Recap: Sea Dogs win 7-5

FINAL: Saint John 7, Moncton 5

MONCTON - In a game full of momentum swings, the Saint John Sea Dogs came away with a 7-5 road win over the Moncton Wildcats on Saturday.

Dylan Rozzi scored what proved to be the game-winner at 9:41 of the third period, a goal that put the Sea Dogs head 6-5. Zachary Morin secured the win with an empty net marker – his third point of the night – with 24 seconds remaining.

Natan Éthier netted a pair of goals for Saint John while Alexander Donovan, Alexis Joseph and Olivier Groulx also scored. Rafaël Courchesne, making his second straight start after earning the win last Saturday in Halifax, made 25 stops in the victory.

Preston Lounsbury, Eerik Wallenius, Kuzma Voronin, Niko Tournas and Carl-Otto Magnusson all scored for Moncton. Rudy Guimond made 31 stops in the loss.

It felt like it was going to be a long night for Saint John after the Wildcats scored twice in the first 5:22 of the opening frame and carried much of the play to start the first. But Éthier's goal at 8:37 calmed things down a bit, although the Wildcats would add another to lead 3-1 after one.

Momentum completely shifted in Saint John's favour in the second period – and after "Who Let the Dogs Out" was oddly played inside Avenir Centre. The Sea Dogs scored three time less than nine minutes into the period to take their first lead and then Éthier's second of the night made it 5-3 heading into the third. Shots were 17-6 Saint John in the second.

It was all Wildcats to start the third. Tournas scored just 1:09 in and then Magnusson tied it up at 2:44. Despite Moncton pressing, the Sea Dogs bent but didn't break, allowing Rozzi to put Saint John back in front – this time for good – at 9:41.

While the game overall was a bit of a mess, the Sea Dogs came away with a road win on banner raising night in Moncton, which is no small feat. Now let's see if they can carry this momentum into another challenging game on Sunday.

Sea Dogs alumni make NCAA debuts

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

MONCTON - A number of former Saint John Sea Dogs made their NCAA debuts on Friday night.

Here's a quick recap from the opening night of the college hockey season.

• Nate Tivey was a +1 in Quinnipiac's 4-3 win at Boston College. The Bobcats take on Providence College in an exhibition game on Sunday.
• Matteo Mann, who dressed as a seventh defenseman, was a +2 with a minor penalty and two blocks in Colorado College's 4-2 home win over UConn. The two play again on Saturday.
• Noah Reinhart, playing as a second line right winger, had three shots in Michigan Tech's 6-3 loss at Minnesota. The Huskies and Golden Gophers meet again on Saturday.
• Playing in game that was labelled as a scrimmage, the UNH Wildcats defeated the Maine Black Bears 3-2 in a shootout. Cam MacDonald skated on UNH's third line with fellow Nova Scotian and Jacob Newcombe and transfer Jack Cronin. Saint John native Sam Oliver had a goal for UNH. Freshman forward Justin Poirier was on Maine's top line with Josh Nadeau. The Wildcats begin the regular season on Thursday at Michigan State.
• Kale McCallum had an assist, five shots and a +1 rating in Providence College's 7-1 exhibition win over Simon Fraser. McCallum was on the third pairing with 20-year-old freshman Martin Masa, who spent last season in the USHL.
• The Mercyhurst Lakers fell 11-1 at Michigan on Friday night. Second-year goaltender Michael Chambre was left in for all 11 goals, so Charles-Edward Gravel did not see any action. They face each other again on Saturday in Ann Arbour.
• Charles Savoie had one shot and took three minor penalties in Lindenwood's 3-0 home loss to Wisconsin. The two meet again on Saturday.
• On this side of the border, Peter Reynolds had a goal and an assist while Nick Blagden scored the first goal of his U Sports career in the UNB Reds' 11-2 season opening win over the Dalhousie Tigers.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by UNB REDS (@unbreds)

Game Day 5: at Moncton

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

MONCTON - The Moncton Wildcats will raise their QMJHL championship banner to the rafters of the Avenir Centre tonight.

Watching from the visitor's bench will be the Saint John Sea Dogs, who will be the opponent in Moncton's home opener. Game time is 7 p.m.

The Wildcats are off to a respectable 2-1-1-0 start given that they've been missing several regulars due to NHL camps. Captain Caleb Desnoyers also remains out of the lineup for another month or so while recovering from off-season surgery.

The Sea Dogs enter play tonight with a 2-2-0-0 record, splitting their first four games against Cape Breton and Halifax. Many expect the Wildcats to once again be a step above both the Eagles and Mooseheads, making this a big early season test for the Sea Dogs.

Stream/TV/Radio: FloHockey/None/None

Records: The Sea Dogs are 2-2-0-0 for four points (eighth Eastern/13th QMJHL) while the Wildcats are 2-1-1-0 for five points (sixth Eastern/11th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-2 win last Saturday in Halifax. Alexis Joseph had a hat trick while Dylan Rozzi and William Yared added solo markers. Rafaël Courchesne made 28 saves in the win. The Wildcats are coming off a 4-3 overtime win in Cape Breton last Saturday. Teddy Mutryn, Simon Binkley, Tommy Bleyl and Rian Chudzinski scored for Moncton. Rudy Guimond made 29 saves in the win.

Historic NCAA hockey season set to begin

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Here's something I never thought I'd write: the NCAA hockey season begins this weekend for several former Saint John Sea Dogs.

This is the first season where CHL players are eligible to play NCAA hockey. Seven former Sea Dogs are poised to play college hockey south of the border, including three players – Nate Tivey, Matteo Mann and Charles-Edward Gravel – who played for the team just last season.

Here's the full list (remember, we're tracking NCAA commitments here).

Matteo Mann - Colorado College (NCHC)

Noah Reinhart - Michigan Tech (CCHA)

Nate Tivey - Quinnipiac (ECAC)

Charles-Edward Gravel - Mercyhurst (Atlantic Hockey)

Kale McCallum - Providence (Hockey East) 

Cam MacDonald - New Hampshire (Hockey East)

Charles Savoie - Lindenwood (Independent)

To open the season on Friday, Mann and Colorado College will host UConn; Noah Reinhart and Michigan Tech visit Minnesota; Tivey and Quinnipiac take on Boston College; Gravel and Mercyhurst visit Michigan; Kale McCallum and Providence host Simon Fraser in an exhibition contest; Cam MacDonald and UNH will take part in a scrimmage with Maine in Brunswick; and Charles Savoie and Lindenwood host Wisconsin.

All eyes will be on the NCHC this weekend with Arizona State hosting Gavin McKenna and Penn State for back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday. Friday's game will be available on YouTube.

It will be fascinating to track these players throughout the season and see how the adjustment goes, especially for some of the older players like McCallum and MacDonald. 

Of note, Lindenwood and Atlantic Hockey home games can be streamed through FloHockey.

U Sports season underway for ex-Dogs

Acadia Axemen

The Atlantic University Sport men's hockey season gets into full swing this weekend.

The regular season kicked off on Wednesday with the Saint Mary's Huskies defeating the Acadia Axemen 4-3. There will be six games this weekend, including the AUS champion UNB Reds hosting the Dalhousie Tigers on Friday night in their season opener.

There will be plenty of Sea Dogs alumni in the AUS this season, highlighted by four former Dogs on the Axemen.

Acadia: Charlie DesRoches, Brady Burns, Thomas Couture and Cole Burbidge

Dalhousie: Brody Fournier, Zach Welsh and Jared Cosman

Moncton: Jeremie Jacob

Saint Mary's: Connor Trenholm

StFX: Brandon Casey, Nathan Casey and Patrick Leaver

UNB: Nick Blagden, Peter Reynolds and Leighton Carruthers 

UPEI: Simon Hughes and Yanic Crete

In a coaches poll, UNB was predicted to place first in the AUS once again this season, followed by Moncton and Saint Mary's. The Reds have won seven straight conference titles and defeated Moncton in last year's final.

Sea Dogs sign Vilén

The Saint John Sea Dogs are about to enter their Vilén era.

The Sea Dogs announced Wednesday the long awaited signing of Swedish defenseman Max Vilén. The 19-year-old was drafted by Saint John in the third round of this year's CHL Import Draft.

“After a long process, we are excited to welcome Max to Saint John and the Sea Dogs. A special thank you goes to Max’s agent, Randy Edmonds, for helping facilitate this transfer,” Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Travis Crickard said in a release. “Max is a big, dependable, two-way defenceman who brings professional and international experience to our program. We feel this will help solidify our top six, particularly on the left side.”

Vilén, listed at 6'3" and 205 lbs, will bring some size to Saint John's revamped blue line.

The defender has spent his junior career with Sweden's Malmo Redhawks program. Last season with the under-20 squad, Vilén posted four goals and 15 assists in 36 games. In 2023-24, he appeared in four games with the Swedish Hockey League club.

CHL teams can carry three imports as of this season. Vilén will join Latvian forward Olivers Murnieks and Slovakian/Polish defenseman Patryk Zubek as Saint John's trio of overagers.

According to Elite Prospects, Vilén will be the first Swede to play for the Sea Dogs.

According to the team's news release, "Vilén is expected to join the team in the very near future and will wear #23."

The Sea Dogs are back in action on Saturday when they visit the Moncton Wildcats.