennedy, Ross Johnston, Oliver Cooper and Filip Chlapik scored for the Islanders while Nathan Noel and Spencer Smallman replied for Saint John.

It was apparent at the outset that a difficult drive, through high winds and snow-covered roads, had an adverse affect on the Sea Dogs. On a power play at 1:39, Kennedy banged in a rebound off a goal mouth scramble to open the scoring. Nearly four minutes later, Johnston deflected Guillaume Rioux-Legault's point shot past Sebastien Auger to make it 2-0. Then, at 12:23, Cooper showed soft hands and long reach when he corralled his own rebound and deked Auger to extend the Islanders' lead to 3-0. The Sea Dogs fired 16 shots at Mason MacDonald but only four were classed as dangerous. The Islanders ended the first period with 13 shots on Auger.  

The Sea Dogs came out much stronger to start the second period, determined to fire as many shots on net as possible. At 8:48, Noel picked up the puck along the right wing boards, flashed around the net and beat MacDonald on a wrap-around to get Saint John on the scoreboard. At 15:07, Thomas Chabot's point shot off the end boards eluded MacDonald and Smallman swatted the puck into an empty net to make it 3-2. In a case of turn about is fair play, Chlapik one-timed a lovely feed from Cooper after Auger mishandled a dump in to restore Charlottetown's two goal lead at 4-2. Saint John out shot the Islanders 23-12 in the second period.

There was no scoring in an entertaining and somewhat chippy third period, including a fight between David Henley and Sam Dove-McFalls. Saint John led on the shot clock 13-9 in the third and 52-34 overall.

GAME DAY 57: at Charlottetown

A preview of tonight’s game between the Saint John Sea Dogs and Charlottetown Islanders…

When and where: Tonight at 7 p.m., Eastlink Centre

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/96.1 NewSong FM/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are second in the Maritimes Division and seventh overall in the QMJHL standings with a 28-19-3-6 record for 65 points. The Islanders are fourth in the division and 10th overall with a 27-24-1-3 record for 58 points.

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-3 overtime loss to the Victoriaville Tigres on Wednesday at Harbour Station. Daniel Del Paggio, Adam Marsh and Nathan Noel scored for Saint John while Sebastien Auger made 35 saves in the loss. The Islanders are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Shawinigan Cataractes on Saturday at Eastlink Centre. Spenser Cobbold scored Charlottetown’s lone goal while Mason McDonald made 29 saves in the loss.

2014-15 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 2-2-1-1 against the Islanders this season while Charlottetown is 4-1-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Jan. 4 in Charlottetown where the Islanders defeated the Sea Dogs 5-4. Olivier LeBlanc, Nathan Noel, Justice Dundas and Matthew Highmore had Saint John goals. Alexandre Goulet, Spenser Cobbold, Filip Chlapik, Oliver Cooper and Daniel Sprong scored for the Isles. Alex Bishop made 25 saves in the loss while Mason McDonald made 24 stops in the victory.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Islanders: Oliver Cooper and Will Thompson

Random stat: Both the Sea Dogs and Islanders are on three-game losing streaks.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Thursday News & Notes

Two teams on three-game losing streaks meet tomorrow night at Eastlink Centre in Charlottetown.

The Sea Dogs, 0-1-2 in their past three games, are coming off a disappointing overtime home loss to Victoriaville Tigres last night. The Islanders, meanwhile, have slid to fourth in the division thanks to their recent 0-3 skid.

With 12 games remaining in the regular season, the Sea Dogs sit sixth overall in the QMJHL with 65 points. The top eight teams have home ice during the first round of the playoffs. The team that currently sits in 9th, the Halifax Mooseheads, have 59 points.

Here are some news and notes:

  • Former Sea Dog Stephen MacAulay had a goal and an assist in Saint Mary’s double overtime victory over Acadia in game one of their AUS semifinal playoff series last night in Wolfville.
  • Tonight, Michael Kirkpatrick and the StFX X-Men begin their playoff series against the UNB Varsity Reds in Fredericton.
  • Here’s a real nice story from Michael George who’s family visit to Harbour Station was a very positive experience.
  • In Craig Button’s February draft rankings, Thomas Chabot was ranked 22nd, Jakub Zboril 23rd, Nathan Noel 59th, Adam Marsh 64th, Spencer Smallman 80th, Samuel Dove-McFalls 92nd and Mathieu Joseph 94th.
  • The Hockey Writers released some draft rankings last week. Jakub Zboril was ranked 25th.
  • Willy Palov of the Chronicle Herald has an article on Olivier LeBlanc who is helping turn things around in Cape Breton this second half.
  • As of yesterday: