Sea Dogs release Daviault, Tatomir

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The Saint John Sea Dogs' overage situation has taken another turn.

The Sea Dogs announced Tuesday that 20-year-old defenseman Alexis Daviault – who signed with the club on Aug. 23 – has been released. It was also announced that 18-year-old free agent defenseman Ethan Tatomir has been released.

With Daviault gone, the Sea Dogs once again have an open overage spot. Veteran QMJHL forwards Angelo Fullerton and Natan Éthier have seemingly secured spots on the squad.

Daviault has spent his entire junior career in the OHL. In 259 career OHL games, he recorded 22 goals and 94 assists. Last season with the Erie Otters, the 6'0", 185 lbs d-man recorded five goals and 31 assists in 64 games.

Daviault appeared in Saint John's most recent pre-season game – his only one with Saint John. He recorded two shots, two penalty minutes and a -3 rating in the 7-4 loss to the Newfoundland Regiment.

With Daviault and Tatomir gone, the Sea Dogs have seven defensemen remaining on their training camp roster. That includes Swedish defenseman Max Vilén, who the Sea Dogs remain optimistic will join the club.

Saint John's final two pre-season games are this weekend when they take on the Moncton Wildcats on Friday in Woodstock and the Charlottetown Islanders on Saturday at UPEI.

Sea Dogs sign overage defenseman

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FREDERICTON - An already crowded blue line got even more crowded on Friday.

Prior to their pre-season game at Fredericton's Aitken Centre, the Saint John Sea Dogs announced the signing of overage defenseman Alexis Daviault.

Daviault has spent the past four seasons in the OHL, most recently with the Erie Otters.

“We’re really excited about the changes made to our back end. The group is young but very exciting,” said Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Travis Crickard in a statement. “That said, we identified a need to add someone who brings a lot of experience, and adding a 20-year-old defenceman of Alexis’ calibre will bring tremendous value to our team. He is a swift-skating, puck-moving defender who will be a strong complement to those we have locked up on our right side.”

Daviault, originally from Gatineau, was a third-round pick of the Sarnia Sting in the 2021 OHL Priority Selection. He spent a season-and-a-half with the Sting before being moved to the Otters.

In 259 career OHL games, Daviault recorded 22 goals and 94 assists. Last season, the 6'0", 185 lbs d-man recorded five goals and 31 assists in 64 games.

Saint John is poised to have an almost entirely different defense core this season. Prior to this signing, the Sea Dogs still had 14 defensemen on their training camp roster. The addition of Daviault makes the battle for spots even more interesting.

From an overage perspective, it certainly looks like Daviault and forward Chris Barlas – who also recently signed from the OHL – have spots secured. Other overagers still officially on Saint John's camp roster include forwards Natan Éthier, Angelo Fullerton and the injured Mitchell Wagner along with goaltenders Rhett Stoesser and Eric Young.

On the goaltending front, 18-year-old David Di Girolamo has been added to Saint John's online roster. He spent most of last season in the QJHL with the Laval Prime, posting a 12-7 record to go along with a 3.08 goals against average and a .914 save percentage. The 6'2", 176 lbs netminder also appeared in one QMJHL game with the Val-d'Or Foreurs.

It's worth noting as well that the QMJHL's trade deadline is this Sunday.

Busy CHL Import Draft for QMJHL teams

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

As expected, the Saint John Sea Dogs did not select in Wednesday's CHL Import Draft.

The Sea Dogs, who held the 11th overall pick in the CHL-wide draft, were the first team to pass on their selection. Only four teams in the first 40 picks did not select — and, oddly, all four were QMJHL teams (Saint John, Drummondville, Baie-Comeau and Rouyn-Noranda).

Saint John also entered the draft with the 71st overall pick.

This is the first time the Sea Dogs have passed on a pick since 2019 and the first time they've passed on both since 2011. Only two other times in team history — 2008 and 2011 — has Saint John not made a selection at all.

Forwards Pavel Simek and Eriks Mateiko will both return for second seasons with the Sea Dogs and makeup the squad's import duo. Both are coming off solid rookie campaigns after being selected in last year's CHL Import Draft.

While it was a quiet day for Saint John, it was a busy day for a number of other QMJHL teams. Here are a few notes from the draft.

• Slovakian forward Martin Misiak was taken first overall by the OHL's Erie Otters. Misiak joined the USHL champion Youngstown Phantoms (roughly 90 minutes away from Erie) after the world juniors and went on to be selected in the second round of the NHL Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks. Notably, he was taken second overall by the Saginaw Spirit in last year's CHL Import Draft.
• With the second overall pick, the Acadie-Bathurst Titan picked Slovakian forward Juraj Pekarcik, a third round selection of the St. Louis Blues in last week's NHL Draft.
• The Moncton Wildcats used both of their picks on Wednesday, taking Czech defenseman Ales Zielinski and Czech forward Sebastian Glas. Moncton also signed German forward Julius Sumpf this week — who does not count as an import as he is also a Canadian citizen.
• The Halifax Mooseheads made one pick, selecting Swiss forward Yannik Ponzetto. The Mooseheads confirmed that Czech defenceman David Moravec will return to the club while captain Attilio Biasca will play professionally in Switzerland next season.
• German defenseman Norwin Panocha, a seventh round pick of the Buffalo Sabres last week, was picked by the Chicoutimi Sagueneens 32nd overall.
• With the 37th overall pick, the OHL's Flint Firebirds selected Swedish forward Markas Samenas, who spent last season with the Titan.
• In the second round, the Titan drafted soon-to-turn-19-years-old goaltender Antoine Keller, who was a seventh round pick of the Washington Capitals in last week's NHL Draft. Keller, who is a French and Swiss citizen, played in Switzerland last season but was also a member of France's national junior team.
• The OHL's Brantford Bulldogs (formerly known as the Hamilton Bulldogs), selected Czech defenseman Adam Jiricek, a top prospect for the 2024 NHL Draft and the younger brother of Columbus Blue Jackets prospect David Jiricek.
• The WHL's Wenatchee Wild (formerly known as the Winnipeg Ice), selected Japanese forward Kenta Isogai with the final pick of the first round. Isogai, who will turn 19 in August, has spent the past three seasons with the USHL's Youngstown Phantoms.
• Kristers Ansons, the younger brother of former Sea Dogs forward Raivis Ansons, was taken in the second round by the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.
• Alex Cajkovic, the younger brother of former Sea Dogs forward Maxim Cajkovic, was taken in the second round by the OHL's North Bay Battalion.
• Only one Russian was taken: forward Valentin Zhugin was picked by the OHL's Saginaw Spirit. Zhugin was eligible for the draft because he has spent the past two seasons with the OHL's Guelph Storm.
• Ukrainian forward Ihnat Pazii, who has spent the past couple seasons in the United States, was taken 55th overall by North Bay.
• 28 of the 75 players picked on Wednesday were from Czechia.

Notebook: Memorial Cup coaches on the move

Danny Flynn is the last man standing.

With Seattle Thunderbirds head coach Steve Konowalchuk joining the Anaheim Ducks as an assistant, Flynn is the only remaining head coach from the 2017 Memorial Cup still in the CHL.

Over the past few weeks, Erie Otters head coach Kris Knoblauch has joined the Philadelphia Flyers as an assistant and Windsor Spitfires head coach Rocky Thompson has taken over head coaching duties of the AHLs' Chicago Wolves.

The Sea Dogs coaching staff has had a departure though with assistant Paul Boutilier joining the AHL's Belleville Senators as an assistant.

Renewal rate

The Sea Dogs announced this past week that 97% of season tickets have been renewed for the 2017-18 season. It's the highest renewal rate prior to July 1 in team history.

“We are so pleased with our season ticket renewal rate,” said Ben Zayandehroudi, vice-president of ticket sales and marketing, in a press release.”The response to this year’s early renewal deadline has been tremendous. Season Ticket Members have provided positive feedback on our new, innovative programs as well.

“This puts us on track to increase our season ticket base from last season. We have the best fans in the Q!”

The Victoriaville newspaper La Nouvelle recently compared season ticket prices around the QMJHL. Rouyn-Noranda ain't cheap.

Mayer re-signs

Former Sea Dogs goaltender Robert Mayer has signed an extension with Swiss league team Genève-Servette HC through the 2020-21 season.

Mayer has spent the past three seasons with the National League A club. Last season he posted a 2.53 goals against average and a .926 save percentage in 49 games.

The 26-year-old spent two seasons with the Sea Dogs from 2007 to 2009, posting a 42-39 record to go along with a 3.41 GAA and .893 SV%.

Windsor Spitfires win 2017 Memorial Cup

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The Windsor Spitfires are 2017 Memorial Cup champions.

The Spitfires won their third Canadian Hockey League championship with a 4-3 victory over the Erie Otters on Sunday night at the WFCU Centre.

The victory ended a perfect run for the Spits at the Memorial Cup, going 4-0 with two wins over Erie to go along with victories over Saint John and Seattle. Windsor has now won 12 straight Memorial Cup games going back to 2012.

It was a thrilling game with both teams leading at certain points and neither leading by more than a goal.

Windsor's Aaron Luchuk scored what proved to be the game winner at 5:07 of the third period. The Otters had some terrific offensive pressure happening throughout the third but could not beat Spitfires goaltender Michael DiPietro, who was by far the best netminder in the tournament.

The Otters came this close to tying it late:

This game. #MemorialCup pic.twitter.com/0X78hachVr

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) May 29, 2017

The loss ends quite a run for the Otters, who completed their fourth straight 50-win season. They still won the OHL title this year (their only title during this four-year run), which is impressive.

RECAP: Sea Dogs lose 6-3

FINAL: Saint John 3, Erie 6

WINDSOR, Ont. - That's all she wrote for the Saint John Sea Dogs' 2016-17 season.

The Sea Dogs' season came to an end on Friday night in Windsor, falling 6-3 to the OHL champion Erie Otters in the Memorial Cup semifinal.

It was a hard fought game - unlike the first time these two met - in what was arguably the best game of the tournament so far. Saint John's penalty kill was excellent and kept them in the game as the Otters were awarded seven power play opportunities.

Erie's power plays allowed them dominant much of the second period, outshooting Saint John 17-4. Despite the lopsided shot total, the game was tied 2-2 after two periods. But the Otters scored two quick goals in the third period en route to a 6-3 victory.

Taylor Raddysh scored twice for Erie while singles came from Darren Raddysh, Dylan Strome, German Poddubnyi and Warren Foegele. Troy Timpano made 20 saves in the victory.

Joe Veleno, Julien Gauthier and Thomas Chabot all scored for Saint John. Callum Booth made 31 saves in the loss.

To the notes...

• Saint John nearly opened the scoring while shorthanded early in the first period when Mathieu Joseph fed Simon Bourque in front. But DeBrincat pulled the puck off the goal line to keep it scoreless.
• Erie opened the scoring at 9:56 when Darren Raddysh made a great play in front, spinning around in front of the net and roofing the puck over a down Booth.
• Saint John tied things at 1-1 at 14:10 when Veleno batted in a rebound of a Spencer Smallman shot.
• The Otters were dominant at puck possession at times early in the second, forcing Booth to make some nice saves.
• Imama went to the box at 10:39 for a check from behind. On the power play at 10:57, an Anthony Cirelli shot was stopped but a rebound was produced. Taylor Raddysh was in the slot to put it in after a scramble, making it 2-1 Otters.
• Then Chabot headed off for a penalty. Then Highmore. Then Chabot again. Erie had plenty of pressure on all three power plays but could not add to their lead.
• Then at 18:51, it looked as though the Otters were getting a power play, so Booth skated to the bench. Taylor Raddysh grabbed the puck but no whistle was blown. Raddysh entered the zone and fired the puck past an unprepared Booth, appearing to make it 3-1. But the goal was called off, as there was indeed an Erie penalty.
• On the ensuing power play, Matthew Highmore was at the dot and fed Joseph down low. Joseph then tapped the puck to Gauthier who beat Timpano, tying the gam at 2-2 at 19:18.
• Just 2:38 into the third, Strome went around Chase Stewart and beat Booth with a low wrist shot, giving the Otters the lead back.
• Then at 3:45, Saint John turned the puck over in the corner. Ivan Lodnia grabbed the puck and fed Poddubnyi in front who beat Booth blocker side. 
• On another power play at 12:31, Taylor Raddysh was near the goal line and slid the puck between a down Booth and the post, making it 5-2 Erie.
• The Sea Dogs didn't go away, though. At 16:28, Gauthier was along the boards and found Chabot streaking in. Chabot fired the puck past Timpano just before running over the Erie goaltender, making it a 5-3 game.
• The Dogs had Booth pulled for a while but could not net the equalizer. At 19:26, Foegele hit the empty net to make it a 6-3 final.
• The first period was a bit different than Monday's match between the two where the Otters were up 5-2 and outshot Saint John 17-4.
• Erie's power play heavy second period gave them a 17-4 shot advantage over Saint John in the frame.
• Chabot took three minor penalties in the game.

NOTEBOOK: Otters confident in Timpano heading into tonight's semifinal

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WINDSOR, Ont. - Troy Timpano's stats don't look that great at this year's Memorial Cup.

The Erie Otters netminder is sporting a 3.73 goals against average and a .823 save percentage heading into tonight's semifinal contest against the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Otters head coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters Friday morning at WFCU Centre that the numbers aren't representative of Timpano's play so far.

"We've done a good job at keeping the shots down, so that's why his save percentage doesn't look really good," said Knoblauch. "Numbers can be misleading a lot of time."

Knoblauch added that he feels Timpano didn't have much of a chance on the goals he has allowed so far in the tournament.

Timpano has been known to let in the occasional bad goal. He's also very active with the puck, which can create some interesting moments.

The netminder posted a 13-4-1 record to go along with a .895 SV% and 2.73 GAA during the OHL playoffs.

"We changed goalies a little bit throughout the playoffs where (Joseph) Murdaca came in, and he came up big. The players believe that Troy is our goalie. He's the guy that got us here throughout the regular season and playoffs."

LOOKING TO ADVANCE
The Otters are looking to advance to their first Memorial Cup final tonight.

This is the second ever Memorial Cup appearance for the Otters and their first since 2002. In '02, Erie lost 5-4 in overtime to the Victoriaville Tigres in the tournament semifinal. The Otters blew 3-0 and 4-2 leads in that game, with Victoriaville's Danny Groulx tying the game with five seconds remaining in the third period.

The Kootenay Ice defeated the Tigres 6-3 in the 2002 Memorial Cup final.

HUBERDEAU TALKS 2011
The Canadian Press caught up with Jonathan Huberdeau this week to talk about the Sea Dogs' 2011 Memorial Cup win.

"I'm watching them a lot," Huberdeau told CP about this year's Sea Dogs. "It's fun to always follow your team and it's great they have a chance to win this year."

Read the full story here.

Memorial Cup Game Day: at Erie

The Saint John Sea Dogs and Erie Otters meet in the Memorial Cup semifinal tonight at 8 p.m. at Windsor's WFCU Centre. Game time is 8 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Sportsnet and TVA Sports/96.1 NewSong FM/SN Now and CHL Live

Tournament status: The Sea Dogs are 1-2 following loses to Windsor and Erie and a win over Seattle. Erie is 2-1 following wins over Saint John and Seattle and a loss to Windsor.

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 7-0 win over the Seattle Thunderbirds on Tuesday at WFCU Centre. Joe Veleno scored twice for Saint John while Chase Stewart, Mathieu Joseph, Spencer Smallman, Cole Reginato and Bokondji Imama added singles. Callum Booth made 31 saves in the shutout victory. The Otters are coming off a 4-2 loss to the Windsor Spitfires on Wednesday. Kyle Maksimovich and Taylor Raddysh scored for Erie. Troy Timpano made 15 saves in the loss.

Head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 0-1 all-time against the Otters while Erie is 1-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: You all remember what happened.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Otters: None.

Random stat: Neither of these teams have ever won a Memorial Cup semifinal game. The Otters lost to Victoriaville in 2002 and Saint John lost to Shawinigan in 2012. The Sea Dogs did not play in the semifinal game in 2011.

Otters expecting a different Sea Dogs team in Friday's semifinal

WINDSOR, Ont. - The Erie Otters are expecting to see a much different Saint John Sea Dogs team on Friday.

The Sea Dogs suffered their worst loss of the 2016-17 season in Monday's round robin game against the Otters, falling 12-5. Erie head coach Kris Knoblauch isn't expecting to see a similar game in Friday's Memorial Cup semifinal.

"It's going to be a completely different team," Knoblauch said on Thursday of the Sea Dogs. "We're not going to be scoring 12 goals. I wouldn't be surprised that, if we're going to win this game, it's going to be a 2-1 game. I expect a completely different team."

Knoblauch spoke to the media a day after the Otters fell 4-2 to the Windsor Spitfires in the final game of the round robin. The loss placed Erie into Friday's semifinal while Windsor earned an automatic berth into Sunday's championship game.

While Erie dominated puck possession at times on Wednesday against Windsor, they were unable to dig themselves out of the hole they got into. The game was much different than Erie's first two of the tournament, which the Otters had a fairly easy time with.

"We're confident. We feel good," said Knoblauch. "We're disappointed in our effort from that last game but we knew when we came here we had to win four games to win the Memorial Cup and we're still in that position."

Sea Dogs to play Otters in semifinal

WINDSOR, Ont. - The Saint John Sea Dogs will have a rematch with the Erie Otters on Friday.

The OHL champion Otters defeated the Windsor Spitfires 4-2 in the final round robin game of the Memorial Cup on Wednesday at WFCU Centre. The result means the host Spitfires earn a berth in Sunday's championship game while the Otters will play the Sea Dogs in Friday' semifinal.

The Spitfires scored twice in the first period and added another early in the second. While the Otters applied steady offensive pressure several times throughout the game, the result never really felt in doubt for Windsor.

Jeremiah Addison scored a hat trick while Mikhail Sergachev added the other. Kyle Maksimovich and Taylor Raddysh scored Erie's goals. Windsor goaltender Michael DiPietro was excellent in net, making 33 saves in the victory. Erie's Troy Timpano made 15 stops in the loss.

The Windsor victory gives the Spitfires an impressive 11 straight Memorial Cup wins dating back to the team's championship run in 2009.

We're streaking!#OHL clubs continuing impressive runs at #MCMemorialCup.

GAME 6 PREVIEW: https://t.co/uckK1EfM2P pic.twitter.com/I7BJ8kY4VZ

— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) May 24, 2017

Most will not forget the previous meeting between the Sea Dogs and Otters, which took place on Monday. Erie had little trouble with Saint John, dominating much of the game in a 12-5 victory.

The winner of Friday's game will, obviously, play the Spits on Sunday.

Game time for Friday's do-or-die semifinal is 8 p.m. The game can be seen coast-to-coast on Sportsnet.

NOTEBOOK: Sea Dogs will find out semifinal opponent tonight

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WINDSOR, Ont. - The Saint John Sea Dogs will find out who their Memorial Cup semifinal opponent is tonight.

The Sea Dogs advanced to Friday's semifinal game with a big 7-0 victory over the WHL champion Seattle Thunderbirds last night at WFCU Centre. Saint John will play the loser of tonight's game between the Erie Otters and Windsor Spitfires. The winner of tonight's match will advance directly to Sunday's championship game.

Tonight's game will be a heavyweight tilt between the two teams that have been by far the best at this year's tournament. Both are 2-0 with Erie outscoring opponents 16-7 and Windsor outscoring teams 10-3.

Erie and Windsor met four times during the regular season. Here are the results:

Sept. 22: Erie 1, Windsor 4
Dec. 16: Windsor 3, Erie 4
Feb 12: Windsor 4, Erie 5 (SO)
March 9: Erie 4, Windsor 2

Although the game will played in the Spitfires' building, the Otters will be the home team tonight.

NOTEBOOK: Sea Dogs look for big rebound in do or die game tonight

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WINDSOR, Ont. - Saint John Sea Dogs head coach Danny Flynn tried to explain his team's 12-5 loss to the Erie Otters following the game last night.

"We knew how tough it would be," said Flynn. "Our passing and our decisions with the puck have been well below average. In a tournament like this you've got to make good reads and you've got to move the puck. We've turned pucks over we've mishandled pucks. They must have stolen 30 pucks from us tonight.

"It was a strange game. They got five on the power play. We got five (goals) throughout the game. Usually when you score five goals at a Memorial Cup you're in the game - we weren't in the game."

Flynn said the team will try and throw that game away and move on from it as quickly as possible. The team will have to move on quickly from it, playing a do or die game this evening against the Seattle Thunderbirds.

"We've got a sudden death game (Tuesday)," said Flynn. "We've got a great group of kids. They hate to lose. I think we were a little surprised at how good the teams are in this tournament. I think we've been on our heels a little bit, especially when they scored first shot today. We've got to regroup. Those two games are gone. We have to do what Windsor did in Rimouski when they went 0-2, win that third game and live to fight another die."

Game time tonight is 8 p.m. The winner will play in Friday's semifinal against the loser of tomorrow's Erie/Windsor game.

D'ORIO IN
When Alex D'Orio took over for Callum Booth in the Saint John net, it was his first game action since March 18. D'Orio did not play at all in the QMJHL playoffs.

It looked as though D'Orio was going to come in earlier than he did, but Booth quickly retook the net. Flynn explained the move after the game.

"I was trying to buy a little time," the coach said. "By putting the backup goalie in - young guy, good goalie - who hasn't played for quite a while, I was going to try to put him in, slow the game down. Then I elected just to call a time out and talk to them at length rather than put the goalie in and try and get a quick message. I knew the game was slipping as it was and I wasn't worried about the time out late in the game or anything like that. I wanted a longer time to talk to them so I put Callum back in."

Last night's game was the first time Booth had been pulled since allowing four goals on 21 first period shots on Feb. 22 against Bathurst. Saint John ended up losing that game 8-7 in overtime.

RECAP: Sea Dogs lose 12-5

FINAL: Erie 12, Saint John 5

WINDSOR, Ont. - The Saint John Sea Dogs were on the wrong side of history.

The Sea Dogs suffered one of the worst loses in Memorial Cup history on Monday at the WFCU Centre, losing 12-5 to the OHL champion Erie Otters. The loss drops the QMJHL champion Sea Dogs to 0-2 at this year's tournament while the Otters improved to 2-0.

New #MCMemorialCup record - Erie's 12th goal, another by Dylan Strome, sets a new mark. Breaking the record from '74 & '80.

— Loosepucks (@loosepucks) May 23, 2017

It's difficult to put the Sea Dogs' performance into words. The team has underperformed at this year's tournament and has not at all looked like the squad that cruised (for the most part) through the QMJHL post-season.

Like Friday's tournament opener, Saint John got off to a rough start. It looked like the team might rebound this time, quickly tying the game after an early Erie goal, but the Otters kept grabbing momentum and never let go. Even when it looked like the Dogs might have a chance to get back into it in the first frame, Erie kept pouncing.

If there is good news for the Sea Dogs it's that they are still very much alive in the tournament. A 12-5 loss or 2-1 overtime loss on Monday would have put them in the same position tomorrow. A win Tuesday against the Seattle Thunderbirds will book them a trip to the Friday's semifinal game. A loss, however, would mean an end to their season.

Dylan Strome had four goals for Erie while Darren Raddysh and Taylor Raddysh each had twice. Singles came from Kyle Maksimovich, Alex DeBrincat, Anthony Cirelli and Ivan Lodnia. Troy Timpano made 18 saves in the loss.

Cedric Pare scored twice for Saint John while singles came from Julien Gauthier, Spencer Smallman and Mathieu Joseph. Callum Booth was pulled after allowing five goals on 14 shots. Alex D'Orio allowed seven goals on 25 shots in the loss.

To the notes...

• Just 1:06 in, Taylor Raddysh scored on Erie's first shot of the game, making it 1-0 Otters.
• Saint John tied the game at 5:43 on their first shot. Matt Green fed Pare down low and the Sea Dogs' rookie beat Timpano upstairs to tie it at 1-1.
• Erie quickly retook the lead at 6:40. A Darren Radddysh point shot went off a Saint John stick and deflected past Booth's glove.
• Then at 8:33, a Maksimovich shot beat Booth glove side, making it 3-1 Otters.
• Erie made it 4-1 at 10:11 when Strome finished off a two-on-one, blasting a one-timer past an outstretched Booth. The goal was reviewed for offside but ruled a good goal.
• Joseph got Saint John back on the board at 13:32, firing a shot past Timpano thanks to a nice feed from Chabot.
• Just when it looked like Saint John would gain some momentum, Cirelli scored on a wraparound at 16:27, making it 5-2 Otters.
• That would end Booth's night, who allowed five goals on 14 shots. D'Orio took over and made three saves in the final few minutes of the period.
• Saint John got off to a good start in the second, creating a couple of quality chances. But Erie quickly got good chances of their own, forcing D'Orio to make some big pad saves.
• Erie went to a five-on-three power play at 6:40 when Saint John was called for too many men. At 6:48, Taylor Raddysh made it 6-2 Otters.
• Then at 8:26, Taylor Raddysh fed Strome who was streaking in, making it 7-2 Otters.
• With 10:05 remaining in the period, Joseph was awarded a penalty shot. On his attempt, Joseph made a nice move to his backhand but was denied by Timpano.
• Smallman made it a 7-3 game at 17:52, scoring with a wrist shot from the bottom of the circle.
• Chabot was called for holding at 18:00. On a power play at 18:47, DeBrincat scored to make it an 8-2 game.
• Then with eight seconds remaining in the period and Erie still on the power play, Darren Raddysh ripped a shot from the top of the circle that beat D'Orio upstairs, making it a 9-3 Erie lead after two periods.
• Strome scored his third of the game at 5:32 of the third, ripping a hard shot from the slot past D'Orio. That made it 11-3.
• Strome then scored his fourth at 13:20, making it 12-3.
• Saint John got a couple goals late. Pare scored at 14:29 and Gauthier at 15:22, making it a 12-5 final.
• Erie had more goals (five) than Saint John had shots (four) in the first period.
• As bad as Saint John was defensively in the opening period, the Dogs managed to score two goals on their first three shots on the game.
• Saint John allowed 11 first period goals in the entire QMJHL playoffs.
• The 17 total goals scored was a Memorial Cup record.
• There were six players from the Canadian world junior team in this game: Thomas Chabot, Julian Gauthier, Mathieu Joseph, Anthony Cirelli, Taylor Raddysh and Dylan Strome.
• There were 18 NHL drafted or signed players in this game.

Saint John Library catches Memorial Cup fever

WINDSOR, Ont. - The Saint John Free Public Library is showing its support for the Sea Dogs' Memorial Cup run in a unique way.

Taking a chapter (ha!) out of the Toronto library's Blue Jays playoff tweets, the Saint John Library has been tweeting pictures of appropriately titled books in an effort to support the Dogs - and chirp opposing cities.

Here's the library's tweet from Friday, when the Sea Dogs were set to face the Windsor Spitfires:

Hey, @windsorpublib, ready for the Memorial Cup?@erielibrary @SPLBuzz @KCLS - you're next!#GoSeaDogs #PortCityRise pic.twitter.com/nWEp0bFpE7

— Saint John Library (@SaintJohnFPL) May 19, 2017

And here's their tweet from today ahead of the Sea Dogs' 8 p.m. game against the Erie Otters:

Some @SJSeaDogs thoughts between games at the #MCMemorialCup.@ErieLibrary, what say you?#PortCityRise @windsorpublib @SPLBuzz pic.twitter.com/xc9ojaNsNH

— Saint John Library (@SaintJohnFPL) May 22, 2017

These tweets are fire, as the kids say.

Neither rival library has responded to the tweets.

Toronto area libraries have gone viral over the past couple years for its book spine tweets about Blue Jays playoff games.

Shout out to all the libraries out there.

Otters advance to Memorial Cup

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Anthony Cirelli has done it again.

The man who scored the overtime winner for the Oshawa Generals in the 2015 Memorial Cup final scored another championship-clinching goal on Friday, winning the Erie Otters the 2017 OHL title.

Cirelli scored on a power play at 2:41 of the first overtime frame, giving the Otters a 4-3 win and 4-1 series win over the Mississauga Steelheads in the OHL final.

WATCH THIS: @TBLightning prospect @acirelli22 is the OT hero!

His goal at 2:41 gives @ErieOtters their first #OHLPlayoffs title in 15 years pic.twitter.com/nfckbRRt4p

— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) May 13, 2017

The Otters join the Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL champions) and Windsor Spitfires (host) as teams who have clinched berths for the 2017 Memorial Cup tournament. The WHL championship between the Seattle Thunderbirds and Regina Pats was tied 2-2 at the time of this writing.

This is the tail end of an incredible run for the Erie franchise, who set a CHL record with a fourth straight 50-win season this year. The Otters finished first overall in the OHL regular season standings with a record of 50-15-2-1.

The Otters have had a challenging playoff run, needing seven games to defeat the powerhouse London Knights in the Western Conference semifinal and then six games to eliminate the dark house Owen Sound Attack in the conference final. The Steelheads put up a good fight in the league final, but as expected, the Otters were simply too powerful.

Erie has a stacked lineup, headlined by Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome, Warren Foegele, and the Raddyshs.

The Otters begin Memorial Cup play on Saturday, May 20 against the WHL champions. They will play the Sea Dogs on Monday, May 22.

Tuesday Notes: Will 2017 be 2011 all over again?

Could New Brunswick sports history repeat itself in 2017?

The UNB Varsity Reds won a national championship on home ice on Sunday. It was just the second time the Varsity Reds had won the University Cup at the Aitken Centre and the first since 2011.

As Saint John Sea Dogs fans will remember, 2011 was a special year down the highway as well, with the Dogs becoming the first team from Atlantic Canada to win the Memorial Cup.

Like 2011, the Sea Dogs will enter the playoffs as one of the top teams in the Canadian Hockey League and the No. 1 seed in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. And like 2011, the Memorial Cup will be played in southern Ontario.

Will the V-Reds and Sea Dogs both win national championships in 2017? It's a possibility.

Saint John's 2016-17 playoff run begins at Harbour Station on Friday night against the Rimouski Oceanic.

Some notes..

• This year's Memorial Cup hosts, the Windsor Spitfires, are in tough to make it out of the first round of the OHL playoffs. Playing in a ridiculously stacked Western Conference, the Spits are forced to play the London Knights in the opening round.
• The Erie Otters became the first team in CHL history to record four straight 50-win seasons. The Sea Dogs were one of the few teams to be tied for the previous record with three.
• Sea Dogs goaltender Callum Booth has been named the QMJHL's second star for the month of March. According to the league's release, "in five games where he was credited with the win in all of them, the Carolina Hurricanes prospect maintained a 1.20 goals against average and 0.946 save percentage, as well as obtaining one shutout."
• In The Hockey News' Future Watch, Thomas Chabot was named one of hockey's top prospects.

Monday Notes: We're in for a good finish

The Saint John Sea Dogs have been hot of late.

The team has won seven straight games and its offence has been on fire, averaging nearly six goals per game over their past five matches - and that includes 14 combined goals in their last two contests. Saint John now has a 33-12-3-1 record, giving them a league best winning percentage of .714.

Saint John has been excellent lately, no doubt. The only issue is that a lot of other teams have been very good of late as well.

The Sea Dogs currently sit first overall in the QMJHL standings with 70 points - but the second-place Shawinigan Cataractes and third-place Rouyn-Noranda Huskies also have 70. Saint John has one game in-hand on Shawinigan and two games on Rouyn-Noranda.

While the overall standings are tight at the top, so is the Maritimes Division. The Charlottetown Islanders are just one point back of the Sea Dogs - but have played two fewer games.

In short, the race for first-place is going to be a lot of fun. Stressful, perhaps, but enjoyable. There's a good chance every game remaining will have an impact on the standings.

Saint John will host Shawinigan in a huge game on Saturday night at Harbour Station. Meanwhile, the Sea Dogs and Islanders have three meetings remaining: Feb. 14 in Charlottetown, March 10 in Saint John and March 17 in Charlottetown.

Tuesday/Wednesday notes: OHL west is real good

I was cruising through Twitter on Tuesday night and came across this tweet:

Erie still hasn't lost at home in regulation - 21-0-1-1.

— Josh Brown (@BrownRecord) January 24, 2017

That's quite crazy.

The Erie Otters are, once again, a very good hockey team. They improved to 22-0-1-1 at Erie Insurance Arena (which is a very good building) with a dominant 5-0 win over the Kitchener Rangers on Tuesday. The Rangers had just four shots through the first two periods and ended the night with 13.

The Otters' home record looks a lot like the Saint John Sea Dogs' 2010-11 mark, when the team went a remarkable 32-0-1-1 at Harbour Station.

The Otters joined the Sea Dogs in a significant statistical mark last season, becoming the fifth Canadian Hockey League franchise to record three straight 50-win seasons. The Otters have a very good chance of making it four consecutive seasons, which would be a CHL first.

The biggest difference between the Otters and the other members of the 50-win threepeat club is that Erie hasn't won a championship. Here's a look at the members, via the OHL website:

Canadian Hockey League – Three consecutive 50-win seasons:
Erie Otters (2013-16)
Kelowna Rockets (2012-15) (1 WHL title)
Edmonton Oil Kings (2011-14) (2 WHL titles, 1 Memorial Cup)
Saint John Sea Dogs (2009-12) (2 QMJHL titles, 1 Memorial Cup)
Kamloops Blazers (1989-92) (2 WHL titles, 1 Memorial Cup)

Unfortunatly for the Otters, they play in the same league - and division - as the London Knights, who derailed the team last year and could do so again this season. The OHL's Western Conference is ridiculous with the Knights, Otters and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds all tied at the top. The Memorial Cup hosting Windsor Spitfires are two points back.

Whoever makes it out of the OHL and into the Memorial Cup should be well battled tested.