Notebook: St. Stephen success

FREDERICTON - With Wednesday's victory over the Moncton Wildcats, the Saint John Sea Dogs improved to 3-2-0-0 all-time in pre-season play at St. Stephen's Garcelon Civic Center.

The Sea Dogs have hosted the Wildcats in three of the five meetings. Saint John has won two of those three games.

Here's a look at the Sea Dogs' all-time results in St. Stephen.

Aug. 26, 2018 - 3-2 win vs Moncton

Aug. 23, 2019 - 4-2 loss vs Halifax

Aug. 20, 2024 - 4-1 win vs Charlottetown

Aug. 20, 2025 - 4-1 loss vs Moncton

Aug. 26, 2026 - 4-1 win vs Moncton

The Sea Dogs continue pre-season play in another border town on Sunday when they host the Rimouski Oceanic at 4 p.m. in Woodstock.

It's the second time the Sea Dogs have held a pre-season game at the AYR Motor Centre. Last year, the Sea Dogs fell to the Wildcats 5-4 in Woodstock.

GLANCE'S FIRST SHIFT

Highly touted American forward Jamie Glance made his QMJHL pre-season debut on Friday. He finished the game with an assist, two shots, one hit and a -2 rating. He had a great scoring chance in the second period, skating through the Moncton defense only to be stopped.

Glance played on a line with Zachary Morin and Alexis Joseph. Here's a look at his first shift.

Notebook: Poirier signs in Germany

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Jeremie Poirier is heading overseas.

The former Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman has signed with Adler Mannheim of the DEL, Germany's highest level of professional hockey. The club announced the signing on Thursday.

The 24-year-old has spent his entire professional career in the AHL, mostly with the Calgary Wranglers. Poirier was traded to the Texas Stars this past season.

Adler verpflichten Jérémie Poirier ✍️

🔗 https://t.co/e8hZAUwENl

Der 24-jährige Kanadier wechselt aus der nordamerikanischen AHL in die @DELoffiziell und erhält bei den Adlern die Rückennummer 54.#AdlerMannheim #PENNYDEL #Eishockey #Hockey #DEL #Mannheim #MERC #Summer pic.twitter.com/t8ZnztYsCd

— Adler Mannheim (@adlermannheim) July 9, 2026

In 51 games split between the Wranglers and Stars in 2025-26, Poirier posted five goals and 11 assists. He leaves North America having recorded 22 goals and 90 assists in 214 regular season AHL games. He had another three goals and nine assists in 17 playoff contests.

Poirier was a third-round pick of the Calgary Flames in the 2020 NHL Draft but never got into an NHL game. He spent four seasons with Saint John and helped the club win the 2022 Memorial Cup.

SPADAFORE SIGNS WITH FLAMES

Jordan Spadafore is returning to Saint John.

The former Sea Dogs defenseman has signed with the Saint John Flames of the Beausejour Senior Hockey League for the 2026-27 season, the club announced last week. 

The 25-year-old spent parts of two seasons with the Sea Dogs. He also played with the Rimouski Oceanic and Val-d'Or Foreurs during his QMJHL career.

Spadafore played a couple seasons at Nipissing University in North Bay before turning pro in 2023-24. He spent a season with the SPHL's Evansville Thunderbolts before signing with the Milton Keynes Lightning of the National Ice Hockey League, the second-tier of pro hockey in Great Britain. He has played the past two seasons overseas.

So far, along with Spadafore, the Flames will feature former Sea Dogs Nick Blagden, Zach Alchorn and Kiefer Lyons.

Lafond loaned to Sea Dogs camp

Ghyslain Bergeron/Drummondville Voltigeurs

The Saint John Sea Dogs have added another overager to their training camp roster.

The Sea Dogs announced Friday that forward Maxime Lafond will attend camp on a loan from the Drummondville Voltigeurs. l'Expess has confirmed that Saint John will send a draft pick to Drummondville if Lafond makes the team.

Lafond recorded 13 goals and 36 assists in 63 games with the Volts this past season. He has appeared in 215 career QMJHL games – all with Drummondville – and has posted 23 goals and 61 assists. 

Listed at 6'5" and 205 lbs, Lafond helped the Volts win the Gilles-Courteau Trophy in 2024, appearing in 19 playoff games.

Forward Maxime Lafond has been added to the #SJSeaDogs training camp roster on loan from the Drummondville Voltigeurs.

Lafond, 20, recorded 49 points (13 goals, 36 assists) in 63 games last season.#GoDogsGo pic.twitter.com/MvxFwngoX1

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) June 12, 2026

Lafond committed to Northeastern University last October.

The Sea Dogs recently acquired overage forward Olivier Lemieux from the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada who, like Lafond, has quite a bit of playoff experience.

It looks like Lemieux and Lafond will be the only 20-year-olds reporting to Sea Dogs training camp at this time. Saint John does have American JJ Monteiro and Swede Carl-Otto Magnusson on their protected list, but it's unlikely either will come to camp in August.

Notebook: Fredericton games conclude

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Capital City Series ended in disappointment for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The Sea Dogs played their third and final regular season game at Fredericton's Aitken Centre on Sunday, falling 2-0 to the last-place Baie-Comeau Drakkar. The loss gives the Sea Dogs a losing record in Fredericton, finishing 1-2-0-0.

The Sea Dogs defeated the Gatineau Olympiques 5-1 on Jan. 8 and fell 5-2 to the Cape Breton Eagles on Nov. 30.

Attendance for the series saw mixed results. These numbers are bit higher than what the eye test would say.

Sunday, Nov. 30: 3,103

Thursday, Jan. 8: 1,845

Sunday, Feb. 1: 2,345

The series didn't seem to get much hype online from UNB while reaction from Saint John fans wasn't, understandably, overly positive. We'll see what the organization thinks, but it doesn't feel like there is a huge desire to do this series again. But we'll see.

WRESTLING NIGHT

The Sea Dogs announced the return of Wresting Night this week. 

From the team:

Hockey and professional wrestling collide as the Saint John Sea Dogs present Wrestling Night presented by Papadopsmiles Orthodontics on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 7:00 p.m.

On the ice, the Sea Dogs will celebrate a wrestling icon by wearing special Stone Cold Steve Austin-themed jerseys as they battle the Charlottetown Islanders at TD Station. Game-worn jerseys will be auctioned online at sjseadogs.link/auctions.

Wrestling Night will feature appearances from two legendary wrestlers. “The Man Beast” Rhyno, a former ECW World Heavyweight Champion, WCW United States Champion and WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champion, will be in attendance, along with “The Masterpiece” Chris Masters, a former WWE and TNA standout known for his iconic Masterlock Challenge.

Plus, two live wrestling matches will take place inside the Moosehead Light Ice Bar, with one match during each intermission. Rhyno will face “The Muscle Beast” Wesley Pipes for the AIWF Canadian Heavyweight Championship, while Masters will square off against “The Ace of the Maritimes” Dick Durning for the Superstars of Wrestling Heavyweight Championship.

The Sea Dogs are 1-5-0-0 when wearing specialty jerseys this season.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 3-2

FINAL: Drummondville 3, Saint John 2

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs came up short against the Drummondville Voltigeurs on Sunday at TD Station.

After struggling in the first two periods, the Sea Dogs took control in the third but could not quite complete the comeback, falling 3-2.

The Voltigeurs were the better team in the first half of the game, limiting Sea Dogs scoring chances. But as the game went along – and the Voltigeurs perhaps started to feel the fatigue of playing a third game in as many days – the Sea Dogs got back into it.

In the third period and the Volts up 3-0, Zachary Morin scored at 13:53 to make it 3-1. Then just over a minute later, Angelo Fullerton scored into an empty net after Volts goaltender Dayton Kitchener went off to the bench thinking a delayed penalty was being called against Saint John.

The Sea Dogs pulled Rafaël Courchesne for an extra attacker late in the game and were able to apply lots of pressure in the offensive zone but could not get the equalizer.

Kitchener made 32 saves in the win. Renaud Poulin had two Drummondville goals while William Dumont netted the other.

Courchesne, making a third straight start, made 26 stops in the loss.

The loss ends a two-game winning streak for Saint John and puts them back below .500 with a 9-10-1-0 record.

Game Day 20: vs Voltigeurs

Ghyslain Bergeron/Drummondville Voltigeurs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs will try and win a third straight game this afternoon at TD Station.

The Sea Dogs have not only won their past two games, they haven't allowed a goal. The team defeated the Victoriaville Tigres 6-0 last Sunday and the Quebec Remparts last night.

Saint John will look to keep the positive vibes going when they host the Drummondville Voltigeurs this afternoon at 3 p.m. The two met last Friday in Drummondville where the Volts skated away with a 4-1 win.

This is the third and final game of a three-game Maritime road trip for the Voltigeurs – and it's been a tough one. They lost 5-0 in Moncton on Friday and blew a 2-1 second period lead in a 4-3 loss in Charlottetown last night.

Stream/TV/Radio: FloHockey/None/Sea Dogs Audio Network

Records: The Sea Dogs are 9-9-1-0 for 19 points (sixth Eastern/13th QMJHL) while the Voltigeurs are 12-6-1-1 for 26 points (third Western/fifth QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-0 win over the Quebec Remparts last night. Vincent Croteau, Jacob Beaulieu, Alexis Joseph and Everett Baldwin scored for Saint John. Rafaël Courchesne made 20 stops in the shutout. The Voltigeurs are coming off a 4-3 loss last night in Charlottetown. Carter Fogarty, Matteo Rotondi and Trent Gates all scored for Drummondville. Dayton Kitchener made 21 stops in the loss.

Sea Dogs set to begin long home stretch

The Saint John Sea Dogs gave fans an early look at their Pink in the Rink jerseys on Friday.

The Sea Dogs will wear the pink sweaters on Saturday night when they host the Quebec Remparts at 7 p.m. at TD Station.

The jerseys will be auctioned off with proceeds going towards the fight against breast cancer. The auction is already underway.

All in the details 🩷

Pink In The Rink — tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m.

Use code "PINK" for a special ticket offer with a portion of the proceeds going to Breasts Ahoy cancer survivor dragon boat team!

🎟️ » https://t.co/IZCaodbckp#GoDogsGo pic.twitter.com/BOJCdwhC6V

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) November 14, 2025

The Sea Dogs will look to build off one of their more complete games of the season – a 6-0 road win over the Victoriaville Tigres on Sunday. 

Sunday's victory ended a three-game losing skid. The Sea Dogs now own an 8-9-1-0 record, placing them eighth in the 10-team Eastern Conference as of Friday.

Saturday's match kicks off a stretch of seven straight home games for Saint John – the team's longest home stand of the year. That includes the team's Nov. 30 "home" game in Fredericton.

As the below shows, it won't be an easy stretch for Saint John. Just one of those games – Saturday's against Quebec – is against a team currently below .500.

Nov. 15 vs Quebec (8-9-1-0)

Nov. 16 vs Drummundville (12-4-1-1)

Nov. 20 vs Charlottetown (12-5-1-3)

Nov. 21 vs Moncton (9-5-2-0)

Nov. 28 vs Charlottetown (12-4-1-1)

Nov. 29 vs Cape Breton (7-7-1-3)

Nov. 30 vs Cape Breton (7-7-1-3)

The Sea Dogs are 3-4-0-0 at TD Station this season.

Notebook: Curling coming

The Saint John Sea Dogs could be facing some scheduling issues in 2027.

It was announced Wednesday that the 2027 BKT World Men’s Curling Championship will be held at TD Station. The event will take place March 27 to April 4, which will be problematic if the Sea Dogs are still in the QMJHL playoffs at that time.

The Sea Dogs have had to juggle some playoff dates in the past due to concerts and some smaller events, but nothing this lengthy. Curling events have impacted other Maritime teams in the past, so we'll have to wait and see what the Sea Dogs plan to do here.

The upcoming regular season games being played at Fredericton's Aitken Centre may be a good test run for the Sea Dogs. The Moncton Wildcats had to play a playoff game in Fredericton a few years ago.

One potential positive for the Sea Dogs: could we see some upgrades to TD Station for this event? Nothing was mentioned in the news release, but fingers crossed.

BACK HOME

The Sea Dogs are back on home ice this weekend.

Saint John hasn't played at TD Station since Nov. 2. On Saturday night they'll host Maddox Dagenais and the Quebec Remparts and on Sunday they'll welcome the Drummondville Voltigeurs.

Saturday's game starts at 7 p.m. while Sunday's has a 3 p.m. start. Note that the Saint John Christmas Parade will also be taking place Saturday night.

The Sea Dogs and Remparts haven't faced each other yet this season. Saint John visited Drummondville last Friday where they lost 4-1.

Saint John is coming off a 6-0 win in Victoriaville on Sunday. They own an 8-9-1-0 record.

JOSEPH HYPE

The 2027 NHL Draft hype around Sea Dogs forward Alexis Joseph has really picked up following his impressive performance at the U17 World Challenge.

TSN's Craig Button currently has Joseph going first overall.

“He’s a dominant, skilled player with every attribute you want in a No. 1, elite centre,” said Button. “In every regard, he’s elite. His thinking, skill level, competitiveness and difference making.”

At FloHockey, Chris Peters writes that Joseph is already a name to know for 2027.

"Though Joseph has not outright dominated in the Q at 16 years old yet, his physical profile as well as where his game is trending has made everyone take notice," writes Peters. "Because of his mix of high-end skill and massive frame, Joseph is drawing comparisons to Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin, who has had a Hall of Fame career.

Joseph should be back in Saint John's lineup this weekend, giving the Sea Dogs a needed offensive spark.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 4-1

FINAL: Saint John 1, Drummondville 4

Ghyslain Bergeron/Drummondville Voltigeurs

DRUMMONDVILLE, QC - The Saint John Sea Dogs dropped their third straight game on Friday, falling 4-1 to the Drummondville Voltiegurs.

David Bosson scored a pair of goals for Drummondville while William Dumont and Renaud Poulin added singles. Dayton Kitchener made 25 saves in the win.

Olivier Groulx netted Saint John's lone goal, which came in the first period and tied the game 1-1 at the time. The Volts took the lead just over five minutes later and they would maintain that lead until the final horn.

Justin Robinson made 40 saves in the loss. It's the second most shots he's faced in a game this season.

The Sea Dogs struggled to generate offense in this one, getting outshot 44-25 with only nine of those 25 shots being listed as dangerous. Saint John was outshot 20-6 and 13-7 in the second and third periods, respectively. 

Saint John has scored two of fewer goals in each of their past three games, falling 4-2 to the Moncton Wildcats last Sunday and 3-0 to the Rimouski Oceanic on Thursday.

The Sea Dogs are now two games below .500 with a 7-9-1-0 record.

Game Day 17: at Drummondville

Iften Redjah/Rimouski Oceanic

DRUMMONDVILLE, QC - The Saint John Sea Dogs will look to find their scoring touch tonight.

The Sea Dogs were shutout for the first time this season on Thursday night, falling 3-0 to the Rimouski Oceanic. Saint John had 26 shots in the game and went 0/3 on the power play.

The Sea Dogs have scored two or fewer goals in three of their past five games. They'll look to generate more offense tonight when they visit the Drummondville Voltigeurs. Game time is 8 p.m.

The Voltigeurs carry a six-game winning streak into tonight's game.

This is the first meeting of the season between the Dogs and Volts. Saint John is just 2-6-0-0 against Drummondville over the past five seasons.

Stream/TV/Radio: FloHockey/None/Sea Dogs Audio Network

Records: The Sea Dogs are 7-8-1-0 for 15 points (seventh Eastern/14th QMJHL) while the Voltigeurs are 10-4-1-0 for 22 points (third Western/fifth QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 3-0 loss in Rimouski last night. Rafaël Courchesne made 25 saves in the loss. The Voltigeurs are coming off a 5-1 win in Victoriaville last night. Yoan Tasse, Jesse Allecia, Dylan Dumont, Carter Fogarty and Louis-Felix Bourque all scored. Jan Larys made 21 saves in the win.

Sea Dogs to make first Quebec trip

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs will make their first trip into Quebec this week.

The Sea Dogs will make four trips to Quebec this season, playing three games against three different opponents each time. All four trips are formatted the same with Saint John playing back-to-back games followed by an off-day before the third and final game.

The Sea Dogs will begin this three-game trek on Thursday when they visit the Rimouski Oceanic. On Friday they'll travel to Drummondville to face the Voltigeurs and close out the trip with a Sunday contest in nearby Victoriaville.

Here's a cleaner look at the schedule.

Thursday at 8 p.m. - at Rimouski (7-7-0-1)

Friday at 8 p.m. - at Drummondville (9-4-1-1)

Sunday at 5 p.m. - at Victoriaville (6-7-2-0)

The Sea Dogs are 4-3-1-0 on the road this season. They recently won back-to-back games in Cape Breton after a rough couple outings in Newfoundland.

The Voltigeurs and Tigres both play in the Western Conference. The Sea Dogs are 1-1-0-0 against teams from the west this season.

The Sea Dogs will play their next five games against non-Atlantic teams. After this road trip, the Sea Dogs will host the Quebec Remparts on Nov. 15 and the Voltigeurs on Nov. 16.

A few other news and notes...

• Olivier Groulx leads Saint John in points (14) and assists (10). Dylan Rozzi has a team high seven goals.
• Rozzi leads the league in game-winning goals with four. Saint John has seven wins this season, meaning Rozzi has scored the winner in over half of them.
• The Sea Dogs will be without forward Alexis Joseph on this road trip due to the U17 World Challenge. Forward Angelo Fullerton should return to the lineup after serving a one-game suspension on Sunday.
• Speaking of Joseph, he had a goal and two assists in Team Canada Red's 6-5 shootout loss to the United States on Tuesday night in Truro.
• The Charlottetown Islanders currently sit first overall in the league although three teams – the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies and Chicoutimi Sagueneens – have better winning percentages.
• One of the biggest surprises in the league so far has been the Halifax Mooseheads, who own a 10-5-1-0 record. They had a home heavy start to the year, so we'll see how things unfold in the coming weeks.

Notebook: Sea Dogs to play just two 3-in-3s

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs will play just two three-in-threes this season – with only one of those games classified as a road game.

The Sea Dogs will play three games in three days Nov. 28-20 and March 13-15. The November stretch is technically three straight home games – but the third game will be played in Fredericton. In March, Saint John will play back-to-back home games before playing a road game the next day.

Nov. 28 vs Charlottetown (TD Station)

Nov. 29 vs Cape Breton (TD Station)

Nov. 30 vs Cape Breton (Aitken Centre)

March 13 vs Halifax (TD Station)

March 14 vs Halifax (TD Station)

March 15 at Charlottetown (Eastlink Centre)

The Sea Dogs will make four trips to Quebec this season but all of them will be stretches of three games in four nights.

ADDED PRE-SEASON GAME

It looks like the Sea Dogs have added a game to their pre-season schedule.

The game still doesn't appear on the league website, but the Charlottetown Islanders have begun promoting an pre-season game against the Sea Dogs on Sept. 6. The game is scheduled to be played at MacLaughlin Arena on the UPEI campus.

The countdown is on ⏰

Buy Tickets -> https://t.co/S4X9kMww59 pic.twitter.com/0T3XEncv0D

— Charlottetown Islanders (@IslandersHKY) July 7, 2025

This would be the sixth and final pre-season game for the Sea Dogs. Saint John is also scheduled to play the night before in Woodstock against the Moncton Wildcats.

The Sea Dogs will play the Wildcats four times in the pre-season; the Newfoundland Regiment once and the Islanders once.

Saint John's first exhibition game will be Tuesday, Aug. 19 in Dieppe against the Wildcats.

Mooseheads complete stunning upset

Drummondville Voltigeurs

The Halifax Mooseheads have done it.

The Mooseheads completed a massive upset of the Drummondville Voltigeurs on Tuesday night, winning Game 7 by a score of 2-0 to advance to the second round of the QMJHL playoffs.

It's a stunning upset by the Mooseheads, who grabbed one of the final playoff spots on the final few days of the regular season. Drummondville finished third overall in the regular season standings and won the Western Conference. They finished with 86 points – 38 more than the Mooseheads.

It's a tough pill to swallow for the Voltigeurs, who opted to hang on to their veteran players from last season's Gilles Courteau Trophy run and hoped to take advantage of a wide open Western Conference. Now their season is over two weeks into the playoffs.

It seemed like the Voltigeurs could never fully recover from losing goaltender Riley Mercer, who was injured in Game 1. The Mooseheads won the first two games of the series and took a 3-2 series lead back to Drummondville on Monday. The Volts posted a commanding 6-0 win in Game 6 only to drop a tight Game 7 just 24 hours later.

Three of Halifax's wins in this series came on the road. 

The star of this series was overage goaltender Jacob Steinman, who made 38 saves in Tuesday's shutout win. He posted a 2.43 goals against average and a .936 save percentage in the series.

The Mooseheads will now play the Western Conference's No. 2 seed – the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies – in the second round.

Here's what the second round will look like.

Eastern Conference

1. Moncton vs 4. Baie-Comeau

2. Rimouski vs 3. Chicoutimi

Western Conference

2. Rouyn-Noranda vs 8. Halifax

3. Shawinigan vs 5. Sherbrooke

All four series begin Friday.

Titan play final game; Eagles defeat Drakkar in 5th OT

TULSA, OK - Greetings from Oklahoma, where the Tulsa Oilers picked up a key 3-1 win over the Wichita Thunder in ECHL action on Friday night.

Anyways, here's what went down on an eventful night in the QMJHL playoffs.

• Quispamsis native Angelo Fullerton scored at 1:42 of the fifth overtime period as the Cape Breton Eagles defeated the Baie-Comeau Drakkar 3-2 in the second longest game in QMJHL history. It was a wild, wild night with two Drakkar goals and an Eagles goal both being overturned in extra time. Cape Breton goaltender Jakub Milota made 84 saves in the victory. The series now shifts back to Baie-Comeau with the Drakkar leading 3-2.
• The Halifax Mooseheads did it again. Jacob Steinman made 29 saves in a 4-2 Halifax victory over the Drummondville Voltigeurs. The Moose now lead the series 3-2 as it shifts back to Drummondville for the final two games – if both games are needed. Halifax won both of the first two games at Marcel Dionne Centre.
• The Acadie-Bathurst Titan are no more. The Titan allowed four goals in the first period in a 5-1 loss to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens at the KC Irving Regional Centre. The Sags take the series 4-1 and advance to the second round. This was the final QMJHL game to be played in Bathurst with the Titan moving to St. John's this summer.

  Alexandre Lallier has been credited with the final goal in @ABTitan history 😢 pic.twitter.com/v0Mqa0eSci

  — QMJHL (@QMJHL) April 5, 2025

• The Sherbrooke Phoenix secured a spot in the second round with a 2-1 overtime win over the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, winning the series 4-1. Hugo Primeau scored the winner at 6:42 of the extra frame. 
• The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies have advanced to the second round following an 8-4 win over the Gatineau Olympiques, winning the series 4-1.
• The Shawinigan Cataractes also secured a spot in the second round thanks to a 5-2 victory over the Val-d'Or Foreurs, winning the series in five games. Former Sea Dogs forward Noah Reinhart scored and added an assist in the loss, his final game of junior hockey. Vince Elie had an assist for Shawinigan. 

Chicoutimi, Sherbrooke, Rouyn-Noranda and Shawinigan join the Moncton Wildcats and Rimouski Oceanic as teams who have secured second round spots.

Oceanic, Wildcats complete sweeps

Mike Bernard/Charlottetown Islanders

The Memorial Cup hosts are moving on to the second round of the QMJHL playoffs.

The Rimouski Oceanic completed a sweep of the Charlottetown Islanders on Wednesday with a 4-1 victory at Eastlink Centre. The Oceanic outscored the Islanders 24-3 in the four-game series.

The first round of the QMJHL playoffs hasn't been an easy ride for Memorial Cup hosts of late. 

• 2022: The Saint John Sea Dogs were eliminated in the best-of-five opening round by the Oceanic. 
• 2019: The Halifax Mooseheads needed seven games to advance past the Quebec Remparts. The Mooseheads went on to lose in the league final.
• 2015: The Remparts needed seven games to get past the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. The Remparts went on to lose in the league final.
• 2012: The Shawinigan Cataractes were the lost QMJHL host team to sweep their first round series, beating the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. The Cataractes went on to lose in the next round.

The Oceanic weren't the only team to complete a sweep on Wednesday. The Moncton Wildcats are moving on after a 4-3 victory over the Remparts at Videotron Centre. The series was surprisingly close with three of the four games being decided by a goal.

Wildcats need OT again; Voltigeurs are back in series

Trevor MacMillan/Halifax Mooseheads

It's officially time to bring out the "brink" terminology in this year's QMJHL playoffs.

The Moncton Wildcats, Rimouski Oceanic, Chicoutimi Sagueneens and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies all took 3-0 series leads thanks to wins on Tuesday night. All four teams will look to book trips to the second round with wins on Wednesday.

The Wildcats once again had their hands full with the Quebec Remparts, needing overtime for a second time in this season. St. Andrews native Gabe Smith netted the winner at 8:34 of the extra frame.

Gabe lugs it in and the puck finds him again.
GAME OVER. https://t.co/JsTx3vLWTy pic.twitter.com/XiHIOLVUOg

— Moncton Wildcats (@monctonwildcats) April 2, 2025

The Oceanic went 3/6 on the power play in a 4-0 win over the Charlottetown Islanders. Eriks Mateiko had five shots in that game. Rimouski has shutout Charlottetown in back-to-back games.

The final game in Acadie-Bathurst Titan history could be played Wednesday night at the KC Irving Regional Centre. Kassim Gaudet scored at 3:39 of overtime to give the Sagueneens a 4-3 win and a 3-0 series lead. Chicoutimi went 2/6 on the man advantage.

Lastly, the Huskies edged the Gatineau Olympiques 2-1 to take a stranglehold on that series.

Wildcats survive wild Friday night in QMJHL

Embed from Getty Images

The Moncton Wildcats survived a scare on Friday night.

The CHL's No. 1 ranked team needed overtime to defeat the Quebec Remparts in Game 1 of their first round playoff series. Julius Sumpf netted the winner just 1:38 into the extra frame.

Julius Sumpf scores the Game 1 OT winner for the @monctonwildcats! 😤 #QPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/e0gQ09lzs1

— QMJHL (@QMJHL) March 29, 2025

Moncton led 2-1 heading into the third where Quebec scored twice in less than two minutes halfway through the frame to take a 3-2 lead. Gabe Smith tied it back up at 16:10 to send the game into overtime.

Shots were 43-25 in favour of Moncton. The Wildcats went with the experienced Mathis Rousseau in net even after riding Rudy Guimond much of the last couple months.

The series is a major mismatch on paper. Moncton finished with 55 more points than rebuilding Quebec.

The Wildcats have now won 16 straight games. Game 2 is Saturday night in Moncton.

Some Monday night notes

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs will have their eyes on scoreboards this Wednesday.

The Sea Dogs, who currently sit 17th overall in the QMJHL standings with 42 points, will watch the Gatineau Olympiques take on the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and the Halifax Mooseheads face the Charlottetown Islanders. Gatineau sits 16th overall with 42 points while Halifax is 15th with 45.

The top 16 teams in the overall standings qualify for the post-season.

Following Wednesday's games, all three teams competing for the two final spots with have four regular season games remaining.

The first tie-breaker is regulation plus overtime wins. Saint John has 18, Halifax 16 and Gatineau just 11.

A few other news and notes on this Monday evening.

• Pictured above is part of the rather entertaining wrestling themed intro prior to Friday night's Sea Dogs game at TD Station.
• Drummondville Voltigeurs forward Sam Oliver – a Quispamsis native who played at RNS – became the first player in the QMJHL to score 50 goals this season. The overage forward is committed to the University of New Hampshire next season.
• The Moncton Wildcats have clinched first overall with five games still to play. The team hasn't won the Jean Rougeau Trophy since 2005-06.
• The UNB Reds took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three AUS men's hockey championship series on Sunday in Fredericton, defeating the UdeM Aigles Bleus 5-3. Former Sea Dogs Peter Reynolds and Kale McCallum each posted two assists. Game 2 is Tuesday in Moncton.
• Former Sea Dogs Kevin Gursoy scored while Joseph Ianniello added an assist to help the TMU Bold earn a 2-1 Game 3 win over the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Sunday, securing a spot in both the Queen's Cup final and University Cup tournament.
• Gursoy scored the goal that earned the Bold a spot in the University Cup tournament for a second time in his career.
• The Queen's Cup final will be held Saturday in Toronto and will feature the Bold taking on the Concordia Stingers. The Stingers feature Sea Dogs alumni Charles Savoie, Nicholas Girouard, Isiah Campbell, Christopher Inniss and Nikolas Hurtubise.
• The first round of the Maritime Hockey League playoffs are set.
• 1. Summerside vs 4. Pictou 
• 2. Amherst vs 3. Truro 
• 1. Edmundston vs 4. Miramichi 
• 2. West Kent vs 3. Campbellton
• The Edmundston Blizzard finished the regular season as the top-ranked team in the CJHL.

Tough week ahead for playoff bubble teams

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

It doesn't seem like anybody wants that last spot in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League post-season.

The Saint John Sea Dogs, who currently hold the 16th and final playoff spot, have lost six straight games. The 17th-place Gatineau Olympiques, meanwhile, have lost eight straight (but have earned four loser points during that stretch) while the last-place Victoriaville Tigres have lost six consecutive games.

The Tigres sit 10 points back of Saint John and, with 15 games remaining, are basically out of the playoff picture. It's possible they could make it, but it would require quite a turnaround and some luck.

It's likely to come down to Gatineau (17th, 34 points), Saint John (16th, 38 points) and the 15th-place Halifax Mooseheads (15th, 41 points) for the final spots. The Quebec Remparts and Val-d'Or Foreurs aren't that far off either, but let's focus on Gatineau, Saint John and Halifax for now.

Of the three, Saint John likely has the "easiest" schedule this week – but that's not saying much. It won't be an easy week for any of these teams.

Halifax (15th, 41 points)

Thursday, Feb. 13 vs Cape Breton (10th, 55 points)

Saturday, Feb. 15 at Moncton (1st, 78 points)

Monday, Feb. 17 vs Moncton (1st, 78 points)

Saint John (16th, 38 points)
Saturday, Feb, 15 vs Shawinigan (6th, 60 points)
Monday, Feb. 17 vs Cape Breton (10th, 55 points)

Gatineau (17th, 34 points)

Thursday, Feb. 13 at Rimouski (2nd, 73 points)

Saturday, Feb, 15 at Blainville-Boisbriand (8th, 59 points)

If the playoffs started today, the Sea Dogs would be moved into the Western Conference and face the Drummondville Voltigeurs in the opening round. The two met in last year's first round and, like last year, Saint John would be major underdogs.

The Sea Dogs and Mooseheads meet three more times in the regular season – Feb. 27 at Saint John, March 7 at Saint John and March 8 at Halifax – in what could be key games for playoff positioning.

Notebook: Cunningham earns camp invite

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - Bryce Cunningham is the first player to receive an invite to Saint John Sea Dogs training camp this August.

Cunningham was named the most valuable player of the inaugural Dog Bowl on Saturday, helping Sussex High School defeat St. Malachy's 7-6 in overtime in the championship game.

Congratulations to the 2025 #DogBowl MVP, #17 Bryce Cunningham of the Sussex Sonics!

Bryce has earned an invite to the #SJSeaDogs Training Camp in August.#GoDogsGo pic.twitter.com/IZmkRpGI8L

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) February 8, 2025

Cunningham, a 16-year-old forward, played 34 games with the Saint John Vito's last season, recording a goal and an assist.

The Dog Bowl featured teams from Kennebecasis Valley High School, Rothesay High School, St. Malachy’s Memorial High School and Sussex Regional High School compete in a two day tournament at TD Station. The MVP of the event earned an invite to Sea Dogs training camp.

SPECIALITY JERSEY TALK

The Sea Dogs wore their latest speciality jersey on Saturday, sporting the winning look from the Real Atlantic Superstore jersey design contest.

It was the eighth game this season the Sea Dogs have worn a speciality jersey. They are 5-3-0-0 in those games.

Oct. 11 (Stampede at the Station): 3-0 W vs Sherbrooke

Nov. 22 (Pink in the Rink): 6-2 L vs Charlottetown

Nov. 23 (Pink in the Rink): 2-0 W vs Charlottetown

Nov. 29 (Throwback Night): 3-2 OTW vs Gatineau

Dec. 13 (Christmas at the Station): 5-4 OTW vs Cape Breton

Dec. 14 (Christmas at the Station): 5-4 SOW vs Bathurst

Jan. 17 (Syle & Flow): 3-0 L vs Charlottetown

Feb. 8 (Superstore Contest): 5-4 L vs Baie-Comeau

The Sea Dogs will wear another speciality jersey on Wrestling Night, which is scheduled for March 7 against the Halifax Mooseheads.