Recap: Sea Dogs win 6-2

FINAL: Saint John 6, Moncton 2

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

MONCTON - Jeremie Poirier continues to enjoy playing against the Moncton Wildcats.

Poirier recorded a goal and an assist in a first star performance on Tuesday night at Avenir Centre, helping the Sea Dogs defeat the Wildcats 6-2. The win extended Saint John's road winning streak to five games.

In nine games against Moncton this season, Poirier now has two goals and 12 assists. The d-man had three goals and six assists in eight games against the Wildcats last season.

Saint John got off to a bit of a slow start but seemed to get better as the game went along. Saint John's offense, which had a rough outing at home on Saturday night against Bathurst, scored twice in the second period and three times in the third. Brady Burns had a pair of goals; the top line started clicking again in the second half of the game; and the Dogs netted two power play goals on five chances.

William Villeneuve, Peter Reynolds and Vladislav Kotkov also scored for Saint John. Noah Patenaude rebounded after allowing Moncton's first shot of the game, making 24 stops in the win.

Nicolas Pavan and Connor Richard scored for Moncton. Rookie Vincent Filion, making back-to-back starts, made 31 stops in the loss.

Notebook: Schedule getting busier

MONCTON - The schedule is picking up and it's not slowing down for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Beginning Tuesday night in Moncton, the Sea Dogs will play four games over a six day period. The following week they'll play three games.

Tuesday, March 30 at 7 p.m. at Moncton

Thursday, April 1 at 7 p.m. at Bathurst

Friday, April 2 at 7 p.m. vs Wildcats

Sunday, April 4 at 3 p.m. vs Titan

Wednesday, April 7 at 7 p.m. at Moncton

Thursday, April 8 at 7 p.m. vs Titan

Sunday, April 11 at 4 p.m. at Moncton

Tuesday, April 13 at 7 p.m. at Bathurst

Friday, April 16 at 7 p.m. vs Titan

Saturday, April 17 at 7 p.m. vs Wildcats

The Sea Dogs have had a busy but manageable pace of games over the past few weeks. In normal times you'd typically see busy weeks followed by a light week or two - but that's not happening this year. This upcoming schedule will certainly test the Dogs and the other New Brunswick teams as they inch closer to the playoffs.

Saint John and Bathurst have both played 23 games each while Moncton has played the fewest in the league at 21. Victoriaville has played 24 games, the fewest of the Quebec-based clubs.

STANDINGS

The Sea Dogs go into action Tuesday sitting third in the Maritimes Division with an 11-8-3-1 record for a .565 points percentage. They've yet to catch the Titan who sit in second with a 13-8-1-1 record for a .609 points percentage.

As the schedule above shows, the Sea Dogs play the Titan five times over the next few weeks, which will be crucial games if Saint John wants to move into second.

The top three teams in the Maritimes Division will avoid the single elimination knockout games scheduled for early May.

The Charlottetown Islanders, winners of 13 straight games, sit comfortably in first with a 28-4-0-0 record for a .875 points percentage.

Game Day 24: at Moncton

MONCTON - The Saint John Sea Dogs and Moncton Wildcat meet yet again at Avenir Centre.

Tonight's match will be the ninth meeting this season between the two clubs with five of those meetings taking place in March. Including tonight's matchup, the two will be play each other five times between today and April 17.

Saint John has won five of the eight previous meetings but those wins have not come easy. Moncton has played the Sea Dogs hard - especially since the restart.

Game time tonight is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV (some areas?)/93 CFBC/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 11-8-3-1 for a .565 points percentage (third Maritimes) while the Wildcats are 8-10-2-1 for a .452 points percentage (fifth Maritimes).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off an 8-2 loss to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on home ice on Saturday. Charles Savoie and Vladislav Kotkov scored for Saint John. Zachary Emond made 33 stops in the loss. The Wildcats are coming off a 5-3 win in Bathurst on Sunday. Nathan Casey, Tristan DeJong, Alexis Daniel, Thomas Darcy and Jacob Hudson all scored for Moncton. Rookie Vincent Filion earned his first QMJHL win, making 36 stops.

2020-21 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 5-3-0-0 against the Wildcats this season while Moncton is 3-4-1-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: March 26 in Moncton where the Sea Dogs defeated the Wildcats 5-2. Brady Burns scored a pair for Saint John while singles came from Riley Bezeau, Leighton Carruthers and Cam MacDonald. Dominic Leblanc and Jacob Hudson scored for Moncton. Zachary Emond made 18 stops in the win. Dakota Lund-Cornish made 25 saves in the loss.

Six more Sea Dogs games added

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

MONCTON - Six more games have been added to the Saint John Sea Dogs' regular season schedule.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced additions to its schedule for all three New Brunswick clubs Monday. As expected, the Sea Dogs, Moncton Wildcats and Acadie-Bathurst Titan will continue to play amongst themselves for a least a few more weeks.

Here are the additions to Saint John's schedule, which include three home and three away contests.

Wednesday, April 7 at 7 p.m. at Moncton
Thursday, April 8 at 7 p.m. vs Titan

Sunday, April 11 at 4 p.m. at Moncton

Tuesday, April 13 at 7 p.m. at Bathurst

Friday, April 16 at 7 p.m. vs Titan

Saturday, April 17 at 7 p.m. vs Wildcats

In a press release, the league said its "objective remains to schedule games between all six Maritimes-based teams. Based on positive conversations with Public Health authorities, the Commissioner’s office is still confident it can obtain the necessary authorizations."

Notably, the schedule released Monday does not go beyond April 18. The Atlantic Bubble is (fingers crossed) scheduled to reopen April 19, which will presumably all six Maritimes Division clubs to play against each other once again.

The Maritimes Division teams will continue to play regular season games until May 1. The two playoff knockout games - one between the fifth and sixth seeds and the other between the fifth/sixth winner and fourth seeds - will take place May 4-5. The first-round of playoff series will begin May 8 for the Maritimes clubs.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 8-2

FINAL: Bathurst 8, Saint John 2

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - It started sloppy and ended badly for the Saint John Sea Dogs on Saturday night.

The Sea Dogs were too casual on defense and struggled to get their offense going in a rough 8-2 loss to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at TD Station. Defensive errors and missed assignments were once again a problem for the Dogs who were coming off one of their better games of the season the night before.

Saint John struggled at both ends for much of Saturday's game. While the defensive struggles have happened many times before, it's rare to see the Dogs struggle to produce offensively. The team recorded just 10 shots in the first two periods combined and fell behind 4-0 early in the third period.

The Dogs were able to get rolling a bit in the third, firing 17 shots on the Titan net and getting within two goals at one point. But the third was also when the defensive game really fell off the tracks, allowing six goals and 17 shots.

Bathurst outshot Saint John 41-27 overall.

This was only Saint John's second loss since the restart. Their other loss, a 6-2 set back on home ice to the Moncton Wildcats, also came after a strong victory.

Bathurst had a pair of goals from Mathieu Desgagnes and singles from Cole Huckins, Ben Allison, Riley Kidney, Logan Chisholm, Bennett MacArthur and Jacob Melanson. Chad Arsenault, who now has three wins against the Dogs this season, made 25 stops in the win.

Charles Savoie and Vladislav Kotkov scored for Saint John. Zachary Emond made 33 stops in the loss.

Game Day 23: vs Titan

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs are back in action tonight, facing off against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

The Sea Dogs played last night in Moncton and had one of their more complete performances of the season, scoring three times in the second period to defeat the Moncton Wildcats 5-2.

Saint John is 4-1-1-0 against Bathurst this season and 3-0-0-0 since the restart.

Game time tonight is 7 p.m. at TD Station.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/93 CFBC/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 11-7-3-1 for a .591 points percentage (third Maritimes) while the Titan are 12-7-1-1 for a .619 points percentage (second Maritimes).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-2 win in Moncton last night. Brady Burns had two goals while singles came from Riley Bezeau, Leighton Carruthers and Cam MacDonald. Zachary Emond made 18 saves in the win. The Titan are coming off a 6-5 overtime win over the Wildcats on Wednesday. Riley Kidney scored a pair while Ben Allison, Felix-Antoine Marcotty, Bennett MacArthur and Jaxon Bellamy added singles. Jan Bednar made 34 stops in the win.

2020-21 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 4-1-1-0 against the Titan this season while Bathurst is 2-3-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: March 19 at the KC Irving Regional Centre where the Sea Dogs edged the Titan 4-3. Leighton Carruthers, Charles Savoie, Charlie DesRoches and Kale McCallum scored for Saint John. Bathurst had two goals from Bennett MacArthur and a single from David Doucet. Zachary Emond made 28 stops in the win. Jan Bednar made 37 saves in the loss.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 5-2

FINAL: Saint John 5, Moncton 2

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

MONCTON - It's been a wild season series between the Saint John Sea Dogs and Moncton Wildcats but on Friday the two teams played a much different style of game.

The two played a fairly uneventful match at Avenir Centre that saw the Sea Dogs earn a 5-2 victory. After a scoreless and evenly played first period, Saint John scored three times in the second and outshot Moncton 16-4.

This was one of Saint John's most complete games of the season. While they didn't exactly have the pedal to floor offensively for the entire game, the team avoided the numerous defensive lapses that have proved costly in previous games against the Wildcats. The Dogs were able to dial down the chaos and play a much calmer game.

Moncton's offense was due to come back down to earth at some point. The Wildcats were missing four regulars due to injury Friday and another because of suspension. The team had three affiliates dressed.

The Wildcats, although they've been playing hard, have now lost four straight games.

Brady Burns scored a pair of goals for Saint John while singles came from Riley Bezeau, Leighton Carruthers and Cam MacDonald. Zachary Emond made 18 stops - including a couple of really nice saves to keep momentum going in Saint John's direction.

Jeremie Poirier, who has been killing the 'Cats this year, had three assists.

Dominic Leblanc and Jacob Hudson had Moncton's goals. Dakota Lund-Cornish made 25 stops in the loss.

Game Day 22: at Moncton

MONCTON - A busy stretch begins tonight for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The Sea Dogs will play six games over the next 10 days with their first match taking place tonight in Moncton against the Wildcats. Saint John is 4-3-0-0 against Moncton in what has been a wild season series.

The Wildcats, despite dropping three straight games, have been impressive since the restart, especially offensively. The team has been hit hard by the injury bug over the past week... but that didn't seem to hurt them too bad last Sunday in Saint John. Anything could happen tonight.

Game time at Avenir Centre is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/93 CFBC/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 10-7-3-1 for a .571 points percentage (third Maritimes) while the Wildcats are 7-9-2-1 for a .447 points percentage (fifth Maritimes).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 6-5 win over the Wildcats on Sunday at TD Station. Vladislav Kotkov scored twice while singles came from Zachary Alchorn, Riley Bezeau, Peter Reynolds and Nicholas Girouard. Noah Patenaude allowed three goals on eight shots while Zachary Emond allowed two goals on 21 shots. The Wildcats are coming off a 6-5 overtime loss in Bathurst on Wednesday. Francis Langlois scored twice while Jacob Hudson, Philippe Daoust and Owen Stammer added singles. Dakota Lund-Cornish made 35 stops in the loss.

2020-21 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 4-3-0-0 against the Wildcats this season while Moncton is 3-3-1-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Last Sunday at TD Station where the Sea Dogs defeated the Wildcats 6-5. Vladislav Kotkov scored two goals for Saint John while Zachary Alchorn, Riley Bezeau, Peter Reynolds and Nicholas Girouard also netted markers. Moncton goals came from Francis Langlois, Owen Stammer, Mathis Cloutier, Jacob Hudson and Tristan DeJong. Noah Patenaude allowed three goals on eight shots while Zachary Emond allowed two goals on 21 shots in the win. Dakota Lund-Cornish made 45 stops in the loss.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Wildcats: Forward Connor Richard.

Notebook: What will happen Friday night?

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

MONCTON - Are we in for more crazy on Friday night?

The Saint John Sea Dogs and Moncton Wildcats meet Friday at Avenir Centre for an eighth time this season. It's been a wild season series - especially since the restart. Saint John defeated the Wildcats 5-4 in overtime on March 13 then suffered an ugly 6-2 loss on home ice on March 17. Last Sunday, the Sea Dogs erased a three-goal first period deficit and scored the game-winner in the final minute of regulation to beat the 'Cats 6-5.

Saint John is 4-3-0-0 against Moncton this season - but it has not been easy. Five of the seven meetings between the two have been decided by two goals or fewer.

Moncton 5 @ Saint John 6 (Mar 21 2021)

Moncton 6 @ Saint John 2 (Mar 17 2021)

Saint John 5 @ Moncton 4 (Mar 13 2021) OT 

Moncton 4 @ Saint John 9 (Nov 13 2020)

Moncton 2 @ Saint John 4 (Nov 10 2020)

Saint John 3 @ Moncton 4 (Nov 6 2020)

Saint John 1 @ Moncton 3 (Nov 4 2020)

After Friday's contest, the Sea Dogs and Wildcats are scheduled to meet again March 30 in Moncton and April 2 in Saint John.

QUITE A RESTART

It's been a battle, but the Sea Dogs are a strong 5-1-0-0 since New Brunswick teams returned to action earlier this month.

Don't know about y'all, but it's good to be back. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/WpxZI5zuiV

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) March 22, 2021

The Sea Dogs have outscored opponents 28-24 during this stretch for a per-game average of 4.7-4.0. Overall this season the Sea Dogs are averaging 4.0 goals per game (fourth best) and 4.05 goals against per game (fourth worst).

Saint John is averaging a league high 37.62 shots per game.

LEONARD'S FIGHT

Say what you want about fights but it's hard not to consider Liam Leonard's first period tilt with Jacob Stewart a turning point in last Sunday's game. The Sea Dogs were down 3-0 at the time and looked noticeably sharper after the fight.

Leonard, who was tossed from the match at 12:30 of the first period, was named the Sea Dogs' player of the game.

🔨&🧢 for the @mcinnescooper Player of the Game, @LiamRiptide24! 🥊He sparked the team when they needed it most! #andstill pic.twitter.com/srNpaclHCJ

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) March 21, 2021

It was a costly move though: according to the league website, both Leonard and Stewart have been suspended two games (believed to be automatic) for the "staged fight."

More games added to schedule

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

A busy week awaits the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Following two games this weekend, the Sea Dogs will play four games in six nights beginning next Tuesday in Moncton. Here's a look at Saint John's schedule for next week, which was released on Wednesday by the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Tuesday, March 30 at 7 p.m. at Moncton

Thursday, April 1 at 7 p.m. at Bathurst

Friday, April 2 at 7 p.m. vs Moncton

Sunday, April 4 at 3 p.m. vs Bathurst

The QMJHL has not released any dates for Maritimes Division games beyond April 4.

In a news release, the league said that "despite positive dialogue between the commissioner’s office and public health authorities from the three provinces, no authorization has been granted yet to allow games involving all six Maritimes-based teams."

The release added that "the QMJHL is confident to obtain the green light to schedule games between the six teams in the foreseeable future."

The Atlantic Bubble is (fingers crossed) scheduled to reopen on April 19. The league announced on Monday that the regular season will end on May 1 for the Maritimes Division.

The Sea Dogs have played 21 games up to this point which is still among the lowest totals in the league due to the late restart in New Brunswick.

Saint John will visit the Moncton Wildcats this Friday and host the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Saturday.

QMJHL announces more playoff changes

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced Tuesday further details and modifications to its already modified playoff format for this bizarre 2020-21 season.

As announced previously, all 18 teams will make this year's President Cup playoffs with no crossover between the Quebec and Maritime clubs until the semifinal. The semifinal will be a six-game round robin featuring the two remaining teams from Quebec and one remaining team from the Maritimes. The top two teams from that round robin will face off in the league final.

If there is a tie between the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds following the round robin, a knockout game will be played to determine the team that will advance to the President Cup final to face the No. 1 seed. 

The President Cup final will begin three days after the last game of the round robin tournament and conclude on June 15 at the very latest, according the league.

So how will the the two Quebec teams and one Maritime team for this unique round robin semifinal be determined? Here's the overview the league provided:

Recap: Sea Dogs win 6-5

FINAL: Moncton 5, Saint John 6

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - We know two things for certain about this Saint John Sea Dogs team: nothing is easy and there is never a dull moment.

That was evident once again on Sunday when the Sea Dogs dug themselves into a 3-0 first period deficit only to climb back and defeat the Moncton Wildcats 6-5 at TD Station. To make things as dramatic as possible, Nicholas Girouard broke a 5-5 tie with just 29 seconds remaining in regulation.

This had the makings early of another "weird game" for the Sea Dogs. Saint John outshot Moncton 16-10 in the opening frame (and 51-29 overall) yet the Wildcats scored three time on their first seven shots of the contest. The Dogs were, as we've seen all year, scrambling defensively.

Saint John came back to tie the game in the second period and then won a back-and-forth third period. Saint John's only lead of the night came when Girouard redirected Jeremie Poirier's point shot past Moncton netminder Dakota Lund-Cornish in the final minute.

Vladislav Kotkov scored twice for Saint John while singles came from Girouard, Zachary Alchorn, Riley Bezeau and Peter Reynolds. Noah Patenaude got the start but was pulled after allowing three goals on eight shots. Zachary Emond made 19 stops in relief.

Francis Langlois, Owen Stammer, Mathis Cloutier, Jacob Hudson and Tristan DeJong scored for Moncton. Lund-Cornish made 45 stops in the loss.

Game Day 21: vs Wildcats

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs and Moncton Wildcats meet once again this afternoon at TD Station.

The Wildcats defeated the Sea Dogs 6-2 this past Wednesday in Saint John. It was a mess of a game for the Dogs who had a much better outing on Friday, winning 4-3 in Bathurst. That Wednesday loss remains Saint John's only defeat in the "second half."

The two teams have split the six-game season series so far.

Game time this afternoon is 3 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/93 CFBC/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 9-7-3-1 for a .550 points percentage (third Maritimes) while the Wildcats are 7-8-1-1 for a .471 points percentage (fourth Maritimes).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-3 win in Bathurst on Friday. Leighton Carruthers, Charles Savoie, Charlie DesRoches and Kale McCallum scored for Saint John. Zachary Emond made 28 stops in the win. The Wildcats are coming off a wild 8-7 shootout loss to the Titan on home ice last night. Gabriel Bernier scored twice for Moncton while singles came from Connor Richard, Jacob Hudson, Yoan Loshing, Mathis Cloutier and Charles-Antoine Pilote. Vincent Filion made 25 stops in the loss.

2020-21 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 3-3-0-0 against the Wildcats this season while Moncton is 3-2-1-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: This past Wednesday at TD Station where the Wildcats defeated the Sea Dogs 6-2. Jacob Stewart, Maxim Barbashev, Gabriel Bernier, Mathis Cloutier, Jacob Hudson and Philippe Daoust scored for Moncton. Saint John goals came from Ryan Francis and Peter Reynolds. Dakota Lund-Cornish made 31 saves in the win. Zachary Emond made 19 stops in the loss.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 4-3

FINAL: Saint John 4, Bathurst 3

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

BATHURST - The Saint John Sea Dogs showed off their depth on Friday night in Bathurst.

Leighton Carruthers, Charles Savoie, Charlie DesRoches and Kale McCallum all scored for Saint John in a come-from-behind 4-3 win over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at the KC Irving Regional Centre. Nicholas Girouard added two assists.

It was a much better performance by the Sea Dogs after an ugly 6-2 home loss to the Moncton Wildcats on Wednesday. The first half of the game was a little rocky with the teams trading goals but, as the game went along, the Sea Dogs seemed to settle in and controlled the game from the halfway point of the second period onward.

McCallum gave the Sea Dogs their first lead of the night at 9:04 of the third period. The Sea Dogs did a great job defensively the rest of the game, keeping things simple. That defensive work included killing off a Titan power play - one where the Dogs did not allow a shot on goal. Bathurst had just six shots in the third period.

Saint John has been proving the past few games that it's offense is more than just one line. The top trio of Ryan Francis, Peter Reynolds and Vladislav Kotkov was held off the scoring sheet entirely on Friday. It's good to see scoring coming from places throughout the lineup.

Zachary Emond made 28 stops in the win.

Bennett MacArthur scored twice for Bathurst while David Doucet added a single. Jan Bednar made 37 stops in the loss.

It's getting late

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Even though it's starting to feel like playoff weather, there's still some regular season to play in this bizarre 2020-21 campaign.

Sunday's Saint John Sea Dogs game will match the latest date the team has ever played a regular season contest. Saint John played its final regular season game on March 21 in 2015 and, ironically, would have done the same last season if not for COVID making its arrival.

The Sea Dogs have two games scheduled beyond this weekend - Friday, March 26 in Moncton and Saturday, March 27 at TD Station. The regular season will presumably stretch beyond that, but how far beyond is unknown.

The 12 Quebec-based clubs begin a sixth round of protected environments tonight and conclude on March 25. There have been reports that the league will hold at least one more round of protected environments, which presumably stretches the regular season into late April.

A regular season ending in late April certainly helps out the Maritimes Division clubs as that would ensure all six teams could play each other in the playoffs. The Atlantic Bubble is expected to reopen on April 19.

The league's previously announced playoff format would have the Maritime and Quebec teams separated until the league semifinals. How the logistics of that crossover will work is unclear... but having the top Maritime team stay in Quebec until their season ends seems like the only scenario. We'll see. There's still plenty of time between now and then.

Game Day 20: at Bathurst

BATHURST - The Saint John Sea Dogs will look to get back on track tonight against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

Wednesday night's 6-2 home loss to the Moncton Wildcats didn't have too many positives. The team was sloppy defensively in all zones and the offense, which had been so good since the restart, wasn't quite clicking.

The Sea Dogs are 2-0 against the Titan in this "second half" with their latest win coming on Sunday at TD Station - a 6-3 victory.

Game time tonight at the KC Irving Regional Centre is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/93 CFBC/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 8-7-3-1 for a .526 points percentage (third Maritimes) while the Titan are 10-6-1-1 for a .611 points percentage (second Maritimes).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 6-2 home loss to the Moncton Wildcats on Wednesday. Ryan Francis and Peter Reynolds scored for Saint John. Zachary Emond made 19 stops in the loss. The Titan are coming off that 6-3 loss to the Sea Dogs last Sunday at TD Station. Logan Chisholm scored twice for Bathurst while Yannic Bastarache added a single. Jan Bednar made 28 stops in the loss.

2020-21 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: Last Sunday at TD Station where the Sea Dogs defeated the Titan 6-3. Cam MacDonald, Liam Leonard, Peter Reynolds, Brady Burns, Riley Bezeau and Christopher Inniss all scored for Saint John. Logan Chisholm scored twice for Bathurst while Yannic Bastarache also scored. Zachary Emond made 38 saves in the win. Jan Bednar made 28 stops in the loss.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 6-2

FINAL: Moncton 6, Saint John 2

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - It was a St. Patrick's Day to forget for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Despite outshooting the Moncton Wildcats by a large margin for much the night, Saint John's couldn't overcome some sloppy defensive play, resulting in a 6-2 loss on Wednesday night at TD Station.

The loss was Saint John's first since returning to game action last week. A five-game home winning streak also came to an end.

The Sea Dogs simply looked off on Wednesday. Despite the shot total, the offense didn't seem to be clicking the same way it was in the previous three games. Defensively, the Sea Dogs simply made too many errors - and it cost them badly in this game.

The match got off to a promising start for Saint John with Ryan Francis scoring on a shorthanded breakaway at 3:45 of the opening period. At 7:22, Moncton responded with a shorthanded marker of their own when Jacob Stewart capitalized on a Saint John turnover in the neutral zone.

The Wildcats took their first lead of the game at 19:37 of the opening frame when Maxim Barbashev scored on a play that began off a defensive miscue behind the Sea Dogs net.

At 16:12 of the second, Peter Reynolds tied the game off a nice redirect at the top of the crease. Just 15 seconds later, Gabriel Bernier wired a shot from the slot past Zachary Emond to give the 'Cats a 3-2 lead entering the third.

Mathis Cloutier scored on a power play at 4:21 of the third, depositing a rebound. Jacob Hudson then scored at 9:47 to give the 'Cats a 5-2 lead, keeping the puck on a two-on-one and firing a perfectly placed shot past Emond.

Philippe Daoust iced the game at 13:07 after picking off a William Villeneuve pass near the blue line.

Saint John outshot Moncton 28-12 through the first 40 minutes. In the third, shots were 13-5 in favour of the Wildcats.

Emond made 19 stops in the loss. Dakota Lund-Cornish made 31 saves in the win.

Game Day 19: vs Wildcats

SAINT JOHN - Can the Saint John Sea Dogs win four straight games?

The Sea Dogs carry a three-game winning streak into this evening's game at TD Station where they'll host the Moncton Wildcats. The two teams met on Saturday at Avenir Centre where Saint John collapsed in the third period but managed to come away with a 5-4 overtime victory.

Saint John is 3-0 since the restart but the games have been anything but easy. In their other two games, both against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, the Sea Dogs either overcame a 2-0 deficit or blew a 2-0 lead.

This Sea Dogs team is definitely not boring. We'll see what they have in store for everyone tonight.

Game time tonight is 7 p.m.

Notebook: Francis nabs weekly honours

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Ryan Francis has been named the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Player of the Week.

The honour comes as no surprise thanks to a huge week for the Saint John Sea Dogs forward. The 19-year-old recorded four goals in his Sea Dogs debut on Tuesday night, tying the team record for goals in a single game.

Francis followed that game up with two assists on Saturday and another two helpers on Sunday. The Calgary Flames prospect now has an eight-game point streak.

Francis was also named to the QMJHL's Team of the Week. Joining him on the squad is one of his linemates, Vladislav Kotkov, who registered three goals and five assists in three games this week.

Forward Peter Reynolds, who joined Francis and Kotkov on the team's top line, also had a strong week, picking up two goals and four assists.

COMING UP

The Sea Dogs have another three games ahead of them this week.

On Wednesday, the Sea Dogs host the Moncton Wildcats at 7 p.m. Saint John survived a third period collapse in Moncton on Saturday, edging the 'Cats 5-4 in overtime.

On Friday, the Sea Dogs will visit the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at 7 p.m. The Titan sit second in the Maritimes Division while the Sea Dogs are third, making games between the two even more important. The top two teams in each division receive first round playoff byes.

Then on Sunday afternoon, the Wildcats are back in town to face the Sea Dogs at 3 p.m. 

STANDINGS

Speaking of the Maritimes Division standings, the Charlottetown Islanders continue to separate themselves from the pack, winning their ninth straight game on Sunday in Halifax.

At the bottom of the standings are the Cape Breton Eagles who have now lost five straight.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 6-3

FINAL: Bathurst 3, Saint John 6

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - It hasn't been easy but the Saint John Sea Dogs have won three straight games.

The Sea Dogs won their third consecutive contest on Sunday at TD Station, defeating the Acadie-Bathurst Titan 6-3. Like the previous two games, it wasn't simple, with Saint John blowing a 2-0 lead. The club never trailed though, ultimately taking the back-and-forth affair.

Saint John's top line of Ryan Francis, Peter Reynolds and Vladislav Kotkov has been all the talk this week, but on Sunday, several other players stepped up. Along with Reynolds, Cam MacDonald, Liam Leonard, Brady Burns, Riley Bezeau and Christopher Inniss all scored.

Zachary Emond made 38 stops in the win.

Saint John led 1-0 after one thanks to MacDonald scoring on a breakaway - a goal that was setup by a great feed from William Villeneuve behind his own net.

Leonard made it 2-0 Saint John early in the second, completing a two-on-none with Reynolds. 

Bathurst got on the board at 12:54 when Logan Chisholm scored on a deflection. Less than two minutes later, Yannic Bastarache put in a rebound, tying the game at 2-2.

Reynolds scored at 5:03 of the third to put Saint John back in front. 93 seconds later, Chisholm redirected another shot past Emond to even things up once again.

Burns' goal at 11:16 proved to be the game-winner. Bezeau jammed home an insurance goal at 18:08 and Inniss iced it with an empty net goal at 19:32.

Jan Bednar made 28 stops in the loss.

A week into this bizarre "second half" and the Sea Dogs clearly have some things to work on. But they're picking up wins at least, something that have been hard to come by for this club the past couple seasons.

Game Day 18: vs Titan

SAINT JOHN - It's been an interesting start to this "second half" for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The team went down 2-0 in the first period on Tuesday before coming back to defeat the Acadie-Bathurst Titan 5-3. Then last night in Moncton, the Sea Dogs were up 4-1 and cruising but collapsed in the third period before eventually winning 5-4 in overtime.

What will the Sea Dogs have in store for us today? We'll find out at 3 p.m. when the team hosts the Titan at TD Station.

TV/Radio/Webcast: None/93 CFBC/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 7-6-1-0 for a .529 points percentage (third Maritimes) while the Titan are 10-5-1-1 for a .647 points percentage (second Maritimes).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-4 overtime win in Moncton last night. Vladislav Kotkov scored twice while singles came from Peter Reynolds, Charlie DesRoches and Jeremie Poirier. Noah Patenaude made 21 stops in the win. The Titan are coming off a 7-2 win in Moncton on Thursday. Bennett MacArthur had four goals for Bathurst while singles came from David Doucet, Logan Chisholm and Mathieu Desgagnes. Jan Bednar made 32 saves in the win.

2020-21 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 2-1-1-0 against the Titan this season while Bathurst is 2-1-0-1 against Saint John.

Last meeting: This past Tuesday in Bathurst where the Sea Dogs defeated the Titan 5-3. Ryan Francis scored four times and Vladislav Kotkov added a solo marker. Mathieu Desgagnes, Ben Allison and Bennett MacArthur scored for Bathurst. Zachary Emond made 27 stops in the win. Jan Bednar made 31 saves in the loss.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 5-4 (OT)

FINAL: Saint John 5, Moncton 4 (OT)

Photo: Moncton Wildcats

MONCTON - Nothing comes easy for this Saint John Sea Dogs team.

That was evident once again on Saturday night as the Sea Dogs hung on for a 5-4 overtime victory over the Moncton Wildcats at Avenir Centre. Saint John is now 2-0 in this season's "second half."

The Sea Dogs, as was expected, were having a fairly easy time with the Wildcats in the first half of the game, leading 3-0 and 4-1 at times. Saint John outshot Moncton 17-3 in the first period and 28-11 in the first two frames combined. Much of the play, as was expected, looked like a good team facing a team in the early stages of a rebuild.

Then the third period happened. Maxim Barbashev scored his second of the game at 7:57, putting in a rebound at the top of the crease while on a power play. At 11:45, a Saint John turnover led to Jacob Hudson scoring an easy tap in goal. Then at 13:16, Hudson scored again, this one on a power play, to even things up at 4-4.

Shots were an astounding 14-2 in favour of the Wildcats in the third. The Sea Dogs took their foot off the pedal and let the car slide backwards down a hill.

Jeremie Poirier netted the overtime winner at 4:44 of overtime, avoiding what would have been one of the Saint John's ugliest - and strangest - losses of this strange season.

The Sea Dogs clearly still have plenty of work to do and the ghosts of seasons past still seem to be haunting this group.

Vladislav Kotkov scored a pair of goals for Saint John while singles came from Peter Reynolds, Charlie DesRoches and Poirier. Noah Patenaude made 21 stops in the win.

Dakota Lund-Cornish made 31 stops in the loss.

Game Day 17: at Moncton

MONCTON - The Saint John Sea Dogs are back in action tonight, taking on the Moncton Wildcats for the first time since mid-November.

Both teams look quite a bit different compared to their last meeting. Gabriel Fortier and Jordan Spence are both gone from the Wildcats lineup while the Sea Dogs have added Ryan Francis, Vladislav Kotkov and others.

There will be plenty of attention on Francis and Kotkov this evening as the two, along with Peter Reynolds, had big games on Tuesday in Saint John's 5-3 victory in Bathurst. Moncton, meanwhile, is coming off a rough 7-2 home loss to the Titan on Thursday.

The Sea Dogs haven't won a game at Avenir Centre in about 100 years (early 2019) but will try to do so tonight. Saint John has lost six straight games in Moncton and have collected just one win in the city over the past three seasons.

L - Saint John 3 @ Moncton 4 (Nov 6 2020)

L - Saint John 1 @ Moncton 3 (Nov 4 2020)

L - Saint John 2 @ Moncton 10 (Feb 12 2020) 

L - Saint John 3 @ Moncton 4 (Jan 17 2020)

L - Saint John 0 @ Moncton 9 (Oct 13 2019)

L - Saint John 4 @ Moncton 6 (Mar 16 2019) 

W - Saint John 6 @ Moncton 5 (Jan 3 2019) 

L - Saint John 2 @ Moncton 6 (Dec 9 2018)

L - Saint John 2 @ Moncton 5 (Oct 25 2018)

L - Saint John 2 @ Moncton 5 (Sep 28 2018)

Game time tonight is 7 p.m.

It's been exactly one year of chaos

It was one year ago today that the hockey world came to a halt.

I was on my way to Halifax to watch the Thursday night quarterfinal game of the 2020 University Cup when news broke that the Canadian Hockey League had followed the rest of the sports world, "pausing" its season.

In a post about the pause, I wrote that "essentially all hockey in North America has paused with an unknown date of return. This has truly been a stunning 24 hours - and the most stunning part may be the fact that we have no idea when things will return to normal."

And that brings us to today, exactly one year later, where we still don't know when things will return to normal.

hello from the only hockey game on earth pic.twitter.com/fOf1Ge7GHv

— Jamie Tozer (@station_nation) March 12, 2020

That University Cup quarterfinal game went on as scheduled. My only memory of the game is running into a friend from the University of Ottawa men's team where he said "are people still doing this?" when we shook hands. I haven't shook a hand since. WILD.

Later that night, the rest of the University Cup was cancelled. It's remarkable just how quickly things shutdown and were eventually cancelled. On March 17, five days later, the QMJHL announced it would not be resuming regular season play. On March 23, the playoffs and Memorial Cup were called off.

Oddly, a lot of the same questions we had this time a year ago still apply. Will the QMJHL be able to crown a champion? Will there even be a Memorial Cup tournament? Things are looking more positive on both fronts lately but, as we've learned over this year, nothing is a sure thing.

We've certainly been fortunate in New Brunswick this year - even with the recent four-month shutdown of QMJHL contests - to be able to attend hockey games. But I bet most of you who have been to games this season will agree that it's just not the same as it normally is. Here's hoping that on March 12, 2022 there are 4,000+ fans watching the Sea Dogs inside TD Station.

Notebook: When will the season end?

We could know more about the remainder of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League schedule very soon.

“It all depends on … if there’s going to be a Memorial Cup or not,” QMJHL Commissioner Gilles Courteau told The Guardian this week.

“As soon as we know what’s going to happen, we’ll be in a position to determine when the season is going to end.”

Courteau has repeatedly said there could be a decision made on the 2021 Memorial Cup in the next week or two.

In an intermission interview during Tuesday's game, Sea Dogs President and General Manager Trevor Georgie said he expects the schedule to ramp up soon and could see his club playing 15-20 games over the next several weeks.

The QMJHL originally planned to hold a 60-game regular season that concluded on April 3.

COMING UP

The Sea Dogs return to action this weekend with a pair of games.

On Saturday, the Sea Dogs will travel to Moncton to face the Wildcats at 7 p.m. Then on Sunday, the team will play their first home game since Nov. 14 when they host the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at 3 p.m.

The Sea Dogs are 2-2-0-0 against the Wildcats this season and have lost both games they've played in Moncton.

The Wildcats and Titan meet on Thursday night at Avenir Centre.

MORE WHL GAMES COMING
The Western Hockey League schedule is about to get a lot busier.

The Regina based hub, which will feature the league's Saskatchewan and Manitoba clubs, begins on Friday. Anderson MacDonald and the Winnipeg Ice play their first game of the season on Saturday night against the Brandon Wheat Kings.

The WHL's Alberta-based clubs have already begun play. The US Division begins play on March 19.

The WHL's BC Division, which was given the green light by provincial health officials last week, will begin play on March 26 with hubs in Kamloops and Kelowna.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 5-3

FINAL: Saint John 5, Bathurst 3

BATHURST - The Saint John Sea Dogs' new top line made quite a debut on Tuesday night at the KC Irving Regional Centre.

The trio of Ryan Francis, Vladislav Kotkov and Peter Reynolds generated all five of Saint John's goals in a 5-3 win over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Francis, making his Sea Dogs debut, led the way with a four-goal performance, tying the team record for most goals in a single game.

Kotkov, also making his Saint John debut, added a goal and three assists. Reynolds recorded three helpers - a career high.

A loaded, game-breaking top line is something the Sea Dogs have been missing over the past few seasons. Tonight's game showed the impact that kind of trio can make.

The Sea Dogs and Titan were both playing their first games since November. Things were a bit shaky in parts of the opening period, but the teams looked decent under the circumstances.

Bathurst led 2-0 after one thanks to a shorthanded goal and another that was scored on a breakaway coming out of the box. In the second, the Francis show began as the Calgary Flames prospect netted a natural hat trick. Kotkov added the other goal in the second, giving Saint John a 4-2 lead.

 

The teams traded goals in the third to make it a 5-3 final.

Mathieu Desgagnes, Ben Allison and Bennett MacArthur had Bathurst goals. Jan Bednar made 31 stops in the loss.

Zachary Emond, also making his Sea Dogs debut, made 27 stops in the win.

This was Saint John's first road victory of the season and first since Feb. 16, 2020.

Game Day 16: at Bathurst

BATHURST, NB - After nearly a four-month wait, the Saint John Sea Dogs are set to resume Quebec Major Junior Hockey League game action.

The Sea Dogs' last regular season game was on Nov. 18 in Sydney. It was the team's 15th game of the year. Now, after a COVID shutdown, an extended holiday break and more COVID related problems, Saint John is set to resume their season.

Tonight's game has the feeling of a season opener - not just because of the lengthy break but because of a number of new faces who should be in the lineup. The most notable are forwards Vladislav Kotkov and Ryan Francis, two experienced point producers who should help out Saint John's offense.

Of course, the big question will be Saint John's defense. The team's defensive struggles over the past couple seasons are well documented and they didn't have a great "first half." But the club has had plenty of time to practice over the past month and hopefully this is when the Sea Dogs' d-core finally finds their groove.

Saint John was 5-6-3-1 before the shutdown and 0-4-2-1 on the road. It's been over a calendar year since the club won a road game - something they'll try and accomplish tonight.

Game time at the KC Irving Regional Centre is 7 p.m.

Alumdate: Ex-Dogs in the QMJHL

Iften Radjah/QMJHL

It's been quite a start for Dawson Stairs with his new team.

After scoring just three times in 13 games with the Saint John Sea Dogs during the "first half" of the season, Stairs has recorded goals in seven of the 10 games he has appeared in with the Cape Breton Eagles. The Fredericton native has eight goals and six assists with the Eagles.

“I’ve been happy with my start,” Stairs told the Cape Breton Post on Feb. 25.

“Coming here, I realized everyone works hard and that’s the main focus for the team and I feel like I’ve bought into it and everything is turning out well.”

The Eagles have struggled with injuries over the past few weeks and getting a break due to COVID-19 restrictions in Halifax and PEI may have been a blessing. Cape Breton is 11-15-1-0 and sit last in the Maritimes Division based on points percentage.

Cape Breton, along with the Mooseheads and Islanders, resumes play this week.

The Sea Dogs traded Stairs to the Eagles in the deal that saw Ryan Francis come back the other way. Francis, who had six goals and 15 assists in 15 games with Cape Breton before being traded, is set to make his Saint John debut this week.

Notebook: Rogers TV releases schedule

Rogers TV is set to broadcast nearly every New Brunswick based QMJHL game this month.

The station announced earlier this week that it will broadcast 10 games this month (with one of those being in French). Unfortunately for Sea Dogs fans, the two games Rogers TV will not be airing involve the team: Sunday, March 14 against Bathurst and Sunday, March 21 against Moncton.

A small number of tickets are available for purchase in all three New Brunswick markets. The Sea Dogs averaged 1,444 fans in their eight home games this fall.

ROAD WOES

The Sea Dogs will try and do something they haven't done in over a year on Tuesday night: win a road game.

Saint John is 0-4-2-1 away from home this season and have been outscored 34-22. Going back to last season, the Sea Dogs have now lost 10 straight road games with their last win coming on Feb. 16, 2020 in Halifax - a wild 9-7 win over the Mooseheads.

The Sea Dogs will play four road games this month: two in Bathurst and two in Moncton.

NS teams, Islanders returning to play

All six Maritimes Division teams will be in action much sooner than expected.

The Nova Scotia government announced Thursday an easing of the COVID-19 restrictions that were put in place in the Halifax area last week. Those restrictions will loosen on Friday and will allow the Halifax Mooseheads to resume game action.

The province originally said the restrictions could be in place until March 26, so this is certainly welcome news.

With the Mooseheads back, the Cape Breton Eagles have someone to play - and the Charlottetown Islanders, with PEI moving out of lockdown mode, will be joining them just like the good ol' days (a.k.a. a couple weeks ago).

From a QMJHL news release:

With the Nova Scotia Health Authorities easing COVID-19 restrictions earlier this morning, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced today a schedule for the upcoming two weeks that includes home games for its Nova Scotian teams.

The league has scheduled four games involving the three teams for next week. All four games will be played in Sydney or Halifax. 

With those three teams back and the three New Brunswick clubs returning next week (fingers crossed), the big question becomes when does the Atlantic Bubble reopen? It's certainly possible some sort of arrangement is worked out to allow the teams to travel in-and-out of the three provinces without needing to quarantine... but it's difficult to feel too optimistic about that scenario given what the three New Brunswick clubs went through over the past several weeks. 

CBC New Brunswick reports that Premier Blaine Higgs said that talks about reopening the Atlantic Bubble will likely happen in April.

Sea Dogs scheduled to return March 9

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs will play their first Quebec Major Junior Hockey League game in nearly four months next Tuesday (fingers crossed) when they visit the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

The Sea Dogs have not played since Nov. 18 due to COVID-19 restrictions limiting sporting events and travel throughout New Brunswick. Tuesday's contest will be the first of eight games the team is scheduled to play in March.

Saint John will also be in action on Saturday, March 13 in Moncton and at home on Sunday, March 14 against Bathurst.

Here's a look at Saint John's schedule, which features four home and four away games:

Tuesday, March 9 at 7 p.m. at Bathurst

Saturday, March 13 at 7 p.m. at Moncton

Sunday, March 14 at 3 p.m. vs Bathurst

Wednesday, March 17 at 7 p.m. vs Moncton

Friday, March 19 at 7 p.m. at Bathurst

Sunday, March 21 at 3 p.m. vs Moncton

Friday, March 26 at 7 p.m. at Moncton

Saturday, March 27 at 7 p.m. vs Bathurst

The Sea Dogs, Wildcats and Titan are the only three Maritimes Division teams currently permitted to play. The Charlottetown Islanders are unable to play games until at least March 14 while the Halifax Mooseheads are out of action until at least March 26.

Saint John's news release notes that the "schedule is subject to change depending on Nova Scotia and PEI’s evolving situation as some games can be postponed and/or added to the schedule should they obtain Public Health approval."

The Sea Dogs have played just 15 games this season. Even if all eight of these games are able to go ahead as planned, Saint John will still have six fewer games under their belts than the Mooseheads, who have played a division-leading 29.

Saint John is 1-1-1-0 against Bathurst this season and 2-2-0-0 against Moncton. They are 0-4-2-1 on the road.

Notebook: Quiet week ahead in the Maritimes

There will not be any QMJHL games played in the Maritimes this weekend.

The three New Brunswick teams won't resume action until next week (again, fingers crossed) while the Halifax Mooseheads are out of action until late March due to COVID restrictions in the HRM. On Sunday, the Charlottetown Islanders joined the Mooseheads on the shutdown list.

From the league:

The Government of Prince Edward Island announced (Saturday) new COVID-19 measures to control the current outbreak. These include restrictions on hockey games that won’t be permitted until March 14th. 

Therefore, the Charlottetown Islanders will not be able to compete for the upcoming two weeks. With Charlottetown and Halifax on pause, the Cape Breton Eagles will also have to take a break from competition for the same period of time.

The Islanders, Mooseheads and Eagles had been playing each other for several weeks with no disruptions. If there's any positive out of this break it's that the three New Brunswick teams should be able to gain a bit of ground in terms of games played.

It's still unclear when - or even if - all six Maritimes Division teams will be able to travel freely around the three provinces.

CAJKOVIC DEBUTS

Maxim Cajkovic recorded an assist in his Val-d'Or Foreurs debut on Saturday.

The former Sea Dogs forward, who spent the first half of the season in his home country of Slovakia, appeared in his first QMJHL game since March 7 of last year. The Tampa Bay Lightning prospect added five shots in the Foreurs' 4-3 overtime win over the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.

The Sea Dogs traded Cajkovic to the Foreurs during last summer's QMJHL Entry Draft. Entering play Monday, Val-d'Or had a record of 19-2-2-2 and had won eight straight.