Wednesday Night Notes

Here are some random notes.

• The Sea Dogs play a weird a three-in-three this weekend which includes two home games. They host the Rimouski Oceanic on Friday night, travel to Bathurst on Saturday, and then host the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada on Sunday.
• Note that the start time for Sunday’s game is 4:00 pm and not the usual 3:00 pm.
• Spencer Smallman is the Sea Dogs’ scholastic player of the month for January.
• The Sea Dogs were active in the community this past month.
• If you are looking for 14 seats to the Sea Dogs game in Halifax on March 14^th, this person can hook you up.
• Reminder to vote for Lukas Walter’s billet family in the Dodge Family All-Stars contest. Stage 1 voting ends on February 21^st.
• Mike Hoffman is the AHL Player of the Week and Scott Howes was named the Central Hockey League’s Player of the Month.

Sea Dogs Alumni Game Coming This August

Heading into their ninth year of play, the Saint John Sea Dogs will hold an alumni game this August.

Full details on the event have not been announced yet – and that includes the roster. Here is what we do know, via the Twitter feed of Sea Dogs equipment manager David Kelly.

1st ever Wallace McCain memorial charity game August 24th 2pm at Harbour Station. Sea Dogs alumni vs UNB Varsity Reds alumni... dont miss it! 

There will be stuff going on all day long with the proceeds going to charity, going to be a lot of fun! 

Wallace McCain was a heck of a man and its an honour for us to have this game in his name! Alumni are pumped,we will announce the roster soon. 

Plan on guys like @ThommerBomber @therealturks10 @CaronJG @AlexBo125 @StAnthony16 @Durepos23 @agrant20 @RyanSparling_4 being there! 

Some guys schedules are dictated by their NHL team so we can't release the full team roster yet but it is going to be awesome!! 

If any businesses are interested in sponsoring the charity game please message me! 

One alumni said they wouldn't miss it for the world, hopefully our fans have the same excitement! It's a few months away but save the date!

For the Twitter challenged, the handles listed above of those of Mike Thomas, Michael Kirkpatrick, Jeff Caron, Alexandre Beauregard, Steven Anthony, Pierre Durepos, Alex Grant, and Ryan Sparling.

This should be a cool event.

Sea Dogs Notebook

MOOSEHEADS

If you somehow haven’t heard, the Halifax Mooseheads won their first President Cup last night at the Metro Centre.

The team has a few Sea Dogs connections. Forward Stephen MacAulay won his third President Cup last night after winning it in 2011 and 2012 with Saint John. Moose assistant coach Jim Midgley was one of Jacques Beaulieu’s assistants back in the day. And Bob (Tipper) Leblanc, Halifax’s assistant general manager, is a former Sea Dogs general manager.

Halifax begins the Memorial Cup tournament next Saturday in Saskatoon. They will play either the Portland Winterhawks or the Edmonton Oil Kings.

GAME DAY

Via the Twitter, some significant news regarding the Sea Dogs game day experience.

It's official, I have stepped down from the 'Game Host' position at the Sea Dogs games, the last 3 seasons were great; glad to be part of it
— Kyle Ferguson (@kjferg87) May 11, 2013

Ferguson will continue to be manager of corporate sales for the Sea Dogs. He’s had the game day host gig for the past few seasons so it’ll certainly be a change not hearing him at Harbour Station.

So… who replaces him?

McHAPPY DAY

The Sea Dogs took part in McHappy Day once again this year. According to the Sea Dogs website, “president Wayne Long, along with Manager of Sales and Sponsorship Kyle Ferguson and Sea Dogs Foundation Chair Jane Forestell, flipped some burgers and sold some fries (Wednesday) in support of McHappy Day 2013.”

“We always look forward to participating in McHappy Days every year,” said Long. “McDonalds is a great community partner and a great sponsor of ours and we are thrilled to be involved.”

Sea Dogs Notebook

PLAYOFFS

The Halifax Mooseheads are heading to the President Cup Final.

The Mooseheads advanced to the QMJHL Final for the first time since 2005 with a wild 9-6 win over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies on Thursday night, completing a four-game sweep. Halifax is a perfect 12-0 in this year’s playoffs.

Former Sea Dogs forward Stephen MacAulay had three assists in the game to go along with one shot and one hit. MacAulay will play in the President Cup Final for a fourth straight year.

Halifax’s opponent has yet to be determined. In the other semi-final, the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and Baie-Comeau Drakkar are tied 2-2. Game 5 is tonight.

GELINAS

Former Sea Dogs defenseman Eric Gelinas made his NHL debut last night with the New Jersey Devils. He helped the Devils defeat Simon Despres and the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2.

Gelinas was a -1, recorded one shot, and one hit in 15:59 of ice-time.

Gelinas got official coach's lineup sheet from his first NHL game.
— Tom Gulitti (@TGfireandice) April 26, 2013

Meanwhile, Despres had one hit in 18:56 of ice time for the Pens.

Gelinas joins Jonathan Huberdeau, Despres, Charlie Coyle, Nathan Beaulieu, and Mike Hoffman as former Sea Dogs to play in the NHL this season.

THE CAPS SPEAK

Three former Sea Dogs helped the Summerside Western Capitals win the MHL’s Kent Cup earlier this week.

“There are no words to describe the feeling,” defenseman Jason Seed told the Journal Pioneer. “It never gets old and it’s amazing to win another championship. I couldn’t be more proud of these guys.”

“Winning championships is exciting each time you do it. . . It was two good teams going at it, and it was a fun game to play and a fun series,” said Spencer MacDonald.

The Fred Page Cup begins next Wednesday in Truro.

ROCKET

Things are looking good for the PEI Rocket/Islanders franchise as at least one group has made an offer to buy the team and keep it on the Island, The Guardian reports. So that’s good.

Sea Dogs president Wayne Long spoke to The Guardian yesterday about what it could mean if the Rocket/Islanders left PEI.

“To lose the Rocket would be, I think, a pretty severe blow to all of the Atlantic teams,” said Long.

“I don’t think there’s a team in our division that wants to see them leave. Obviously, we compete on the ice, but off the ice I think we all have good relationships and we want to see that team stay right where they are at.”

Sea Dogs Notebook

OVI

Saw this at Cleve’s Source for Sports over the weekend. Looking good, Ovechkin cut-out.

LONG

Sea Dogs president Wayne Long was a guest on CBC Radio’s Information Morning last week. He talks about the team’s first quarter of the season, Jonathan Huberdeau/trade deadline, and other things. Listen to that HERE.

COYLE

Gone Puck Wild does a great job at re-evaluating the trade that brought former Sea Dogs forward Charlie Coyle from the San Jose Sharks to the Minnesota Wild.

“Regardless of where Coyle ends up playing the rest of this season, one thing is certain; the Minnesota Wild have a bright, young star on their hands and while it cost them a great d-man to get him,  the trade that brought Charlie Coyle to Minnesota is one that they’ll be glad they made,” writes Derek Stykalo.  “Not only potentially for this season, but for many more to come.”

Coyle has seven goals and three assists in 14 games with the American Hockey League’s Houston Aeros this season.

BLB

A Habs Eyes on the Prize blogger made the trip to Blainville-Boisbriand on Sunday to see the Armada take on the Sea Dogs. They recap their game experience.

“I didn't really count scoring chances or possession, but by eyeballing it and confirming with the shot clock, I'd be comfortable saying that the Armada fired 30 more shots through the course of the game than the Sea Dogs,” Andrew Berkshire. “The teams didn't look so much like they were at the opposite ends of a league's standings, it looked like they belonged in different leagues.”

Well that’s nice to hear.

AROUND TOWN

The Sea Dogs will be out in the community today. From their Facebook page:

It is a big community day for the Sea Dogs! First, #27 Oliver Cooper and #24 MacKenzie Brown will be at McDonalds in the North End from 5 pm - 6 pm signing autographs! 

Also #16 Andreas Tsogkas and #37 Stephen Anderson will be visiting the Shannex complex in Quispamsis tonight from 5:30-6:30 pm! 

Come and meet your Sea Dogs today!

Cool.

Annual Softball Game Tonight

The annual Sea Dogs – Saint John Police softball game is tonight at Memorial Field.

From the team:

Your Saint John Sea Dogs will be taking part in the 8th Annual Saint John Neighbourhood Police Council softball game tomorrow evening.  Game time is 6:30pm at Memorial Field, in West Saint John.  Tickets are available at the door $10 each or 4 for $30, the canteen will be open.  Players will be available for autographing at the conclusion of the game.

The Sea Dogs return to the ice tomorrow night at 7pm when they take on the Mooseheads at the Halifax Forum. The pre-season ends on Sunday with the Dogs and Moose battling at Harbour Station.

Sea Dogs Notebook

RANDOMNESS

We’ve seen plenty of strange things on the internet over the past few years but this is one of the strangest. Someone in Kitchener is selling this Josh Schram game-used Sea Dogs jersey for $150. You just don’t see that every day.

Schram, a former Kitchener Ranger, played 34 games with Saint John 2008-09, scoring six goals and five assists. He has spent the past three seasons playing at Brock University.

THURSDAY

Sea Dogs VS Saint John Police Force All Stars. Charity Softball Classic. Memorial Field, Dever Road. Thursday Sept. 13, 6:30. $10 or $30/4.
— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SeaDogsHockey) September 10, 2012

UP NEXT

The Sea Dogs wrap up their pre-season schedule this weekend. The Dogs travel to Halifax to take on the Mooseheads on Friday night. Then on Sunday afternoon the Moose visit Saint John for a 4pm contest.

The regular season begins on September 20 at the Station against Bathurst. Buckle up for that.

GALIEV

Last Friday was the one-year anniversary of the Lokomotiv plane crash. The Washington Times caught up with Russians Alex Ovechkin and Stanislav Galiev to discuss their memories of when the news broke.

“We just get shocked,” Galiev said of his reaction to the crash. “We found when we went on the ice and just couldn’t believe it.” 

“They have a new team,” Galiev said, “and there’s going be like new life for the team.”

Galiev is currently in Washington skating with the Caps.

Five Hole for Food Returns Saturday

Five Hole for Food is returning to Saint John on Saturday. Last year’s event was a huge success and hopefully this year’s will be even better.

This year’s event will take place on Smythe Street (beside Harbour Passage Trail) from 3pm to 7pm.

More info from their Facebook event page:

Five Hole for Food is an annual coast to coast tour playing hockey to support food banks across Canada. 

We set up a rink in the heart of each city and invite anyone and everyone to come out to play hockey to fight hunger. Bring your stick, bring a can of food, and have fun. 100% of the proceeds go to the local food bank in each city. 

We're playing road hockey in Saint John to benefit the Community Food Basket of Saint John and we hope you'll join us! 

Things to bring:
1. A food or money donation
2. A hockey stick

Here’s video from last year’s tour stop.

For more information, visit the Five Hole for Food website.

VIDEO: Playoff Intro

Oh, hello there. Not a whole lot going on in Sea Dogs land right now.

Anyways, here’s the Sea Dogs’ playoff video intro that was posted online yesterday.

Amazing work by Matthew Buckley and the entire SeaDogsTV crew again this year. The videos give us all something to watch during the summer months as we try not to die from the heat.

A couple of contest winners (Telegraph-Journal and puck drop contests) were announced on SeaDogsTV yesterday.

Five Hole For Food is returning to Saint John this summer. This year’s event takes place on Smythe St. (beside Harbour Passage Trail) on Saturday, July 7 from 3-7 PM. More details can be found on their website.

NHL Draft is this weekend and the CHL Import Draft is next week. Enjoy. 

Sea Dogs Notebook

MOVING OUT

The Sea Dogs cleaned out their lockers yesterday, said their goodbyes, and headed home for the summer. News 88.9 has an article on it.

CTV Atlantic has an article as well and some video.

"It's been a great three years and I'm really happy I came over and had a great time in Saint John," said Tomas Jurco. "We played three years in the finals. It had been a great experience for me and I think it is going to help me a lot."

Photo above was tweeted by Mathieu Corbeil.

PAINT THE TOWN BLUE

The Sea Dogs announced the winners of the Advocate Printing Paint the Town Blue contest today.

PANTHERS

Several Florida Panthers prospects had solid years. Among them was Jonathan Huberdeau as Hockey’s Future notes.

“Jonathan Huberdeau's offensive ourput in the playoffs may not be quite up to his usual standards, but his 21 points in 15 playoff games has helped drive his team to a QMJHL championship and into the Memorial Cup semi-finals,” writes Ken McKenna. “Huberdeau has also dished out a few questionable hits in the playoffs, received a two-game suspension, and caused a stir with an elbow that could arguably have drawn a second suspension.”

ORGANIZATIONAL RANKINGS

Also at Hockey’s Future, they are ranking each NHL club by their prospect depth. They released the 21-30 teams today. The Montreal Canadiens were ranked 21^st.

“The organization has a deep and varied group of defensive prospects,” writes Ken McKenna. “Nathan Beaulieu, Jarred Tinordi, Morgan Ellis, and Greg Pateryn will all be playing in the AHL next season, with Darren Dietz, Mac Bennett, and Josiah Didier coming in the near future.”

Beaulieu is the top ranked Habs prospect at Hockey’s Future.

Former Sea Dog Eric Gelinas is ranked 4^th in the New Jersey Devils system. The Devils are ranked 22^nd.

Stanislav Galiev is ranked 5^th in the Washington Capitals system. Their organization is ranked 27^th.

Sea Dogs Notebook

Via Facebook, "the Saint John Sea Dogs are throwing their support behind the Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation's 'The Give' fundraiser."

TONIGHT

Tonight at 8pm in Quebec City, the Halifax Mooseheads will look to force a Game 7 with a victory over the Remparts. If a Game 7 is required, it would be played tomorrow night at Pepsi Colisee.

The Moose have won two straight entering tonight’s Game 6. According to Metro Halifax, only three times in the history of the QMJHL has a team come back from a 3-0 series deficit and won.

Chicoutimi/Shawinigan and Rimouski/Blainville-Boisbriand will play their Game 7s tomorrow night. The lowest seed that moves on will play Saint John in the next round.

PENS AWARDS

Two former Sea Dogs were among the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins team award winners on Saturday night.

Simon Despes was named the team’s Rookie of the Year. Despres recorded five goals and 10 assists in 44 American Hockey League games this season. He also registered a goal and three assists in 18 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Former Sea Dogs captain Alex Grant was named the Most Improved Player. Grant registered 10 goals and 27 assists in 61 games in his first full AHL season. Grant spent most of last year in the East Coast Hockey League.

Grant and Despres could probably help Pittsburgh’s defense right now. Brutal.

Sea Dogs At King Mazda Tonight

The Sea Dogs will be at King Mazda tonight from 6-8pm for a team autograph session. The car dealership is located at 440 Rothesay Ave. 

Is Mazda still doing the “Zoom-Zoom” thing? 

Sea Dogs Notebook

PHILLIPS NAMED FIRST STAR

The QMJHL named Sea Dogs forward Zack Phillips the first star for November yesterday.

“In 13 games, the Saint John Sea Dogs forward tallied five goals and 18 assists while posting a +13 rating,” states the league’s website. “Phillips established a new team record by recording at least one point in 20 consecutive games. With a total of 48 points, he trails league-leader Zach O’Brien by only four points. Phillips registered 16 of his 23 points during the Sea Dogs’ eight road games. Phillips has been a key offensive producer in the absences of Stanislav Galiev and Jonathan Huberdeau.”

Quebec Remparts forward Mikhail Grigorenko, who netted a hat trick against Saint John a couple of weeks ago, was named second star. Moncton Wildcats goaltender Roman Will, who suffered a 2-1 overtime loss to Saint John on Tuesday, was the third star.

MOVEMBER

The Sea Dogs announced their Movember results yesterday.

According to a Sea Dogs release, “the team solicited donations throughout the month, amassing nearly $2,000 towards the cause. Sea Dogs Chairman and CEO Scott McCain matched that amount Thursday, bringing the total to nearly $4,000.”

Stephen MacAulay raised $490, the most on the team. In a social media poll issued by the Dogs, fans voted Spencer MacDonald as the best moustache grower while Mathieu Corbeil was named the worst.

RAISING THE ROOF

The Sea Dogs also announced yesterday they “helped promote another community cause this week, making a donation to the Raising the Roof campaign to fight youth homelessness.

“The team purchased red toques for players, coaches and staff, and posed for photos wearing the distinctive headwear, which is being sold to raise money for the Saint John Youth House project.”

Toques can be purchased at the Human Development Council on the 3rd floor of the City Market, or go to http://www.raisingtheroof.org/ to order online.

Here is a SeaDogsTV video about the campaign.

Charity Softball Game Tonight

The annual Saint John Sea Dogs charity softball game is scheduled to be played this evening at Memorial Field. The junior hockey club will once again play the Saint John Police Force All-Stars.

From the team’s website:

The game is set to be played on Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 6:30 p.m. at Memorial Field on Dever Road in West Saint John. The game raises funds and public awareness for the various programs supported by the Saint John Neighborhood Police Council. The Neighborhood Watch, Kids 'n Kops and Block Parents are some of the programs being supported this year. The last six contests held between the Sea Dogs and Police All Stars have raised thousands of dollars and both sides look to continue the tradition this year. Tickets are $10 each, four for $30, five for $35 or six for $40. For tickets or information, call 1-800-561-4422. 

The charity softball contest between the Sea Dogs and the Police Force is in its seventh year. The all-time record is tied at 3-3.

TOP DOGS IN SAINT JOHN

The Saint John Sea Dogs have captured the big fish.

Last night, the Sea Dogs organization captured the “sport, recreation, and active living award” as the City of Saint John handed out Merit Awards.

“The sport, recreation and active living award went to the Saint John Sea Dogs for the programs they sponsor for the community, including their work to help deliver the DARE program at school and community centres, their Get FANatical About Math program in School Districts 6 and 8, sponsored by Canadaport LNG, and the Irving Oil Team Player program that promotes the positive values of minor hockey and the importance of being a team player, both on and off the ice,” reports the Telegraph-Journal.

The awards were given to groups and individuals who have made a major impact on the quality of life for Saint John citizens.

Sea Dogs president Wayne Long was on hand to accept the award.