RECAP: Dogs Win 5-4 (SO)

FINAL: Charlottetown 4, Saint John 5 (SO)

SAINT JOHN – Nathan Noel scored the only goal of the shootout in a 5-4 Saint John Sea Dogs victory over the Charlottetown Islanders on Wednesday night at Harbour Station.

Mark Tremaine, Adam Marsh, Mathieu Joseph, and Olivier LeBlanc had regulation time goals for Saint John. Tremaine added two assists. Sebastien Auger got the start once again in the Dogs crease and made 30 stops in the win.

Charlottetown had a pair of goals from Alexandre Goulet while singles came from Kameron Kielly and Luc Deschenes. Mason McDonald made 30 saves in the loss.

Saint John opened the scoring at 5:27 of the first. Justice Dundas grabbed the puck behind the Islanders and quickly fed it out in front to Tremaine who scored to make it 1-0.

The Isles went to the power play at 5:44 and had a plethora of chances but could not connect. They held puck possession for much of the play after the penalty expired.

Saint John went to the man advantage at 13:02 and created a few chances of their own. Mitchell Dempsey was in front but was stopped by the pads of McDonald. Then, Luke Green walked in from the blue line and was left alone but was stopped by the Charlottetown netminder.

With 2:49 left, the Isles scored at the same time the net came off its pipes. It was called no goal, and after a brief review, officially declared no goal.

Shots in the first were 10-8 in favour of the Islanders.

RECAP: Dogs Win 6-5 (OT)

FINAL: Saint John 6, Halifax 5 (OT)

HALIFAX – What a night for Adam Marsh.

The first year forward scored two goals and added two assists in the Saint John Sea Dogs’ 6-5 comeback win over the Halifax Mooseheads on Saturday night at Scotiabank Centre.

Mitchell Dempsey also scored a pair while singles came from Thomas Chabot and Julien Tessier. Spencer Smallman and Nathan Noel added two assists each. Sebastien Auger made 20 saves in the win.

Connor Moynihan and Timo Meier scored two goals each for the Moose while Ryan Falkenham added a solo marker. Kevin Resop made 28 saves in the loss.

Halifax led 3-0 after the first period as the Sea Dogs got into some more penalty trouble. Falkenham, Moynihan, and Meier scored for the Moose. Shots were 12-8 in favour of the homeside.

The second period was a different story. Tessier scored just 25 seconds in as he tipped an Olivier LeBlanc shot past Resop. At 2:50, Dempsey scored on a breakaway to make it a 3-2 contest. Later on, during a power play, it appeared as though Jurij Siska had tied the game but the goal was called off due to a player being in the crease.

At 16:22, Marsh scored on a perfect wrist shot to tie things up. But, the Moose quickly responded with a goal from Meier less than two minutes later. Despite being outshot 13-4 in the frame, Halifax led 4-3 after two.

Dempsey’s second of the game 23 seconds into the third tied the match at 4-4. But once again, Halifax retook the lead a few minutes later as Moynihan completed a nice passing play. Saint John tied things up again at 13:58 as Marsh netted his second. Shots in the third were 10-9 Dogs.

In overtime, Chabot scored 1:04 in to give the Dogs a 6-5 victory.

News & Notes From Sunday's Game

Some news and notes from yesterday’s Sea Dogs game…

• Drew Gross scored his first QMJHL goal on Sunday, netting a shorthanded marker in the third period.
• Nathan Noel recorded his first goal of the season in the third period on a shorthanded breakaway. Noel also scored in Saint John’s first game in Moncton last season.
• Moncton allowed two shorthanded goals yesterday. They also allowed two on Friday against Cape Breton.
• Saint John’s shorthanded goals came during a high sticking double minor to Matt Green.
• Saint John’s penalty kill had another busy day, killing off seven of Moncton’s eight power plays. The Dogs have allowed one power play goal this season while scoring two shorthanded goals.
• Wildcats really dominated the second period, outshooting Saint John 14-4.
• Alexander Kealey and Lane Cormier were tossed in the third period for a staged fight.
• Saint John earned just one point this weekend, the fewest in the division. Cape Breton was the only Maritimes Division team to win both of their games.
• Legit light show before the game at the Coliseum.

QUICK CAP: Dogs Win 7-2

QUICK CAP: Cape Breton 2, Saint John 7

By Lorne Webster & Jamie Tozer

Sea Dogs recap | Screaming Eagles recap | QMJHL box score

SAINT JOHN - The Sea Dogs opened the 2014 QMJHL exhibition season with an impressive 7-2 victory over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. It was a fast paced, often hard-hitting match between a fine collection of mostly rookies and free agents for both clubs. Nathan Noel and Juraj Siska led the way with two goals each. Julien Tessier, Stefano Pezzetta and Sam Dove-McFalls also chipped in with goals for the young Dogs. Jacob Smith and Lee Dower replied with late power play goals for the Eagles

TURNING POINT/BIG MOMENT

Goals by Pezzetta and Siska less than three minutes apart late in the first period set the tone for this contest.

Mitch Dempsey and Sam Dove-McFalls also showed that the Sea Dogs will be much tougher this season with clear cut wins in fights during the second period.

PLAYERS OF THE GAME

1. Nathan Noel - two goals and great skating


2. Juraj Siska - two goals and solid overall play


3. Mathieu Joseph - two assists and excellent penalty kill

Unsung Hero(s):
 Blade Mann-Dixon and Bobby Dugan combined for 39 saves.

TWEET OF THE GAME

@monctonwildcats Moncton hasn't won a playoff series the past four seasons, the worst stretch in the franchise's 19-year history.
— Neil Hodge (@ttneilhodge) August 15, 2014

Very sad.

News & Notes From Saturday's Game

With a 6-2 loss in Charlottetown last night, the Sea Dogs finish the season with a 19-44-2-3 record which places them last in the Telus Maritimes Division and 17^th overall. The team also ended the season on a seven-game losing streak.

As for Charlottetown, with their win and a Shawinigan loss they finished 15^th overall and will take on the Halifax Mooseheads in the first-round of the President Cup playoffs.

Some stuff from last night’s game…

• Charlottetown scored on their first shot of the game at 4:12. A David Henley slap shot from just inside the blue line opened the scoring.
• Josh Shatford and Zach Beaton each scored their first career goals in the first period. Beaton added another in the third while Shatford had a couple other good scoring chances.
• Despite the fact the Dogs were down 3-1 after one, they outshot the Islanders 18-8. They had a few power plays to help out their shot total. 10 of those shots were considered dangerous.
• The Isles dominated the shot clock in the second period, outshooting Saint John 22-7. They basically dominated the first eight minutes of play in the frame.
• Keeping with the theme of firsts, Luc Deschenes scored his first goal as a member of the Islanders in the second period. The Fredericton native, who was passed over several times by the Dogs in the 2013 QMJHL Entry Draft, finished his rookie season with three goals and five assists in 47 games.
• Spencer Smallman had both Saint John goals and had a team high seven shots. Smallman finishes the season with 12 goals and 23 assists in 66 games. He had six points in his rookie campaign.
• Nathan Noel had two assists to finish the season with 39 points, good for 12^th in QMJHL rookie scoring. Charlottetown’s Daniel Sprong, who had a goal last night, led all 16-year olds in scoring with 68 points.
• Antoine Landry got the start in net and made 31 saves in the loss.
• Saint John had nine power play opportunities but could only score on one of them. They had some good pressure applied in the offensive zone on most of them but couldn't generate a lot of quality chances.
• Sell-out crowd of 3,718 watched the game at Eastlink Centre. Their attendance increased 634 fans per game with the new ownership group.
• 20-year olds Jason Cameron and Lukas Walter played their final game as a Sea Dog. David Weckworth did not play because of an upper body injury. It was also very likely the last game for import Jurij Repe. Pretty good chance a few others played their last game as well.
• The Sea Dogs were without forwards Joey Richard (shoulder), Stephen Anderson (upper body), and Kelly Bent (suspension) along with defensemen David Weckworth (upper body), Jeremy Doucet (upper body), and Michael Abbott (wrist).
• Defenseman Bailey Webster was recalled to play in this game. It was his seventh game with the club this season. He had a shot and two hits in this game.

News & Notes From Friday's Game

Last night’s 7-2 loss in Halifax means Saint John has officially been eliminated from playoff contention. Shawinigan grabbed the final spot and even leapfrogged Charlottetown with a win last night.

It’s the first time the Sea Dogs have missed the playoffs since the 2006-07 season. How long ago was that? Claude Giroux was one of the league’s top scorers, the St. John’s Fog Devils finished just ahead of the Sea Dogs in the East Division, and the Lewiston Maineiacs were the top team in the league.

The Sea Dogs and Sherbrooke Phoenix are the only two teams in the league to miss this year’s post-season and the two will take part in a coin flip to determine who has the first overall pick in the QMJHL Entry Draft. Saint John will also pick fifth overall in the CHL Import Draft.

Some other stuff from last night’s game…

• Halifax really came to play last night. They took a 3-0 lead before the game was seven minutes old and led 5-0 after one period, outshooting Saint John 17-5. Matthew Highmore had Saint John’s best scoring chance of the period and Zach Fucale made a fairly easy stop on it.
• The Moose kept rolling in the second period, scoring two more times and getting 19 shots on net. They took their foot off the gas a bit in the third and allowed the Dogs to get two goals but the result of the game was never in doubt.
• Saint John’s power play was once again ineffective, going 1-for-7 on the night. Their only goal on the man advantage came late in the third. The Sea Dogs had 23 shots overall in this game with 12 being considered dangerous. Their offense wasn't great but better than the last time they played the Moose.
• Thanks to two goals and an assist last night, Jonathan Drouin now has 101 points on the year with one game to play. Philippe Gadoury also had two goals and an assist.
• The Sea Dogs managed to keep Nikolaj Ehlers to just one goal. So that’s something.
• Marcus Cuomo and Mathieu Joseph each had two assists.
• Zach Fucale was taken out of the Moose net after two periods and replaced by Kevin Darveau. Sebastien Auger played the entire game for Saint John. It’s got to be rare that the team leading 7-0 changes goalies and the team losing does not.
• With the game being a blowout so early, there were plenty of fights throughout as you would expect. There was quite a scene at the end of the game following a late Jason Cameron shot on goal as the horn sounded. Everyone on the ice got involved, including Sebastien Auger who had to be separated from Kevin Darveau by an official.
• Halifax wore their green third jerseys so the Sea Dogs were in white.
• The Sea Dogs were without forwards Joey Richard (shoulder) and Stephen Anderson (upper body) along with Michael Abbott (wrist), Jeremy Doucet (upper body), and David Weckworth (upper body). News 88.9 reported Nathan Noel was a late scratch with the flu. He is listed on the QMJHL’s game sheet.

News & Notes From Wednesday's Game

SYDNEY, NS – Saint John’s 2-1 loss to the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles last night is devastating to the team’s playoff hopes.

With Shawinigan also winning, the Sea Dogs must now win both of their remaining games and hope the Cataractes lose their remaining two games in regulation time in order to make the playoffs. The Sea Dogs are four points back of the final playoff spot currently held by the Cats and Saint John would win the tiebreaker.

The chances of the Sea Dogs making the playoffs appear slim because of the fact that they are playing the Mooseheads in front of a sold-out Metro Centre on Friday night. Halifax is in a battle for first overall, have won 11 straight, and dominated much of their last meeting against Saint John.

Last night’s action also eliminated Sherbrooke from playoff contention and clinched spots for Bathurst and Charlottetown.

Some other stuff from last night’s game…

• With a suspension, injuries, and players returned to the MHL, the Sea Dogs were only able to dress five defensemen last night. Things got even worse when David Weckworth did not play in the final two periods due to, presumably, injury. Jason Cameron once again saw some time on defense.
• Saint John’s defense did, however, get a much needed boost with the return of Olivier LeBlanc. The second-year Dog played in his first game since February 9^th and recorded three shots and seven hits.
• Oliver Cooper opened the game’s scoring with a goal at the 6:00 mark of the first. Cooper now has 28 goals on the season including six in his past six games.
• Saint John’s offense once again struggled to get things going consistently. They had just 15 shots in the first two periods combined and 23 overall. They also went 0-for-5 on the power play.
• The Dogs did have some solid pressure applied in the offensive zone in the final minute of the game but were unable to net the equalizer.
• Sebastien Auger was quite good in this game, making 43 save in the loss. Definitely gave the Dogs a shot at winning and they may have if Saint John’s offense could have gotten going some more.
• Kyle Farrell’s shorthanded goal at 9:39 of the second proved to be the game-winner. The Dogs have given up nine shorthanded goals this season.
• The Sea Dogs have now lost five straight.
• This was the Screaming Eagles’ final home game of the regular season. They finish the year with a 23-11-0-0 record at Centre 200.
• Cape Breton wore their green Irish themed jerseys last night so the Sea Dogs had to wear their white jerseys. Not sure how many times the Dogs have faced the Eagles while in green but it seems like quite a few times now.
• The Sea Dogs were without forwards Joey Richard (shoulder), Stephen Anderson (upper body), and Marcus Cuomo (suspension) along with defensemen Michael Abbott (wrist), Jeremy Doucet (upper body), and Jurij Repe (suspension).
• The Screaming Eagles were also shorthanded and missing some key contributors with Jason Bell (upper body), Clark Bishop (suspended), Justin Hache (upper body) and Cameron Darcy (eye infection) all sitting out. Cape Breton also dressed just five defensemen and started their backup goaltender.

News & Notes From Sunday's Game

The Saint John Sea Dogs are running out of time in the QMJHL’s playoff race.

Following yesterday’s loss to Bathurst, Saint John is two points back of the Shawinigan Cataractes for the league’s final playoff spot with just three games left to play. To make things even more challenging, Shawinigan plays the league’s worst team – the Sherbrooke Phoenix - on Wednesday night.

Bathurst’s win yesterday basically got them a playoff spot and Charlottetown will very likely join them. That leaves one spot remaining for the Cataractes and Sea Dogs to fight over during the final week of the regular season.

Some other stuff from yesterday’s game…

• Saint John stunned the Bathurst crowd by scoring four goals in the first 12 minutes of the game. Oliver Cooper got the scoring started just 46 seconds in. Cooper scored again at 5:14 on a power play, Matthew Highmore connected at 10:22, and then Samuel Dove-McFalls scored a weird one at 11:59.
• Despite having a 4-0 lead, the Sea Dogs were outshot in the first 10-8 by the Titan due to a few power plays.
• Olivier Cooper finishes the season with seven goals in nine games against the Titan. Matthew Highmore had eight assists in the season series.
• It took all season, but 20-year old Lukas Walter finally recorded his first QMJHL point – an assist – on Dove-McFalls’ goal.
• Bathurst’s epic comeback started at 4:29 of the second with a Nicholas Blanchard goal. That kicked off a stretch of three straight Titan goals in just over a minute. They tied it up with a power play goal at 16:59 and then took the lead 17:47.
• Yahoo’s Neate Sager on the comeback: “There's almost no explanation for what the Titan, who have scored a QMJHL-low 140 goals, did on Sunday. They even scored three goals in 62 seconds at one stretch.”
• This was one of those rare games where all four goalies see action. Bathurst’s Jacob Brennan was pulled after allowing three goals six shots in the first. Just like last Sunday’s game in Bathurst, Antoine Landry got the start in goal for Saint John. Landry didn't do as well as he did a week ago and was pulled after allowing five goals on 26 shots in the first 40 minutes.
• With David Weckworth sitting out with an upper body injury, the team had to call up David Mosher from the MHL’s Truro Bearcats. Mosher played in five games with the Sea Dogs in 2012-13 but had not played with the team this season. He had one shot and one hit in the game.
• With Weckworth out, the Sea Dogs’ defense was inexperienced to say the least. Jurij Repe was the most experienced player on the backend and he got thrown out for being an “aggressor” in a first period fight.
• This was Bathurst’s final home game of the regular season. They finish the year with a respectable 14-16-2-2 record at the KC Irving Regional Centre.
• Saint John’s power play was ineffective once again when they needed a goal the most. They finished the game 1-for-5 on the man advantage. Bathurst, who had the league’s worst PP entering action yesterday, went 3-for-7.
• The Sea Dogs were excellent on faceoffs, winning 48 of 66. Matthew Highmore won 17 of 20 and Nicolas Hebert 13 of 15.
• Former Sea Dog Scott Oke had two goals and a Titan high nine shots.
• The Sea Dogs were without forwards Joey Richard (shoulder), Stephen Anderson (upper body), and Kelly Bent (upper body) along with defensemen Michael Abbott (wrist), Jeremy Doucet (upper body), Olivier LeBlanc (upper body), and David Weckworth (upper body).

News & Notes From Saturday's Game

Mooster club making a good time stuck on the highway heading to Saint John to cheer on the Moise pic.twitter.com/5AT2E0I92e
— Coleen Anne Andrews (@coleen24) March 8, 2014

The Halifax Mooster Club made the trip to Harbour Station yesterday. Their bus broke down about a half hour outside the city but they were able to make it on time. Good stuff.

Some other stuff from last night’s game…

• With Saint John losing and Shawinigan losing in a shootout, the Cataractes are now two points up on the Sea Dogs for the final playoff spot. The Dogs have four games remaining while the Cats have three.
• The team’s trio of overage players – Lukas Walter, David Weckworth, and Jason Cameron – were honoured before the game. A video tribute of pictures was played. The three were also named the game’s three stars.
• Halifax dominated at times in the first period, outshooting Saint John 8-0 in the first half of the frame and 13-4 overall. Saint John didn’t get their first shot until there was 9:17 left. Sebastien Auger and the Dogs were able to keep it scoreless though, which was good.
• Despite getting plenty of power play time in the second, Saint John just couldn’t get anything going offensively and that really cost them the game. They were outshot 15-4 by the Moose in the second.
• Saint John’s offense couldn’t get much of anything going this entire game. They had just four shots in each period for a game total of 12. Only four of those 12 shots were considered dangerous. The Dogs went 0-for-8 on the power play.
• The 12 shots ties Saint John with Bathurst (January 29^th) for the fewest shots in one game this season.
• This wraps up the home portion of Saint John’s regular season schedule. They finish the year with a 10-21-1-2 record at Harbour Station and were outscored 119-86.
• 5,824 were at the game for Fan Appreciation Day. It was the largest crowd of the season at Harbour Station.
• Defenseman Shane MacDonald made his QMJHL debut in this game, replacing Sheehan Kirkwood who was reassigned back to the MHL’s Valley Wildcats. MacDonald, wearing No. 2, had one hit and a fight against Samuel Leblanc in the second period.
• Philippe Gadoury was unreal in this game. He had two goals but could have easily had a few more.
• Nikolaj Ehlers’ goal scoring streak ended at eight games. But with an assist, he did extend his point streak to 10 games.
• Jonathan Drouin did not play for the Mooseheads. He was reportedly sick.
• The Moose are getting hot at the right time. They have won 10 straight games and are four points back of first-place Baie-Comeau with three to play. Halifax hosts Saint John next Friday.
• The Sea Dogs were without forwards Joey Richard (shoulder), Stephen Anderson (upper body), and Marcus Cuomo (healthy) along with defensemen Michael Abbott (wrist), Olivier LeBlanc (upper body), and Jeremy Doucet (upper body).

News & Notes From Wednesday's Game

Some stuff from last night’s game…

• The good news for Saint John is that Shawinigan and Sherbrooke both lost last night as well. The Sea Dogs remain one-point back of the Cataractes who hold the final playoff spot with five games to go.
• Entertaining game with a wild third period. Moncton jumped out to a 4-2 lead and then Saint John came back. But Garrett Johnston would score the winner with 1:35 to play to give the ‘Cats a 5-4 win.
• With Sebastien Auger pulled, the Sea Dogs had a couple of great chances to tie the game in the final minute but couldn’t beat Alex Dubeau.
• This was the final meeting of the regular season between the two rivals. The Sea Dogs went 3-6-0-0 against the Wildcats this season.
• Matthew Highmore was named second star with two goals and an assist.
• Jurij Repe had an eventful game. Along with posting a career high three assists, Stephen Seegar’s cross crease pass went off his stick and past Auger to give Moncton a 4-2 lead at the time.
• Saint John’s third goal came just after the Sea Dogs declined a fighting invitation.
• Highmore’s game tying goal came during a delayed penalty call. Saint John did a tremendous job at maintaining puck possession for roughly a minute and applied plenty of pressure in the offensive zone.
• Even though the Dogs couldn’t pull out a win, it’s great to see the team climb back from a two-goal third period deficit and not just mail it in.
• 4,475 at the game. Great atmosphere during the third period.
• The Sea Dogs were without forwards Joey Richard (shoulder), Stephen Anderson (upper body), and Lukas Walter (suspension) along with defensemen Michael Abbott (wrist), Jeremy Doucet (upper body), and Olivier LeBlanc (upper body).
• Ivan Barbashev did not play for Moncton due to injury.

News & Notes From Sunday's Game

Some stuff from yesterday’s game…

• With Saint John losing and Shawinigan winning the Cataractes now sit 16^th overall with 44 points, one point ahead of the Sea Dogs. Both teams have six games remaining this season.
• The Sea Dogs only dressed five defenseman due to injuries. Three of those who were dressed were rookies.
• This was the third game of a three-in-three for both teams. Weird and rare.
• The first period of this game was a mess. The teams combined for two fights, 18 penalties, and 46 minutes in penalties. Nobody was happy. The nastiness would cool down as the game went on though.
• Spencer Smallman’s second period fight against Anthony Gingras was just the second fight of his QMJHL career. Smallman had to go to the dressing room following the fight after getting cut.
• Jason Cameron continues his unprecedented point production pace. With a goal yesterday, Cameron has five goals and four assists in the past month. This for a guy with 35 points in his QMJHL career.
• As expected, Antoine Landry got the start in net after Sebastien Auger started on Friday and Saturday. Landry made some good saves in this one, especially during a Titan power play in the first period. The rookie netminder made 27 saves in the loss.
• The Sea Dogs were without forwards Joey Richard (shoulder), Stephen Anderson (upper body), and Lukas Walter (suspension) along with defenseman Michael Abbott (wrist), Olivier LeBlanc (upper body), Jeremy Doucet (upper body), and Sheehan Kirkwood (upper body).
• According to the Sea Dogs’ Twitter feed, Walter was “suspended for two games by the QMJHL. One automatic for 'aggressor' penalty last night; other is accumulation of game misconducts.”
• Saint John is now 5-3-0-0 against the Titan this season. They meet again next Sunday in Bathurst.

RECAP: Bizarro World. Dogs Win 9-3.

FINAL: Cape Breton 3, Saint John 9

SAINT JOHN – Well, that was something.

In an offensive display not seen at Harbour Station in some time, the Saint John Sea Dogs exploded for nine goals in a big 9-3 victory over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on Saturday night in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

After a fairly tame first period, the Sea Dogs produced four in the second and another four in the third. It was certainly good to see following a tough 4-3 overtime loss to the Eagles on Friday night and heading into tomorrow’s big game in Bathurst.

The Sea Dogs now sit 16th overall in the QMJHL standings and are one-point back of the Titan and two back of the Charlottetown Islanders. Saint John has a game in-hand on both of them.

Marcus Cuomo, Noah Zilbert, and Oliver Cooper all had two goals in Saint John’s season high goal output. David Weckworth, Jurij Repe, and Spencer Smallman added singles. Nathan Noel and Nicolas Hebert each had three assists.

Meanwhile, Sebastien Auger made 37 saves in the win. The victory gives him 51 career wins, the most of any Sea Dogs goaltender.

Charles-Eric Legare, Maxim Lazarev, and Julien Pelletier scored for the Eagles. Alex Bureau made 18 saves in the loss.

News & Notes From Friday's Game

Some stuff from last night’s game…

• The Sea Dogs picked up a valuable point last night, giving them 41 on the season. Shawinigan picked up a shootout win over Quebec last night and now sit 16^th with 42 points. Charlottetown is 14^th with 44 and Bathurst 15^th with 42. Saint John has a game in-hand on all of them.
• Cape Breton was outshooting Saint John 27-14 heading into the third period.
• It was all Cape Breton in the first half of the second period. Following their goal just 14 seconds into the period, it looked like they were on the power play at times.
• Kelly Bent and Jeremy Beaudry each received roughing penalties at 10:27 of the second. The two were having a heated conversation on the way to the boxes and after they got into them. Nothing happened when they stepped out other than some taps by Bent to Beaudry’s legs.
• Clark Bishop left the game for a short time in the third after going down in some pain. He did return.
• Julien Pelletier’s goal at 2:30 of the third made it 3-0 Eagles and it looked like they would coast to a win. But the Sea Dogs produced an impressive comeback, scoring three goals in in less than five minutes to tie it up.
• Jason Cameron’s goal got the comeback started and he also assisted on Matthew Highmore’s game tying goal. It was an appropriate ending to one of the best months of his career. He had four goals and three assists in February, impressive for someone with 33 career points.
• The Sea Dogs took a couple of untimely penalties, one with 14 seconds left in the third and another at 3:37 of OT. They were able to kill off the first one but not the second.
• Jeremy Beaudry’ overtime goal was beautiful. Goaltender Alex Bureau picked up an assist on the coast-to-coast marker.
• Sebastien Auger was Sebastien Auger.
• Clark Bishop had two shorthanded breakaways in the game and was stopped on both.
• Irving gave out those folding clapper things at the door. Someone turned their clapper into a paper airplane and threw it in the third. The thing had some speed, too.
• The Sea Dogs were without forwards Joey Richard (shoulder), Stephen Anderson (upper body), and Lukas Walter (healthy) along with defensemen Michael Abbott (wrist), Olivier LeBlanc (upper body), and Sheehan Kirkwood (healthy).

News & Notes From Sunday's Game

Some stuff from yesterday’s game…

• This was a huge win for the Sea Dogs who are now back in 16^th-place in the QMJHL standings. They are two points back of 14^th-place Bathurst and one-point back of 15^th-place Charlottetown.
• Saint John ended a five-game losing streak.
• Bradley Kennedy and Alexander McQuaid had a fight in the first period. It was so far away from the play it took some time for the camera operators to pick up that there was a fight going on.
• Nathan Noel scored his 15^th and 16^th goals of the season to give Saint John a 2-0 lead after one period of play. This was the first multi-goal game of his career.
• Jason Cameron had an assist, giving him three goals and two assists in his past eight games.
• Daniel Sprong had a goal and a bunch of other chances in the third period. He had a Charlottetown high nine shots.
• Antoine Landry got the start in net and picked up his first win since his injury. He made several nice saves in this one, including one off a Sprong breakaway in the third period. Landry made 37 saves in the win, including 19 in the third period.
• Saint John got outshot 38-17 in the game and 20-2 in the third period. The QMJHL website says the Sea Dogs had just five dangerous shots.
• Defenseman Sheehan Kirkwood made his QMJHL debut on Sunday. He had two hits, was a -1, and picked up an unsportsmanlike penalty in the second period.
• Entering this game, the Sea Dogs hadn’t scored more than a goal in each of their past three games.
• These two meet again in Charlottetown on March 15^th – the final day of the regular season. It would be quite awesome if the final playoff spot came down to the winner of this game.
• The Sea Dogs were without forwards Joey Richard (shoulder), Stephen Anderson (upper body), and Marcus Cuomo (healthy) along with defensemen Michael Abbott (wrist), Olivier LeBlanc (upper body), and Jeremy Doucet (healthy).

Saturday Notebook

How great are the Olympics, though? Here are some Sea Dogs news and notes from the past couple days…

• If you hadn’t heard, the Sea Dogs lost 3-1 to the Shawinigan Cataractes on Thursday night at Harbour Station. The first two periods were pretty rough for the Dogs as they found themselves down 3-0 and outshot 32-15.
• Saint John is now 17^th overall in the QMJHL standings and are two points back of Shawinigan who own the final playoff spot. The Sea Dogs now have a game in-hand though with the Cataractes losing last night in Halifax.
• The Sea Dogs still have not beaten the Cataractes since the 2012 Memorial Cup round-robin game between the two.
• Saint John is now 0-11-0-1 against Telus East Division teams this season.
• At Thursday’s game there was a pre-game tribute video for Mike McGraw. Pictured are stickers that were placed on the Sea Dogs’ helmets.
• Jurij Repe made his return to the Saint John lineup on Thursday, playing in his first game since February 8^th. He assisted in Oliver Cooper’s goal.
• The Sea Dogs have a weird schedule over the next couple weeks. They did not play last night or tonight but will return to action on Sunday in Charlottetown. Next weekend they play a three-in-three.
• According to the Cape Breton Post, Screaming Eagles “forward Maxim Lazarev was handed a one-game suspension by the league for an open-ice hit on Saint John Sea Dogs forward Kelly Bent on Sunday. Bent wasn’t injured on the play.”
• The Sea Dogs have announced details on their annual awards banquet. It will be held Tuesday, March 18^th at the Delta Brunswick Ballroom.
• In AUS playoff action, Pierre Durepos and UdeM eliminated Michael Kirkpatrick and StFX last night with a 6-1 win. Durepos and Kirkpatrick each had a goal.
• In the other first-round series, Saint Mary’s and UPEI will play a deciding Game 3 tomorrow night. Stephen MacAulay had two goals for the Huskies in the 4-1 victory.

News & Notes From Sunday's Game

Some stuff from last night’s game…

• From a Sea Dogs standpoint, this wasn’t a pretty game. First time they’ve been blown out like this in a couple weeks.
• Despite losing their fourth straight and being just 3-7 in their last 10 games, Saint John remains in 16th overall. Fortunately for the Dogs, all the other teams who are fighting for a playoff spot are struggling right now as well.
• Antoine Landry made his first start in net since January 15th which was the game he got hurt in. The Sea Dogs backup goaltender had his struggles yesterday and may have been a bit rusty, allowing seven goals on 28 shots.
• Jason Cameron is having one of the best stretches of his career. With a goal yesterday, the 20-year old forward has three goals in his past six games. Yesterday’s goal was also his fifth of the season which is a career high.
• Just after Cameron’s goal at 9:13 of the second, the main lights that aluminate the ice went out and caused a roughly 15-minutes delay. The arena still had power and stuff but the main lights were not operating. The Cape Breton Post tweeted that there was a “surge.”
• Sea Dogs must be closing in on the single season league record for power/light outages in games.
• Saint John struggled after the light outage, allowing three Cape Breton goals in the period.
• On a power play early in the third, Ross Yates sent out Nicolas Hebert, Marcus Cuomo, and Mackenzie Brown to start it.
• The Sea Dogs’ offense didn’t have a great night despite outshooting the Screaming Eagles 30-28. It was just the seventh time that Saint John outshot an opponent this season. They are 2-5 in those games.
• Bunch of roughing and unsportsmanlike penalties, misconducts, etc. late in the third in this one. Even Screaming Eagles backup goaltender Zachary Fortin was getting involved from the bench.
• Cape Breton clinched a playoff spot with the win. Good for them.
• The Sea Dogs were without Stephen Anderson (upper body), Joey Richard (shoulder), and Lukas Walter (healthy) along with defensemen Michael Abbott (hand), Jurij Repe (lower body), and Olivier LeBlanc (upper body).

News & Notes From Friday's Game

Thanks to the @saintjohnpolice we had a unique puck-drop presentation today! Thanks to their service for 165 years! pic.twitter.com/gFP62JgANf
— Kyle Ferguson (@kjferg87) February 15, 2014

Some stuff from last night’s game…

• The Sea Dogs dressed four rookie defenseman again on Saturday with Olivier LeBlanc and Jurij Repe still nursing injuries.
• Samuel Dove-McFalls scored Saint John’s only goal with just 1.7 seconds remaining in the first period.
• Thomas Chabot picked up an assist on his goal, extending his point streak to eight games. Not bad for a rookie defenseman.
• Will Smith’s shorthanded goal at 4:24 of the second tied things up. The goal came after a Sebastien Auger mistake behind his net and was unable to recover in time. The goal seemed to deflate the Sea Dogs.
• Moncton did not score an even strength goal in this game. They scored two on the power play, one shorthanded, and another with the Saint John net empty.
• The Sea Dogs got into penalty trouble in the second period, taking four straight penalties in less than six minutes. Moncton went 2-for-7 on the power play.
• Auger and Ivan Barbashev got into it a bit in the third period.
• Christophe Lalonde had two goals in this game, giving him seven in eight games against Saint John this year.
• Saint John is struggling a bit right now, having lost three straight and are just 3-7 in their last 10 games. They still 16^th overall in the standings.
• Moncton’s win clinched them the 2014 Brunswick News Rivalry Cup title. The Wildcats lead the season long challenge 5-3 with one meeting remaining. It’s the second straight year they have won the title and fourth overall.
• The Sea Dogs were without forwards Stephen Anderson (upper body), Joey Richard (shoulder), Mackenzie Brown (healthy) along with defensemen Michael Abbott (hand), Jurij Repe (lower body), and Olivier LeBlanc (upper body).

News & Notes From Wednesday's Game

Some stuff from last night’s game…

• Due to injuries to Olivier LeBlanc and Jurij Repe, the Sea Dogs had to dress four rookie defensemen – Will Thompson, Thomas Chabot, Alexander McQuaid, and the recalled Bailey Webster.
• Noah Zilbert could have had a few more points in the first period thanks to two brief two-on-ones and a decent scoring chance that went wide. He scored Saint John’s first goal at 15:15 of the first on a power play thanks to a nice feed from the point by Will Thompson.
• Thomas Chabot’s assist on Zilbert’s goal extended his point streak to seven games. Impressive.
• Zilbert scored two goals in this game with both being assisted by Chabot and Thompson.
• Robert Steeves made a huge diving stop with his paddle on Jason Cameron in the second period. He also made a huge stop off of Matthew Highmore in the third period.
• Alexander McQuaid took three separate minor penalties in the second period, including one just seven seconds after stepping out of the box.
• It was pretty much all Gatineau for much of the first 40 minutes. Shots were 31-10 in the two periods combined. But Saint John didn’t pack it in and kept the game close. They turned it on in the third, outshooting Gatineau 12-6.
• Sebastien Auger’s stick got stuck in the boards behind the net in the first period.
• The Sea Dogs were able to keep Emile Poirier and Martin Reway both off the score sheet.
• The Sea Dogs were without forwards Stephen Anderson (upper body), Joey Richard (shoulder), and Kelly Bent (automatic one-game suspension) along with defensemen Michael Abbott (hand), Olivier LeBlanc (upper body), and Jurij Repe (lower body).
• Antoine Landry returned to the Sea Dogs lineup after missing several weeks with a lower body injury. He was Auger’s backup in this game.

News & Notes From Sunday's Game

Some stuff from last night’s game…

• It took less than five minutes for the Armada to build a 3-0 lead in the first. Goals at 2:26, 6:03, and 7:17 gave them a quick lead.
• Thomas Chabot’s first QMJHL goal was a memorable one. Chabot dumped the puck in off the glass from the neutral zone and Etienne Marcoux went behind his net to play it. But the puck hit a partition on the dump in and went into the open net.
• The goal extended Chabot’s point streak to six games.
• Some real questionable calls in this game. The Armada had three straight power plays to kick off the second period but couldn’t get much going on any of them.
• Samuel Hodhod and Nikita Jevpalovs each had two goals.
• Hodhod’s second goal was a beauty. He came down the wing and got around Alexander McQuaid so he could cut through the crease. He then slid the puck past a sprawled out Sebastien Auger to finish it off.
• Oliver Cooper apparently scored his goal using Kelly Bent’s stick.
• Ryan Tesink finished the game with no points, four shots, two hits, and two penalty minutes. He and McQuaid were going at it a bit in the first period.
• Bent and Saint John native Matthew Bursey fought in the third period. Heading back his bench, Bursey gave quite a yell/scream near the Saint John bench.
• The Armada’s penalty kill is second worst in the league and struggled a bit yesterday as well. Saint John went 2-for-5 on the man advantage.
• Saint John struggled to create scoring chances again yesterday. They had just 18 shots in the game with only eight of those considered dangerous. Shots were 13-2 in favour of the Armada in the third.
• 5,102 was the attendance. It was the largest crowd of the season at Harbour Station.
• Saw a couple fans wearing Fog Devils jerseys at the game. Never forget.
• The win moved the Armada into first overall in the QMJHL, one-point ahead of the Drakkar. The Sea Dogs remain in 16^th.
• The Sea Dogs were without forwards Joey Richard (shoulder), Stephen Anderson (upper body), and Lukas Walter (healthy) along with defensemen Michael Abbott (hand) and Jurij Repe (lower body). Goaltender Antoine Landry also remains out with a lower body injury.
• With Walter and Repe both out, Saint John dressed two 20-year olds and no imports.

News & Notes From Saturday's Game

Some stuff from last night’s game…

• The Titan are struggling these days to say the least. Bathurst has now lost 12 straight games and six straight at home. They have been in 14^th overall in the standings for forever but Saint John, Shawinigan, and Sherbrooke are only a few points back now.
• Bathurst led this game 2-1 entering the third. But two goals in a span of 1:05 early in the third seemed to spark the Sea Dogs. They would add two more goals to win 5-3. Saint John has struggled offensively over the past couple games – particularly in third periods. But last night the team recorded 17 shots and four goals in the final frame.
• Nathan Noel had been fairly quiet over the past few games but that changed last night. The rookie had his third three-point game of the season with a goal and two assists. He was named first star.
• Oliver Cooper had two goals. His second was his 20^th of the season.
• Jeremy Doucet had two assists against his former team.
• Jason Cameron had a rare multi-point night, registering a goal and an assist. He has goals in back-to-back games.
• Christopher Smith, recalled by the Sea Dogs this week, made his QMJHL debut. He made 26 saves for his first QMJHL win.
• Smith became the third Sea Dogs goaltender this season to win their first start of the year. He joins Antoine Landry and Sebastien Auger. For Landry and Smith, they picked up their first QMJHL win in their first start.
• With his empty net goal, Nicolas Hebert now has more points in 18 games with Saint John this season than in 35 games with Rimouski.
• Former Sea Dog Scott Oke had two assists for the Titan.
• Saint John moved back into the final playoff spot with the win. They are just two points back of 14^th-place Bathurst and have three games in-hand.
• Good crowd at the game. Attendance was 2,121.
• Due to technical difficulties at News 88.9, the first period was not broadcast. The rest of the game was, though, which was good.
• The Sea Dogs were without forwards Joey Richard (shoulder), Stephen Anderson (upper body), and Mathieu Joseph (healthy) along with defensemen Michael Abbott (hand) and Thomas Chabot (healthy). Goaltender Antoine Landry also remains out with a lower body injury.