Notebook: Dogs, Isles meet one final time

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The final meeting of the regular season between the Saint John Sea Dogs and Charlottetown Islanders is on deck.

The Sea Dogs travel to Charlottetown on Thursday to face one of the league's top teams at 7 p.m. The Islanders are currently tied with the Quebec Remparts - who the Sea Dogs defeated 4-2 on Sunday - for top spot in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

The Islanders are starting to heat up again after a rough stretch of injuries. Charlottetown carries a three-game winning streak into Thursday's matchup while Saint John has won six straight.

The Sea Dogs are 3-5-0-0 against the Islanders this season.

Following Thursday's game, the Sea Dogs travel to Sydney one last time for back-to-back games against the Cape Breton Eagles on Saturday and Sunday.

SEVIGNY HONOURED

Sea Dogs captain Vincent Sevigny has been named to the QMJHL's team of the week.

The defenseman posted two goals and three assists in three games last week, helping the club extend their winning streak to six games.

Here are the top players from the past week! 👇#QMJHL | @Videotron

— QMJHL (@QMJHL) April 11, 2022

Sevigny is averaging just under a point-per-game with the Sea Dogs, recording 10 goals and 27 points in 28 games.

HOME COOKING

Sunday's 4-2 Sea Dogs victory over the Quebec Remparts was the team's 20th home win of the season.

The Sea Dogs are now 20-9-0-2 at TD Station this season. The 42 points they've earned at home is fourth most in the league (heading into Tuesday play).

The Sherbrooke Phoenix are a league best 23-6-0-1 on home ice this season. One of those six losses was against the Sea Dogs.

For a comparison, the last time the Sea Dogs won the President Cup in 2016-17, the team earned 53 points at home (25-6-3-0).

The Sea Dogs have just three home games remaining this season:

 

Tuesday, April 19 vs Sherbrooke

Thursday, April 28 vs Cape Breton

Friday, April 29 vs Cape Breton

DUFOUR'S FAV TEAMS

We know William Dufour likes to score, but who does he like scoring against the most?

Unsurprisingly, 10 of Dufour's league-leading 48 goals have come against the rebuilding Moncton Wildcats. Dufour has also enjoyed playing New Brunswick's other QMJHL team, scoring seven times against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

Dufour has five goals against the Cape Breton Eagles this season but, with four meetings remaining, that number could certainly grow quickly.

TICKETS TICKETS TICKETS

The Sea Dogs have released some details on playoff ticket packages and season ticket renewals for the 2022-23 season. 

Are you a Season Ticket Member? You can head to TD Station now to be the first to select your 2022 President Cup tickets and join us in the Road to the Cup presented by TD! 🏒

Read more: https://t.co/U5xIaFDUvD pic.twitter.com/0gDukJUvBb

— x - Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) April 11, 2022

The Sea Dogs also announced that its annual awards banquet will be held Monday, April 25 at the Imperial Theatre. According to the team, "the event is exclusively for Season Ticket Members and the only way to attend is to win tickets in our draw. Tickets will not be made available for purchase." More details here.

OVERAGE CHANGES?

There continues to be speculation that the QMJHL may make changes to its overage rules. The speculated change would see 20-year-old goaltenders not count against a team's maximum allowance of three overage players.

Grosse rumeur @LHJMQ du week-end ! Les gardiens de 20 ans ne compterait plus dans le total des 3 joueurs de 20 ans permis dans le circuit Courteau.

J’avoue que je serais en faveur d’une telle règle vu la courbe de développement des G versus les joueurs, regarder Sam Richard.

— Jean-Sebastien Blais (@KobeBlais) April 9, 2022

This would be a significant rule and roster change for all teams.

OTHER THINGS

• Sea Dogs forward Nicholas Blagden spoke to Country 94 about how he is using his own mental health struggles to help others.
• The Titan tweeted some injury updates: Hendrix Lapierre is day-to-day; Dylan Andrews is day-to-day; Felix Lafrance is 1-2 weeks away from returning; and Chad Arsenault is 2-4 weeks away.
• Don't know if any other team in the CHL has put more work into ticket promotions this season than the Charlottetown Islanders, who will be making student tickets and drinks just $4 for this Thursday's game against Saint John.
• In the MHL playoffs, the Summerside Western Capitals lead the Fredericton Red Wings 2-0 while the Valley Wildcats and Truro Bearcats are tied 1-1. Both are best-of-seven series.
• Cities that appear to be interested in hosting the 2023 World Junior Hockey Championship: Ottawa; Regina/Saskatoon; Kitchener/London; and Moncton/Halifax.
• If you're interested in becoming the next president of the Maritime Junior Hockey League, this job posting is for you.
• Denver defeated Minnesota State 5-1 in the NCAA men's Frozen Four championship game on Saturday. Minnesota led 1-0 entering the third period and had dominated Denver defensively up until that point.
• Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal reports that the NAHL may move into Concord, NH. This is the same league that has a team in Lewiston and plays out of the Maineiacs' old rink. While it doesn't feel like the opportune time for the QMJHL to move back into the United States, it also feels like the window of opportunity continues to slowly close.