RECAP: Sea Dogs Win 5-3

FINAL: Saint John 5, Bathurst 3

By Kevin Chambers | SN Staff

BATHURST – The Saint John Sea Dogs are now just a single point back of the Moncton Wildcats for the Maritimes Division lead.

Following a 5-3 win over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan tonight at the KC Irving Regional Centre, the Sea Dogs have picked up at least a point in 14 straight games (12-0-2). They now find themselves just a single point back of Moncton and, depending on how the Wildcats fare tomorrow against the Titan, could take over first place on Wednesday.

Matthew Highmore, Sam Povorozniouk, Joe Veleno, Mathieu Joseph and Matt Green all scored for Saint John on Saturday. Jason Bell, Jordan Maher and Daniil Miromanov replied for the Titan. Marc-Antoine Turcotte made 29 saves in the win while Reilly Pickard made 26 in the loss.

It was a rough start for the Sea Dogs in this one as Bell was able to cash in on his own rebound early in the opening period to give the Titan an early 1-0 lead.  Maher would extend the Titan lead to 2-0 with a power play goal at 11:26. The Sea Dogs would return the favour though, denting the twine with a power play marker of their own when Highmore lifted a shot over Pickard for his 18th of the season at 14:18.

At 5:10 of the second, Povorozniouk scored his 25th goal of the season, firing a wrist shot past Pickard from the high slot to even the game at 2-2. Saint John thought they scored the go ahead goal when Kyle Ward went upstairs on Pickard soon after but it was called off due to an offside. The Dogs wouldn’t be denied though at 16:42 when Veleno tipped home a Matt Murphy shot to, putting Saint John ahead 3-2. Just over a minute after the Veleno goal, it was Joseph scoring his 25th marker of the season by jumping on a juicy rebound and shooting the puck over a downed Pickard to make it 4-2 after 40 minutes.

The third period started off much like the second with the Sea Dogs killing a penalty to Nathan Noel - but the difference was Matt Green scoring a shorthanded goal at 1:03 to make it 5-2. The Titan would add a late goal off the stick of Miromanov, which pulled the Titan within two. That could be as close as Bathurst would get, though.

GAME DAY 48: at Bathurst

Having picked up points in 13 straight games, the Saint John Sea Dogs (30-13-4-0, 64 points, 2^nd Maritimes, 6^th QMJHL) are in Bathurst tonight to battle the Titan (19-24-3-2, 43 points, 5^th Maritimes, 15^th QMJHL) at 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/96.1 NewSong FM/QMJHL Live

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-3 win in Rimouski last night. Spencer Smallman scored twice while singles came from Daniel Del Paggio, Matt Murphy and Mathieu Joseph. Marc-Antoine Turcotte made 20 saves in the victory. The Titan are coming off a 4-1 home win over the Halifax Mooseheads last night. Keegan Gauthier, Jordan Maher, Vladimir Kuznetsov and Mark Simpson all scored for Bathurst while Reilly Pickard made 30 saves in the win.

2015-16 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 3-1-1-0 against the Titan this season while Bathurst is 2-2-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Jan. 9 in Bathurst where the Sea Dogs defeated the Titan 5-2. Adam Marsh, Sam Povorozniouk, Daniel Del Paggio, Matthew Highmore and Nathan Noel all scored for Saint John. Bathurst goals came from Jeffrey Truchon-Viel. Marc-Antoine Turcotte made 23 saves in the victory. Marc Audet allowed three goals on 18 shots in the loss while Reilly Pickard allowed two goals on 17 shots.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Titan: Defenseman Jason Bell and forward Dawson Theede.

Player to watch: Sea Dogs forward Bokondji Imama’s 15-game suspension came to an end last night, making him eligible to play in tonight’s contest. The Tampa Bay Lightning prospect has not played since Dec. 11.

Three Things to Know

1. According to the QMJHL’s weekly “Inside the Numbers,” last night’s Sea Dogs victory gave head coach Danny Flynn 249 career wins. If the Dogs win tonight, Flynn would become 22^nd coach in QMJHL history to reach the 250 mark.

2. Nathan Noel extended his point streak to 13 games last night. The centre has collected 22 points during the streak. Also, Mathieu Joseph has goals in three straight games and Matthew Highmore has assists in six straight.

3. The Sea Dogs now have 15 road wins on the season, tying them for fourth most in the QMJHL.

RECAP: Sea Dogs Win 5-3

FINAL Saint John 5, Rimouski 3

By Lorne Webster | SN Staff

RIMOUSKI, PQ - The Saint John Sea Dogs traveled to the home of the defending Presidents Cup champions on Friday night and came away with a 5-3 win over the Rimouski Oceanic.    

The win extended the Sea Dogs' string of games with at least one point to 13 (11-0-2-0) and allowed Saint John to pull within three points of the idle Moncton Wildcats - with two games in hand - for first place in the Maritimes Division. The Sea Dogs also moved six points ahead of Rimouski for sixth overall in the QMJHL.

Spencer Smallman led the way with two goals while Daniel Del Paggio, Matt Murphy (in his 300th QMJHL game) and Mathieu Joseph also scored for Saint John. Samuel Laberge, Antoine Dufort-Plante and Deven St-Hilaire replied for Rimouski.  

1st Period

A tight checking first period would end in a scoreless draw as both Marc-Antoine Turcotte and Louis-Philip Guindon were especially sharp in goal for Saint John and Rimouski, respectively.

2nd Period

Power play goals were in abundance in the second period. Smallman opened the scoring on a power play just 49 seconds in, when his one-timer from the slot beat Guindon through the five-hole. Del Paggio added the Sea Dogs’ second power play goal at 9:58 as he banged in the rebound of a Joe Veleno shot. However, just over a minute later, Laberge snapped a tip pass from Dylan Montcalm past Turcotte to bring Rimouski back within one. Then at 16:15, Dufort-Plante joined the power play brigade with a laser from the bottom of the left face-off circle to even the contest at 2-2. An apparent Saint John goal seconds later was waved off due to incidental contact with Guindon.  

   

3rd Period

In spite of a few calls in favour of the hosts, Saint John pretty much controlled the play in the third period. Murphy put Saint John back in front at 6:21 when his snap shot off a lovely saucer pass from Veleno beat Guindoin. Just over a minute later, Joseph took a stretch pass from Matthew Highmore and scored on a deke off the ensuing breakaway. At 15:25, Smallman's shot from in close banked off a sliding Simon Bourque and past Guindon to extend Saint John's lead to 5-2. At 17:20, St-Hilaire's shot off a two-on-one beat Turcotte to set the final score at 5-3.  

GAME DAY 47: at Rimouski

After sweeping the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on home ice last weekend, the Saint John Sea Dogs (29-13-4-0, 62 points, 2^nd Maritimes, 6^th QMJHL) hit the road to take on the Rimouski Oceanic (27-16-3-1, 58 points, 2^nd East, 7^th QMJHL) tonight at 8:30 p.m.

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

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 7-5 win over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on Saturday at Harbour Station. Spencer Smallman scored twice while singles came from Daniel Del Paggio, Nathan Noel, Sam Povorozniouk, Matthew Highmore and Mathieu Joseph. Marc-Antoine Turcotte made 26 saves in the win. The Oceanic are coming off a 2-0 victory in Chicoutimi on Saturday. Dylan Montcalm and Samuel Laberge scored for Rimouski while Louis-Philip Guindon made 26 saves in the win.

2015-16 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 1-0-0-0 against the Oceanic this season while Rimouski is 0-1-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Jan. 10 at Harbour Station where the Sea Dogs defeated the Oceanic 5-4. Matthew Highmore had a hat trick while Nathan Noel and Sam Povorozniouk added singles. Rimouski had a pair of goals from Nicolas Werbik and singles from Deven St-Hilaire and Dominic Cormier. Marc-Antoine Turcotte made 33 saves in the win. Louis-Philip Guindon made 27 in the loss.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Oceanic: None

Player to watch: Sam Povorozniouk has goals in seven straight games. The longest goal-scoring streak in the league this season is eight games.

Three Things to Know:

1. Louis-Philip Guindon is a good goaltender. The Rimouski netminder has the second most wins (23), fourth best save percentage (.907) and seventh best GAA (2.89).

2. Rimouski is solid on special teams. They own the fifth best power play (23.4%) and penalty kill (81.1%) in the QMJHL.

3. The Sea Dogs have scored 12 shorthanded goals, the second most in the league. Meanwhile, the Oceanic have allowed only three shorthanded goals, which ties them for the league low.

DOGS DAILY: Green, Team Orr Victorious

The QMJHL had a good night at the 2016 BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game last night in Vancouver.

With two goals and an assist, Victoriaville’s Pascal Laberge was named player of the game in Team Orr’s 3-2 come-from-behind victory over Team Cherry. Cape Breton’s Pierre-Luc Dubois added a goal and two assists.

Though held pointless, Luke Green had a good game on defense in the Team Orr victory. Paired with Jake Bean, Green started the game and was praised a few times throughout the broadcast. His friendship with goaltender Evan Fitzpatrick was mentioned several times as well.

Luke Green and Team Orr MVP Pascal Laberge after the #CHLTopProspectsGame. #OctagonHockey pic.twitter.com/6fGGZKLVgh

— Allan Walsh (@walsha) January 29, 2016

In other news…

• The Sea Dogs were an honourable mention in the CHL Top 10 Rankings again this week. Weirdly, Moncton, who still sits ahead of Saint John in the standings, was not ranked or mentioned.
• Former Sea Dogs forward Oliver Cooper has been named captain of the Charlottetown Islanders. Cooper replaces Quinn O’Brien who suffered a season ending injury.
• Here’s Dylan Wells of the Peterborough Petes interviewing Luke Green.
• It’s been fairly quiet on the 2017 Memorial Cup hosting front, which will be in an OHL city (it appeared to be heading to the QMJHL at one time). Windsor officially expressed some interest this week. The Spitfires bid on both the 2011 and 2014 tournaments but lost.
• The Sea Dogs return to action tonight when they take on the Oceanic in Rimouski at 8:30 p.m.

Photo via Mooseheads Twitter

GAME DAY: 2016 Top Prospects Game

A preview of tonight’s 2016 BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game between Team Orr and Team Cherry…

When and where: Tonight at 10 p.m., Pacific Coliseum

TV/Radio/Webcast: Sporstnet, TVA Sports, NHL Network (US)/None/Webcast

Records: Team Orr is 12-4-0-0 all-time at this event while Team Cherry is 5-12-0-0.

Last year: Thomas Chabot, Nathan Noel and Team Orr defeated Team Cherry 6-0 in St. Catharines. Noel had a goal in the game.

Participating Sea Dogs: Defenseman Luke Green will play for Team Orr.

QMJHL Players on Team Orr: Pierre-Luc Dubois (Cape Breton), Pascal Laberge (Victoriaville), Otto Somppi (Halifax) and Luke Green (Saint John).

QMJHL Players on Team Cherry: Vitalii Abramov (Gatineau), Julien Gauthier (Val-d’Or), Samuel Girard (Shawinigan) and Evan Fitzpatrick (Sherbrooke).

Links:

• NHL Central Scouting on Luke Green: "Highly effective skating, puck moving defenceman. Strong and mobile skater who is capable to lead a rush and who excels at jumping into the attack.  Advances the puck effectively with first pass plays and distributes puck well on power play.  Shoots with authority and can find the shooting lanes from point.”
• From yesterday’s Sport Testing Combine: “Some notable single event off-ice performances included Noah Gregor of the Moose Jaw Warriors and Luke Green of the Saint John Sea Dogs who dueled in the vertical jump, a key determinant of leg power used across sport.  Ultimately Gregor won by 1.5 inches, with a top score of 32 inches.”
• Sportsnet’s Sam Cosentino on who to watch for tonight.
• Things you need to know about the game.
• 57 seconds into this video, Yann Sauve fights Steven Stamkos at the 2008 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game. Never forget.

DOGS DAILY: Prospects Game Tomorrow

The 2016 BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game takes place tomorrow night in Vancouver. While the scheduling makes a lot of sense, it also makes no sense at all.

There will be no NHL games tomorrow night as the all-star break begins, putting the game into the national spotlight. That’s good. What’s not good is the fact that this game begins at 10 p.m. AST in Vancouver, meaning most of the eastern players probably won’t be in action for their clubs on Friday night when CHL play resumes.

Ryan Pyette of the London Free Press has a good column on the matter, noting that Friday’s Erie-London game, which would be a marque game on the OHL schedule under normal circumstances, will likely be missing five key players.

There are seven games on Friday’s QMJHL schedule, including the Sea Dogs visiting the Rimouski Oceanic at 8:30 p.m.

Saint John will be represented in the annual game by defenseman Luke Green, who will suit up for Team Orr.

In other news…

• According to the Cape Breton Post, Screaming Eagles defenseman Maxim Baillargeon has been suspended four games for a cross checking incident during Saturday’s game in Saint John. Baillargeon did not earn any penalty minutes in the game. Video and explanation from the league can be found here.
• The Sea Dogs, 10-0-2-0 in their past 10 games, visit Bathurst on Saturday following their Friday game in Rimouski. After visiting the Wildcats on Feb. 3, the Dogs return home for a five-game home stand.
• While Saint John’s power play has picked up steam in the second half, their penalty killing hasn’t been quite as strong. They have slipped to fourth in the QMJHL in penalty kill percentage with a rating of 81.4%.
• If Sam Povorozniouk scores on Friday it will give him goals in eight straight games. That would tie him with Val-d’Or’s Anthony Richard for the longest goal scoring streak this season (Povorozniouk probably won’t score now that I have written this down and I apologize in advance).
• Bokondji Imama’s 15-game suspension will end following Friday’s game, making him eligible for Saturday’s contest in Bathurst. He has not played since Dec. 11 in Halifax.
• In TSN’s latest coaches poll, Gerard Gallant received five votes for top coach.

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

DOGS DAILY: Highmore Named Third Star

Matthew Highmore has been rewarded for his impressive production of late.

The QMJHL named Highmore the third star of the week after registering three goals and four assists during Saint John’s three-in-three. Sherbrooke goaltender Evan Fitzpatrick and Gatineau forward Vitalii Abramov were named the first and second stars of the week, respectively.

Highmore has been unbelievable in the month of January, recording eight goals and eight assists in eight games. He has points in seven straight games and has been held goalless just three times this month.

After a disappointing offensive season last year, Highmore has already tied his career high in points with 50, set in the 2013-14 season. With 17 goals, he is also nearing his career high of 19 set during 2013-14.

Highmore is Saint John’s leading scoring, sitting one point ahead of Mathieu Joseph.

RECAP: Sea Dogs Win 7-5

FINAL: Cape Breton 5, Saint John 7

By Lorne Webster | SN Staff

SAINT JOHN - Less than 24 hours after an exciting 3-2 shootout win over Cape Breton - in front of a national audience on Sportsnet - the Saint John Sea Dogs beat the Screaming Eagles again, this time by score of 7-5, on Saturday.

The win extended the Sea Dogs' string of games with at least one point to 12 (10-0-2-0) and also allowed Saint John to pull within five points of Moncton - who lost 5-4 (OT) in Drummondville - with three games in hand. The Sea Dogs moved nine points clear of Cape Breton - with three games in hand as well.

Spencer Smallman led the way for the Sea Dogs with a pair of goals. Matthew Highmore, Mathieu Joseph, Sam Povorozniouk, Daniel Del Paggio and Nathan Noel also scored for Saint John. Evgeny Svechnikov had two goals to go with singles from Maxim Lazarev, Michael Joly and Tobie Bisson for Cape Breton.  

1st Period

Power plays were key in the early goings of the game. At 4:15 - about a minute after a Jakub Zboril point shot found iron - Smallman banged in the rebound of a Luke Green shot to open the scoring. Less than a minute apart (9:36 and 10:13), Lazarev and Joly scored power play goals to put Cape Breton out front.  Highmore would tie the game at 2-2 with 15.5 seconds left - after taking a feed in the slot following some impressive stick handling by Thomas Chabot.

2nd Period

The floodgates opened during some four-on-four action in the fifth minute of the second period. At 4:13, Joseph deposited the rebound of a Highmore shot. 13 seconds later, Svechnikov responded with a lovely wrap around goal. And at 4:54, Smallman completed a beautiful give and go with Noel. On a power play at 12:12, Povorozniouk extended the Sea Dogs lead to 5-3 with a laser over Daryl MacCallum's blocker. However, at 18:20, Bisson's wrist shot caromed off someone in front of Saint John's goal and over Marc-Antoine Turcotte's shoulder. The teams went to their dressing rooms with Saint John out front 5-4. 

   

3rd Period

A few signs of fatigue appeared in the first half of a back and forth third period, which had very few stoppages. At 10:02 - moments after  Matt Green hit the post - a turnover in the neutral zone resulted in Svechnikov's second goal of the night to tie the game 5-5. At 16:35, Del Paggio banged home the game winner off a rebound from a shot by Joseph. An apparent goal about two minutes later by Povorozniouk was called back. But Noel would ice the victory with an empty net marker from centre at 19:54 - after some furious pressure by the Screaming Eagles. 

DOGS DAILY: Paul Heads Back To Jr. A

Matt Paul is no longer with the Saint John Sea Dogs.

As confirmed by Tim Roszell on last night’s 96.1 NewSong FM pre-game show, Paul was released because he wanted to return to junior ‘A.’ The Sea Dogs claimed Paul off waivers from the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on Jan. 7.

The 18-year-old defenseman appeared in two games with Saint John, recording two assists. He also played in two games with the Screaming Eagles back in September. In total, Paul has played in 19 QMJHL games over the past three seasons.

In 23 games with the MHL’s Amherst Ramblers this year, Paul has one goal and nine assists.

In other news…

• In four shootouts this season, the Sea Dogs have scored an impressive nine goals on 12 attempts, which gives them a league leading .750 shooting percentage.
• In case you hadn’t heard, the Sea Dogs were an honourable mention in this week’s CHL Top 10 rankings. Val-d’Or, Rouyn-Noranda, Moncton and Gatineau were all ranked.
• Rogers TV analyst Craig Eagles shares his thoughts on Jakub Zboril’s season in his latest blog post.
• In this week’s “Inside the Numbers” on the QMJHL website, it’s noted that Matt Murphy is nearing the 300 game mark, something only 40 other defensemen have done in league history. Kevin Gagne and Pascal Amyot are two of them.
• The Charlottetown Islanders website has an article on Pierre-Olivier Joseph. The 16-year-old defenseman credits former Sea Dog and current Islanders forward Oliver Cooper for the help in transitioning to the QMJHL.
• Julien Tessier has arrived in Chicoutimi, reports Le Quotidien. Tessier, who was traded to the Sagueneens during the holiday trade period, hasn’t played a QMJHL game since Nov. 14 due to health issues.
• The Moncton Wildcats have been outscored 17-3 over the past two games. Their division lead over the Sea Dogs is now at six points – and Saint John has three games on hand.
• Some of the highlights from last night's Sea Dogs win:

GAME DAY 46: vs Screaming Eagles

After a thrilling 3-2 shootout win last night, the Saint John Sea Dogs (28-13-4-0, 60 points, 2^nd Maritimes, 6^th QMJHL) face the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (24-19-4-1, 53 points, 3^rd Maritimes, 8^th QMJHL) again this evening at 7 p.m. at Harbour Station.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/96.1 NewSong FM/QMJHL Live

Last games: These two teams met last night at Harbour Station with the Sea Dogs posting a 3-2 shootout victory. Michael Joly scored both Cape Breton goals while Mathieu Joseph and Sam Povorozniouk scored for Saint John. Both goaltenders were excellent with Marc-Antoine Turcotte making 39 saves and Alexandre Belanger making 37.

2015-16 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 5-1-0-0 against the Screaming Eagles this season while Cape Breton is 1-4-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Last night.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Screaming Eagles: Defenseman Olivier LeBlanc.

Player to watch: Sam Povorozniouk now has goals in six straight games. He has scored seven goals and added three assists during that span. The 20-year-old forward now has 23 goals on the season, beating his previous career high of 15 set last year with the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires.

Three Things to Know

1. While his goal-scoring streak came to an end at six games last night, Nathan Noel extended his point streak to an impressive 11 games. He has recorded 18 points during the stretch.

2. Saint John has picked up at least a point in 11 straight games. They are 9-0-2-0 during that span and have been the hottest team in the QMJHL of late. Saint John’s last regulation time loss was on Dec. 17 – which was at home against Cape Breton.

3. Michael Joly has four goals and an assist in four games against Saint John this season.

RECAP: Sea Dogs Win 3-2 (SO)

FINAL: Cape Breton 2, Saint John 3 (SO)

By Keven Chambers | SN Staff

SAINT JOHN – With a national television audience watching, the Saint John Sea Dogs put on a great show on Friday night at Harbour Station.

The Sea Dogs rebounded from Thursday’s shootout loss in Charlottetown with a 3-2 shootout victory over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. Saint John has now picked up at least a point in 11 straight games.

Mathieu Joseph and Sam Povorozniouk scored for Saint John in regulation time while Joe Veleno netted the shootout winner. Marc-Antoine Turcotte, who has struggled of late, was fantastic, making 39 saves in the win.

Michael Joly scored both Cape Breton goals. Alexandre Belanger was also excellent in net, making 37 saves in the loss.

The Screaming Eagles got off to a quick start with Maxim Lazarev capitalizing on a turnover and feeding a pass to make it 1-0 at 1:36. With plenty of excellent scoring chances throughout the first period both goaltenders made some excellent saves, keeping the score 1-0.

The second period saw more of the Joly show as he buried his second of the game at 11:25, giving the Screaming Eagles a 2-0 lead. Later in the period it was Thomas Chabot hitting Joly and getting thrown out of the game after being assessed a five-minute major for checking from behind. The Sea Dogs were able to kill off the major to Chabot and Mathieu Joseph was able to pick up a late goal with just 39 seconds left in the period to make it a one goal game heading to the third.

After an early power play chance, Povorozniouk was able to wrist one past Belanger to knot the game at 2-2. Despite plenty of scoring chances from both sides, including a couple posts, that would be all the scoring in the regulation time.

The overtime period was wide open with multiple chances at both ends. Turcotte made a couple unbelievable saves - including an unreal glove save - to send the game to a shootout.

In the shootout:

Sam Povorozniouk scored, 1-0

Maxim Lazarev scored a beauty. 1-1

Mathieu Joseph lost the handle, no shot, 1-1

Michael Joly also lost the handle, no shot, 1-1

Nathan Noel stopped, 1-1

Evgeny Svechnikov stopped, 1-1

Joe Veleno goes forehand-backhand roof, 2-1

Phelix Martineau stopped by Turcotte, 2-1 Sea Dogs win

GAME DAY 45: vs Screaming Eagles

After having their seven-game winning streak snapped last night in Charlottetown, the Saint John Sea Dogs (27-13-4-0, 58 points, 2^nd Maritimes, 6^th QMJHL) look to rebound tonight at 8 p.m. on home ice against the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (24-19-4-0, 52 points, 3^rd Maritimes, 8^th QMJHL).

TV/Radio/Webcast: Sportsnet/96.1 NewSong FM/QMJHL Live

Last games: The Screaming Eagles are coming off an impressive 10-2 victory over the Maritimes Division leading Moncton Wildcats on Tuesday night at home. Alexandre Gosselin had a pair of goals while singles came from Giovanni Fiore, Loik Leveille, Pierre-Luc Dubiois, Massimo Carozza, Michael Joly, Evgeny Svechnikov, Colin MacSween and Dillon Boucher. Alexandre Belanger made 19 saves in the win. The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-4 overtime loss in Charlottetown last night. Matthew Highmore had a pair of goals while singles came from Nathan Noel and Sam Povorozniouk. Marc-Antoine Turcotte was pulled after allowing three goals on seven shots. Alex Bishop made 16 saves in relief.

2015-16 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 4-1-0-0 against the Screaming Eagles this season while Cape Breton is 1-4-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Jan. 3 at Centre 200 where the Sea Dogs defeated the Screaming Eagles 3-1. Ryan Chiasson, Nathan Noel and Adam Marsh scored for Saint John. Peyton Hoyt had Cape Breton’s lone goal. Marc-Antoine Turcotte made 28 saves in the win while Alexandre Belanger made 19 in the loss.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Screaming Eagles: Defenseman Olivier LeBlanc

Player to watch: With two goals and an assist last night, Matthew Highmore now has seven goals and five assists in his past five games. Highmore has also taken over the team scoring lead from Mathieu Joseph, registering 16 goals and 46 points in 44 games.

Three Things to Know

1. While Saint John’s winning streak came to an end last night, the club has still picked up points in 10 straight contests.

2. Cape Breton and Saint John each have 12 shorthanded goals this season, which ties them for second most in the league. Val-d’Or has a league high 16.

3. Nathan Noel and Sam Povorozniouk each have goal scoring streaks going. Noel has goals in six straight while Povorozniouk has scored in five straight. Meanwhile, Noel has picked up points in 10 straight.

RECAP: Sea Dogs Lose 5-4 (OT)

FINAL: Saint John 4, Charlottetown 5 (OT)

CHARLOTTETOWN – A former Sea Dog ended Saint John’s winning streak at seven-games on Thursday night at Eastlink Centre.

With 58.2 seconds remaining in overtime, Will Thompson scored to give the Charlottetown Islanders a 5-4 victory over the Sea Dogs. Despite the loss, the Sea Dogs did overcome 3-0 and 4-1 deficits to force extra time, which is something. And while Saint John’s seven-game winning streak came to end, the club has still picked up points in 10 straight games.

Samuel Blais had a pair of goals for the Islanders while Filip Chlapik and Bradley Kennedy also scored. Mason McDonald was kept busy, making 45 saves in the loss.

Matthew Highmore had a pair of goals for Saint John – including the game tying goal early in the third. Nathan Noel and Sam Povorozniouk also scored. Marc-Antoine Turcotte was pulled after allowing three goals on seven shots in the first period. Alex Bishop was solid in relief, making 16 stops.

A Chlapik point shot on a power play, which sailed past a screened Turcotte, opened the scoring at 5:49. Then at 10:08, Blais made it 2-0 Charlottetown. Three minutes later, Blais scored again, this time on a power play, to give the Isles a 3-0 advantage and end Turcotte’s night.

The first period wasn’t all bad for Saint John. At 17:21 during a man advantage, Noel beat McDonald to make it 3-1 heading into the first intermission.

Despite Saint John dominating the first half of the second period, Charlottetown made it a 4-1 game at 13:28 when, following a faceoff, a shot from Kennedy hit Bishop in the arm and went in.

But the Sea Dogs would charge back. At 14:14, Povorozniouk wired a hard shot past McDonald to make it a two-goal game once again. 48 seconds later, Highmore beat McDonald with a wrist shot to make it a 4-3 contest.

Just 4:17 into the third period, a Matt Murphy shot was redirected by Highmore to even things up at 4-4. Despite some offensive pressure applied by Saint John late in the third period, the game would need extra time.

After some terrific back-and-forth rushes, Daniel Sprong fed Thompson at the top of the circle who then beat Bishop five-hole to give Charlottetown the victory.

GAME DAY 44: at Charlottetown

The Saint John Sea Dogs (27-13-3-0, 57 points, 2^nd Maritimes, 6^th QMJHL) put their seven-game winning streak on the line tonight in Charlottetown when they face the Islanders (17-21-5-2, 41 points, 4^th Maritimes, 13^th QMJHL) at 7 p.m.

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

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-2 home win over the Halifax Mooseheads on Saturday. Sam Povorozniouk had two goals while Spencer Smallman, Nathan Noel and Thomas Chabot added singles. Alex Bishop made 30 saves in the win. The Islanders are also coming off a home ice victory over the Mooseheads, picking up a 6-0 win on Sunday. Daniel Sprong, Oliver Cooper, Kameron Kielly, Samuel Blais, Mitchell Balmas and Jake Coughler all scored while Mason McDonald made 19 saves.

2015-16 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 5-0-0-0 against the Islanders this season while Charlottetown is 0-4-1-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Jan. 15 at Harbour Station where the Sea Dogs defeated the Islanders 8-7 in overtime. Mathieu Joseph had the game winner while Spencer Smallman, Jakub Zboril, Nathan Noel, Matthew Highmore, Joe Veleno, Sam Povorozniouk and Matt Murphy scored in regulation for Saint John. Charlottetown had a pair of goals from Jake Coughler and singles from Oliver Cooper, Mitchell Balmas, Daniel Sprong, Filip Chlapik and Bradley Kennedy. Mason McDonald made 50 saves in the loss. Marc-Antoine Turcotte allowed five goals on 25 shots and Alex Bishop allowed two on 15.

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

Player to watch: Since joining the Islanders, Jake Coughler has four goals and an assist in six games – all of which have come over the past four games. Coughler only had five goals and 12 points in 28 games with Gatineau in the first half.

Three Things to Know

1. While the Sea Dogs lead the season series 5-0, the head-to-head meetings between Saint John and  Charlottetown have been very close this year.

Charlottetown 7 @ Saint John 8 (Jan 15 2016) Final OT1

Charlottetown 2 @ Saint John 3 (Dec 31 2015) Final
Charlottetown 3 @ Saint John 4 (Dec 5 2015) Final
Saint John 3 @ Charlottetown 1 (Oct 9 2015) Final
Saint John 3 @ Charlottetown 2 (Sep 25 2015) Final

2. Former Sea Dog Oliver Cooper has two goals and two assists in five games against his old club this season.

3. World junior goaltender Mason McDonald has allowed 15 goals in three games against Saint John this year. He has a 4.98 GAA and .873 SV% against the Dogs.

DOGS DAILY: Hoffman, Beaulieu Injured

Mike Hoffman is listed as “day-to-day” after a scary incident in Monday's Ottawa Senators game. The play happened in the second period Sens' game in San Jose.

Hoffman left the game and did not return. The former Sea Dogs forward has 20 goals and 16 assists in 42 games with Ottawa this season.

Meanwhile, Nathan Beaulieu left Tuesday’s Montreal Canadiens game with a lower body injury.

Three Sea Dogs Make Midterm Rankings

Three Sea Dogs cracked NHL Central Scouting’s midterm rankings for the 2016 draft, which were released this morning.

Defenseman Luke Green was the highest ranked Saint John skater, coming in at No. 37 on the list of North American skaters. Forward Nathan Noel, who went undrafted last year, was ranked 136^th while defenseman Oliver Felixson was placed at 142^nd.

Meanwhile, defenseman Marshall Rifai, an eighth-round pick of the Sea Dogs in the 2014 QMJHL Entry Draft, was ranked 99^th. Rifai, a Beaconsfield, Quebec native, is playing high school hockey in Connecticut this season and his committed to Harvard University.

Another Sea Dogs prospect, Northeastern committed forward Jamie Armstrong, was ranked 133^rd.

London’s Matthew Tkachuk topped the North American list. Val-d’Or’s Julien Gauthier was the highest ranked QMJHL player coming in at No. 4.

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

DOGS DAILY: Big Weekend For LeBlanc

Former Sea Dogs defenseman Olivier LeBlanc had an impressive weekend.

With a total of three goals and two assists in two games against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles alternate captain was named the QMJHL’s first star of week.

Olivier Leblanc (@3LeBlanc), a @BlueJacketsNHL pick, has the game winner for @CBSEHockey tonight in Sydney pic.twitter.com/g97pvYCd6n

— Kris Abbott (@EastlinkKris) January 17, 2016

LeBlanc, who returned from a three-game suspension handed to him following a hit to head on Saint John’s Oliver Felixson, now has five goals and 27 points in 38 games with the Screaming Eagles this year.

Cape Breton is in third place in the Maritimes Division with 50 points, which is seven points back of second place Saint John. The Sea Dogs also have three games in hand.

The Eagles could inch closer to the Dogs this weekend if they are able to pick up some points when the two meet on Friday and Saturday at Harbour Station.

Meanwhile, Victoriaville’s Alexandre Goulet and Moncton’s Conor Garland were named the second and third stars of the week, respectively.

Sea Dogs Clicking In Second Half

For much of the first half, we all wondered if the Sea Dogs would ever string together a lengthy winning streak, produce consistently on the power play or even be able to score enough goals to win games. So far in the second half, Saint John has been solid in all of those areas.

Unofficially, the second half began on Dec. 28 when the Sea Dogs fell in overtime to Bathurst. Saint John has won seven straight games since then. The team’s power play, which was dreadful for much of the first half, has been clicking of late. And as we’ve seen recently, the Dogs, even without a “game breaking” type offensive forward, are certainly able to produce offensively.

Here’s a look at Saint John’s second half so far: 

Game	Result	Shots	DS*	PP
Dec. 28 vs Bathurst	6-5 OT L	30	16	1/3
Dec. 29 at Bathurst	6-5 SO W	48	20	3/6
Dec. 31 vs Charlottetown	3-2 W	29	13	1/4
Jan. 3 at Cape Breton	3-1 W	22	12	0/4
Jan. 9 at Bathurst	5-2 W	35	9	0/4
Jan. 10 vs Rimouski	5-4 W	32	16	4/6
Jan. 15 vs Charlottetown	8-7 OT W	58	36	2/8
Jan. 16 vs Halifax	5-2 W	41	20	1/3
Totals (7-0-1 record)	40-29	295	142	12/38

The Sea Dogs have averaged five goals and nearly 37 shots per game over the past eight games. Saint John's power play has been operating at 31.6%, which is far better than their season average of 19.3%.

With Samuel Dove-McFalls, Bokondji Imama and Bailey Webster still to return at various points in the coming weeks, there are certainly reasons to be optimistic moving forward.

*DS = dangerous shots, as determined by the QMJHL

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation