Game Day 26: vs Olympiques

SAINT JOHN - The Gatineau Olympiques make their lone trip of the season to TD Station tonight.

The Olympiques sit last overall in the QMJHL standings with a 4-17-3-1 record. They've won just one game away from home this season and begin a three-in-three road trip tonight.

The Sea Dogs are coming off a weird weekend. They had one of their ugliest performances of the year last Friday against the Charlottetown Islanders but followed that up with a solid rebound win over those same Isles. We'll see what Sea Dogs team shows up tonight.

Game time for Throwback Night is 7 p.m.

Throwin' it back against the Olympiques tonight. $9 tickets, plus taxes and fees.

⏰ 7:00 p.m.
🏒 @OlympiquesGAT
📍 TD Station
🎟️ https://t.co/rrmPZhzyao#GoDogsGo pic.twitter.com/TciRlLlHd9

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) November 29, 2024

TV/Radio/Stream: None/Sea Dogs Radio/CHL TV

2024-25 regular season records: The Sea Dogs are 12-13-0-0 for 24 points (third Maritimes/sixth Eastern/11th QMJHL) while the Olympiques are 4-17-3-1 for 12 points (fourth West/eighth Western/18th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 2-0 win over the Charlottetown Islanders last Saturday at TD Station. Olivier Duhamel scored both Saint John goals while Charles-Edward Gravel made 29 saves in the win. The Olympiques are coming off a 5-3 home loss to the Val-d'Or Foreurs last Friday. Justin Boisselle, Jeremie Minville and Jacob Kaine all scored for Gatineau. Kain Hodgins and Zach Pelletier split the loss in net.

Notebook: Sea Dogs release new video series

The Saint John Sea Dogs have released a new behind-the-scenes video series.

The Sea Dogs released the debut episode of "Closer To The Game presented by TD" on Monday. The episode goes behind the scenes of Saint John's regular season opener in September.

Last year, the Sea Dogs released a four-part series called "Rising Tide."

MORIN MENTION

Sea Dogs forward Zachary Morin is starting to get more NHL Draft attention.

Morin was ranked 29th in Craig Button's latest 2025 NHL Draft rankings over at TSN. Button has an intriguing list with Brampton Steelheads forward Porter Martone ranked first ahead of American James Hagens.

Morin has been averaging nearly a point-per-game since leaving the USHL's Youngstown Phantoms for the Sea Dogs. In 18 QMJHL games, the 17-year-old has four goals and 12 assists.

THROWBACK NIGHT

The Sea Dogs will be holding a Throwback Night on Friday when they host the Gatineau Olympiques. The team will be sporting the same jersey design as the one they wore for their first four seasons in the city.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 2-0

FINAL: Charlottetown 0, Saint John 2

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - Olivier Duhamel scored both goals in the Saint John Sea Dogs' 2-0 victory over the Charlottetown Islanders on Saturday at TD Station.

It was a solid rebound performance from the Sea Dogs after an ugly 6-2 loss to the Islanders the night before. Charles-Edward Gravel was pulled in the second period of that game after allowing a third goal. He stopped all 29 shots he faced on Saturday to earn his third shutout of the year.

It was a low event hockey game with shots just 29-22 in favour of the Islanders. Neither team was able to generate many great scoring chances.

Duhamel opened the scoring at 12:02 of the second period, speeding past the Charlottetown defense, cutting through the top of the crease and beating Nicolas Ruccia in close.

The Sea Dogs defenseman scored his second of the game with 44 seconds remaining, firing a puck from the neutral zone into an empty Islanders net.

Ruccia made 19 saves in the loss. 

The win puts the Sea Dogs back within a game of the .500 mark with a 12-13-0-0 record.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 6-2

FINAL: Charlottetown 6, Saint John 2

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs got roughed up in their return home on Friday.

The Charlottetown Islanders scored the game's first four goals in a 6-2 win over the Sea Dogs at TD Station. Saint John struggled to get much of anything going, once again struggling to create quality scoring chances and faltering on special teams. The Sea Dogs went 1/7 on the power play while allowing the Islanders to go 2/3.

Dylan Rozzi and Eriks Mateiko scored for Saint John. Charles-Edward Gravel was pulled early in the second period after allowing three goals on 10 shots. Justin Robinson allowed three goals on 21 shots in relief.

Ross Campbell scored a pair of goals for Charlottetown while Egor Goriunov, Mathis Valente, William Shields and Jude Herron added singles. Goriunov and Matthew Butler each had three assists. Donald Hickey made 26 saves in the win.

The Islanders entered the game 16th overall in the QMJHL and were last in goals per game. This was Charlottetown's first win over Saint John this season after dropping the previous two meetings.

In the opening frame and just as a Saint John power play came to an end, Zachary Morin ripped a bouncing puck that went off Hickey's glove. Rozzi bunted the rebounded through the crease where William Yared was able to get the puck across the line, giving the Sea Dogs a 1-0 lead at 9:54 - or so they thought. After a review, the play was deemed offside and 14 seconds were added back on the clock.

Less than a minute after Saint John thought they had scored, Campbell muscled his way through Saint John's defense and beat Gravel to make it 1-0 Charlottetown at 10:57. Then on a power play at 12:03, Goriunov was at the top of the crease and scored an easy tap-in goal to quickly give Charlottetown a 2-0 advantage.

Saint John went 0/3 on the power play in the opening frame and were outshot 9-6.

Just 1:42 into the second, Valente beat Gravel clean with a low shot the went past his outstretched pad, giving the Islanders a commanding 3-0 lead. That would end Gravel's night as Robinson replaced him.

At 5:25 – and not long after another unsuccessful Saint John man advantage – a Goriunov shot was blockered away by Robinson but Shields was in perfect position to give Charlottetown a 4-0 advantage. 

Saint John went to a full two-minute five-on-three at 16:57. On the ensuing man advantage, a cross crease feed from Egan Beveridge found Rozzi who scored to make it 4-1 at 18:16.

Charlottetown scored early into a period again in the third when Herron beat Robinson from a sharp angle at 3:40. But Saint John quickly got that goal back when Mateiko netted his 14th of the season at 3:54, making it 5-2.

The Islanders took a 6-2 lead at 10:09 when Campbell scored on the power play, finishing off a nice passing play.

Labbé traded to Phoenix

Jeremy Fraser

SAINT JOHN - It didn't take long for the Saint John Sea Dogs to find Kyan Labbé a home.

It was reported this past week that Labbé, a fourth-round pick of Saint John in the 2023 QMJHL Entry Draft who has been playing in the BCHL, had requested a trade. On Friday the team announced that the goaltender has been traded to his hometown Sherbrooke Phoenix in exchange for a third-round pick in 2026.

“With two very solid goaltenders in Charles-Edward Gravel and Justin Robinson currently on our roster, Kyan and his family requested to be moved to another organization in an attempt to play in the league immediately,” said Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Travis Crickard in a news release. “With our team lacking early round picks for the next two drafts we felt it was necessary to add this pick.”

Labbé's father, Jean-Francois Labbé, played part of the 1992-93 QMJHL season with the Sherbrooke Faucons.

Labbé is committed to the NCAA's Union College for the 2026-27 season. The 17-year-old has been playing with the BCHL's Nanaimo Clippers this season where he's posted a 2-1 record to go along with a 4.33 goals against average and a .889 save percentage.

Last season, Labbé helped the Magog Cantonniers win the Telus Cup. He was named the tournament's best goaltender after being named the Quebec under-18 league's playoff MVP and top defensive player.

Labbé is the latest in a growing list of players who have left the BCHL for the CHL following the NCAA rule change.

The Sea Dogs and Phoenix have already met twice this season. The only chance of the two meeting again is in the playoffs, which is unlikely.

Game Day 24 & 25: vs Islanders

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs return home this weekend to host the Charlottetown Islanders Friday and Saturday night.

The Sea Dogs haven't played at TD Station since Nov. 3. The team has slipped below the .500 mark with an 11-12-0-0 record but are 5-5-0-0 on home ice this season.

Saint John will play a Charlottetown team that has really been feeling the effects of their rebuild so far this season. The Islanders sit 16th overall in the QMJHL standings, meaning they would grab the final playoff spot if the post-season began today.

Game time for both contests at TD Station is 7 p.m. It's Pink in the Rink Weekend where the Sea Dogs will sport pink jerseys that will be auctioned off.

TV/Radio/Stream: None/Sea Dogs Radio/CHL TV

2024-25 regular season records: The Sea Dogs are 11-12-0-0 for 22 points (third Maritimes/sixth Eastern/11th QMJHL) while the Islanders are 7-13-1-1 for 16 points (sixth Maritimes/10th Eastern/16th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 2-1 loss in Bathurst on Saturday. Tyler Peddle scored Saint John's only goal. Charles-Edward Gravel made 35 saves in the loss. The Islanders are coming off a 3-2 win over the Shawinigan Cataractes on Wednesday morning on home ice. Zackary Plamondon, Mathis Valente and Nathan Leek all scored for Charlottetown. Donald Hickey made 27 stops in the win.