Recap: Sea Dogs lose 7-1

FINAL: Saint John 1, Gatineau 7

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

GATINEAU, QC - The Gatineau Olympiques had little trouble with the Saint John Sea Dogs in the first game of their first-round best-of-seven Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoff series.

Zach Dean recorded a hat trick and added an assist to lead the Olympiques to a 7-1 win in front of a packed Slush Puppie Centre. Antonin Verreault, Olivier Nadeau, Will Chisholm and Alexis Gendron also scored for Gatineau. Defenseman Tristan Luneau added three assists.

Olympiques goaltender Francesco Lapenna wasn't tested too much, making 21 saves in the win. Saint John fired just nine dangerous shots on net in the game.

Saint John hung around in the first two periods thanks to some great goaltending from Ventsislav Shingarov, who allowed just two goals on 38 shots in the first 40 minutes. Gatineau scored two goals early in the third period to erase any chance of a Saint John comeback attempt.

Shingarov made 45 stops in the loss. Saint John allowed 52 shots, the third most given up in a playoff game in franchise history.

Defenseman Jared Cosman scored Saint John's lone goal, which came while catching the Olympiques snoozing on a shorthanded chance in the third.

Pre-game notes: it's playoff time

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

HALIFAX - The Saint John Sea Dogs will begin the playoffs with some tweaks to their forward lines.

Cole Burbidge moves up to the top line, joining Brady Burns and Noah Reinhart, while Peter Reynolds moves to the second line to centre Eriks Mateiko and Vince Elie.

As they've done for most of the second half, the Sea Dogs will go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Vincent Despont is the extra man on the backend.

Burns - Burbidge - Reinhart

Mateiko - Reynolds - Elie

Simek - Cournoyer - Drover

Beaulieu - Benoit

Tivey - DesRoches

Ianniello - Cosman

Bilodeau - Akkouche

Despont

Shingarov

Brideau

Ventsislav Shingarov will start in net. Olivier Brideau has not made an appearance since Feb. 26.

Game 1 of the first round QMJHL playoff series between the Sea Dogs and Olympiques begins tonight at 8 p.m. Atlantic in Gatineau.

A few other notes...

• Former Sea Dogs forward Cam MacDonald will be on Gatineau's top line with Zach Dean and Samuel Savoie.
• Tonight's game at the Slush Puppie Centre is sold out. The building has a capacity of 5,000. The Sea Dogs are 0-2-0-0 all-time in this arena.
• Last night at the Slush Puppie Centre, the Ottawa 67's began the OHL playoffs with a big 7-0 win over the Oshawa Generals. The 67's outshot the Generals 20-0 in the first period and 56-16 overall. The 67's are playing their first round playoff games in Gatineau due to arena availability in Ottawa.
• There's a Game 7 in the Maritime Hockey League tonight. The Summerside Western Capitals will host the Campbellton Tigers at 7 p.m. with the winner moving on to play the Edmundston Blizzard in the next round.
• I went on The Pipeline Show to preview the QMJHL playoffs.

🚨 CHL Playoff Preview Now Available🚨

✅ @bradcoccimiglio on the @OHLHockey
✅ @station_nation on the @QMJHL
✅ @AndrewPeard on @TheWHL

🔊 https://t.co/Lqhlx2UHsD
🐂 @WilhaukJerky
🍻 @TroubledMonk pic.twitter.com/XoIV6sFnG7

— Guy Flaming (@TPS_Guy) March 31, 2023

Playoff Game Day 1 & 2: at Gatineau

GATINEAU, QC - The playoffs get underway tonight in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

The Saint John Sea Dogs will get things started at the Slush Puppie Centre in Gatineau at 8 p.m. Atlantic. The Sea Dogs are massive underdogs against the Olympiques with 55 points separating the two.

Saint John will need a lot of things to go right for them to have a shot in this series. If anything, this playoff round will be about gaining experience for a young Sea Dogs team and seeing just what level they need to reach to be a Gilles Courteau Trophy contending team.

The Olympiques, who were ranked No. 1 in the final CHL Top 10, earned points in each of their final 24 games in the regular season, going 23-0-1-0.

Game 1 of the best-of-seven series takes place tonight and Game 2 will be tomorrow at 5 p.m.

TV/Radio/Stream: None/93 CFBC/CHL TV

2022-23 regular season records: The Sea Dogs finished with a 24-38-5-1 record for 54 points (fifth Maritimes/ninth Eastern/15th QMJHL) while the Olympiques were 49-12-5-2 for 105 points (first West/second Western/fourth QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 7-4 loss to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Saturday at TD Station. Alex Drover, Peter Reynolds, Vince Elie and Alexis Cournoyer scored for Saint John. Ventsislav Shingarov made 25 stops in the loss. The Olympiques are coming off a 6-5 shootout win in Blainville-Boisbriand on Saturday. Zach Dean and Antonin Verreault each scored twice for Gatineau while Cristiano Spadafora added a single. Kaiden Kirkwood allowed four goals on 35 shots in just over 51 minutes of action while Francesco Lapenna allowed one goal on nine shots.

A look at some regular season stats

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The post-season is set to begin for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The Sea Dogs enter the playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Western Conference, crossing over from the Eastern side due to eight teams within their own conference qualifying for the playoffs.

Saint John finished the regular season with a 24-38-5-1 record for 54 points. They went 13-21-0-0 at home and 11-17-5-1 on the road. They ended the season going 4-2-4-0 in their final 10 games, a major reason why they qualified for the playoffs on the last day of the regular season.

Here's a look at some numbers from Saint John's season:

• Saint John scored 233 goals and allowed 318 for a -85 goal differential. They finished ninth in goals per game (3.40) and last in goals against per game (4.64).
• Saint John averaged the ninth most shots per game (30.68) and the third most shots against per game (36.06).
• The Sea Dogs averaged 9.50 penalty minutes per game, the fourth fewest in the league.
• 10 Sea Dogs games went into extra time. The team was 2-5 in overtimes and 2-1 in shootouts. Saint John scored just three shootout goals but only allowed two.
• The Dogs were 15-8-2-1 when scoring first.
• Saint John's record by division:
• vs Maritimes: 16-22-5-1
• vs East: 2-6-0-0
• vs Central: 2-6-0-0
• vs West: 4-4-0-0
• Teams the Sea Dogs went winless against: Chicoutimi (0-2-0-0), Halifax (0-8-0-0), Quebec (0-2-0-0), Rouyn-Noranda (0-2-0-0), Shawinigan (0-2-0-0), Sherbrooke (0-2-0-0) and Victoriaville (0-2-0-0).
• Saint John went 2-0-0-0 against Blainville-Boisbriand and Drummondville. 
• Saint John's special teams were near the middle of the pack. The team's penalty kill finished ninth (77.2%) and power play finished 11th (21.4%).
• Saint John allowed 16 shorthanded goals, the most in the league. That is tied for the second most in franchise history. The club record is 20 shorthanded goals allowed in 2006-07.
• Saint John's most offensive periods were second periods, where they scored 85 goals. The team allowed 116 goals against in second periods, though, and 118 in thirds.
• The Sea Dogs were 13-6-2-0 in games when leading after one and 18-0-1-1 when leading after two. They were 4-21-0-0 in games when trailing after one and 2-32-2-0 when trailing after two.
• Saint John outshot their opponent in just 15 games this season. 12 of those games were on home ice.
• Saint John took 16 minor penalties in a game on Jan. 14 (an 8-3 Sea Dogs win in Rimouski), the most by any team in a single game this season. The Oceanic went 3/8 on the power play in that game.
• The Sea Dogs recorded 24 shots in a first period on Jan. 4, the fourth highest first period total this season.
• According to HockeyFights.com, the Sea Dogs had just four fights all season, the third fewest in the league. Excluding the 2020-21 COVID season, that is a franchise low.

Notebook: McCluskey pushes Bearcats to first round MHL series win

UNB Athletics

HALIFAX - Former Saint John Sea Dogs forward Carter McCluskey played a key role in getting the Truro Bearcats into the second round of the Maritime Hockey League playoffs.

McCluskey, who appeared in 22 games with the Cape Breton Eagles earlier this season, recorded four goals and two assists in just three games, helping lift the Bearcats to a 4-2 series win over the Valley Wildcats.

Those numbers included scoring the overtime winner in Game 5 on Sunday.

Carter McCluskey with a statement in his return with a first star performance(2G 1A) which included this overtime winner in front of 1200 strong at the RECC! We can close out the series Tuesday night in Berwick! #ExpectToWin pic.twitter.com/SCBbhpGNeK

— Truro Junior ‘A’ Bearcats (@trurobearcats) March 27, 2023

McCluskey, Cael MacDonald and the Bearcats will face Ben Roode and the Yarmouth Mariners in the next round.

The other series will feature the Edmundston Blizzard (Brandon Casey) facing either the Summerside Western Capitals or Campbellton Tigers (Connor Richard and Dawson Stairs). The Capitals host the Tigers in a Game 7 on Friday.

FINAL RANKINGS

The Gatineau Olympiques finished the regular season fourth in the QMJHL standings but have been ranked No. 1 in the final edition of the CHL Top 10.

Three other QMJHL teams were ranked as well.

The @OlympiquesGAT finish 🔝 of the @KiaCanada CHL Top 🔟 rankings!

— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) March 28, 2023 

2024 Memorial Cup awarded to Saginaw

The 2024 Memorial Cup is heading to Michigan.

The Canadian Hockey League announced Wednesday that the Ontario Hockey League's Saginaw Spirit will host next year's championship tournament. It's the first time the event will be held in Michigan and its first trip south of the border since 1998 in Spokane.

“We are thrilled to bring the Memorial Cup to the state of Michigan for the first time in the event’s history,” said CHL president Dan MacKenzie in a news release. “The Spirit and City of Saginaw submitted a remarkable bid and we have no doubt that they will do an outstanding job of hosting our CHL championship next year.”

And the 2024 #MemorialCup presented by @KiaCanada goes to 🥁... pic.twitter.com/CLyLWTOEYo

— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) March 29, 2023

The Spirit have been around since 2002 but have never won an OHL title. They did, however, have the third best record in the league at the time of the 2020 COVID shutdown.

Saginaw is headlined by 16-year-old Michael Misa, who made his OHL debut this past season after being granted exceptional player status. And what an exceptional rookie season he had. From the CHL news release:

Led by General Manager Dave Drinkill and Head Coach Chris Lazary, the Saginaw Spirit finished the 2022-23 season with a 36-27-3-2 record and will face off against the in-state rival Flint Firebirds in the first round of the OHL Playoffs beginning tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m. EST / 4:05 p.m. PST on CHL TV. On the ice, the Spirit are highlighted by Exceptional Status forward Michael Misa, whose 56 points (22G, 34A) this past season were the most by an OHL rookie. The first pick of the 2022 OHL Priority Selection also averaged 1.24 points-per-game this season — the highest of any OHL Exceptional Status player and ahead of John Tavares’ 1.18 points-per-game average with the Oshawa Generals in 2005-06.

Of the four teams who bid to host the 2024 Memorial Cup, Saginaw is the only one that qualified for this year's OHL playoffs. The Kingston Frontenacs, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and Niagara IceDogs also submitted bids.

Big crowds return but average stays low

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - TD Station felt much more "normal" this past season.

For the first time since the 2018-19 season, the Saint John Sea Dogs' schedule was not impacted by COVID-19 in any way. That resulted in over 100,000 tickets being sold/distributed to Sea Dogs games for the first time since the 2019-20 season, a campaign that was cut a bit short by the pandemic.

The Sea Dogs had a total attendance of 100,536 for an average of 2,957 in 2022-23. Both are an increase from last season, but the impacts of COVID were being felt much more at this time a year ago.

Saint John finished seventh in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League average attendance this year, the lowest they've ever finished (much of that has to do with big seasons in Sherbrooke and Gatineau). The league's average attendance was 3,198.

The Sea Dogs had three crowds over 5,000, the most since 2017-18. The team had just one crowd over 3,600 in 2021-22.

Here's a look at Saint John's year-by-year attendance figures.

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)
2019-20	107,042	3,345 (6th)*
2020-21	25,123	1,478 (3rd)**
2021-22	89,846	2,643 (5th)***
2022-23	100,536	2,957 (7th)

*Final two home games cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic

**All 17 home games played under COVID-19 capacity restrictions

***Three home games played under COVID-19 capacity restrictions

It is a bit challenging to compare numbers from previous years given that some were "inflated" more than others. But Saint John's average attendance was 3,992 in 2012-13. 10 years later it's at 2,957. While there are external factors at play (pandemic stuff, inflation stuff, population/demographic stuff, etc.), that is a less than ideal drop.

Hopefully this year's attendance numbers are as low as they get during this rebuild and things start to take a swing upward next season.

Notebook: End of a Sea Dogs era

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - An era officially ended on Saturday at TD Station.

Brady Burns and Charlie DesRoches, the two remaining members of Saint John's 2018 draft class, played their final regular season games in a Sea Dogs uniform.

The two were part of the draft class that has been the foundation for this era of Sea Dogs hockey. Along with Burns (2nd round, 29th overall) and DesRoches (2nd round, 32nd overall), that 2018 class also included William Villeneuve (1st round, 2nd overall), Jeremie Poirier (1st round, 8th overall), Josh Lawrence (1st round, 15th overall), Dawson Stairs (7th round, 109th overall), Kale McCallum (8th round, 133rd overall) and Riley Bezeau (12th round, 199th overall).

Villeneuve, Poirier and Bezeau all played in the American Hockey League this season. Lawrence, meanwhile, played his overage season with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and Halifax Mooseheads; Stairs is with the Maritime Hockey League's Campbellton Tigers; and McCallum joined the UNB Reds in January.

Burns didn't record any points in Saint John's regular season finale on Saturday, meaning the franchise record for career goals will stick at 116 and career points at 258. Burns set both franchise marks this season.

DesRoches recently surpassed Kevin Gagne for the most games played by a defensemen in Sea Dogs history. Amongst all skaters, DesRoches places fifth all-time in games played by a Sea Dog (273) while Burns is second (290). Spencer Smallman holds the franchise record with 293 games played.

BIG MONTH

What a final month Peter Reynolds had.

Reynolds recorded nine goals and eight assists in the month of the March, giving the Fredericton native 17 goals and 44 points in 43 games this season. Reynolds scored in eight of Saint John's 11 games in March and his production was a big reason why the Sea Dogs had such a strong finish to the regular season.

The Sea Dogs got back into the playoff race by going 4-2-4-0 in their final 10 games. Reynolds recorded 17 points in those games.

Reynolds (1.02) and Brady Burns (1.16) were the only Sea Dogs to average a point-per-game or better this year.

First round playoff schedule released

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The schedule for the first round playoff series between the Saint John Sea Dogs and Gatineau Olympiques has been released.

The first round returns to a best-of-seven format this year and, as expected, long distance series will follow the 2-3-2 scheduling setup. The Saint John/Gatineau series begins Friday at the Slush Puppie Centre.

Here is the full schedule (all times in Atlantic):

Friday, March 31 - 8 p.m. at Gatineau

Saturday, April 1 - 5 p.m. at Gatineau

Tuesday, April 4 - 7 p.m. at Saint John

Wednesday, April 5 - 7 p.m. at Saint John

Friday, April 7 - 7 p.m. at Saint John*

Monday, April 10 - 8 p.m. at Gatineau*

Tuesday, April 11 - 8 p.m. at Gatineau*

*If necessary

This will be the first "normal" post-season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League since 2019. The 2020 playoffs were cancelled by COVID; the 2021 playoffs had an odd format due to pandemic restrictions; and last year's playoffs required mostly best-of-five series in order to squeeze in the full regular season.

Saint John has, technically, not missed the playoffs since 2019. The team has, however, not won a playoff round since 2017. The Sea Dogs will be major underdogs in their series with the Olympiques.

This will be the third all-time playoff meeting between the Sea Dogs and Olympiques. Saint John won the previous two.

Sea Dogs will play Olympiques in first round

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - For the third time in franchise history, the Saint John Sea Dogs will take on the Gatineau Olympiques in a playoff series.

In those first two series, the Sea Dogs were favoured to win. This time, not so much.

The Olympiques, who finished second in the Western Conference and fourth in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with a record of 49-12-5-2 and 105 points, will be heavy favourites in their first round matchup with the Sea Dogs.

Saint John finished the season ninth in the Eastern Conference and 15th overall in the league with a record of 24-38-5-1 and 54 points. Because the Sea Dogs finished ninth in the Eastern Conference, they crossover to the Western Conference.

The schedule for the best-of-seven series has not yet been released. It will likely follow a 2-3-2 scheduling format with games one, two, six and seven played at the Slush Puppie Centre.

Saint John swept the Olympiques in the second round of the 2010 playoffs and then defeated them in six games in the 2011 President Cup final - arguably the greatest playoff series played in Sea Dogs franchise history.

Both of those previous series were played at the old Robert Guertin Arena. The new Slush Puppie Centre will host this year's matchup, a building that the Sea Dogs are 0-2-0-0 in since its opening.

Saint John went 1-1-0-0 against Gatineau in the regular season - but that one win came in October, well before the Olympiques revamped their lineup during the holiday trade period. The Olympiques pounded the Sea Dogs 11-3 in February.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 7-4

FINAL: Bathurst 7, Saint John 4

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - Despite a 7-4 loss in their regular season finale on Saturday, the Saint John Sea Dogs are heading to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs.

The Sea Dogs secured a spot with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and Val-d'Or Foreurs both losing their games Saturday. The Armada earned a point in a shootout loss, securing them the 16th and final spot.

Saint John will crossover to the Western Conference and face Cam MacDonald and the Gatineau Olympiques in the first round.

The Sea Dogs will be massive underdogs in their first round series and Saturday's performance against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan was certainly not encouraging. Saint John simply didn't look great against the league's last-place team, trailing for most of it. The Dogs managed to tie things at 3-3 at 7:27 of the middle frame only for Bathurst to take the lead again at 9:57.

The Titan, who had already been eliminated from playoff contention, entered the game with just three road wins all season and having lost 18 straight away from home. 

Cole Larkin scored a pair of goals for Bathurst while singles came from Donovan Arsenault, Matthew McRae, Bobby Orr, Ty Higgins and Dominik Godin. Joshua Fleming made 37 saves in the win.

Alex Drover, Peter Reynolds, Vince Elie and Alexis Cournoyer scored for Saint John, who mixed up their line combinations to try and generate some sustained offensive zone pressure. Ventsislav Shingarov had some struggles in net, making 25 saves in the loss.

The Sea Dogs generated 41 shots in the game but only 18 were classified as dangerous.

Game Day 68: vs Titan

SAINT JOHN - It all comes down to this.

It's the final day of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's regular season - a day that will determine whether the Saint John Sea Dogs make the playoffs or not. The Dogs play their regular season finale this afternoon at 4 p.m. at TD Station against Gordie Dwyer's Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

The Sea Dogs enter play today in a decent spot. They still control their own destiny. A point of any kind this afternoon will guarantee the Sea Dogs a playoff spot. Even if Saint John loses today, they've still got a shot at qualifying, depending on the results of the Huskies/Foreurs and Olympiques/Armada games.

The top-16 teams qualify for the QMJHL's post-season. The Titan have already been eliminated.

TV/Radio/Stream: None/93 CFBC/CHL TV

2022-23 regular season records: The Sea Dogs are 24-37-5-1 for 54 points (fifth Maritimes/ninth Eastern/15th QMJHL) while the Titan are 19-40-5-3 for 46 points (sixth Maritimes/10th Eastern/18th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-3 overtime loss in Charlottetown last night. Peter Reynolds, Alex Drover and Danny Akkouche all scored for Saint John. Ventsislav Shingarov made 34 stops in the loss. The Titan are coming off a 5-2 home loss to the Moncton Wildcats last night. Ty Higgins and Markas Samenas scored for Bathurst. Joshua Fleming made 38 stops in the loss.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 4-3 (OT)

FINAL: Saint John 3, Charlottetown 4 (OT)

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

CHARLOTTETOWN - Jeremie Biakabutuka scored at 3:55 of overtime to give the Charlottetown Islanders a come-from-behind 4-3 win over the Saint John Sea Dogs on Friday night at Eastlink Centre.

The Sea Dogs were leading 2-0 heading into the third period after a strong middle frame. But Charlottetown stormed back with Lucas Romeo scoring at 1:44 of the third and Kiefer Lyons tying it at 5:37.

Danny Akkouche scored what looked like the game-winner at 16:28 only to have the Islanders come back again. With their goaltender pulled, Peter Repcik converted with 1:26 remaining to send the match into extra time.

Sea Dogs goaltender Ventsislav Shingarov broke his stick early in overtime and, with no stoppages being whistled, was unable to get a new one in a free flowing extra frame. This allowed Biakabutuka to beat Shingarov five-hole on a breakaway to give Charlottetown a 4-3 win.

Islander netminder Jakob Robillard made 34 stops in the win.

Along with Akkouche, Peter Reynolds and Alex Drover scored for Saint John. Shingarov made 34 stops in the loss.

The Sea Dogs now have 54 points on the season. Saint John's playoff fate will be determined on Saturday, the final day of the regular season, when they host Gordie Dwyer's Acadie-Bathurst Titan at 4 p.m.

Moncton awarded 2024 Top Prospects Game

The Moncton Wildcats will host the 2024 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.

The announcement was made Friday morning at the Avenir Centre. The annual event, which will be held Wednesday, Jan. 24, will take place in Atlantic Canada for just the second time (Halifax hosted in 2013).

“We are thrilled to bring the 2024 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game to Moncton for the first time,” said Canadian Hockey League president Dan MacKenzie in a news release. “With a surplus of CHL talent eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft, we look forward to bringing the stars of tomorrow to the Maritimes.”

Here is Mr. Irving to announce that Jan 24, 2024 the @AvenirCentre & @monctonwildcats will host the @CHLHockey 2024 Kubota Top Prospects Game!

The ticket to this game will be INCLUDED to all Season Ticket Holders next season #TopProspectsGame #DefendTheDen pic.twitter.com/tfXQ9unlqN

— 🎙X-Wildcast Podcast 🎧 (@MonctonWildcast) March 24, 2023

Ticket information will be released in the fall.

While Halifax got much of the spotlight at this year's World Junior Hockey Championship, Moncton had a successful run as the "secondary host." The Avenir Centre is one of the finest junior hockey buildings in the country and you have to think the city will be welcoming a steady stream of events in the coming years.

That leads to the question: will the Wildcats bid to host the 2025 Memorial Cup? Hosting the Top Prospects Game is certainly a good test run and showcase for the organization.

In theory, it seems unlikely that a Maritime city would be the QMJHL's host for a third straight time (Halifax did it in 2019 and Saint John in 2022). The event hasn't been held in Quebec since 2015 (Quebec City). But, Moncton may be best positioned to host if they are interested.

Gatineau and the new Slush Puppie Centre would be a great option to host in 2025, but it's unlikely they will be able to create a competitive team by then. Same goes for Sherbrooke (although their arena may be a bit too small anyways). Chicoutimi would be a great host but their aging rink and Olympic sized ice sheet are an issue. Rimouski and Shawinigan could be options, but both are in the medium/small market size. Quebec City will always be on the CHL's radar but they just hosted in 2015 (although that was at the old Colisee Pepsi) and it's hard to say what the Remparts could look like in a couple years.

In the Maritimes, recent hosts Halifax and Saint John aren't options which... leaves Moncton as perhaps the best option in the QMJHL. Time will tell.

The 2025 Memorial Cup host will presumably be announced next spring.

The host of the 2024 Memorial Cup should be announced soon. Kingston, Sault Ste. Marie, Niagara and Saginaw all submitted bids. Pension Plan Puppets recently examined the four potential hosts.

Game Day 67: at Charlottetown

CHARLOTTETOWN - The Saint John Sea Dogs play their final road game of the regular season tonight, crossing the bridge to take on the Charlottetown Islanders.

A Sea Dogs victory tonight would secure the team one of the two remaining playoff spots in the QMJHL. Saint John enters play tonight in 15th overall with 53 points, two ahead of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and Val-d'Or Foreurs. The Foreurs have 52 points and only have one game remaining, meaning they wouldn't be able to catch Sea Dogs if Saint John earns two points tonight.

This is the ninth and final meeting of the season between the Sea Dogs and Islanders. Saint John has won five of the eight previous matchups.

Game time tonight at Eastlink Centre is 7:30 p.m.

TV/Radio/Stream: None/93 CFBC/CHL TV

2022-23 regular season records: The Sea Dogs are 24-37-4-1 for 53 points (fifth Maritimes/ninth Eastern/15th QMJHL) while the Islanders are 25-32-6-3 for 59 points (fourth Maritimes/eighth Eastern/14th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-3 shootout win over the Islanders at home at Sunday. Nicolas Bilodeau, Cole Burbidge and Noah Reinhart scored for Saint John. Ventsislav Shingarov made 24 saves in the win. The Islanders are coming off a 9-0 loss in Halifax on Wednesday. Jakob Robillard allowed five goals on 29 shots in 40 minutes of action while Dixon Grimes allowed four goals on 15 shots in the third.

Sea Dogs in control entering final weekend

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The final weekend of the regular season has arrived. The big question is: will the Saint John Sea Dogs be playing next weekend?

Things are looking good for the Sea Dogs. Saint John sits 15th in the overall standings with 53 points, one-point up on the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and Val-d'Or Foreurs. The top-16 teams qualify for the playoffs.

The Sea Dogs have two games remaining - Friday in Charlottetown and Saturday at home against Bathurst. Blainville-Boisbriand has two games remaining - a home-and-home with Gatineau - while Val-d'Or plays their final game on Saturday at home against Rouyn-Noranda.

There are a number of scenarios for Saint John to clinch a playoff spot this weekend - and there are a few where they could miss. But, with a one-point lead and two games to play, the Sea Dogs control their own destiny.

Here are a few other things to note heading into the final couple games...

• The Sea Dogs visit the Charlottetown Islanders on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. Saint John is 11-17-4-1 on the road.
• Saint John is 5-3-0-0 against Charlottetown this year, already clinching the season series.
• Note that Saturday's home game against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan is a 4 p.m. start. All 18 teams are in action on Saturday afternoon.
• The Sea Dogs are 4-3-3-0 in their last 10 games, a stretch that has put them into a playoff position. In the Telegraph-Journal (paywall), Kevin Barrett details how this recent run is a rare accomplishment for a rebuilding Sea Dogs team.
• This will be the final weekend of regular season play for Sea Dogs overagers Brady Burns, Charlie DesRoches and Alex Drover. The departure of Burns and DesRoches, who were part of Saint John's big 2018 draft class, truly signals the end of an era.
• Burns enters the weekend in a tie with Jonathan Huberdeau for the franchise record in career points with 257.
• The Sea Dogs have technically not missed the playoffs since the 2018-19 season. There were no playoffs in 2019-20 but the team would have qualified. The 2020-21 COVID season had the provincial tournament thing which were classified as playoff games. Saint John has not won a playoff round, though, since lifting the President Cup in 2017.
• If the Sea Dogs do qualify for the playoffs, they'll be crossing over to the Western Conference and play either Joshua Roy's Sherbrooke Phoenix or Cam MacDonald's Gatineau Olympiques. Not an easy task.
• The Phoenix defeated the Olympiques 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday, ending Gatineau's 21-game winning streak. The two are tied atop the Western Conference with 101 points.
• On this week's episode of The Hockey News on the Q, Will MacLaren and I are joined by Gatineau forward and world junior gold medalist Zach Dean. We also discuss the potential fighting ban and the league's playoff race.

.@willmacwriter and @station_nation chat with @OlympiquesGAT forward Zach Dean, analyze the likely new @QMJHL fighting rules, @mnwild prospects and more: https://t.co/TBLU2Nd263

— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) March 22, 2023

Notebook: Foreurs earn crucial point

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Val-d'Or Foreurs picked up a very important point in an absurd 9-8 shootout loss to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies on Tuesday night.

The Foreurs scored three times in the third period to send the match into overtime before losing a nine-round shootout.

The shootout loss pushed the Foreurs into a tie for 16th overall in the QMJHL standings. The top 16 teams qualify for the post-season.

The Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and Saint John Sea Dogs both have two games remaining while Val-d'Or has just one. The Armada will play Gatineau twice; the Sea Dogs will take on Charlottetown and Bathurst; and the Foreurs play Rouyn-Noranda again.

The Sea Dogs are back in action on Friday, playing their final road game of the regular season in Charlottetown. The team closes out the 2022-23 campaign on Saturday, hosting the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at 4 p.m.

It's worth noting as well that the first tie-breaker is total wins excluding shootout wins. Val-d'Or currently has 23 while Saint John and Blainville-Boisbriand have 22.

BURBIDGE GETTING NOTICED

You have to think Sea Dogs forward Cole Burbidge has started to generate some attention from NHL scouts.

The 17-year-old, in his first QMJHL season, has produced 19 goals and 30 assists in 66 games. He sits fourth in rookie scoring.

"The timing should work out for Burbidge to be at the peak of his game by the time it all comes together," writes Steven Ellis in Daily Faceoff. "I think Burbidge, at best, is a late-round selection, and while I don’t think his ceiling is that high, I think there’s enough raw talent for him to be a nice little pickup."

Burbidge's 49 points is currently the sixth most by a rookie in team history. He could match or surpass Tomas Jurco (51 points) and Felix Schutz (52 points) this weekend. Chris DiDomenico's 75 points in 2006-07 remains the best offensive rookie campaign in team history.

MacDougall, Reds win another national title

U Sports

CHARLOTTETOWN - The UNB Reds are national champions again.

In a clash of Canadian university hockey powerhouses, the Reds defeated the Alberta Golden Bears 3-0 on Sunday night at Eastlink Centre, winning the school's ninth University Cup title and first since 2019.

Former Rouyn-Noranda Huskies netminder Samuel Richard made 17 saves in the shutout win. UNB's strong defensive play limited quality Alberta scoring chances while the Reds were able to cash in on the few they had. It was quite a battle between two great teams - a game that had zero penalty minutes.

Cody Morgan, Cole Mackay and Austen Keating scored for UNB, who advanced to the final after defeating Concordia in the quarterfinals and UQTR in the semifinals.

UNB. National champions again. 3-0 win over Alberta. pic.twitter.com/IsDwD1NmEx

— Jamie Tozer (@station_nation) March 20, 2023

The victory means another national championship for head coach Gardiner MacDougall, who led the Saint John Sea Dogs to a Memorial Cup title less than a year ago. MacDougall also won an Atlantic University Sport championship and University Games gold medal within the past year.

The Reds include two former Sea Dogs players - defenseman Kale McCallum and forward Nick Blagden. Both joined the team mid-season and neither appeared in any games at the tournament. McCallum was injured during the AUS playoffs.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 4-3 (SO)

FINAL: Charlottetown 3, Saint John 4 (SO)

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs earned their biggest win of the season on Sunday afternoon, pushing them into a playoff spot with two games to go.

Noah Reinhart scored with 46.9 seconds remaining in regulation and then Eriks Mateiko scored the shootout winner, lifting Saint John to a 4-3 win over the Charlottetown Islanders at TD Station.

The victory gives the Sea Dogs 53 points and pushes them into 15th overall, leaping over both the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (52 points) and Val-d'Or Foreurs (51 points). All three clubs have two games remaining in the regular season - but Saint John now controls their own destiny.

The Sea Dogs were trailing 2-0 in the second period on Sunday but fought back thanks to goals from Nicolas Bilodeau and Cole Burbidge just over two minutes apart. Ross Campbell then netted his second of the game late in the middle frame, putting the Islanders back in front.

Saint John pressed in the third and were finally rewarded when Reinhart netted the equalizer with goaltender Ventsislav Shingarov pulled. 

The Sea Dogs had a power play in overtime but could not score, sending the match into a shootout. Mateiko won it in the fourth round.

Shingarov made 24 saves in 65 minutes of play and stopped three of four shooters in the shootout.

Lucas Romeo also scored for Charlottetown. Dixon Grimes made 43 saves in the loss.

Notebook: Fighting rule changes coming

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

CHARLOTTETOWN - A lot is being made about potential changes to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's fighting rules.

According to reports, fighting could essentially be banned in the QMJHL next season. Le Journal de Quebec reports that fighting could be an automatic match penalty during the 2023-24 season.

This comes as the QMJHL continues to be pressured by the Quebec government to make changes to player safety rules following past allegations of hazing and abuse, which ultimately led to the resignation of commissioner Gilles Courteau.

“The minister demands that all involved players be expelled from the ongoing game and be suspended for the next,” Quebec sports minister Isabelle Charest's office said to The Hockey News in an email earlier this week.

“The minister has the power, under the Loi sur la sécurité dans les sports (Act respecting safety in sports) to impose regulation for the game. Of course, we’d prefer to reach a consensus with the QMJHL, but if need be, the minister will take action via the legislative power.”

Some of the pressure being applied by the Quebec government may have to do with the COVID relief money that the 12 Quebec based clubs received.

Marek at the intermission says the Quebec gov't did a lot to keep teams afloat in the QMJHL during COVID, deal was to ban fighting in exchange for the help. As of right now does not look like the WHL and OHL will be following the Q's lead.

— NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) March 19, 2023

FIGHTING NUMBERS DOWN

If new fighting rules do get put in place next season, will the difference be noticable?

With three games to go in the regular season, the Saint John Sea Dogs have just three fights this season, according to HockeyFights.com. They had 15 last season and 17 during the 2019-20 season. Saint John had two fights during the COVID impacted 2020-21 campaign.

Fighting numbers have steadily been going down over the years. The Saint John franchise record for fights in a single season in 91, set during the 2006-07 season. That record will never be touched.

Game Day 66: vs Islanders

SAINT JOHN - A major opportunity is in front of the Saint John Sea Dogs.

With the Val-d'Or Foreurs and Blainville-Boisbriand Armada both losing on Saturday, the Sea Dogs have the chance to jump as high as 15th in the overall standings today. The top-16 teams qualify for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's post-season.

Including this afternoon's matchup against the Charlottetown Islanders, the Sea Dogs have three games remaining in the regular season. They will all be important.

Game time this afternoon is 3 p.m. at TD Station.

TV/Radio/Stream: None/93 CFBC/CHL TV

2022-23 regular season records: The Sea Dogs are 23-37-4-1 for 51 points (fifth Maritimes/ninth Eastern/16th QMJHL) while the Islanders are 25-31-6-2 for 58 points (fourth Maritimes/eighth Eastern/14th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-3 home loss to the Halifax Mooseheads on Friday. Vince Elie, Peter Reynolds and Danny Akkouche scored for Saint John. Ventsislav Shingarov made 36 stops in the loss. The Islanders are coming off a 2-1 shootout loss in Moncton on Friday. Michael Horth scored Charlottetown's lone goal. Jakob Robillard made 31 stops in the loss.

Classic University Cup final set

CHARLOTTETOWN - Canadian university hockey powerhouses will meet in the championship game of the 2023 University Cup.

The UNB Reds and Alberta Golden Bears both earned spots in Sunday's national final with semifinal victories on Saturday at Charlottetown's Eastlink Centre. The two hockey powers have met a number of times in the University Cup final, most recently in 2019 when the Reds edged the Golden Bears 4-2 in Lethbridge.

UNB advanced with a 6-3 victory over Julien Tessier and the UQTR Patriotes - the defending national champions. It was a strong, commanding performance by UNB, who led by multiple goals for much of the game. The Reds were leading 5-1 at one point in the third period and held UQTR to just 10 shots in the first 40 minutes.

The Golden Bears defeated the host UPEI Panthers 4-1 in Saturday night's spicy semi. Alberta goaltender Ethan Kruger left the game injured after being run over and then punched by UPEI's Zachary Beauregard. The Golden Bears immediately left the ice after the game, refusing the shake hands with the Panthers.

Alberta Golden Bears head coach Ian Herbers says his team didn’t shake hands because they were worried UPEI posed a risk.

“Didn’t feel safe for our players, we thought something else would happen… I didn’t want that opportunity to happen.”#USPORTS pic.twitter.com/sS0J8F7QD3

— Ben Steiner (@BenSteiner00) March 19, 2023

The Panthers, who feature Ian Smallwood on defense, pulled off a stunning 4-2 win over the No. 1 ranked Calgary Dinos on Friday. UPEI will now play UQTR for bronze on Sunday afternoon.

The Reds are, of course, coached by Gardiner MacDougall, who led the Saint John Sea Dogs to a Memorial Cup championship last June. The Reds also feature former Sea Dogs Kale McCallum and Nick Blagden - both of whom have been out of the lineup in Charlottetown. McCallum was injured in the playoffs.

UNB advanced to the semifinals with a 2-1 quarterfinal victory over the Concordia Stingers on Thursday. Alberta, meanwhile, dominated Robbie Burt and the Windsor Lancers in the quarterfinals, earning a 7-0 win.

Sunday's final is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Eastlink Centre. The game can be streamed on CBC Sports.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 4-3

FINAL: Halifax 4, Saint John 3

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - Luck wasn't on the Saint John Sea Dogs' side on St. Patrick's Day at TD Station.

A third period comeback by the Sea Dogs came up just short as the Halifax Mooseheads edged the Sea Dogs 4-3. The loss ended a streak of six straight games that saw the Sea Dogs earn at least a point (3-0-3-0).

Jordan Dumais, Attilio Biasca, Evan Boucher and Alexandre Doucet scored for Halifax. Brady James made 29 saves in the win.

Vince Elie, Peter Reynolds and Danny Akkouche scored for Saint John. Ventsislav Shingarov made 36 saves in the loss.

The Mooseheads scored two goals nine seconds apart in the second period to grab a 3-1 lead. In the third, Doucet scored on a shorthanded breakaway to make it 4-1 at 8:22, which made it look as though the Moose would cruise to a win.

But the Sea Dogs had other plans. Reynolds scored on a power play at 13:37 and then Akkouche scored on a shot from the point at 14:03, quickly making it a one-goal game.

Saint John pulled Shingarov late and applied some strong offensive zone pressure but couldn't quite come up with an equalizer.

Even earning a point in this game would have been huge for Saint John, who entered play Friday in a tie with the Val-d'Or Foreurs for the league's final playoff spot.

Game Day 65: vs Mooseheads

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs will face a major challenge tonight.

The Sea Dogs, who are in a fight for the 16th and final playoff spot, host the Halifax Mooseheads, who are in a fight for first overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Saint John has been good of late, earning points in six straight games (3-0-3-0) to keep their playoff hopes alive. They enter play tonight tied with the Val-d'Or Foreurs for the final playoff spot.

The Mooseheads, meanwhile, sit in a tie with the Quebec Remparts for first overall. The Moose have shown they are beatable though, falling 1-0 in Bathurst last Friday.

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

TV/Radio/Stream: None/93 CFBC/CHL TV

2022-23 regular season records: The Sea Dogs are 23-36-4-1 for 51 points (fifth Maritimes/ninth Eastern/17th QMJHL) while the Mooseheads are 46-10-4-3 for 99 points (first Maritimes/second Eastern/second QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 7-2 win in Charlottetown on Tuesday. Luka Benoit, Eriks Mateiko, Cole Burbidge, Alex Drover, Nicolas Bilodeau, Peter Reynolds and Brady Burns scored for Saint John. Ventsislav Shingarov made 36 stops in the win. The Mooseheads are coming off a 6-3 home win over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Wednesday. Alexandre Doucet had a hat trick while Attilio Biasca, Jordan Dumais and Zachary L'Heureux added singles. Mathis Rousseau made 17 stops in the win.

Playoff race continues this weekend; University Cup gets underway

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs head into Friday's action in a tie for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's final playoff spot.

The Sea Dogs and Val-d'Or Foreurs both have 51 points with four regular season games remaining. The tie-break is total wins excluding shootout wins, which the Foreurs currently have an edge in (23-22).

Finishing 15th overall isn't out of the question for Saint John either. The Blainville-Boisbriand Armada have 52 points with four games remaining.

The Sea Dogs have a tough test on Friday, hosting the Halifax Mooseheads. They return to action on Sunday, taking on the Charlottetown Islanders at TD Station.

The Foreurs will face the Drummondville Voltigeurs and Sherbrooke Phoenix this weekend while the Armada will take on the Baie-Comeau Drakkar twice.

Some other stuff...

• Friday is St. Patrick's Day and the Sea Dogs have a number of promotions taking place.
• A couple of franchise records to keep an eye on this weekend: Brady Burns is two points away from tying the franchise points record (257 - Jonathan Huberdeau) while Nicolas Bilodeau is one point away from tying the team record for most points by a rookie defenseman (41 - Radim Salda).
• At the University Cup quarterfinals, Dawson Theede and the Saint Mary's Huskies had their season come to an end with a 4-1 loss to Julien Tessier and the UQTR Patriotes. Theede was a -2 with two shots and four minutes in penalties while Tessier went 8/15 on faceoffs.
• In the second quarterfinal, Gardiner MacDougall's UNB Reds edged the Concordia Stingers 2-1. Jonathan Lemieux was named Concordia's player of the game with 23 saves. Christopher Inniss also had a strong performance in the loss. Kale McCallum and Nick Blagden were both out of the UNB lineup.
• The Reds and Patriotes will now meet in the 1 p.m. semifinal on Saturday. The bronze and gold medal games will take place on Sunday.
• Friday's quarterfinals will feature the Alberta Golden Bears taking on the Windsor Lancers and the Calgary Dinos facing the UPEI Panthers.

Sea Dogs announce team award winners

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Brady Burns was the big winner at the Saint John Sea Dogs' annual awards banquet.

Held Wednesday night at the Imperial Theatre, Burns was named the club's most valuable player for the 2022-23 season while also earning the Fan Choice Award. The 20-year-old also collected the team's top scorer and three stars awards.

Burns, in his overage season with the Sea Dogs, is just two points away from tying Jonathan Huberdeau's franchise points record of 257.

Here is the full list of award winners:

Top Scorer Award: Brady Burns

Three Stars Award: Brady Burns

Community Service Award: Vincent Despont

Rookie of the Year Award: Cole Burbidge

Players' Choice MVP Award: Charlie DesRoches

Academic Player of the Year Award: Nico Laforge

Team Player Award: Jared Cosman

Most Improved Player Award: Eriks Mateiko

Top Defensive Forward Award: Noah Reinhart

Fans Choice Award: Brady Burns

Top Defenseman Award: Charlie DesRoches

MVP Award: Brady Burns

To give a sense of the team's roster turnover over the past 12 months, not a single award winner from last season played for the Sea Dogs this year.

The all-time list of team award winners can be found on the Sea Dogs website.

University Cup begins Thursday

Some of the best hockey of the year will be played this week in Charlottetown - and the action will feature plenty of Saint John Sea Dogs alumni.

The University Cup tournament gets started on Thursday afternoon at Eastlink Centre with the first quarterfinal. Following Friday's quarterfinal games, the semifinals will be played Saturday and the bronze and gold medal games on Sunday.

U SPORTS MHKY: It's that time again.

The 2023 U CUP Bracket Challenge is ahead of the U CUP later this week.

Fill out the bracket and DM it to me or @49SPORTNET for a chance to win a small U SPORTS prize. #USPORTS pic.twitter.com/iilexMezEO

— Ben Steiner (@BenSteiner00) March 13, 2023

The Concordia Stingers grabbed the final spot at the eight-team tournament with a 4-0 win over the Lakehead Thunderwolves in the Ontario University Athletics bronze medal game last Saturday.

The Stingers' roster includes Sea Dogs alumni Christopher Inniss, Marcus Tesink, Nicholas Girouard, Isiah Campbell and Jonathan Lemieux. Girouard, with a goal and an assist, was named the game's first star on Saturday while Lemieux, with a 21-save shutout, was named second star.

The Thunderwolves, meanwhile, featured former Sea Dog Ben Badalamenti.

In the OUA gold medal match, Julien Tessier and the UQTR Patriotes defeated Robbie Burt and the Windsor Lancers 3-2 in triple overtime to win a second straight Queen's Cup title.

The Stingers, Patriotes and Lancers will join the UNB Reds, Saint Mary's Huskies, UPEI Panthers, Calgary Dinos and Alberta Golden Bears at this year's University Cup.

Notebook: Sea Dogs rookies impressing

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

First-year players are making an impact for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Heading into Wednesday's action, seven Sea Dogs sit in the top-21 in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League rookie scoring.

4. Cole Burbidge - 18 goals, 29 assists, 47 points

7. Noah Reinhart - 16 goals, 25 assists, 41 points

10. Nicolas Bilodeau - nine goals, 31 assists, 40 points

13. Eriks Mateiko - 16 goals, 17 assists, 33 points

15. Pavel Simek - 12 goals, 16 assists, 28 points

18. Vince Elie - nine goals, 16 assists, 25 points

21. Nate Tivey - two goals, 22 assists, 24 points

Six of Saint John's top-nine scorers are rookies.

Bilodeau sits second in assists amongst all QMJHL rookies while Burbidge is fourth.

Bilodeau also continues to lead all QMJHL rookie defensemen in scoring.

While it is worth noting that none of these players are "true rookies" (i.e. 16-year-olds who were drafted last summer), the success of these first-year players certainly provides some optimism for Saint John's rebuild. The discovering of players like Reinhart, Tivey, Joseph Ianniello and others is also impressive.

ISLES INCOMING

The Sea Dogs and Charlottetown Islanders will become quite familiar with each other before the season ends.

Following Tuesday night's meeting in Charlottetown, the Islanders travel to Saint John this Sunday for a 3 p.m. matchup with the Sea Dogs. Then next Friday, March 24, the Sea Dogs play their final regular season road game of the year at the Eastlink Centre.

Following Tuesday's 7-2 win, the Sea Dogs are 4-3-0-0 against the Islanders this season.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 7-2

FINAL: Saint John 7, Charlottetown 2

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

CHARLOTTETOWN - The Saint John Sea Dogs picked up an important win on Tuesday night at Eastlink Centre.

The Sea Dogs defeated the Charlottetown Islanders 7-2, pushing them into a tie for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's 16th and final playoff spot with 51 points. The Sea Dogs and Val-d'Or Foreurs both have four regular season games remaining.

The Foreurs currently hold the first tie-breaker, which is total wins excluding shootout victories.

Seven different Sea Dogs scored in the victory: Luka Benoit, Eriks Mateiko, Cole Burbidge, Alex Drover, Nicolas Bilodeau, Peter Reynolds and Brady Burns. Burns and Joseph Ianniello each added three assists while Bilodeau and Alexis Cournoyer registered two.

Ventsislav Shingarov had a strong game in net - especially in the opening two periods - by making 36 stops in the victory. The Islanders outshot the Sea Dogs 31-16 in the opening 40 minutes.

Charlottetown had a good start to the game, taking the lead twice in the first period. Saint John, though, responded well and seemed to take control of the game once they grabbed the lead. Joel Marchon was stopped on a penalty shot in the second period, keeping momentum on Saint John's side.

Lane Hinkley and Keiran Gallant scored for Charlottetown. Jakob Robillard made 27 saves in the loss.

OVG360 takes over TD Station management

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

OVG360 has been chosen to manage and operate TD Station.

According to a City of Saint John news release, the partnership has been in place since Feb. 15. The city said the deal was put in place "in an effort to increase the quantity and quality of live events and to operate more efficiently."

The Telegraph-Journal first reported on OVG360, part of the Oak View Group, potentially taking over TD Station back in September.

OVG, co-founded by former MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke, has become a major player in the arena industry in recent years. OVG and Spectra merged in 2021, meaning this company currently manages CHL arenas in Spokane, Windsor, Oshawa, Moose Jaw, Hamilton, Everett and London. The company is currently overseeing a massive renovation to Hamilton's arena, which is forcing the team to relocate to Brantford for at least three seasons.

OVG recently built the new homes for the New York Islanders and Seattle Kraken and also manages the Pittsburgh Penguins' arena. They are well-versed in modern hockey arenas.

“We’re eager to hit the ground running with the team at TD Station,” said Greg O’Dell, president of venue management at OVG360, in the city's release. “We’re going to tap OVG’s collective resources from across Canada, as well as our industry relationships and partnerships with agents, promoters and vendors, to reenergize TD Station and create new opportunities to bring the region together for top-notch quality entertainment. OVG360 is here to be a positive disruption to business as usual in the sports, live entertainment, and hospitality industries.”

The release added that the company "will oversee the day-to-day operations and food and beverage services of the venue, book and schedule events, and handle all marketing and sales."

It will be quite interesting to see what OVG360 does with the building. The bones of TD Station are quite good, but the building is starting to lack some of the modern amenities many newer buildings - like Moncton's Avenir Centre - feature. The concessions have been an issue for over a decade now; the ticketing platform lacks many features; and the video and sound system, which have both been updated since the Sea Dogs arrived, are starting to become dated.

There are certainly some valid concerns with this deal as well: how much could this arrangement cost tax payers and will it impact ticket prices. Time will tell, but it looks like quite a few positives could come from this.

Oak View Group currently has a job posting for a Director of Finance for TD Station.