RECAP: Sea Dogs lose 10-1

FINAL: Saint John 1, Bathurst 10

SAINT JOHN - It was simply a brutal night at the office for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The Sea Dogs allowed six goals in the first period in a 10-1 blowout loss to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Saturday night at Harbour Station.

Bathurst's Cole Rafuse netted four in the first period; Felix-Antoine Drolet had two goals; and singles came from Domenic Malatesta, Michal Ivan, Marc-Andre LeCouffe and Noah Dobson. Titan goaltender Mark Grametbauer wasn't tested too much, stopping 21 shots in the win.

A rebuilding team like the Sea Dogs is going to have nights like this one - and this was one of those nights. Pretty much nothing went right for Saint John. They gave No. 1 netminder Alex D'Orio the night off only to put him in in the second; the Dogs once again had a bad first period; and Saint John allowed four power play goals on seven chances.

Brady Burns scored for Saint John. Tommy DaSilva, making his season debut, allowed six goals on 16 shots in the first period. D'Orio allowed four goals on 25 shots the rest of the way.

Game Day 5: vs Titan

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs return to action tonight at Harbour Station.

The Sea Dogs had a rough and long night in Moncton on Friday, falling 5-2 to the Wildcats in the first ever hockey game played at the new Avenir Centre.

Saint John will play in much more familiar surroundings tonight, hosting the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at Harbour Station at 7 p.m. It's the first meeting of the regular season between the two provincial rivals.

TV/Radio/Webcast: RogersTV/Sea Dogs Radio Live/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 1-2-1-0 for three points (fourth Maritimes, 12th QMJHL) while the Titan are 1-2-0-0 for two points (sixth Maritimes, 16th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-2 loss to the Moncton Wildcats last night at the Avenir Centre. Maxim Cajkovic and Filip Prikryl scored for Saint John. Alex D'Orio made 31 stops in the loss. The Titan are coming off a 3-2 overtime win in Charlottetown on Thursday night. Liam Murphy, Alexis Sansfacon and Logan Chisholm scored for Bathurst. Mark Grametbauer made 38 stops in the win.

2018-19 head-to-head: This is the first meeting of the regular season between the Sea Dogs and Titan.

2017-18 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 1-8-0-0 against the Titan last season while Bathurst went 8-1-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Aug. 21 at Harbour Station where the Sea Dogs defeated the Titan 5-1 in pre-season play. Kevin Gursoy scored two goals for Saint John while singles came from Aiden MacIntosh, Matt Green and Nathan Larose. Alexandre David scored Bathurst's lone goal. Stewart Bagnell made 19 saves and Tommy DaSilva made nine. Felix-Anthony Ethier made 25 stops in the loss.

RECAP: Sea Dogs lose 5-2

FINAL: Saint John 2, Moncton 5

MONCTON - Playing in a brand new building, the Saint John Sea Dogs still had many of the some troubles that have hurt them so far this season.

The Sea Dogs once again couldn't connect on a power play and fell behind early, ultimately falling 5-2 to the Moncton Wildcats in the hockey debut of the new Avenir Centre.

Saint John went down 2-0 early in the first period - much like they have in each game this season - but, once again, rebounded with a decent second period. But the Dogs couldn't convert enough offensively,  dropping what was an expectedly sloppy game by both squads.

Alexander Khovanov scored twice for Moncton while singles came from Jakob Pelletier, Jeremy McKenna and Jacob Hudson. Francis Leclerc made 22 stops in the win.

Maxim Cajkovic and Filip Prikryl scored for Saint John. Alex D'Orio made 31 stops in the loss.

Game Day 4: at Moncton

MONCTON - The Saint John Sea Dogs will take part in a historic event tonight in downtown Moncton.

The Sea Dogs will play the role of visitor in the Moncton Wildcats' first ever home game at the Avenir Centre. The new 8,800 seat arena officially opened a few weeks ago but has not hosted a hockey game - until tonight.

Tonight's 7:30 p.m. contest is sold out and the atmosphere should be electric. On top of that, the Dogs and 'Cats have played some entertaining games recently, so this could be a very fun night.

TV/Radio/Webcast: RogersTV/Sea Dogs Radio/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 1-1-1-0 for three points (third Maritimes, ninth overall) while the Wildcats are 1-1-0-0 for two points (fifth Maritimes, 12th overall).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-0 loss in Charlottetown on Wednesday night. Alex D'Orio made 37 stops in the loss. The Wildcats are coming off a 5-4 loss in Saint John on Sunday afternoon. Elliot Desnoyers scored twice for Moncton while singles came from Dylan Seitz and Jordan Spence. Charles-Antoine Lavallee made 30 stops in the loss.

2018-19 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 1-0-0-0 against the Wildcats this season while Moncton is 0-1-0-0 against Saint John.

2017-18 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 3-4-2-0 against the Wildcats last season while Moncton went 6-1-1-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: This past Sunday at Harbour Station where the Sea Dogs defeated the Wildcats 5-4. Josh Lawrence had a hat trick for Saint John while singles came from Maxim Cajkovic and Jeremie Jacob. Elliot Desnoyers scored twice for Moncton while singles came from Dylan Seitz and Jordan Spence. Alex D'Orio made 34 stops in the win. Charles-Antoine Lavallee made 30 stops in the loss.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Wildcats: Radio voice Tim Roszell.

RECAP: Sea Dogs lose 4-0

FINAL: Saint John 0, Charlottetown 4

CHARLOTTETOWN - The Saint John Sea Dogs hit some bumps during their first road game of the season.

The Sea Dogs struggled to generate quality scoring chances in a 4-0 loss to the Charlottetown Islanders on Wednesday night at Eastlink Centre.

Saint John once again had a rough first period, getting outshot 19-9 and finding themselves down 2-0 once again. Like the first two games of the season, the Sea Dogs had a better second and third - but this time couldn't get out of the hole. The club had a hard time maintaining consistent offensive zone pressure throughout the night, recording 15 dangerous shots.

Saint John's power play has also been an early season issue. The team went 0/5 on Wednesday and are now 0/10 through three games.

A couple former Sea Dogs had good nights against their old team. Kevin Gursoy had a goal and an assist while Daniel Hardie recorded a helper. Keith Getson, Thomas Casey and Zachary Beauregard also scored. Matthew Welsh made 32 saves in the win.

Alex D'Orio made 37 stops in the loss.

Game Day 3: at Charlottetown

CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI - The Saint John Sea Dogs hit the road for the first time this season today.

After a pretty solid start to this young season (picking up three of a possible four points in two games this past weekend), the Sea Dogs will face a tough test tonight. The Islanders are projected to be quite good again this year; they have an experienced lineup; and are off to a 1-1 start.

Game time tonight at Eastlink Centre is 7 p.m.

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

Records: The Sea Dogs are 1-0-1-0 this season for three points (second Maritimes, seventh overall) while the Islanders are 1-1-0-0 for two points (fifth Maritimes, 11th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-4 win over the Moncton Wildcats on Sunday afternoon at Harbour Station. Josh Lawrence had a hat trick for Saint John while singles came from Jeremie Jacob and Maxim Cajkovic. Alex D'Orio made 34 saves in the win. The Islanders are coming off a 3-2 home loss to the Halifax Mooseheads on Saturday. Lukas Cormier and Thomas Casey scored for Charlottetown. Dakota Lund-Cornish made 19 stops in the loss.

2018-19 head-to-head: This is the first meeting of the season between the two teams.

2017-18 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 3-5-1-0 against the Islanders last season while Charlottetown went 6-2-1-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Sept. 8 at Harbour Station where the Islanders hammered the Sea Dogs 7-0 in pre-season play. Drew Johnston scored twice while singles came from Cole Edwards, Liam Peyton, Daniel Hardie, Brett Budgell and Lukas Cormier. Dakota Lund-Cornish made 27 saves in the shutout win. Tommy DaSilva allowed seven goals on 32 shots in the loss.

Notes: Seitz suspended for Friday's game

SAINT JOHN - Dylan Seitz will not be in the Moncton Wildcats lineup when his team faces the Saint John Sea Dogs on Friday night.

Seitz has been suspended one game by the QMJHL for a "late check to the head" in Sunday's contest at Harbour Station. The play saw Seitz get up high on Sea Dogs forward Maxim Cajkovic well after the puck had left his stick. Cajkovic was down on the ice for a few minutes and left the game for a couple shifts before returning.

Surprisingly, there was no penalty called on the play - especially rare in the QMJHL where a player's injury reaction typically has a significant impact on whether a call is made. Seitz was booed the rest of the game by the Sea Dogs faithful.

Seitz has two goals in two games with the Wildcats so far this season.

Some other news and notes...

• Sea Dogs forward Josh Lawrence is currently the league's leading goal scorer (four) and point getter (six). Not bad for a 16-year-old two games into his QMJHL career.
• Lawrence was named the QMJHL Player of the Week on Monday.
• Somewhat lost in the Lawrence hype this past weekend was the play of his linemates. Both William Poirier and Maxim Cajkovic ended the weekend with a goal and three assists each.
• Saint John returns to action tomorrow night, visiting the Charlottetown Islanders. Game time is 7 p.m. The Islanders hammered the Sea Dogs 7-0 in a pre-season game a couple weeks ago.
• Friday's Sea Dogs game at Moncton's new Avenir Centre is sold out. 8,800 people are expected, which will make this, presumably, the most attended hockey game in New Brunswick history.

Safin officially traded to Mooseheads

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs are getting a solid return for Ostap Safin.

The Sea Dogs officially traded Safin and a 2021 fourth-round pick to the Halifax Mooseheads in exchange for a 2020 first round pick.

Under normal circumstances, this return for Safin wouldn't be overly surprising. But given that Safin is an import and there are only a few teams that have room or are willing to make room, a first round pick in return is pretty good. Plus, the Mooseheads could be in rebuild mode in 2020, so that first could be quite high.

Safin, 19, had 26 goals and 31 assists in 61 games with the Sea Dogs last season. He has not appeared in any games this season due to Edmonton Oilers camp. The Oilers returned Safin to junior last week.

Safin joins Marcel Barinka as the Mooseheads' imports. Filip Zadina could still be returned to junior by the Detroit Red Wings, but Safin's spot is presumably secured.

It made sense for the Sea Dogs to move Safin thanks to a strong import draft this year, selecting forwards Maxim Cajkovic and Filip Prikryl. The Sea Dogs announced today that Prikryl has been signed by the club.

The Sea Dogs and Mooseheads, who met on opening night at Harbour Station, meet again on Oct. 12 in Saint John.

RECAP: Sea Dogs win 5-4

FINAL: Moncton 4, Saint John 5

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs played yet another back-and-forth game on Sunday afternoon - but this time they came out on the winning end.

Just like Friday night against the Halifax Mooseheads, the Sea Dogs got themselves into a hole in the first period, going down 2-0. But, like Friday, Saint John rebounded with a strong second period and straightened things out from there.

16-year-old rookie Josh Lawrence was the major story, recording a hat trick and an assist in just his second career QMJHL game. The Fredericton native now has four goals and two assists in two contests.

Jeremie Jacob and Maxim Cajkovic also scored for Saint John. William Poirier added three assists and Alex D'Orio made 34 saves in the win.

Moncton had a pair of goals from Elliot Desnoyers and singles from Jordan Spence and Dylan Seitz. Charles-Antoine Lavallee, in his first QMJHL start, allowed five goals on 35 shots in the loss.

Through two games, the Sea Dogs have shown that they can be competitive and very entertaining. They'll face a tough test on Wednesday in Charlottetown and then will play Moncton on Friday. The Dogs and 'Cats have played several times over the past month and most of those games have been very entertaining. Hopefully that will continue this week.

Game Day 2: vs Wildcats

SAINT JOHN - After a thrilling season opening game, the Saint John Sea Dogs will try to do one better this afternoon - and try and pick up their first win of the season.

The Sea Dogs host the rival Moncton Wildcats today at 2 p.m. at Harbour Station. The two teams met four times in the pre-season with each squad winning twice. All four games were fairly entertaining, and there is good reason to believe this could be a very fun season series.

The Wildcats opened up the year with a win on Thursday night in Bathurst and have not played since.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/Sea Dogs Radio/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 0-0-1-0 this season (5th Maritimes, 13th overall) while the Wildcats are 1-0-0-0 (second Maritimes, seventh overall).

2017-18 records: Saint John finished last overall in the QMJHL standings with a 14-43-9-2 record for 39 points while Moncton finished 14th overall with a 27-33-5-3 record for 62 points.

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-4 overtime loss to the Halifax Mooseheads on Friday night at Harbour Station. Robbie Burt, Brady Burns, Josh Lawrence and William Poirier scored for Saint John. Alex D'Orio made 31 stops in the loss. The Wildcats are coming off a 3-1 win in Bathurst on Thursday night. Dylan Seitz, Tristan DeJong and Mika Cyr scored for Moncton. Francis Leclerc made 33 saves in the win.

2017-18 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 3-4-2-0 against the Wildcats last season while Moncton went 6-1-1-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Sept 16 in pre-season play where the Wildcats defeated the Sea Dogs 7-3 in Bouctouche. Maxim Cajkovic scored all three Saint John goals. Elliot Desnoyers and Nicolas Kingsbury-Fournier scored twice for Moncton while singles came from Jeremy McKenna, Dylan Seitz and Brady Pataki. Stewart Bagnell allowed seven goals on 39 shots in the loss. Francis Leclerc allowed three goals on 28 shots in the win.

Report: Dogs to trade Safin to Mooseheads

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SAINT JOHN - Ostap Safin is headed to the Halifax Mooseheads, reports TVA Sports.

Mikael Lalancette reports that the Sea Dogs forward, who was sent back to junior by the Edmonton Oilers last week, will be traded to the Memorial Cup hosts in a deal that has not yet been confirmed.

Un autre gros coup des hôtes du tournoi de la Coupe Memorial 2019: j’ai appris que les Mooseheads mettront mis la main sur Ostap Safin des Sea Dogs. Transaction à être confirmée. #tvasports

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MLalancetteTVA) September 22, 2018

Safin, 19, had 26 goals and 31 assists in 61 games with the Sea Dogs last season. He would have been a big help to the Sea Dogs this season - but trading him makes much more sense. The Dogs drafted two quality imports this year who fit their rebuild much better (and if the Dogs had kept Safin, they would have had to let one go). The return Safin will get - even if it isn't a whole lot - is better than nothing.

What the Sea Dogs get in return is the big question. The team doesn't have a lot of options as there are few teams with vacant - or willing to make vacant - import spots.

The Mooseheads have made the most sense as a trading partner for some time. Halifax has one official import on their active roster - forward Marcel Barinka. If Filip Zadina is returned by the Detroit Red Wings, he and Safin would make a solid duo (the two have played together with the Czech Republic national junior team in the past).

The Sea Dogs host the Moncton Wildcats tomorrow at 2 p.m. Their next meeting with the Mooseheads is on Oct. 12 at Harbour Station.

RECAP: Sea Dogs lose 5-4 (OT)

FINAL: Halifax 5, Saint John 4 (OT)

SAINT JOHN - If anything, the Saint John Sea Dogs proved they'll be entertaining to watch this season.

The Sea Dogs opened the 2018-19 season with a back-and-forth, hard fought 5-4 overtime loss to the Halifax Mooseheads on Friday night at Harbour Station. Sure, the Mooseheads were missing several regulars, but this young Sea Dogs team showed that they'll be able to give some teams a good run.

Saint John looked a bit unorganized and nervous in the first period and trailed 2-0. But the Sea Dogs turned things around at intermission and the remainder of the game was fairly evenly played. The point was well deserved.

The Sea Dogs' youth had a good night with Josh Lawrence putting up a goal and an assist; Brady Burns recording a goal; and Jeremy Poirier looking like a veteran on the blue line. Returnees William Poirier and Robbie Burt scored Saint John's other goals. Alex D'Orio made 31 saves in the loss.

Arnaud Durandeau scored twice for Halifax while singles came from Gavin Hart, Justin Barron and Patrick Kyte. Alexis Gravel made 34 saves in the win.

Game Day 1: vs Mooseheads

SAINT JOHN - A new era of Saint John Sea Dogs hockey begins tonight at Harbour Station.

With a new young core of players in place, this season marks year one of a rebuild (if you look at last season as year zero). This will, if history repeats itself, be the beginning of a climb back to a league championship in a couple years.

The Sea Dogs will be tested right away, opening the 2018-19 season with a home date against the Memorial Cup hosting Halifax Mooseheads. Even with some regulars still missing, the Moose will dress a much more experienced lineup. Game time tonight is 7 p.m. at Harbour Station.

TV/Radio/Webcast: RogersTV/Sea Dogs Radio/QMJHL Live

Records: This is the first game of the season for both clubs. Last season, Saint John finished last overall in the QMJHL standings with a 14-43-9-2 record for 39 points while Halifax finished fourth overall with a record of 43-18-6-1 for 93 points.

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 7-3 loss to the Moncton Wildcats in Bouctouche this past Sunday. Maxim Cajkovic scored all three of Saint John's goals. Stewart Bagnell made 32 saves in the loss. The Mooseheads are coming off a 2-1 overtime loss to the Moncton Wildcats on Saturday at the Halifax Forum. Raphael Lavoie scored the Mooseheads' lone goal. Cole McLaren made 47 stops in the loss.

2017-18 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 2-5-1-0 against the Mooseheads last season while Halifax went 6-2-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: March 14 at Scotiabank Centre where the Mooseheads defeated the Sea Dogs 7-3. Benoit Olivier-Groulx scored twice for Halifax while singles came from Jared McIsaac, Brett Crossley, Ben Higgins Barrett Dachyshyn and Joel Bishop. Saint John goals came from Cedric Pare, Aiden MacIntosh and Ben Reid. Alexis Gravel made 28 saves in the win. Tommy DaSilva allowed six goals on 31 shots in 40 minutes of play while Stewart Bagnell allowed one in the third period.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Mooseheads: None.

RECAP: Sea Dogs lose 7-3

FINAL: Saint John 3, Moncton 7

BOUCTOUCHE – The Saint John Sea Dogs' defensive struggles continued on Sunday afternoon.

For a third straight pre-season game, the Sea Dogs had a difficult time keeping the puck out of their own net, falling 7-3 to the Moncton Wildcats at Bouctouche's JK Irving Centre.

The loss comes after a 7-0 loss to the Charlottetown Islanders last weekend and a 7-6 shootout loss on home ice to the Wildcats on Thursday. Saint John ends the pre-season on a three-game losing skid.

The Dogs are still missing their best defender - goaltender Alex D'Orio - due to Pittsburgh Penguins rookie camp. He'll be a difference maker this season - and he'll have to be at many times.

Stewart Bagnell allowed seven goals on 39 shots in the loss. Maxim Cajkovic scored all three of Saint John's goals - and could have easily had two more if not for some fine saves by the Wildcats netminder.

Moncton had a pair of goals from both Elliot Desnoyers and Nicolas Kingsbury-Fournier. Solo markers came from Brady Pataki, Dylan Seitz and Jeremy McKenna. Francis Leclerc made 25 saves in the win.

Pre-Season Game Day 7: at Moncton

BOUCTOUCHE, NB - The Saint John Sea Dogs play their final game of the 2018 pre-season today in Bouctouche against the Moncton Wildcats.

The Sea Dogs had a smooth start to the exhibition season, winning their first four games. The team has had a rough go lately though, allowing seven goals in a loss to the Charlottetown Islanders last weekend and giving up six this past Thursday against the Wildcats.

Game time this afternoon is 4 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/None/None

Records: The Sea Dogs are 4-1-0-1 in pre-season play while the Wildcats are 4-5-1-0. Last season, Saint John finished last overall in the QMJHL standings with a 14-43-9-2 record for 39 points while Moncton finished 14th overall with a 27-33-5-3 record for 62 points.

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 7-6 shootout loss to the Wildcats on Thursday at Harbour Station. Saint John had two goals from Maxim Cajkovic and solo markers from Anthony Boucher, Robbie Burt, Brady Burns and Kevin Mason. Tommy DaSilva gave up five goals on 26 shots while Stewart Bagnell allowed one on nine shots in the loss. Moncton is coming off a 2-1 overtime win over the Halifax Mooseheads last night at the Halifax Forum. Jeremy McKenna and Nicolas Kinsbury-Fournier scored for Moncton. Charles-Antoine Lavallee made 16 saves in the win.

2017-18 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 3-4-2-0 against the Wildcats last season while Moncton went 6-1-1-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: That 7-6 Wildcats shootout win on Thursday. Adam Capannelli scored twice for Moncton while singles came from Kyle Foreman, Tristan DeJong, Dylan Seitz and Brady Pataki. Francis Leclerc allowed five goals on 17 shots while Charles-Antoine Lavallee allowed one on 10 shots in the win.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Wildcats: Radio voice Tim Roszell.

RECAP: Sea Dogs lose 7-6 (SO)

FINAL: Moncton 7, Saint John 6 (SO)

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs lost a wild pre-season game on Thursday night at Harbour Station, falling 7-6 in a shootout to the Moncton Wildcats.

The Sea Dogs were down 2-0 early in the first period but tied it just after the midway mark of the opening frame. Then, Saint John went up 6-3 heading into the third period only to blow that lead - which led to an eight round shootout.

Maxim Cajkovic scored twice for Saint John while singles came from Anthony Boucher, Brady Burns, Robbie Burt and Kevin Mason.

Tommy DaSilva allowed five goals on 26 shots in just under 44 minutes of action. Stewart Bagnell allowed one goal on nine shots.

The Sea Dogs website has a more detailed recap.

RECAP: Sea Dogs lose 7-0

FINAL: Charlottetown 7, Saint John 0

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs' perfect pre-season record came crashing to an end on Saturday afternoon at Harbour Station.

Nothing went right for the Sea Dogs in their first exhibition contest in nearly two weeks, getting crushed 7-0 by the Charlottetown Islanders.

Charlottetown scored three goals in both the first and second periods. Saint John was very sloppy defensively and got into a lot of penalty trouble. The team failed to generate much offensive flow at any point.

Six different players scored for Charlottetown: Drew Johnston (two), Cole Edwards, Liam Peyton, Daniel Hardie, Brett Budgell and Lukas Cormier. Goaltender Dakota Lund-Cornish wasn't tested too much, making 27 saves in the shutout victory.

Tommy DaSilva allowed all seven of Saint John's goals. He struggled at times - but the defense in front of him did as well.

After a smooth ride so far this pre-season, this was a big reality check. This team is going to have more nights like this throughout the year - but that's just the way it goes. Patience will be required - and hopefully this young squad can learn from games like these throughout the year.

Pre-Season Game Day 5: vs Islanders

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs return to pre-season action this afternoon at Harbour Station.

The Sea Dogs, who are a perfect 4-0 in pre-season play, host the Charlottetown Islanders in a very rare Saturday afternoon home game. Puck drop is scheduled for 3 p.m.

Both teams are down to their final few cuts, so today's match - and the remainder of exhibition games - should feature fairly "normal" rosters.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/Sea Dogs Radio/None

Records: The Sea Dogs are 4-0-0-0 this pre-season while the Islanders are 2-1-1-0. Last season, Saint John finished last overall in the QMJHL standings with a 14-43-9-2 record for 39 points while Charlottetown went 37-24-7-0 for 81 points, placing them third in the Maritimes Division and ninth overall in the league.

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 3-2 overtime win over the Moncton Wildcats in St. Stephen on Aug. 26. Josh Lawrence scored all three Saint John goals while Alex D'Orio made 30 stops in the victory. The Islanders are coming off a 3-2 win over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in Cornwall, PEI on Aug. 26. Daniel Hardie, Sullivan Sparkes and Derek Gentile scored for the Isles. Matthew Welsh made 31 stops in the win.

2017-18 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 3-5-1-0 against the Islanders last season while Charlottetown went 6-2-1-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: March 7 at Harbour Station where the Sea Dogs defeated the Islanders 5-3. Ostap Safin scored a pair of goals while singles came from Luke Wilson, Alexis Girard and Aiden MacIntosh. Charlottetown goals came from Nikita Alexandrov, Taylor Egan and Derek Gentile. Alex D'Orio made 42 stops in the win. Matthew Welsh made 19 saves in the loss.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Islanders: Forwards Daniel Hardie and Kevin Gursoy.