RECAP: Sea Dogs win 4-1

FINAL: Drummondville 1, Saint John 4

Kevin Chambers | SN Staff

SAINT JOHN – In their return to the friendly confines of Harbour Station, the Saint John Sea Dogs extended their winning streak to nine games, defeating the Drummondville Voltigeurs 4-1.

Goal scorers for the Sea Dogs were Simon Bourque, David Comeau, Spencer Smallman and Joe Veleno. Alex D’Orio was solid when called upon, stopping 18 shots.

Answering for the Voltigeurs was Andrew Shewfelt. Goaltender Olivier Rodrigue was outstanding in the loss, making 40 saves.

To the notes…

• The Voltigeurs would get on the board first at 1:39 of the opening frame when Shewfelt put a wrist shot on goal that found its way past D’Orio.
• Saint John returned the favour just 40 seconds later when Bourque fired a wrist shot past Rodrigue to tie the game at 1-1.
• Comeau gave the Sea Dogs their first lead of the night at 10:12, putting a wrist shot over the blocker of Rodrigue.
• Smallman picked up his 20th goal of the campaign at 2:16 of the second period, hammering home a one time shot from his office in the faceoff circle. That gave the Sea Dogs a 3-1 lead.
• Veleno, who wowed the crowd on a few occasions, rounded out the scoring when he tipped a shot past a screened Rodrigue at 10:49 of the third period.
• Both the Sea Dogs and Voltigeurs scored on their first shots of the game.
• Mathieu Joseph extended his point streak to 28 games, assisting on Comeau's goal.
• Assistant coach Jeff Cowan got hit in the face with a puck in the second period. He left for a short time but did return.
• Bourque has a seven game point streak going, picking up four goals and eight assists during the span.
• Smallman and Nathan Hudgin had a spirited tilt with both players losing their helmets. They were also given game misconducts for a staged fight.
• Drummondville has now lost seven straight games.

Game Day 51: vs Voltigeurs

Winners of eight straight, the Saint John Sea Dogs (34-12-3-1, 1st Maritimes, 1st QMJHL) return home tonight to host the Drummondville Voltigeurs (21-25-0-5, 5th West, 15th QMJHL). Game time is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/96.1 NewSong FM/QMJHL Live

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 3-2 win over the Titan in Bathurst on Wednesday. Simon Bourque, Spencer Smallman and Jakub Zboril all scored for Saint John. Callum Booth made 34 saves in the win. The Volts haven't played since last Friday where they lost 6-0 to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. Olivier Rodrigue made 20 saves in the loss.

2016-17 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 0-1-0-0 against the Voltigeurs this season while Drummondville is 1-0-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Dec. 2 at the Marcel Dionne Centre where the Voltigeurs edged the Sea Dogs 5-2. Marc-Olivier Duquette, Alex Barre-Boulet, Joey Ratelle, Ryan DaSilva and Benjamin Gagne had Drummondville goals. Thomas Chabot and Matthew Highmore scored for Saint John. Anthony Dumont-Bouchard made 24 saves in the win. Alex D'Orio made 26 saves in the loss.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Voltigeurs: None

Random stat: Drummondville's Pavel Koltygin, the ninth overall pick in the 2016 CHL Import Draft, is sixth in QMJHL rookie scoring with 38 points (19 goals and 19 assists).

Reports: Chabot suspended two games

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According to reports, Saint John Sea Dogs defenceman Thomas Chabot has been suspended two games by the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for a slewfoot.

Le defenseur @ThomasChabot1 des #SeaDogs suspendu deux matchs pour croc en jambe (slewfoot) #LHJMQ

— Stephane Leroux (@StephRDSJunior) February 9, 2017

The incident took place during Saint John's 3-2 win in Bathurst on Wednesday. Chabot did not receive any penalties during the match.

The suspension doesn't come at an ideal time for the Sea Dogs, who will face one of the QMJHL's top teams on Saturday in the Shawinigan Cataractes. The Dogs also play on Friday, hosting the Drummondville Voltigeurs.

If there is any good news, it's that Chabot will receive some more rest, which should come handy come playoff time.

The 19-year-old, who has been paired with Simon Bourque since returning from the World Junior Hockey Championship, has five goals and 22 assists in 22 games with the Sea Dogs this season.

RECAP: Sea Dogs win 3-2

FINAL: Saint John 3, Bathurst 2

Kevin Chambers | SN Staff

BATHURST – The Saint John Sea Dogs were able to pick up the 3-2 victory over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Wednesday night at the KC Irving Regional Centre, extending their winning streak to eight straight games.

The victory wrapped up five-game road stretch through the Maritimes for the Sea Dogs. They won all five matches.

Goal scorers for the Sea Dogs were Simon Bourque, Spencer Smallman and Jakub Zboril. Callum Booth was outstanding in net, stopping 34 shots.

Replying for the Titan were Jeffrey Truchon-Viel and Daniil Miromanov. Taking the loss in net, despite a strong performance, was Anthony Dumont-Bouchard, who made 29 saves.

To the notes…

• The Sea Dogs would get on the board first with a power play marker at 4:40 of the opening period when Bourque fired a wrist shot past Dumont-Bouchard.
• The Titan would even things up at 1-1 during a five-on-three power play at 11:25 when Truchon-Viel tapped home a loose puck past Booth. 
• Sea Dogs captain Smallman jumped on a rebound and put it past Dumont-Bouchard at 19:18 of the opening frame, giving the Sea Dogs a 2-1 lead.
• Zboril gave Saint John their first two goal lead of the night just 29 seconds into the third, firing a shot past the Titan netminder.
• Miromanov would reply for the Titan at 2:20, redirecting a pass and beating Booth. That would close the gap to 3-2 but the Titan would get no closer.
• Mathieu Joseph extended his franchise record point streak to 27 games with an assist on Zboril’s game-winning goal.
• Julien Gauthier picked up the 100th assist of his career QMJHL.
• Zboril has goals in three straight game and points in six straight.

Game Day 50: at Bathurst

The Saint John Sea Dogs (33-12-3-1, 1st Maritimes, 1st QMJHL) put their seven-game winning streak on the line tonight against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan (27-19-3-2, 4th Maritimes, 9th QMJHL). Game time is 7 p.m. at the KC Irving Regional Centre.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/96.1 NewSong FM/QMJHL Live

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 7-0 win in Sydney on Saturday. Mathieu Joseph scored twice for Saint John while singles came from Joe Veleno, Jakub Zboril, Simon Bourque, Julien Gauthier and Samuel Dove-McFalls. Callum Booth made 17 saves in the shutout. The Titan are coming off a 6-2 loss in Charlottetown on Sunday. Adam Holwell and Rodrigo Abols scored for Bathurst. Reilly Pickard allowed six goals on 24 shots through 40 minutes. Anthony Dumont-Bouchard stopped all seven shots he faced in the third period.

2016-17 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 2-4-0-0 against the Titan this season while Bathurst is 4-2-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: Jan. 6 at Harbour Station where the Sea Dogs defeated the Titan 5-1. Matthew Highmore had two goals for Saint John while singles came from Samuel Dove-McFalls, Simon Bourque and Bokondji Imama. Christophe Boivin netted Bathurst's lone goal. Alex D'Orio made 30 saves in the win. Reilly Pickard allowed four goals on 12 shots in the first period. Anthony Dumont-Bouchard made 14 saves through the final 40 minutes.

Ex-Sea Dogs on the Titan: Forward Dawson Theede.

Random stat: The Titan are the only team the Sea Dogs have lost to more than twice this season.

Monday Notes: We're in for a good finish

The Saint John Sea Dogs have been hot of late.

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

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

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

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

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

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