SEA DOGS NOTEBOOK

FELIX SCHUTZ UPDATE
Schutz is another German prospect in the Sabre organization. He has 13 points and a +2 in 27 games this season with the Pirates. Schutz missed some games this season with a concussion. He will need to step up to improve production over his rookie year. With more experience his game will improve, but he is not one of the Sabres blue chippers. He is in the running for a position on a German squad for the Olympics, however, there is no guarantee that the 22-year-old will crack the squad.

Schutz was not placed on the German olympic team but one of his Portland team mates was. To view the full Hockey’s Future article on Sabers prospect in the AHL and ECHL click HERE.

ALEX GRANT UPDATE
The same story seems to go on and on. Grant has many great tools, it is just a matter of putting them all together on a consistent basis. Like Haddad, Grant was assigned to the Wheeling Nailers before organization-wide injuries forced him to be called up to the AHL in mid-November. In his first game in the AHL, the 20-year-old Grant dropped the gloves with Dale Weise (NYR). Before being reassigned to the ECHL, the native of Nova Scotia posted one goal and a plus-3 rating in four games. Since returning to the Nailers, Grant has been on fire, posting three goals, seven assists in 10 games for a total of seven goals, nine assists in 22 games.

To view the full article on Penguins prospects in the AHL and ECHL on Hockey’s Future, click HERE.

OUTDOOR GAME?
The Moncton Times & Transcript has once again started the buzz for a New Years Eve outdoor game at Moncton’s new track and field stadium. Next season, the Wildcats play in Saint John on New Years Eve.

With the Dec. 31 match-up becoming an annual ritual, there is continued support in the community for the showcase being played outdoors at the brand-new Stade 2010 Moncton Stadium in the future.

Let's explore this possibility for a moment shall we? Imagine 10,000-plus people in attendance at the multi-purpose facility that should be large enough to accommodate a regulation-size ice surface plus a soundstage at one end.

How about if the game is the catalyst for a New Year's Eve celebration that would include a post-game concert featuring a couple of well-known bands? Like maybe one regional act and one national or international star attraction.

The night would then culminate with a wonderful fireworks display to welcome the New Year.

This could eventually evolve into a world-class event that would be unique to Moncton and I dare say become a destination for revellers. Your thoughts on this are encouraged.

To view the original article click HERE.

DIDOMENICO UPDATE
The Toronto Maple Leafs had a horribly written article on the status of Chris DiDomenico this week. To view the full article click HERE.

DiDomenico, recovering from a severe leg break he suffered in the QMJHL final in April, is returning to Drummondville this Sunday via airplane according to L’Express.

DIDO, TEAM CANADA NAMED TOP SQUAD OF ‘09
The 2009 Gold medal winning Canadian junior team was named the Canadian Press team of the year this past week. To view an article on the award click HERE.

The team featured former Sea Dog Chris DiDomenico, who played on a line with the hated Angelo Esposito and first overall pick in the NHL entry draft John Tavares.

GINGRAS LEAVES LEWISTON
Former Sea Dog Mathieu Gingras has reportedly left the Lewiston MAINEiacs according to L’Express. He quit the team in search of more ice team.

If his rights are not traded by the trade deadline on January 7, he will have to report back to Quebec “AAA,” according to the report.

In 28 games this season, he has two goals and nine assists. He was traded by Drummondville to Saint John in the Chris DiDomenico trade. He was sent to Lewiston this past August.

DESCHAMPS ALMOST A SEA DOG?
According to Nicolas Deschamps, he almost became a Sea Dog.

"There were a lot of trade rumours about me so I was expecting to go somewhere,” he told the Times & Transcript. “I heard rumours that I was going to Victoriaville. Then my agent called to say I would be going to Moncton or Saint John. Saint John made an offer for me also."

These words will make many Saint John fans drool over the possibilities he could have created by anchoring the team’s second line with Michael Kirkpatrick and Steven Anthony. Deschamps leads the Wildcats in scoring with 21 goals and 31 assists.

THE STREAK IS OVER - AGAIN
The Barrie Colts 22-game winning streak has come to an end. The streak ties the Sea Dogs for the fourth longest streak in Canadian Hockey League history.

That's more than two months worth of Ontario Hockey League wins -11 on the road, 11 at home, two through OT and via shootout.

"Our team's going to be talking about it 10 years from now," Barrie Colts forward Kyle Clifford said following Saturday's 6-4 loss to the Owen Sound Attack to the Barrie Examiner. "It's a great accomplishment for us."

The article incorrectly states that the Sea Dogs’ streak was carried over from last season.

DOUBLEHEADER GOES TODAY

The Saint John Sea Dogs and Saint John Vito's have teamed up today for a doubleheader at Harbour Station.

Game One of the double bill will begin at 1:00pm and will feature the Vito’s taking on the Moncton Flyers. The second match of the day will pit the Sea Dogs versus the Moncton Wildcats (puck drop: 7pm) in Game 5 of the 2009-10 Brunswick News Rivalry Cup Challenge.

“We’re very excited about holding this promotion in partnership with the Vito’s,” says Sea Dogs President Wayne Long in a release. “They’re a great organization that does a wonderful job of developing young hockey players. We’re proud to be able to stage a unique event such as this with a fellow Port City-based team, and we’re looking forward to what should be an exciting day of hockey at the Station.”

With the purchase of a general admission seat to the Vito’s – Flyers game ($5), fans will receive a complimentary voucher redeemable for a $6 upper bowl ticket to the Sea Dogs – Wildcats game (Section 7, 8, or 9 only).

In the 2009-10 Brunswick News Rivalry Cup standings, Moncton and Saint John are currently deadlocked at 8.5 points apiece after Thursday’s brimming-with-drama contest. The Sea Dogs’ shootout win added two points to their season-long total, with Fleaburn improving to 2-0 versus Wild Willie in mascot challenges and picking up an additional point for his team/city. Moncton, meanwhile, earned four Rivalry Cup points (one for an overtime loss, three for a sellout) on the final day of 2009.

"They came into our building and beat us," said Moncton general manager Bill Schurman to the Times & Transcript. "Now, we owe them one (tonight) in their building. We're fierce competitors, but these clubs also have a healthy respect for each other."

Members of Sea Dogs Nation are invited to bring non-perishable food items with them on Saturday as part of the Rivalry Cup Holiday Food Drive. The Wildcats held a similar drive on Thursday. Whichever team receives the most donations (determined by weight) will receive five (5) Rivalry Cup points.

PRE-GAME: Moncton Wildcats vs Saint John Sea Dogs

Game Day
Brunswick News Rivalry Cup Game Five
Moncton Wildcats vs Saint John Sea Dogs
Tonight, January 2, 2010 @ 7:00 pm
Harbour Station

Visiting Team: Moncton Wildcats
Record: 23-11-1-3(3rd in Atlantic Division)
Last Game: 4-3 shootout loss vs Saint John on Thursday
Leading Scorer: Nicolas Deschamps: 34-21-31-52
NHL Draft Picks: The Wildcats have six NHL drafted players on their roster - Randy Cameron (Detroit), Mark Barberio (Tampa Bay), David Savard (Columbus), Gabriel Bourque (Nashville), Nicola Riopel (Philadelphia) and Nicolas Deschamps (Anaheim).
Notes: The Wildcats were missing nine players, two defensemen and seven forwards, who would usually play top minutes on Thursday against Saint John. They were Dillon Donnelly, Brandon Gormley, Kirill Kabanov, Andrew Roski, Pierre-Marc Lessard, Ted Stephens, Scott Brannon, Matt Brown, and Gabriel Bourque. They all could miss today’s game as well… 8-1-0-1 in their last 10 games and are coming off a 4-3 shootout loss… have allowed the fewest amount of goals of any team in the QMJHL with 99… the Wildcats have proven to be dangerous on the penalty kill. They had several scoring chances on Thursday against the Sea Dogs and lead the league with 10 shorthanded goals in 38 games played. Six of them have been on the road… tied with six other teams for most shootout loses this season with three… 11-7-1-2 on the road this season and are 0-0-1-1 in Saint John in two appearances earlier this season… 5-4-0-1 in their last 10 road games and have won two straight… David Savard leads the Wildcats in assists against Saint John this season with six. That is also a team high for points… Marek Hrivik leads the Cats with three goals against Saint John this year in five games… the Wildcats acquired Gabriel Bourque from the Baie-Comeau Drakkar for a first round pick and Raphael Bussieres. Bourque will not be in the lineup because he is playing Team Canada at the World Juniors… Daniel Pettersson is team high +3 against the Dogs… against Saint John, Moncton’s power play is working at 36.4%.

Home Team: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 34-6-1-0(1st in Atlantic Division)
Last Game: 4-3 Shootout win at Moncton on Thursday
Leading Scorer: Nicholas Petersen: 33-25-25-50
NHL Draft Picks: The Sea Dogs have six NHL drafted players on their roster - Yann Sauve (Vancouver), Marco Cousineau (Anaheim), Simon Despres (Pittsburgh), Steven Anthony (Vancouver), Mike Hoffman (Ottawa), and Nicholas Petersen (Pittsburgh)
Notes: The Sea Dogs will be missing Jonathan Huberdeau from the lineup tonight. He is playing for team Quebec at the World Under-17 Hockey Championships in Timmons, Ont… captain Mike Thomas returns to the lineup tonight after missing three games because of a suspension he got on December 18 in Halifax… Nicholas Petersen leads the league with an impressive +40 rating… Michael Kirkpatrick leads the Sea Dogs in assists with 34… Yann Sauve, Stanislav Galiev, and Danick Gauthier all have a team leading two goals against Moncton this year… Petersen has a Sea Dog high three assists against the Cats… Sauve and Galiev are a team high +3 versus Moncton… entering Thursday’s game in Moncton, Gauthier had a 100% shooting percentage against Moncton. That has now slipped to 50%... Steven Anthony is a team worse -3 against the Cats… Marco Cousineau will make his Harbour Station debut tonight for the Dogs… sit first overall in the Atlantic division, the QMJHL, and second in the BMO CHL Top 10 Rankings… 3-1-0-0 in their four games against Moncton this season… have the second best home record in the league at 16-3-0-0… they are 9-1-0-0 in their last 10 home games and won their last game at Harbour Station 5-2 over the Rocket… are 8-2-0-0 in their last 10 games and have won four straight games… have scored the most goals of any team in the league with 181 goals for.

Saint John vs Moncton:
This Season (GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS):
4-3-1-0-0-6
Home: 2-2-0-0-0-4
Road: 2-1-1-0-0-2
Goals For: 14
Goals Against: 15

Last Season (GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS):
8-2-6-0-0-4
Home: 4-1-3-0-0-2
Road: 4-1-3-0-0-2
Goals For: 19
Goals Against: 31

All-Time- Not Including This Season (GP-W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS):
32-11-19-2-0-24
Home: 16-7-8-1-0-15
Road: 16-4-11-1-0-9
Goals For: 96
Goals Against: 139

Station Nation Facts:

• Today’s game is game five of the 2009-2010 Brunswick News Rivalry Cup Challenge. The two teams are currently tied in the challenge with 8.5 points apiece.
• Past results this season have been 4-3 Saint John in a shootout and 3-2 Sea Dogs in overtime. Both games were at Harbour Station. The two games at the Moncton Coliseum saw the Sea Dogs lose 7-3 on December 13 and win 4-3 in a shootout this past Thursday.
• This is the Sea Dogs’ first home game of the New Year. The team will wear their dark jerseys from now until playoff time for all games at Harbour Station.
• Andrew Langan was sent to Woodstock (MJAHL) yesterday.
• On Thursday in Moncton, Tomas Jurco and Mike Hoffman scored in the shootout as the league-leading Saint John Sea Dogs edged the Wildcats 4-3. Nicholas Petersen, Danick Gauthier and Yann Sauve scored for the Sea Dogs (34-6-1). Nicolas Deschamps, Daniel Pettersson and Marek Hrivik had goals for Moncton (23-11-3).

Important Info:
Venue: Harbour Station
Capacity: 6,297

Saint John Media: Radio- News 88.9 FM (www.news889.com)
Live Video Streaming: www.qmjhl.mytelus.com
Post-Game Coverage: www.stationnation.blogspot.com
Post-Game Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/user/seadogstv

TWITTER
Station Nation will be Tweeting during tonight’s game at Harbour Station. You can follow us at www.twitter.com/station_nation.

HIGHLIGHTS: Sea Dogs 4, Wildcats 3

CANADIAN PRESS RECAP
Sea Dogs at Wildcats

At Moncton, Tomas Jurco and Mike Hoffman scored in the shootout as the league-leading Saint John edged the Wildcats.

Nicholas Petersen, Danick Gauthier and Yann Sauve scored for the Sea Dogs (33-6-1).

Nicolas Deschamps, Daniel Pettersson and Marek Hrivik had goals for Moncton (23-11-3).

WILDCATS TV HIGHLIGHTS



SHOOTOUT HIGHLIGHTS

LANGAN SENT BACK DOWN

The Saint John Sea Dogs' official Twitter page announced just hours ago that Andrew Langan has been reassigned to the Woodstock Slammers of the Maritime Junior "A" Hockey League.

The Quispamsis native was called up on Boxing Day to help fill the hole that was left on the Sea Dogs' offense. The hole was created when Jonathan Huberdeau left for the World Under-17's and Mike Thomas was suspended for three games.

In three games with the club he had two assists. Before leaving Woodstock, he was fourth in league scoring.

His play has improved greatly over time and did not miss a beat playing with the Dogs, who will be down only one man on Saturday with Thomas returning from his suspension.

Langan was one of the final cuts at training camp in August. In eight previous QMJHL games he has one assist and has yet to score in his career.

SEA DOGS POST-GAME NOTEBOOK

SEA DOGS – WILDCATS GAME AT A GLANCE
Final Score/Shootout: Saint John 4, Moncton 3
Saint John Goals: Nicholas Petersen (25), Danick Gauthier (10), and Yann Sauve (5)
Moncton Goals: Nicolas Deschamps (21), Daniel Pettersson (12), and Marek Hrivik (15)
Winning Goaltender: SNB – Cousineau, Marco (11-14-0)
Losing Goaltender: MON – Riopel, Nicola (2-1-0)

THE NUMBERS
Power Play: Wildcats 3/7, Sea Dogs 1/5
Shots on Goal: Wildcats: 8+12+3+2=25, Sea Dogs: 6+11+15+2=34
Attendance: 6,803

SCRATCHES
Scratches for Saint John were Mike Thomas (serving the final game of a three game suspension) and Jonathan Huberdeau (playing for Team Quebec at the World Under 17’s).

The Wildcats were missing nine players, two defensemen and seven forwards, and that included several key components of their team. They were Dillon Donnelly, Brandon Gormley, Kirill Kabanov, Andrew Roski, Pierre-Marc Lessard, Ted Stephens, Scott Brannon, Matt Brown, and Gabriel Bourque.

DOWN BUT NOT OUT
The Sea Dogs’ third period dominance continued on Thursday night. Down two goals entering the period, Saint John tied the game and outshot the Wildcats 15-3 in the frame.

“We came in the room after the second period and no one was talking,” said Mike Hoffman to the Telegraph-Journal. “We were just thinking about what we had to do in the third period.

"All the boys were focused in the room and we went out there and dominated them in the third period. Coming back from 3-1 in Moncton isn't an easy thing to do.''

"They scored early in the third period (to cut their deficit to 3-2), seized the momentum from that and pushed us hard down the stretch,” said Moncton coach Danny Flynn to the Times & Transcript. “We had a hard time getting the momentum back. I thought it was a tremendously hard-fought game.

"We had a hard time in the third period. We couldn't get the puck deep and create a forecheck which was something that I thought we did a good job of in the first two periods.”

GETTING REVENGE
With the win, Saint John avenged their previous loss to the Moncton Wildcats on December 13 at the Coliseum.

"Our last time here we lost 7-3 and the guys remembered that,” said Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant said. “We got down 3-1 tonight, but held together and came out with a great third period.”

That loss ended the Sea Dogs’ 22-game winning streak. After the win, the Wildcat players did a bizarre celebration where they pumped their sticks into the air like lifting weights.

This time, the Sea Dogs celebrated the same way as they huddled around Marco Cousineau. Coach Gerard Gallant walked across the ice to the dressing room staring down his team – but trying at the same time to hold a grin back.

TERRIFIC DEBUTS
Marco Cousineau was terrific in goal in his Saint John debut. He made 22 saves in picking up his 11th victory of the season. He is now 1-3-0-0 this season against the Wildcats.

He sported red pads, blocker, and glove with a white helmet.

Also making his home debut was Wildcat star goalie Nicola Riopel. He made 31 saves in his first loss of the season. He rejoined the Wildcats two weeks ago and is 2-1-0.

The reigning MVP had some questionable moments as he appeared to dive on at least one of the Sea Dogs’ goaltender interferences penalties. He also robbed Michael Kirkpatrick twice with spectacular glove saves.

FLEABURN DOMINATES IN RACE
Sea Dogs mascot Fleaburn, battling sickness, wiped the floor with Wild Willie in the mascot challenge. The challenge consisted of Frisbee throwing, t-shirt throwing, noise making, and a sprint finish.

Willie stumbled out of the gate, giving Fleaburn an instant lead. The loveable Dogs mascot threw his t-shirts and Frisbees into the crowd before Willie flung his shirts. After falling again, Willie desperately tried to catch up but couldn’t.

The intermission coordinator was in disbelief and said “well, look at the scoreboard; we are winning where it counts.” Unfortunately, even that backfired on the Cats.

PARKING LOT PARTY
Sea Dogs fans were going crazy in the Coliseum parking lot following the game. Horns and noisemakers were being used, car horns were going off outside the Sea Dogs team bus, and there were completely random shrieks from some fans leaving the rink.

QIUCK HITS
Mike Hoffman now has a record of 3-0 while wearing the captains “C” on his sweater. This will be the last game he where’s it with Mike Thomas returning on Saturday… this is the second straight time that the Sea Dogs have allowed three power play goals against the Wildcats. On December 13, Moncton went 3/6 on the man advantage… this was the last time until the playoffs the Sea Dogs will be wearing their dark jersey’s on the road. Teams switch after the New Year… the Wildcats had nine rookies in their lineup… the Rivalry Cup holiday food drive took place and there was a good number of patron’s dropping off items. No amount has been given yet… speaking of the Rivalry Cup, according to saintjohnseadogs.com, the standings are deadlocked at 8.5 points a piece… the crowd of 6,803 was the Wildcats’ first sellout of the season… in the guess-how-many-jelly-beans-there-are contest, an incredible eight people had the winning amount. It was an obvious total of 2009… the Sea Dogs are now 1-1-0-0 in New Years Eve games.

NEXT GAME
Brunswick News Rivalry Cup Game 5: Moncton Wildcats vs Saint John Sea Dogs. Saturday, January 2, 2010 at 7:00 pm at Harbour Station.

Members of Sea Dogs Nation are invited to bring non-perishable food items with them on Saturday as part of the Rivalry Cup Holiday Food Drive. The Wildcats held a similar drive on Thursday. Whichever team receives the most donations (determined by weight) will receive five (5) Rivalry Cup points.

Also on Saturday at 1:00 pm at Harbour Station, the Moncton Flyers visit the Saint John Vito’s in midget AAA action. With the purchase of a general admission seat to the Vito’s – Flyers game ($5), fans will receive a complimentary voucher redeemable for a $6 upper bowl ticket to the Sea Dogs – Wildcats game (Section 7, 8, or 9 only).