Battle For First On Wednesday

The Saint John Sea Dogs will have a chance to take over first place in the Maritimes Division on Wednesday night.

After falling 2-0 to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan today, the Moncton Wildcats failed to gain some key points and extend their division lead on the Sea Dogs. Saint John is now just one point back of Moncton – with three games in hand – entering Wednesday’s big showdown in Wildtown.

A month ago, most considered it a bit of a long shot for the Sea Dogs to win the division. Now, with 20 games left in their regular season schedule, Saint John has a better winning percentage than Moncton.

The provincial rivals have gone in completely opposite directions of late, with Saint John picking up points in 14 straight games and Moncton currently riding a five-game losing skid. Saint John has also been noticeably better defensively, allowing 33 fewer goals than Moncton this year.

Adding to the intrigue of Wednesday’s game is the fact that the Dogs are a woeful 1-4-1-0 against the ‘Cats this season.

Buckle up for Wednesday night, friends. It’s been way too long since we’ve seen the Sea Dogs play a big game like this.

DOGS DAILY: Williams Claims MHL Honour

Sea Dogs prospect Matthew Williams of the Summerside Western Capitals has been named the MHL’s rookie of the month for November.

According to the MHL website, “the 17 year old from Halifax, Nova Scotia went 4-1 on the month with a 3.38 GAA and .898 save percentage.

“Williams also represented the Caps and the MHL as one of the two netminders selected to the league’s entry at the 2015 Eastern Canada Cup All Star Challenge in Cornwall, Ontario. Overall, Williams sports a 13-4 record with a 2.90 GAA and .911 save percentage. His 13 victories ranks second among all rookie goaltenders in the CJHL.”

The Capitals sit atop the MHL standings with an 18-5-0-0 record. Their roster also features former Sea Dogs forward Mitchell Dempsey.

In other news…

• As frustrating as the Sea Dogs have been at times this season, its nothing in comparison to what Charlottetown Islanders fans have had to deal with. The Isles are in town to face the Dogs tonight at 7 p.m.
• In four games against Saint John this year, Conor Garland has five goals and five assists. The Dogs are in Moncton on Wednesday night.
• Blade Mann-Dixon is now 4-1-0-0 with the Wildcats and sports a 2.73 GAA and .911 SV%.
• It’s Dec. 5 and the Rivalry Cup has already been decided. Stop this madness.
• According to today’s Telegraph-Journal (paywall), Thomas Chabot’s lower body injury happened during practice this week. He is day-to-day.
• TSN’s Scott Cullen takes a look at Mike Hoffman’s numbers in his latest article. His production is up there with the best of ‘em.
• The QMJHL officially announced some new rules.

RECAP: Sea Dogs Lose 4-3

FINAL: Moncton 4, Saint John 3

SAINT JOHN – It’s still early, but it certainly feels like the Saint John Sea Dogs’ chances of winning the Maritimes Division are slipping away.

Following a tough-to-swallow 4-3 loss to the Moncton Wildcats on Friday night at Harbour Station, the Sea Dogs now find themselves nine points back of the rival ‘Cats for the division lead. Saint John has done themselves no favours this season, earning just a single point in five games against Moncton.

On Friday, Moncton’s power play made Saint John’s penalty kill – ranked second best in the league entering this game – look dreadful. The Wildcats went 4-for-9 on the man advantage with Conor Garland in on all four of them.

Garland, the league’s leading scoring, finished the night with two goals and two assists. Cameron Askew also scored twice in the victory while former Sea Dogs goaltender Blade Mann-Dixon made 29 saves.

Nathan Noel, Adam Marsh and Mathieu Joseph scored for Saint John. Marc-Antoine Turcotte made 21 saves in the loss.

The Sea Dogs, despite getting into penalty trouble, played fairly well in the first 40 minutes and led 3-1 entering the third. But Moncton was opportunistic in the third, cashing in on three power play chances they were awarded - and the Dogs weren’t able to respond. If the Sea Dogs can’t respond to the Wildcats in the remaining meetings between the two this season, Moncton may run away with the division.

RECAP: Sea Dogs Lose 2-1

FINAL: Moncton 2, Saint John 1

By Kevin Chambers | SN Staff

SAINT JOHN - The Sea Dogs closed out their opening weekend with a disappointing 2-1 loss to their provincial rival, the Moncton Wildcats, on Sunday afternoon at Harbour Station.

The Wildcats carried much of the play in the first period and eventually opened the scoring on a beautiful passing play capped off by Will Smith. Had it not been for outstanding goaltending by Marc-Antoine Turcotte, Moncton could have struck more than once.

The Sea Dogs struck early in the second period on short breakaway by Sam Povorozniouk who continued his hot start and tied the game at one a piece. Much of the second period was hemmed up in the neutral zone although Turcotte, again, made some excellent saves.

The third period was very similar to the middle frame with a lot of tight checking neutral zone play. Kevin Klima eventually got a generous bounce and buried the game winner with just 4:14 left on the clock on what appeared to be a shot that was redirected in off a Sea Dog player, giving Moncton a 2-1 victory.

NOTES

• Samuel Dove-McFalls left early this morning for NHL training camp with the Philadelphia Flyers.
• Matthew Highmore was the captain for the Sea Dogs.
• Ryan Kenny played his first game of the season filling in for Dove-McFalls.
• Joe Veleno started the game at center on a line with Sam Povorozniouk and Daniel Del Paggio for the second consecutive game.
• Povorozniouk is on pace for 102 goals in his first QMJHL season.
• Grant Sonier made an appearance at Harbour Station today.
• Attendance - 2,693
• Zachary Malatesta picked up the first embellishment penalty at Harbour Station.
• Povorozniouk is tied for first in goals scored with three in two games.
• Veleno has one goal but still leads the team in plus/minus with a +4 rating after two games.

The Rivalry Cup Is Back

The Saint John Sea Dogs and Moncton Wildcats announced yesterday that the once interesting turned boring turned barely talked about Brunswick News Rivalry Cup will return for another season.

The Sea Dogs and Wildcats have held the season long competition since 2009 but has seemingly gone downhill in popularity each season.

Like last year, there will be no attendance or fan competition points up for grabs. The winning club in games between the two teams will simply earn one point with the team with the most points at the end of the year winning the trophy. There will be nine meetings between the two, so there won’t be a tie.

The first meeting will be on Sept. 13 at Harbour Station – the second game of the year for the Sea Dogs. Here are when all nine meetings will take place:

Sunday, September 13th - Moncton at Saint John, 3 p.m.

Saturday, October 24th - Moncton at Saint John, 7 p.m.

Sunday, October 25th - Saint John at Moncton, 3 p.m.

Thursday, November 12th - Moncton at Saint John, 8 p.m.

Friday, December 4th - Moncton at Saint John, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, December 9th - Saint John at Moncton, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, February 3rd - Saint John at Moncton, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, March 9th - Saint John at Moncton, 7 p.m.

Saturday, March 12th - Moncton at Saint John, 7 p.m.

According to a Sea Dogs news release, the QMJHL is bringing back Rivalry Weekend, which will be held Oct. 24-25.

Moncton won seven of the nine meetings between the two last season. They have won the past three Rivalry Cups and five of the seven all-time.

You can follow the thrilling challenge here all season long.

#BadLuckBrian @monctonwildcats @SJSeaDogs #QMJHL #LHJMQ pic.twitter.com/MCANoAD44k

— QMJHL Memes (@QMJHL_Memes) September 3, 2015

Wildcats With The Rivalry Cup

Wildcats 13-14 Rivalry Cup Winners: Win 6 out of 9 Games! pic.twitter.com/2OFpNdXbu2
— Moncton Wildcats (@monctonwildcats) March 10, 2014

Here are the Moncton Wildcats - winners of the 2013-14 edition of the Brunswick News Rivalry Cup. It's the second straight year that the Wildcats have won the trophy and fourth overall. Saint John won it in 2011 and 2012.

No word yet on how big the parade will be but it will likely be as long as their Memorial Cup Championship parade. Yup, we went there.

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).

RECAP: Cats Win Cup. Dogs Lose 4-1.

FINAL: Moncton 4, Saint John 1

SAINT JOHN – The Moncton Wildcats are 2014 Brunswick News Rivalry Cup Champions.

The Wildcats clinched their season series against the Saint John Sea Dogs with a 4-1 win at Harbour Station on Friday night. Moncton leads the Rivalry Cup standings 5-3 but there is just one meeting remaining this season so Saint John can’t catch up. Go crazy, Moncton.

Special teams were the name of the game for the ‘Cats in this game. They scored three goals in the second period – one shorthanded and two on the power play – and then added an empty net maker in the third.

Christophe Lalonde had a pair of goals while singles came from Will Smith and Christopher Caissy. Ivan Barbashev added two assists. Alex Dubeau made 25 saves in the win.

Saint John’s lone goal came from Samuel Dove-McFalls with 1.7 seconds remaining in the first period. Sebastien Auger made 25 saves in the loss.

Rivalry Cup Format Announced

This year’s Brunswick News Rivalry Cup format is really, really basic. Like, really basic.

From the Sea Dogs:

The format is heading back to basics to the upcoming season; a single point will be awarded for a win of any type, with no points for a loss. The two teams will meet nine times this season, for a possible nine points up for grabs.

Thrilling stuff.

This will be the sixth time the season long event between the Saint John Sea Dogs and Moncton Wildcats takes place. Moncton won in 2009, 2010, and again last year while Saint John won in 2011 and 2012.

This is by far the most basic format to be used for the Rivalry Cup. Basically every year it has been stripped down further.

To keep track of this year's Rivalry Cup, visit this page that will be updated shortly.

The Sea Dogs and Wildcats meet for the first time this season tomorrow night at 7pm at the Moncton Coliseum. 

Sea Dogs Notebook

TOMORROW

The Brunswick News Rivalry Cup will be won tomorrow night as the Sea Dogs take on the Wildcats for the final time this season.

Saint John currently leads the standings 17-13, meaning Moncton must win in regulation time and have a crowd over 5,000 to win the trophy. According to the Times & Transcript, a tie would result in Saint John winning because the Dogs won the season series.

Despite being on opposite ends of the standings, Saint John is 5-2-0-0 against Moncton this season. Game time for the eighth and final meeting of the regular season is 7pm at the Moncton Coliseum.

CHIASSON

Former Sea Dogs forward Danny Chiasson finished the Maritime Junior Hockey League season tied for the league lead in points with 88. Chiasson, playing with the Summerside Western Capitals, had 34 goals and 54 points in 48 games. Chiasson’s 54 helpers were a league high.

Truro’s Kyle Morrison also had 88 points, recording 35 goals and 53 assists in 50 games.

Former Sea Dog and current Yarmouth Mariner Colin Campbell finished sixth in league scoring with 66 points in 52 games.

The Capitals, who feature Chiasson along with other former Sea Dogs Spencer MacDonald and Jason Seed, were the best team in the regular season, finishing with a record of 43-7-2-0 record.

PLAYOFFS

At the latest, the Sea Dogs will know their first-round playoff opponent by Sunday night. They will either play the Halifax Mooseheads, Baie-Comeau Drakkar, or the Rimouski Oceanic.

Saint John currently sits in 16^th overall, one-point back of the 15^th-place Sherbrooke Phoenix.

The Mooseheads confirmed today, no matter who they play, that the first two games of their playoff series will be played on Friday, March 22nd and Saturday, March 23^rd at the Metro Centre. Tickets go on sale Thursday. Info can be found here.

COYLE

In the Pioneer Press, Charlie Coyle talked about his amazing shift on Sunday against the Vancouver Canucks.

"I don't know how I stayed up," Coyle said. "I was surprised the puck was still there. I just looked and was like, 'OK.' "

Zach Parise and Wild head coach Mike Yeo also talk about the shift in the article.

Coyle has two goals and two assists in 13 games with Minnesota this season.

POSTSCRIPT: Wildcats 1, Sea Dogs 3

A collection of recaps from last night’s 3-1 Saint John Sea Dogs win over the Moncton Wildcats…

Our recap. After a cancelled game in Moncton yesterday, Saint John hosted the Wildcats on New Year's Eve at Harbour Station.

The Telegraph-Journal’s recap (paywall). A line of former Fredericton midget players took care of the scoring and Sebastien Auger provided outstanding goaltending as the Saint John Sea Dogs defeated the Moncton Wildcats 3-1 in front of 5,330 fans on New Year’s Eve at Harbour Station.

The Times & Transcript’s recap (paywall). The Moncton Wildcats finished 2012 in total frustration.

News 88.9’s recap. Featuring Tim Roszell’s goal calls.

The Canadian Press’ recap. Noah Zilbert scored a hat trick and Sebastien Auger made 48 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs beat the Moncton Wildcats 3-1 in Monday's lone Quebec Major Junior Hockey Game.

SaintJohnSeaDogs.com’s recap. The Saint John Sea Dogs and Moncton Wildcats met on New Year’s Eve at Harbour Station in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action Monday night. The Sea Dogs came out on top with a 3-1 decision in front of 5,330 fans.

Moncton-Wildcats.com’s recap. Try as they might, but the Moncton Wildcats could not solve Seadog  goaltender Sebastien Auger, the result a 3-1 loss in Saint John  on New Year’s Eve.

SCRATCHES: The Sea Dogs were without Jonathan Huberdeau (World Juniors – Team Canada), Matthew Highmore (World Under-17 Hockey Challenge – Team Atlantic), Olivier LeBlanc (World Under-17 – Team Quebec), Jurij Repe (broken hand), David Weckworth (lower body), and Andreas Tsogkas (healthy).

POSTSCRIPT: Sea Dogs 5, Wildcats 1

A collection of recaps from yesterday’s 5-1 Saint John Sea Dogs win over the Moncton Wildcats…

Our recap. The Saint John Sea Dogs traveled to the Moncton Coliseum on Sunday afternoon to do battle with the Moncton Wildcats in front of 4,738 ‘Cats and Dogs fans.

The Telegraph-Journal’s recap (paywall). Saint John, 4-1-0-0, is on a four-game winning streak that has moved it into first place in the Maritime Division.

The Times & Transcript’s recap (paywall). Moncton, 2-3-0-0, is in fifth place and has shown great consistency in alternating between good and bad games.

News 88.9’s recap. Featuring Tim Roszell’s recap.

SaintJohnSeaDogs.com’s recap. Oliver Cooper had a goal and an assist and Devon Oliver-Dares added two assists while Jason Cameron, Jonathan Huberdeau, Stephen Anderson and Ryan Tesink added singles.

Moncton-Wildcats.com’s recap. All the scoring was in the 3rd period, which opened with Ryan Penny scoring, his third of the year, just 18 seconds into the period.  But it was all Saint John after that, scoring 5 unanswered, including an empty netter with 14 seconds remaining.

Live Blog replay.

MISSING IN ACTION: Forwards Mackenzie Brown (knee), Spencer Smallman (shoulder), Matthew Highmore (shoulder), and Stephen MacAulay (AHL Camp) along with defensemen Pierre Durepos (hip), David Weckworth (knees), and Kevin Gagne (AHL Camp) did not play for Saint John.

RECAP: Keep On Trucking. Dogs Win 5-1.

By Tim Lumsden

SN Staff

FINAL: Saint John 5, Moncton 1

The Saint John Sea Dogs traveled to the Moncton Coliseum on Sunday afternoon to do battle with the Moncton Wildcats in front of 4,738 ‘Cats and Dogs fans.

It seemed the Wildcats were taking mood lighting to the next level as the rink continued to fill with fog after the players took to the ice. It continued well into the second period as the heating system continued to run in the Coliseum.

                                                                                                       

The goaltenders for the evening were Sebastien Auger for Saint John and Alex Dubeau for Moncton.

FIRST PERIOD

At 3:47, Ryan Tesink and Jonathan Racine got into a scuffle while Jonathan Huberdeau decided he needed a dance partner. Sure enough, an unsettled dispute from Wednesday’s game would have him select Moncton’s Patrick Downe. Ryan Tesink received two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct, two for roughing and two for playing after losing his helmet. Huberdeau and Downe each received two for unsportsmanlike conduct. Danick Edmond would also receive two minutes for interference.

At 7:56, the Sea Dogs went on the power play as Dmitri Jaskin was sent to the box for slashing Sebastien Auger.

With less than four-and-a-half minutes left of the first, Moncton returned to the penalty box as Ross Johnston was called for high sticking.

Four minutes were handed out to Ryan Tesink at 19:32; two minutes for slashing as well as two for interference. This would leave the Dogs a man short at the start of the second period.

James Melindy’s unfortunate call, at the whistle, would shorten that disadvantage as he was given two minutes for slashing. He’d have to wait until the start of the second to serve it however as the first twenty minutes of hockey came to an end and the teams left the ice.

Saint John was outshot 13-8 in the first period.

LIVE: Sea Dogs vs Wildcats

MONCTON – The Sea Dogs are in Wildtown this afternoon to take on the Wildcats. Game time is 4pm. Follow along right here for updates.

Tweets by @station_nation

GAMEDAY 5 - at Moncton

GAMEDAY

Saint John Sea Dogs vs Moncton Wildcats

Today at 4pm

Radio: News 88.9 | Webcast: Telus | TV: None | Live Blog: SN

Moncton Coliseum – Moncton, NB

PREVIEW

MONCTON –The Saint John Sea Dogs are on a roll.

After dropping their first game of the season, the Sea Dos have now won three straight games. All of those wins were decided by two goals or less. Saint John will look to continue their winning streak this afternoon in Moncton against the Wildcats. Game time is 4pm at the Moncton Coliseum.

The Sea Dogs and Wildcats just met this past Wednesday. The Sea Dogs pulled off an upset, defeating the Wildcats 4-2. Jonathan Huberdeau had two goals in that game.

Saint John, 3-1-0-0 overall and 1-0-0-0 on the road this season, are led by Huberdaeu and Ryan Tesink who each have seven points. Huberdeau has four goals and three assists while Tesink has three goals and four helpers.

Goaltender Sebastien Auger has been very good so far this season. He’s started each game this year and has a 1.98 goals against average and a 0.932 save percentage.

The Wildcats got off to a shaky start but are coming off a 7-4 win over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on Friday. They are now 2-2-0-0 on the year but have been outscored 18-16.

Moncton is led by Alex Saulnier who has three goals and four assists in four games. His brother, Allain, has six points while Dmitri Jaskin and Ivan Barbashev each have five. Barbashev is still looking for his first QMJHL goal.

Goaltender Alex Dubeau is 2-2 with a 4.18 GAA to go with a 0.853 save percentage in four games.

Today's game is also Game 2 of the Brunswick News Rivalry Cup. So that's exciting.

POSTSCRIPT: Wildcats 2, Sea Dogs 4

A collection of recaps from last night’s 4-2 Saint John Sea Dogs win over the Moncton Wildcats…

Our recap. 3,094 fans attended the anticipated game. Saint John versus Moncton games have always been popular with fans as each year sees the rivalry grow a little bit more. This year should prove no different.

The Telegraph-Journal’s recap (paywall). Stephen MacAulay scored the decisive goal on the power play at 7:19 of the third period as the Saint John Sea Dogs defeated the Moncton Wildcats 4-2 in front of 3,094 fans Wednesday night at Harbour Station in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

The Times & Transcript’s recap (paywall). Widely regarded as a championship contender, they dropped to 1-2-0-0 following another embarrassing performance in a 4-2 loss to the Saint John Sea Dogs in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action last night in front of 3,094 fans at Harbour Station.

News 88.9’s recap. Featuring Tim Roszell’s goal calls.

SaintJohnSeaDogs.com’s recap. Jonathan Huberdeau had two goals while Stephen MacAulay and Ryan Tesink each had a goal and an assist.

Live Blog replay.

MISSING IN ACTION: Forwards Noah Zilbert (healthy), Mackenzie Brown (knee), Spencer Smallman (shoulder), and Matthew Highmore (shoulder) along with defensemen Pierre Durepos (hip) and David Weckworth (knees) did not play for Saint John.

“First game of many tonight in the stands #nofun,” tweeted Brown before the game. Brown is expected to miss several weeks with a knee injury.

RECAP: Winning Wednesday. Dogs Win 4-2.

By Tim Lumsden

SN Staff

FINAL: Moncton 2, Saint John 4

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs took on the Moncton Wildcats in the first game of the annual Rivalry Cup on Wednesday night.

3,094 fans attended the anticipated game. Saint John versus Moncton games have always been popular with fans as each year sees the rivalry grow a little bit more. This year should prove no different.

FIRST PERIOD

Sebastien Auger took his position between the pipes while Alex Dubeau prepared to defend Moncton’s net.

Moncton and Saint John both leapt into action. It was Moncton however at 4:43 who took the first penalty of the night as Yannick Veilleux was called for tripping. This set Saint John up for a nice play as they raced the net, Jonathan Racine slid in behind the occupied Dubeau to block the shot.

Wildcat Ross Johnston sent the Dogs back to the power play, also with a tripping call at 8:08 as he sent Jakub Izacky to the ice.

This was the opening Saint John was looking for as Jonathan Huberdeau broke through Moncton’s defenses, scoring the first goal of the game, assisted by Kevin Gagne and Stephen MacAulay at 9:29 on the power play.

The Sea Dogs soon found themselves on the penalty kill as Jurij Repe was sent to the box at the 10:00 mark for Interference.

Moncton’s Danick Emond was next to the box at 14:12 with a tripping call sending the Sea Dogs back to the ice with the upper hand advantage.

Jonathan Huberdeau once again delivered on the power play to bring the score 2-0 as Kevin Gagne and Ryan Tesink each grabbed an assist.

Things began to heat up as the frustration began to show in the Moncton players as hits became a little harder and things got a little rough. Both teams headed to the box at 15:15 as Jonathan Racine and Devon Oliver-Dares were called for roughing. Penalties continued a minute later at 16:15 as Wildcat Ivan Barbashev took a diving call and Sea Dog Jurij Repe was sent off for hooking.

The first period would finish with a shots on goal total of 14-9 in favour of the Sea Dogs.

LIVE: Wildcats vs Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN – The Moncton Wildcats are in town tonight to take on the Sea Dogs at 7pm at the Station. It’s the first game of the beloved Rivalry Cup. If you can’t make it to the game, follow along right here, won’t you?

Tweets by @station_nation

2012-13 Rivalry Cup Format Announced

The format for the 2012-13 Brunswick News Rivalry Cup was announced this afternoon by the Saint John Sea Dogs and Moncton Wildcats.

The Sea Dogs and Wildcats will take part in the on- and off-ice competition for a fifth straight season. Since the 2008-09 campaign, the two teams have each won the trophy twice. Saint John has won the challenge the past two years.

The full scoring details are as follows:

(1) On-ice record: one (1) point for an overtime or shootout loss, two (2) points for an overtime or shootout win, and three (3) points for a regulation win.

(2) Attendance: based on game-by-game attendance numbers, one (1) point for 4,000 or more fans, two (2) points for 5,000 or more fans, and three (3) points for 6,000 or more fans. 

(3) Movember: Teams will be posting pictures of each player’s moustache progress throughout the month. The team that generates the most total likes will win five (5) points.

“The Sea Dogs are proud to have taken home the Rivalry Cup the last two years, but in this it’s the fans and Movember who are the real winners,” Sea Dogs president Wayne Long said in a release. “Movember is such a great cause and lots of people of fun with it. We thought it would be a great way to get the players and fans more involved with the team and the competition. It’s going to be great to see our young team and our fans support this great cause.”

This year’s format is fairly straight forward and should be easier for fans to follow. In past seasons, everything from food drives to mascot races were featured but was often difficult to follow and keep track of as the season went on. We’ll do our best to keep score of the challenge as the season goes on on the Rivalry Cup section of the blog.

Saint John and Moncton will battle eight times this season. The first meeting is tonight at 7pm at Harbour Station.

GAMEDAY 3 - vs Wildcats

GAMEDAY

Moncton Wildcats vs Saint John Sea Dogs

Tonight at 7pm

Radio: News 88.9 | Webcast: Telus | TV: None | Live Blog: SN

Harbour Station – Saint John, NB

PREVIEW

SAINT JOHN – The “transitioning” Saint John Sea Dogs host the revamped Moncton Wildcats tonight at 7pm at Harbour Station. It’s the first time the two rivals have met this season.

The Sea Dogs and Wildcats have different looks this season compared to last. The teams moved in different directions as Saint John got younger and began rebuilding while Moncton acquired experience and is expected to contend for a league title this year.

There will be plenty of familiar faces in the new look Wildcats lineup though. Alex Dubeau, Yannick Veilleux, and Jonathan Racine all played with the Shawinigan Cataractes last year. Those additions should help the Wildcats and the Moncton-Saint John rivalry.

Moncton hasn’t gotten off to a roaring start. They are 1-1-0-0 following a 6-2 loss to the PEI Rocket in Charlottetown on Friday and a 5-4 shootout win over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in Sydney on Sunday.

Not surprisingly, the Saulnier twins and new import forward Dmitri Jaskin have been the biggest offensive contributors so far. Alex Saulnier has three points while Allain and Jaskin have two.

The Sea Dogs are also off to a 1-1-0-0 start. They lost 3-1 to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Thursday at Harbour Station and then defeated the Titan 3-2 in overtime on Friday at the KC Irving Regional Centre.

Saint John’s offense has revolved around its returning veteran players so far. Jonathan Huberdeau and Ryan Tesink each have three points while Kevin Gagne and Stephen MacAulay have two.

Hopefully tonight’s match is a good one. These teams meet again on Sunday in Moncton.