Recap: Sea Dogs lose 8-3

FINAL: Saint John 3, Cape Breton 8

SYDNEY, NS - It wasn't as heartbreaking as Saturday night, but the Saint John Sea Dogs suffered another rough loss to the Cape Breton Eagles for a second straight day.

The Sea Dogs were little match for the Eagles who cruised to an 8-3 win on Sunday afternoon at Centre 200. The win pushed Cape Breton to a perfect 4-0 start to the season while Saint John has been pushed back to the .500 mark with a 2-2 record.

Sunday's match didn't have the dramatics of Saturday's - which saw the Eagles erase a five-goal deficit and win 6-5 - but the Eagles appeared as dominant as they did for much of Saturday's contest. Saint John simply had no answer, creating very few quality scoring chances and struggling to win puck battles.

Shawn Boudrias and Ivan Ivan both scored twice for the Eagles while singles came from Derek Gentile, Egor Sokolov, Felix Lafrance and Shaun Miller. William Grimard made 21 stops in the win.

Joshua Roy, Jeremie Poirier and Nicolas Guay all scored for Saint John. Noah Patenaude made 37 stops in his first QMJHL regular season appearance.

Game Day 4: at Cape Breton

SYDNEY, NS - The Saint John Sea Dogs have an opportunity to quickly forget about last night's collapse.

The Sea Dogs blew a five-goal second period lead in a 6-5 loss to the Cape Breton Eagles last night at Centre 200. Playing back-to-back games is never fun, but the Sea Dogs would no doubt love to avenge last night's loss as quickly as they can.

Game time this afternoon is 4 p.m. in Sydney.

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

Records: The Sea Dogs are 2-1-0-0 for four points (third Maritimes, fifth Eastern, eighth overall) while the Eagles are 3-0-0-0 for six points (firth Maritimes, second Eastern, third overall).

Last games: The Sea Dogs fell 6-5 to the Eagles last night at Centre 200. Ryan Francis, Felix Lafrance, Liam Kidney, Jarrett Baker, Derek Gentile and Shawn Boudrias scored for Cape Breton. Kevin Mandolese was pulled after allowing four goals on nine shots. William Grimard made 10 saves in relief. Dawson Stairs scored twice for Saint John while singles came from Aiden MacIntosh, Ben Badalamenti and Nicholas Deakin-Poot. Zachary Bouthillier made 48 stops in the loss.

2019-20 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 0-1-0-0 against the Eagles this season while Cape Breton is 1-0-0-0.

2018-19 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 1-8-0-0 against the Eagles last season while Cape Breton went 8-1-0-0 against Saint John.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 6-5

FINAL: Saint John 5, Cape Breton 6

SYDNEY, NS - It was 5-0.

In a game that won't soon be forgotten, the Saint John Sea Dogs blew a five-goal lead in a 6-5 loss to the Cape Breton Eagles on Saturday night at Centre 200. It was Saint John's first loss of the 2019-20 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League campaign after winning both of their games last weekend.

While all the talk will be about Saint John blowing a 5-0 second period lead, the talk should probably be more on the fact that the Sea Dogs simply did not play well and are definitely still a notch below the Eagles.

Saint John was fortunate to ever be up 5-0, scoring five goals on just 10 shots. The Sea Dogs were heavily outshot for much of the game and they could not match the pressure the Eagles were putting on them. Zachary Bouthillier was a busy guy in net, facing 54 shots.

Still, being on the good side of some puck luck is no reason to blow a 5-0 lead. Giving up five or six goals in any game isn't good - but in this fashion, it was especially ugly. While the Sea Dogs are still young and expected to hit some bumps this year, this is a season where improvement should start to be seen. Hopefully this loss will spark some further progress. Let's not forget the ugly 4-0 loss in Charlottetown the Sea Dogs suffered in the early Gerard Gallant days - a loss that seemingly sparked the entire franchise.

Game Day 3: at Cape Breton

SYDNEY, NS - The Saint John Sea Dogs are hitting the road for the first time this season.

The Sea Dogs travel to Sydney where they'll play back-to-back games against the rebranded Cape Breton Eagles at Centre 200 this weekend. Game time this evening for the Eagles' home opener is 7 p.m.

Both teams are 2-0 to start the season.

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

Records: The Sea Dogs are 2-0-0-0 for four points (third Maritimes, fifth Eastern, seventh league) while the Eagles are also 2-0-0-0 for four points (second Maritimes, fourth Eastern, sixth league).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-3 win over the Moncton Wildcats at TD Station on Saturday. William Villeneuve, Josh Lawrence, Nicolas Guay and Joshua Roy all scored for Saint John. Zachary Bouthillier made 32 saves in the win. The Eagles are coming off a 6-3 win in Bathurst on Saturday. Brooklyn Kalmikov and Nathan Larose each scored twice while singles came from Adam McCormick and Jarrett Baker. William Grimard made 23 saves in the win. 

2019-20 head-to-head: This is the first meeting of the season between the two.

2018-19 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 1-8-0-0 against the Eagles last season while Cape Breton went 8-1-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Sept. 14 in Fredericton where the Eagles edged the Sea Dogs 3-2 in pre-season play. Jarrett Baker, Ryan Francis and Alex Falardeau scored for Cape Breton. Brady Burns and Dawson Stairs had Saint John goals. William Grimard made 33 saves in the win. Zachary Bouthillier made 28 stops in the loss.

White suspended seven games

SAINT JOHN - The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League has come down hard on Saint John Sea Dogs forward James White.

The league announced Wednesday afternoon that White has been suspended for seven games for a check to the head on Moncton Wildcats defenseman Sean Stewart during Saturday's contest at TD Station. White was given a five-minute major and game misconduct for the hit. Stewart definitely did not look good following the hit.

Here's the league's rationale for the suspension (video can be seen here):

While carrying the puck through the neutral zone, the Moncton player (Sean Stewart – #25 White) was hit to the head by his opponent (James White – #24 Blue). 

It was the St John player’s responsibility to avoid such contact, as we have been clear that we would not accept these types of hits. The fact that the Sea Dogs player is bigger than his opponent is not an excuse; he still should have the shoulder or chest as a target in every situation. 

Therefore, the QMJHL Department of Player Safety imposed a 7-game suspension to James White from the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Most seem to be surprised by the length of this suspension - and rightly so. There have been more blatant head shots in the past that resulted in shorter suspensions. If the league wants to give hits like this seven games to help player safety, cool - but all hits like this need to be given seven games then. This would seem to be setting quite a precedent for the upcoming season, and it will be interesting to see if the league can finally stay consistent with its suspensions (positive thoughts!).

White has been on Saint John's top line with Nicolas Guay and Josh Lawrence, so this is a blow to both White and the team. Dawson Stairs moved up to the top line on Saturday and looked pretty good.

The Sea Dogs were without defenseman Jordan Spadafore last weekend due to a four-game suspension for boarding that was handed out during the pre-season.

Saint John begins the "White suspension era" on Saturday in Sydney.

As Sea Dogs rise, will attendance?

SAINT JOHN - Like it or not, the Saint John Sea Dogs' attendance figures are going to be a point of discussion this season - that's what happens when you are coming off one of the worst attended seasons in team history and an off-season where the team's financial picture was in the news.

Officially (as you can see in the chart below), the Sea Dogs had a very significant attendance drop when compared to the 2017-18 season. Unofficially, and as most who attend games will likely agree, the drop wasn't that significant - the prior season(s) was/were just inflated.

No matter the official numbers, the Sea Dogs' attendance was not good last season - which is no surprise given the team's on-ice performance. But with the team expected to start climbing the standings this season and over the next couple years, Saint John's attendance should rise as well.

Season	Total	Average
2005-06	156,694	4,477 (4th)
2006-07	134,354	3,839 (6th)
2007-08	139,214	3,978 (5th)
2008-09	133,613	3,930 (5th)
2009-10	140,779	4,141 (4th)
2010-11	152,237	4,478 (4th)
2011-12	155,060	4,561 (3rd)
2012-13	135,732	3,992 (4th)
2013-14	116,380	3,423 (5th)
2014-15	121,782	3,582 (5th)
2015-16	123,399	3,629 (4th)
2016-17	142,829	4,201 (3rd)
2017-18	144,723	4,257 (4th)
2018-19	116,511	3,427 (5th)

While it's incredibly early to start comparing, Saint John had 4,067 fans in attendance for the season opener and 3,085 for game two. Last year those numbers were 4,002 and 2,797, respectively. Again, it's incredibly early to start comparing, but this is a good start at least - even if it is a small increase.

The Sea Dogs don't play at TD Station again until Oct. 5 when they host the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

RECAP: Sea Dogs win 4-3

FINAL: Moncton 3, Saint John 4

SAINT JOHN - Make it back-to-back wins to start the 2019-20 season for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The Sea Dogs improved to 2-0-0-0 after defeating the Moncton Wildcats 4-3 on Saturday night at TD Station. It's the first time Saint John has gotten off to a 2-0 start since the 2010-11 season, indicating that this year's squad will win 58 games and a national championship. SICK.

William Villeneuve, Josh Lawrence, Nicolas Guay and Joshua Roy all scored for Saint John while Zachary Bouthillier made 32 saves in the victory.

The perfect start will no doubt give the young Sea Dogs some confidence after what the club has been through the past couple seasons. It's also nice to see some players get an early boost - like rookie Joshua Roy and the often inconsistent Josh Lawrence - by being rewarded with goals.

Alexandre Parent, Mika Cyr and Christian Huntley scored for Moncton. Backup netminder Charles-Antoine Lavallee made 21 saves in the loss.

The Sea Dogs website has a full game recap.

Game Day 2: vs Wildcats

SAINT JOHN - Two teams with opening night wins meet tonight at TD Station.

The Saint John Sea Dogs, coming off a 4-3 home ice win over the Halifax Mooseheads, and the Moncton Wildcats, coming off a 3-2 overtime victory in Charlottetown, clash this evening. It's the first meeting of the year between the New Brunswick rivals after not playing each at all during the pre-season.

Game time is 7 p.m.

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

Records: The Sea Dogs are 1-0-0-0 for two points this season while the Wildcats are 1-0-0-0 for two points as well.

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-3 win over the Halifax Mooseheads last night at TD Station. Nicholas Deakin-Poot, Ben Badalamenti, William Villeneuve and Dawson Stairs all scored for Saint John. Zachary Bouthillier made 40 stops in the victory. The Wildcats are coming off a 3-2 overtime win in Charlottetown last night. Kyle Foreman, Mika Cyr and Elliot Desnoyers all scored for Moncton. Olivier Rodrigue made 26 stops in the win.

2019-20 head-to-head: This is the first meeting of the season between the two.

2018-19 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 3-6-0-0 against the Wildcats last season while Moncton went 6-3-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: March 16 at Avenir Centre where the Wildcats defeated the Sea Dogs 6-4. Mika Cyr, Tristan DeJong, Gabriel Sylvestre, Dylan Seitz, Jakob Pelletier and Brady Pataki all scored for Moncton. Josh Lawrence, Nicholas Deakin-Poot, James White and William Poirier all scored for Saint John. Charles-Antoine Lavallee made 24 saves in the win. Mikhail Denisov made 27 stops in the loss.

RECAP: Sea Dogs win 4-3

FINAL: Halifax 3, Saint John 4

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs are off to a winning start.

Dawson Stairs' first career Quebec Major Junior Hockey League goal proved to be the game-winner as the Sea Dogs defeated the Halifax Mooseheads 4-3 at TD Station. This was the first game of the 2019-20 regular season for both clubs.

Nicholas Deakin-Poot, Ben Badalamenti and William Villeneuve also scored for Saint John in a game that was far from beautifully played - but a win is a win. Zachary Bouthillier made 40 saves in the victory.

Marcel Barinka, Raphael Lavoie and Senna Peeters scored for Halifax. Alexis Gravel made 21 stops in the loss.

This was the first time since the 2015-16 season that the Sea Dogs opened a regular season with a victory.

Game Day 1: vs Mooseheads

SAINT JOHN - Hockey is officially back.

The Saint John Sea Dogs kick off the 2019-20 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League regular season tonight, hosting the Halifax Mooseheads at TD Station. Game time is 7 p.m.

The Sea Dogs should take some steps forward this season (hopefully some big steps) while the Mooseheads will likely take a step back from where they were a year ago, reaching both the President Cup and Memorial Cup finals.

This is the third straight season and fourth time in five years that the Sea Dogs and Mooseheads have opened up regular season play in Saint John.

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

Records: This is the first game of the regular season for both clubs. Last season, the Sea Dogs finished ninth overall in the Eastern Conference with a record of 13-49-2-4 for 32 points while the Mooseheads finished first with a record of 49-15-2-2 for 102 points.

Last games: Saint John's final pre-season game was this past Saturday in Fredericton where they fell 3-2 to the Cape Breton Eagles. Brady Burns and Dawson Stairs scored for Saint John. Zachary Bouthillier made 28 stops in the loss. Halifax's final pre-season contest was last Friday where the team fell 4-3 to the Moncton Wildcats. Senna Peeters scored twice while Marcel Barinka added a solo marker. Cole McLaren made 27 saves in the win.

2018-19 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 0-6-1-1 against the Mooseheads last season while Halifax finished 8-0-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: The Sea Dogs and Mooseheads met on Aug. 23 in a pre-season game in St. Stephen. Halifax won the match 4-2 thanks to goals from Senna Peeters, Seva Losev, Samuel Dube and Said Abi-Faycal. Saint John had goals from Nicolas Guay and Jeremie Poirier.

A look back at Sea Dogs openers

SAINT JOHN - For a third straight season and for a fourth time in five years, the Saint John Sea Dogs will kick things off with a home game against the Halifax Mooseheads.

The Sea Dogs begin the 2019-20 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League campaign on Friday evening at 7 p.m. at the newly named TD Station. Saint John also plays on Saturday night, hosting the Moncton Wildcats.

This will be Saint John's 15th season opener and the ninth time they begin a campaign at home. They are 6-6-2 all-time in season openers.

Here's a look at Saint John's all-time season opener results:

Sept. 16, 2005: St. John's 3, Saint John 2
Sept. 15, 2006: Rimouski 2, Saint John 3 (OT)
Sept. 13, 2007: Saint John 1, Lewiston 4
Sept. 12, 2008: Saint John 3, Bathurst 2 (OT)
Sept. 11, 2009: Saint John 4, Bathurst 3 (SO)
Sept. 10, 2010: PEI 4, Saint John 6
Sept. 8, 2011: Moncton 3, Saint John 1
Sept. 20, 2012: Bathurst 3, Saint John 1
Sept. 13, 2013: Saint John 5, Moncton 3
Sept. 12, 2014: Saint John 2, Charlottetown 3 (SO)
Sept. 12, 2015: Halifax 2, Saint John 5
Sept. 23, 2016: Saint John 2, Charlottetown 6
Sept. 21, 2017: Halifax 4, Saint John 1
Sept. 21, 2018: Halifax 5, Saint John 4 (OT)
Sept. 20: 2019: Halifax, Saint John

A moment of silence for those we've lost along the way (the Fog Devils, Maineiacs and Rocket).

The Sea Dogs got off to a bad start last season, dropping seven of their first eight games. They'll obviously look to improve on that.

Pre-Season Game Day 7: vs Eagles

FREDERICTON - It's the final day of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League pre-season for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The Sea Dogs take on the Cape Breton Eagles tonight at 7 p.m. at Fredericton's Aitken Centre. Saint John is coming off a strong 7-2 win in Charlottetown last night and will look to build off that momentum this evening.

Brady Burns and Ben Badalamenti both scored two goals for Saint John last night while singles came from Alex Drover, Dawson Stairs and Jeremie Poirier. Noah Patenaude made 31 stops in the win.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/None/None

Records: The Sea Dogs are 3-3-0-0 this pre-season while the Eagles are 3-1-0-0. The Sea Dogs finished 13-49-2-4 for 32 points last season while the the Eagles were 40-22-1-5 for 86 points.

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 7-2 win over the Charlottetown Islanders at Eastlink Centre last night. Brady Burns and Ben Badalamenti scored twice while singles came from Alex Drover, Dawson Stairs and Jeremie Poirier. Noah Patenaude made 31 stops in net. The Eagles have not played since Aug. 24 when they defeated the Moncton Wildcats 8-5 in Membertou. Felix Lafrance scored six goals (!) while Shawn Boudrias and Egor Sokolov added solo markers. William Grimard and Kenzie MacPhail split the win in net.

2018-19 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 1-8-0-0 against the Eagles last season while Cape Breton went 8-1-0-0 against Saint John.

Pre-Season Game Day 6: at Charlottetown

CHARLOTTETOWN – The Saint John Sea Dogs begin the final weekend of pre-season play tonight, taking on the Charlottetown Islanders at Eastlink Centre.

The Sea Dogs are in the midst of a rough stretch, dropping their last three Quebec Major Junior Hockey League exhibition contests. Saint John was missing several key regulars in those games, and tonight’s match should feature a mostly finalized roster.

Game time is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/None/None

Last games: The Sea Dogs and Islanders met last Friday in Grand Falls where Charlottetown blew out Saint John 9-2. Drew Johnston and Xavier Fortin each scored a pair of goals for Charlottetown while singles came from William Sirman, Brett Budgell, Patrick LeBlanc, Kevin Gursoy and Luke Wilson. Saint John goals came from Joona Lehmus and Kale McCallum. Mathias Savoie allowed eight goals on 25 shots before leaving the game with an injury late in the third. Noah Patenaude allowed a goal - a penalty shot goal - on two shots he faced. Nolan Boyd and Jacob Goobie split the night in net for the Isles.

Records: The Sea Dogs are 2-3-0-0 this pre-season while the Islanders are also 2-3-0-0. The Sea Dogs finished 13-49-2-4 for 32 points last season while the Islanders finished 40-21-4-3 for 87 points.
2018-19 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 2-5-0-2 against the Islanders last season while Charlottetown went 7-1-1-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Last Friday. See above.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 9-2

FINAL: Charlottetown 9, Saint John 2

GRAND FALLS, NB - The Saint John Sea Dogs' first ever appearance in Grand Falls was a memorable one - but for all the wrong reasons.

The Sea Dogs, who were the home team, were smoked by the visiting Charlottetown Islanders, falling 9-2 in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League pre-season play at the E.&P. Sénéchal Center. Saint John recorded just 14 shots on goal.

While this is still the pre-season and the Sea Dogs were missing some key regulars - particularly on the backend with Jeremie Poirier and Charlie DesRoches both out - Saint John did not look good. This was the team's first pre-season game in two weeks - and it looked like the team's first game action in two weeks. The Dogs were sluggish all game long and were never in control of the game.

Making the night even worse was former Sea Dogs Luke Wilson and Kevin Gursoy both scoring for the Isles. Drew Johnston and Xavier Fortin each scored a pair of goals while singles came from William Sirman, Brett Budgell and Patrick LeBlanc. Nolan Boyd and Jacob Goobie split the night in net.

Saint John goals came from Joona Lehmus and Kale McCallum. Mathias Savoie allowed eight goals on 25 shots before leaving the game with an injury late in the third. Noah Patenaude allowed a goal - a penalty shot goal - on two shots he faced.

Pre-Season Game Day 5: vs Islanders

GRAND FALLS, NB - The Saint John Sea Dogs are back in action tonight after a two-week hiatus, hosting the Charlottetown Islanders in Grand Falls.

The Sea Dogs are 2-2 so far this pre-season after winning their first two games then dropping their last two. Saint John's roster will look different than it did in those games with it being very close to completion. Only a few spots remain up for battle.

This will be Saint John's first contest since Aug. 23. The team has three pre-season games remaining.

Game time tonight is 7 p.m. at Grand Falls' E.& P. Sénéchal Center. This will be the first QMJHL pre-season match to be held in the building, which is home to the MHL's Rapids.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/None/None

Records: The Sea Dogs are 2-2-0-0 this pre-season while the Islanders are 1-3-0-0. The Sea Dogs finished 13-49-2-4 for 32 points last season while the Islanders finished 40-21-4-3 for 87 points.

2018-19 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 2-5-0-2 against the Islanders last season while Charlottetown went 7-1-1-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: The Sea Dogs and Islanders met on Aug. 18 in Quispamsis where Saint John edged Charlottetown 6-3. Alexis Belisle had two goals for the Dogs while singles came from Connor McCluskey, Charles Savoie, Charles-Antoine Dumont and Carter McCluskey. Charlottetown goals came from Justin Gill, Cameron Brown and Charles-Olivier Nadeau.

CHL unveils new uniforms

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs will have a new look this season.

The Canadian Hockey League announced on Tuesday that all 60 teams across the country will sport new jerseys/sweaters/uniforms this season. The league will be using the CCM QuickLite uniform, which comes with fresh designs for all clubs.

According to a news release, "the CCM QuickLite concept modernizes the hockey uniform and provides players with a lighter jersey, enhanced range of motion, and the comfort to further improve performance."

Introducing @CCMHockey #QuickLite:

For the first time since 2009-10 all 60 #CHL teams across @TheWHL, @OHLHockey, and @QMJHL will have redesigned uniforms to open the season.

MORE 📰: https://t.co/MNP02U6LXj pic.twitter.com/WesRrzCIie

— CanadianHockeyLeague (@CHLHockey) September 3, 2019

This is the first league wide uniform change since the 2009-10 season. Several teams went for huge redesigns back then, but this time around many of the changes are much more low key.