Notebook: MHL playoffs off to fun start

SAINT JOHN - If the opening round of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs are anything like the Maritime Junior Hockey League's, we're in for a wild ride.

There were two significant upsets in the MHL's first round with the Valley Wildcats (19-16-2-1) upsetting the Eastlink South Division's top seeded Yarmouth Mariners (25-8-4-1) in six games and the Fredericton Red Wings (22-12-2-0) eliminating the Eastlink North Division's second-place squad in the Campbellton Tigers (23-8-4-1) in six matches.

The Truro Bearcats (19-15-2-0), the No. 3 seed in the South, also upended the Amherst Ramblers (19-14-2-2), the No. 2 seed, in five games.

The MHL's semifinals will feature the Wildcats facing the Bearcats and the Red Wings taking on the top-ranked Summerside Western Capitals. Even the Western Capitals, who finished 18 points ahead of the Edmundston Blizzard, needed five games to advance to the next round (each series was/is best-of-seven).

Some notable names to watch in the MHL semifinals:

Fredericton Red Wings: Zachary Alchorn, Logan Carruthers, Connor McCluskey and Mathias Savoie

Summerside Western Capitals: Josh MacDonald and Sam Dow

Truro Bearcats: Brady Stone and Frederic Plourde

Valley Wildcats: Luke Wilson, Julian Vander Voet, Antoine Lyonnais and Justin Bourque

GREAT PIC

Quite a photo captured by Sea Dogs team photographer Michael Hawkins on Wednesday night.

Last night's OT Winner: Philippe Daoust or Bobby Orr? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/bVEQOF30WQ

— x - Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) April 7, 2022 

DUFOUR HONOURED

William Dufour has been named the QMJHL's forward of the month for March.

From the QMJHL website:

The Sea Dogs are gearing up for an extended playoff run and one of the players firing on all cylinders as the final month of the season approaches is star winger William Dufour. The 20-year-old from Quebec City, Quebec turned the league on its ear in March, finding the scoresheet in every game, recording eight multi-point outings and highlighting the month with four-point performances on the 6th and 12th against Halifax and Moncton, respectively. Additionally, the fourth-year veteran recorded a +/- rating of +14 and notched a pair of game-winning goals.

Former Sea Dog Kale McCallum, now with the Val-d'Or Foreurs, was named the defenseman of the month.

HONOURABLE MENTION

The Sea Dogs were an honourable mention in this week's CHL Top 10 Rankings, which were released on Wednesday afternoon.

From the CHL website:

Earning honourable mention, the 2022 Memorial Cup presented by Kia host Saint John Sea Dogs continue to put together a dominant second half where the past week saw the squad pick up three-straight road wins in which it combined for 14 goals. Elsewhere, the Acadie-Bathurst Titan are making noise in the QMJHL’s Maritimes Division underscored by a 13-game span in which the team has gone unbeaten in regulation that counted six points in four games coming over the past week.

The OHL's Hamilton Bulldogs were ranked first. QMJHL teams ranked were the Quebec Remparts (fifth), Charlottetown Islanders (seventh) and Sherbrooke Phoenix (10th).

DOVE-MCFALLS DEBUTS

Former Sea Dogs forward Samuel Dove-McFalls had an eventful professional debut with the Grand Rapids Griffins on Wednesday.

Dove-McFalls had a fight, one shot on goal and was unable to score in a 12-round shootout. The Griffins defeated Brett Gallant (who was also used in the shootout but did not score) and the Cleveland Monsters 2-1.

Via HockeyFights.com, here's Dove-McFalls' fight with 26-year-old American Billy Sweezey, a 2014 draft pick of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.

Dove-McFalls, who had been captaining the UNB Reds, turned pro this week following the conclusion of the university hockey season.

GOOD MONTH FOR CRETE

March was a good month for former Sea Dogs forward Yanic Crete.

Crete, who appeared in 21 games with the Sea Dogs in the first half of the season, was named the Central Canadian Hockey League's first star for March.

From the CCHL website:

The 2002 born L’Orignal, ON native picked up 18 points (9G, 9A) last month, being named games 1st star three times, 2nd star once, and 3rd star twice. His best outing was a 4-point performance against Navan in which he netted the GWG with 4 seconds left in regulation.

The 19-year-old Rockland Nationals forward now has nine goals and 18 assists in 24 CCHL games. 

OTHER THINGS

• Former Sea Dogs captain Jonathan Huberdeau has surpassed the 100-point mark for the first time in his NHL career. At the time of this writing, Huberdeau has an impressive 26 goals and 76 assists in 70 games with Florida Panthers.
• 16-year-old defenseman Natan Grenier, who the Sea Dogs dealt to the Moncton Wildcats in the Philippe Daoust deal, has now appeared in four games with the 'Cats, posting one shot and a -2 rating.
• The OHL's Niagara IceDogs are in a major mess.
• Could Trois-Rivieres host a future University Cup tournament? The tournament often struggles with attendance when it's played outside the Maritimes, but I endorse the idea.
• The Ottawa Senators have bailed on their idea to partner with Quebec City on a 2023 world junior bid. Instead they'll team up with the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, the organization that owns the OHL's Ottawa 67's.
• The NCAA's men's Frozen Four tournament is underway in Boston with Michigan taking on Denver and Minnesota facing Minnesota State. The championship game will be played Saturday night.
• A reminder that the Harbour Bridge will be a disaster until November. Plan accordingly.