Notebook: Dogs welcome back division rival

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs will do something on Tuesday they haven't done much over the past month: play a Maritimes Division opponent.

Tuesday's home game against the Halifax Mooseheads ends a streak of 10 straight games against Quebec based clubs. The last time the Sea Dogs played a team from within their division was none other than the Mooseheads on Halloween.

The Sea Dogs are 6-3-0-1 in their past 10 games but are on a 3-0-0-1 run. Tuesday's game ends a three-game homestand before the team heads back to Quebec for a three-in-three this weekend.

Saint John has a chance to make up some ground in the standings with a victory Tuesday. The Sea Dogs, Mooseheads and Moncton Wildcats sit in a tie for second in the Maritimes Division with 25 points each.

TEAM OF THE WEEK

Sea Dogs defenseman William Villeneuve has been named to the QMJHL's team of the week.

Oyé! Oyé! Here is the ninth edition of the @Videotron Team of the Week! 👇

STATS 📊 | https://t.co/RnqCHKaFRj pic.twitter.com/5AXxrlyM6d

— QMJHL (@QMJHL) November 29, 2021

Villeneuve has point in three straight games and six of his past seven.

POINT LEADERS

William Dufour heads into action this week as the league leader in goals with 18. Shawinigan's Xavier Bourgault and Charlottetown's Xavier Simoneau sit tied for second with 17 goals each.

Dufour currently sits third in points with 36, trailing Sherbrooke's Joshua Roy (39) and Simoneau (38).

Jeremie Poirier, meanwhile, sits fourth in defensemen scoring with 21 points and fourth in defensemen assists with 16.

ROY SETS NEW CAREER MARK

Speaking of Joshua Roy, the former Sea Dogs forward has set a new career high for points in a season - just 21 games into the year.

Roy now has 14 goals and 39 points in 21 games with the Sherbrooke Phoenix. The Montreal Canadiens prospect had 35 points in 35 games split between the Sea Dogs and Phoenix last season.

Roy has two goals and six assists over his past three games. He'll play his former team for the first time on Saturday when the Sea Dogs travel to Sherbrooke to face the league-leading Phoenix.

200 POINTS

Ryan Francis' game-tying goal on Saturday was the forward's 200th career QMJHL point.

Congratulations to Ryan Francis, who tied the game up and sent it to overtime with his 200th QMJHL point! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/H1tgzWNKXx

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) November 28, 2021

GAME WINNERS

William Dufour's overtime goal on Saturday was his fourth game-winner of the season, tying him for the league lead. The New York Islanders prospect still has a ways to go to match the Sea Dogs' franchise record for game winners in a single season.

Mike Hoffman recorded 15 winners in 2009-10 while Stanislav Galiev had nine in 2010-11. Chris DiDomenico (2007-08) and Bokondji Imama (2016-17) are tied for third with eight each.

To put Hoffman's single season total into some perspective: Matthew Highmore is the franchise leader in game-winning goals with 18.

PLENTY OF SCORERS

The Sea Dogs had nine different scorers in last Thursday's 9-2 home win over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies - something that had never been done in Sea Dogs franchise history.

#QMJHL #LHJMQ ROU/SNB: @SJSeaDogs score most goals at home since 4/2/21 with nine goals coming from nine marksmen. Franchise first for solo goals by different scorers. Amongst scorers are 14th round pick Carter McCluskey, who scores in 3rd straight game – this time shorthanded

— Geoffrey Brandow (@GeoffreyBrandow) November 26, 2021

It was the 13th time the Sea Dogs had scored nine goals in a game. The franchise high remains 12, which was set on Jan. 18, 2008 against the PEI Rocket.

CITY OF CHAMPIONS
Here's that very nice "City of Champions" video that was played pre-game at TD Station this past week.

TOURNAMENT LOOK

The official Memorial Cup website has been updated with 2022 tournament branding.

90S NIGHT

The Halifax Mooseheads hosted 90s Night at Scotiabank Centre on Saturday. They sported some glorious Halifax Citadels jerseys.

Mooseheads defend the fort vs Blainville with 5-4 overtime victory on 90's Night.

Game Recap: https://t.co/XoMfyNDJxa #90sNight | #GoMooseGo pic.twitter.com/tVValBJM2K

— Halifax Mooseheads (@HFXMooseheads) November 28, 2021

What the @scotiabank Moose Minute would have looked like in 1994, probably. #90sNight #GoMooseGo pic.twitter.com/CmvbbcKYWS

— Halifax Mooseheads (@HFXMooseheads) November 27, 2021

OTHER THINGS

• The FISU Winter Universiade, originally scheduled for Dec. 11-21 in Switzerland, has been cancelled due to the new COVID-19 variant and the travel issues that have come from it. Team Canada's men's hockey team was set to feature former Sea Dogs forward Samuel Dove-McFalls (UNB) and goaltender Alex Bishop (UofT).
• Greg Leland's time as interim head coach of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan ended quickly. The Titan have named Shawinigan Cataractes assistant Jason Clarke the team's new head coach. Clarke was the long-time head coach and the general manager of the Carleton Place Canadiens, one of the country's junior A hockey powerhouses.
• In bad news: Saturday's MHL game between the Miramichi Timberwolves and Campbellton Tigers was postponed due to "COVID protocols."
• Make it stop.