Back To Winning Ways...

It was vacation time for me this past week and to make sure it was a true holiday there was no checking scores for my favourite sports teams , reading blogs nor posting. ( That was not easy to do, believe me.) So when I returned home it was surprising to read about  the drama surrounding the Port City squad that had taken place. The 4-3 shootout loss to Chicoutimi last Friday night that ended their 17 games winning streak and the spanking the Sea Dogs received on Sunday when they lost to Shawinigan 6-2. In the last couple of days we learned that the Sea Dogs may not play some of their home games during the playoffs due to other bookings at Harbour Station. Yesterday we learned that Sea Dogs defenceman Ian Saab will face an 8 game suspencion for a hit during the game against the Cataractes.  With  just three regular season games left to play, would the Sea Dogs return to their winning ways  on Wednesday night in Halifax?  The answer was a definite yes.

Last night in front of a sold out crowd at the Metro Center , the Saint John Sea Dogs  reached a  milestone in franchise history. With their 6-1 victory over the Halifax Mooseheads , the Saint John squad earned their third consecutive Jean Rougeau Trophy as the regular-season champions in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Six other teams have won back-to-back titles, but no other club had captured three straight until the 2011-12 Saint John squad achieved the feat before 10,595 fans at the Halifax Metro Centre. Aside from the historical significance, the victory also gives the Sea Dogs home-ice advantage throughout the 2012 President’s Cup playoffs.

Danick Gauthier’s 45th goal of the season gave the Dogs a 1-0 lead at 5:44 of the first period. Gauthier needs just one more goal to tie the single-season club record set by Mike Hoffman in 2009-10.

The Sea Dogs held their one-goal lead through the opening 20 minutes, which saw Saint John fire 12 shots at Halifax netminder Zachary Fucale. Sea Dogs goalie Mathieu Corbeil faced just four shots in the opening frame.

The Dogs took a  2-0 lead when Ryan Tesink scored a shorthanded goal at 4:32 of the second period. A scrap unfolded near the 16-minute mark of the middle session when Saint John forward Grant West dropped the gloves with Halifax defenceman Trey Lewis.

Tesink’s second of the night gave Saint John a 3-0 lead at 17:52 of the second and the score remained 3-0 after 40 minutes. Saint John fired 33 shots through two periods.

Mooseheads forward Alexandre Grenier made it 3-1 at 2:52 of the third period, but the Dogs answered right back with Jonathan Huberdeau’s 30th goal at 4:10. Charlie Coyle made it 5-1 at 7:53 and West found the net at 16:03 for a five-goal lead .
Corbeil made 17 saves. Marc-Olivier Daigle replaced Fucale after Saint John’s fifth goal and stopped five of six shots.  The Halifax  netminders faced a combined 44 shots from the Saint John squad.

Huberdeau and Gauthier had two assists each for the Dogs, who will close out their regular season play when they visit the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., at Centre 200 in Sydney, N.S.
Post Game Comments (from the Chronicle Herald)
Cameron Critchlow-
"They’re tough to beat but, for the most part, I feel like we beat ourselves," said Mooseheads captain Cameron Critchlow. "I’m a little embarrassed with the effort we put out. It wasn’t our best. We need to learn to come in and want to beat those teams badly. We didn’t have it tonight. We didn’t have the desire we needed to win that game and it showed."

Nathan MacKinnon-
"I guess if you look at this as a positive, we saw again that they know what it takes to win a championship because they did it last year," said Mooseheads forward Nathan MacKinnon. "That’s the kind of hockey we have to play. Obviously we didn’t get the job done tonight but we’re learning. We’re still a young team and we’ve got two games left to prepare for the playoffs and then anything can happen."

Saab Suspended-
The Saint John Sea Dogs will be missing veteran defenceman Ian Saab for the rest of the regular season and the early part of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs.
League disciplinary prefect Raymond Bolduc announced on Wednesday that Saab will serve a seven-game suspension on top of the automatic one-game suspension he received for a high-sticking penalty and match penalty that was assessed in the third period of Saint John’s 6-2 loss in Shawinigan on Sunday.
According to a release posted on the QMJHL web site, several factors led to the lengthy sentence.
The rational for the suspension, according to the release, states that Saab went out of his way to join a gathering near the Shawinigan net after a whistle. As players from both teams returned to their respective benches, Saab is said to have “forcefully hit his opponent in the face with his stick and glove and hit him on the head a second time with his glove.’’
The release states it was not Saab’s first offence and that the opponent was injured.

BMO MasterCard CHL Rankings
Despite two losses last weekend, the Sea Dogs remain the No. 1 team in the Canadian Hockey League’s weekly rankings, as selected by a panel of NHL scouts. The Dogs dropped a 4-3 shootout decision in Chicoutimi Friday night before suffering a 6-2 setback Sunday in Shawinigan. The Port City squad, which has held the top spot for two straight weeks, had won 17 straight entering Friday’s game.
Following is the complete list rankings and records:
1. Saint John (47-15-0-3);
2. London Knights (47-17-0-1);
3. Tri-City Americans (49-17-2-2);
4. Portland Winterhawks (48-17-3-1);
5. Shawinigan Cataractes (44-15-3-4);
6. Plymouth Whalers (46-17-2-1);
7. Edmonton Oil Kings (47-15-3-4);
8. Kamloops Blazers (46-18-2-3);
9. Niagara IceDogs (44-18-0-3);
10. Quebec Remparts (42-17-5-2).

Sea Dogs Award Banquet
The Sea Dogs awards banquet goes Monday at the Delta Brunswick Ballroom. Single tickets are $65 apiece and a table of eight costs $490. For season-ticket holders, prices are $50 for a single ticket and $375 for a table of eight. The formal night begins with cocktails at 6 p.m., with the dinner and award presentations beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Monday’s awards include the Saint John Airport Academic Player of the Year, Tim Hortons Most Improved Player, Irving Oil Team Player Award, ScotiaBank Community Service Award, Alpine Three Stars Award, Children’s Wish Foundation Fan Choice Award and the Pepsi Top Scorer Award.
Three awards, the Bell Aliant Most Valuable Player, the Grant Thornton Rookie of the Year and the Investors Group Top Defenceman, will be handed out after the playoffs.
Last year’s winners include Mike Thomas with the ScotiaBank Community Service Award, while Zack Phillips took home the Tim Hortons Most Improved Player Award. Stephen MacAulay won the Irving Oil Team Player Award, with Steven Anthony nabbing the Saint John Airport Academic Player of the Year. Ryan Tesink won the Grant Thornton Rookie of the Year Award and the Investors Group Top Defenceman went to Simon Despres, now with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Jonathan Huberdeau won the most hardware, taking home the Bell Aliant MVP, Alpine Three Stars Award, Children’s Wish Foundation Fan Choice and the Pepsi Top Scorer Awards.

Waiting For The Weekend....

It's gettting close to the end of the regular season with just five games left for the Sea Dogs to play and they are big games for the Port city squad.  They have already clinched a playoff spot winning their Maritimes Division but there's still more to accomplish.  The Cataractes are just five points behind  Saint John for the overall lead and they will face each other on Sunday afternoon in Shawinigan. Before that they face the Sagueneens in Chicoutimi. on Friday night.  It's never easy to win road trips in Quebec and this weekend will be no exception.

The Sea Dogs have not played since Saturday night and that can  be both good and bad.  The bad part can be a slowdown in momentum especially when you're involved in a 17 game winning streak. The good part  is that there is time for some bumps and bruises to heal and get some extra practice time and they will face the Quebec teams refreshed. 

One thing for sure the Sea Dogs are going to face two teams that will give all they've got to knock off the top team in the QMJHL.

A Defensive Defenceman-

Today in the Telegraph Journal Scott Briggs has a nice article on Sea Dogs defenceman Jason Seed.

A few facts and quotes-

Jason Seed an Ottawa native came to the Sea Dogs at the trade deadline last year and has appeared in 59 of the 63 games to date.

He scored his first goal as a seventeen year old on the Gatineau Olympiques  and hasn't managed another since although he has come close a few times.

The defensive defenceman  has improved  on his physical play this year.

He played an important role with the Sea Dogs this fall when so many players on  the defence corps were away at NHL camps. ( Nathan Beaulieu- Montreal; Pierre Durepos- LA; Ian Saab, Vancouver; Charles Olivier Roussel- Nashville).

Jason Seed has proven to be a consistent contributer and a depth player on the Sea Dogs roster.

On Playing this year-

“It’s a lot different from last year,’’ Seed said after Tuesday’s practice at the qplex. “I like being one of the older guys and being more of a veteran-type player. I enjoy the kind of role I’m playing and I just want to keep sticking to that.’’

 On the Depleted Blueline...

“At the start of the season, it was rough with a lot of guys gone to NHL camps and tryouts,’’ Seed said. “The guys who were still here, we tried our best to step up and be team leaders. We managed to do a pretty good job, in my opinion, and it helped get us where we are today. We didn’t have the best record in the first month or two, but when those guys came back and we got our team rolling again, we certainly jumped to the top again.’’

 Optimism-

 “I couldn’t be happier with where I am right now and with the team we have. We just need to stay focused and finish the season strong with our last five games.’’

Mike Kelly, Saint John’s associate coach and director of hockey operations, said the team’s depth players have played a major role in the run to first overall.

“Seeder has worked hard,’’ Kelly said. “He put in a good summer, he came in with a lot more confidence and I like the fact that he’s playing with a lot more confidence, and that he has faith in his game.’’

Playoffs Tickets Available Saturday

Saint John Sea Dogs playoff tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Saturday at noon, with a special sale price available for a limited time.

The Dogs have clinched the Maritime Division title and have home-ice advantage in the first round of the President’s Cup playoffs. The team will open its best-of-seven first-round series at home on March 23 at 8 p.m., followed by Game 2 on March 24 at 7 p.m. The late start of the opener is due to Sportsnet’s broadcast. The first 500 fans to purchase tickets to Game 1 can do so at a special promotional price of just $10.

“We had a sold-out crowd for our last nationally televised game against the Quebec Remparts and it was an outstanding example of how exciting Harbour Station can be,” Sea Dogs president Wayne Long said in a release. “We’re offering this reduced price to fans that show their commitment early to get this year’s playoff run off to another great start.”

Seventeen Straight For The Sea Dogs...

The Saint John Sea Dogs continued their winning streak Saturday, with a 5-2 victory over  the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at Harbour Station.  The first-place Sea Dogs improved to 47-14-0-2 in their final home game of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League regular season.

Nathan Beaulieu, Tomas Jurco, Danick Gauthier and Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and an assist each as the Sea Dogs extended the longest streak in the Canadian Hockey League this season. Stephen MacAulay chipped in a single, Maxime Villemaire had two assists and Mathieu Corbeil made 27 saves for the win. 
Christophe Losier and Christophe Lalancette scored for Bathurst and Robert Steeves made 33 saves in a losing cause as the Titan fell to 29-29-2-3.

Losier opened the scoring on a power play at 16:57 of the first period. Beaulieu evened things up with a power-play goal of his own at 7:41 of the second. Jurco and Villemaire assisted on the goal, Beaulieu’s 11th of the season.

MacAulay put the Dogs up 2-1 at 10:28, a deflection of a Pierre Durepos shot that was video reviewed. Villemaire had the other assist on the goal, MacAulay’s 14th.

Jurco added an insurance goal at 16:12 of the second, finishing on a 2-on-1 with Danick Gauthier. Charles Roussel collected the other assist on the short-hander, Jurco’s 30th goal of the year.

The Dogs continued to pad their lead in the third, with Huberdeau striking just 42 seconds into the final frame. Charlie Coyle and Beaulieu assisted on the goal, Huberdeau’s 28th. Gauthier made it 5-1 at 4:17, with assists from Huberdeau and Kevin Gagne. The Tampa Bay Lightning prospect extended his team-best goals total to 42, four short of Mike Hoffman’s team record with five games to play.

Lalancette got the Titan back within three at 8:22, but that was as close as Bathurst could come.

Three Stars of the Game
1. Danick Gauthier
2. Mathieu Corbeil
3. Charles Olivier Roussel

The Sea Dogs will play their last 5 games of the regular season on the road beginning in Chicoutimi next Friday night followed by a match up against Shawinigan on the following Sunday.  They then go on to Halifax and end the season with back to back games in Cape Breton.

Saint John’s next home game will be the President’s Cup playoff opener on March 23. The game will be televised nationally by Sportsnet and TVA Sports

Sea Dogs Blast Rocket....

Make it the 16th consecutive win for the Saint John Sea Dogs as they blasted the PEI Rocket 8-1 at Harbour Station last night in front of a crowd of 5,833.       
Jonathan Huberdeau had four goals for the Sea Dogs, (a new regular season Sea Dogs record record) Stephen MacAulay scored  twice and Charlie Coyle registered four assists. Danick Gauthier had three assists, Ryan Tesink, Nathan Beaulieu and Charles Roussel had two helpers each, and Stanislav Galiev and Zack Phillips added single goals. Sebastien Auger made 14 saves for the win as the Sea Dogs improved to 46-14-0-2, tops in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and 5 pt.s ahead of the Shawinigan Cataractes.

Louick Marcotte scored for the Rocket and Maxime Lagace made 34 saves in the loss.
Three Stars of the Game-

1. Jonathan Huberdeau
2. Danick Gauthier
3. Charlie Coyle

Gallant's Comments-
“With the skill we have, we scored some beautiful goals, but that’s not the way we want to play,’’ Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant said. “There was a lot of individual play, but a lot of it worked tonight and we got away with it and we capitalized. But we gave up too many odd-man rushes. You can have some success and still sometimes get into bad habits.’’

“We have to play a more complete game and a more solid defensive game,’’ Gallant said. “But we’re burying a lot of our chances.’’ (from the Telegraph Journal)

Gauthier Signs A Contract-

The Tampa Bay Lightning signed Sea Dogs forward Danick Gauthier to a three-year contract, vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman announced Friday. The 20-year-old entered Friday’s contest with a team-leading 41 goals and notched three assists in the win over P.E.I.

February Stars-

Saint John’s Jonathan Huberdeau is the QMJHL’s first star for the month of February, while teammate Nathan Beaulieu is the second star. Huberdeau had 11 goals and 21 points in 10 games and Beaulieu tallied two goals and 15 assists for 17 points. Quebec Remparts forward Frederick Roy collected four goals and 18 points in 10 games to earn third star honours.

Sea Dogs Back In Action...

The Saint John Sea Dogs (45-14-0-2)are back on the ice at Harbour Station  (7:30 p.m) tonight as they face the PEI Rocket (17-39-2-2)  in the first of their last two regular season home games. Saint John has won 6 of the last seven games against the Rocket.  PEI defeated the Sea Dogs 4-3 in December. Their last two meetings in February saw Saint John win convincingly 5-0 and 10-1.  In their seven meetings this season Saint John has out scored the Rocket 42-15.  Despite a few lopsided victories against their divisional rivals the Sea Dogs should not take the boys from the Island lightly if they hope to keep the winning streak going.

Reason to Celebrate-

Charlie Coyle signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild on Thursday, and as Scott Briggs of the Telegraph Journal reports today his celebration will continue throughout the weekend. The  Sea Dogs forward will be joined by about 40 family and friends from his native Massachusetts.

“There’s a busload of them coming,’’ Coyle said after Thursday’s practice at the Lord Beaverbrook Rink. “It should be a good time. Everyone is excited and looking forward to it. It will be great to finally see them.’’

On signing a three year entry level NHL contract- 

“It’s a great birthday present,’’ said Coyle, who turns 20 on Friday. “It’s nice to have and it’s another step towards playing in the NHL one day. It’s a nice feeling, but I just have to put it behind me right now and just focus on this.’’ ( referring to the Sea  Dogs’ 15 straight wins)

Coyle came to Saint John from Boston University following the World Junior Championship Tournament where he played on Team USA.  The six-foot-two, 207-pound native of Weymouth, Mass., had 14 points in 16 games with the Terriers this season before joining the Dogs. He has 12 goals and 24 points in 16 contests for Saint John entering Friday’s game.

“I came here looking to develop and to just improve my all-around game and I think I’m doing that,’’ Coyle said. “I think coming here has helped and I’m just looking to finish out the season strong. I’m playing more games than I would be at BU and there are more touches of the puck, and that was one of the main things.’’

He was drafted by San Jose in the first round (28th overall) in 2010. On June 25, 2011, the Wild made a draft-day deal that sent Brent Burns to San Jose for Coyle, Devin Setoguchi and a first-round pick that became Saint John forward Zack Phillips.

Fitting in with the Sea Dogs-
“He’s been a great kid and a real quality person for our team,’’ Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant said. “We’re real happy to have a player of his calibre. I think he likes it and he’s really fitting in with our team.

“Charlie was a high draft choice and he thought the best thing for him was to play a lot of games and to really focus on hockey. He thought the best decision moving forward was to go this route and we’re real happy he did.’’

On Focusing  full-time on hockey....

“That’s what I want to do with my life and that’s what I’ve dreamed of doing,’’ he said. “That’s why I came here. I wanted to focus 100 per cent on hockey. I’m playing with some pretty great players up here. It’s a great team and we’re going to go far.’’

Sea Dogs Ranked Number One...

The Canadian Hockey League today announced the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings for week 23 of the 2011-12 season. The weekly rankings of the Canadian Hockey League’s Top 10 teams are selected by a panel of National Hockey League scouts. The Saint John Sea Dogs move up one spot to take the number one ranking.

BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings – Week 23
1 Saint John Sea Dogs (45-14-0-2)
2 London Knights (44-14-0-1)
3 Tri-City Americans (45-15-1-2)
4 Shawinigan Cataractes (41-13-3-4)
5 Kamloops Blazers (43-16-1-3)
6 Portland Winterhawks (44-15-3-1)
7 Plymouth Whalers (40-17-2-1)
8 Edmonton Oil Kings (41-15-3-4)
9 Quebec Remparts (38-15-5-2)
10 Niagara IceDogs (39-17-0-3)

Honourable Mention:
Ottawa 67's (36-16-5-2)
Victoriaville Tigres (38-18-1-3)
Moose Jaw Warriors (39-17-5-2)

Sea Dogs Make It Fifteen Consecutive Wins...

The Saint John Sea Dogs claimed the Brunswick News Rivalry Cup for the second straight year with Tuesday’s 5-3 win over the Moncton Wildcats before 5,433 fans at Harbour Station last night.
This battle between the Dogs and Cats includes regular-season results, attendance and off-ice fan challenges. Moncton owned bragging rights after winning the first two Rivalry Cups, but the tide turned last season.

Saint John won this year’s installment by a slim margin, 21.5 points to 20.5. Saint John went 6-2 against its provincial rival.

Nathan Beaulieu had a goal and two assists for the Dogs (45-14-0-2), in their 15th straight win. Charlie Coyle, Stanislav Galiev, Maxime Villemaire and Jonathan Huberdeau also scored goals for Saint John, while Aidan Kelly and Kevin Gagne both collected two assists . Mathieu Corbeil made 18 saves en route to his 33rd win.

Marek Hrivik, Devon MacAusland and Christophe Lalonde replied for Moncton (27-27-3-3) and Roman Will stopped 36 shots. Mark Tremaine notched two assists in the losing cause.

Tomas Jurco was out of the line up due to illness.

Three Stars Of The Game-

1. SNB -Nathan Beaulieu
2. SNB -Charles Coyle
3. SNB -  Stanislav Galiev

Game Notes-

The Dogs took a 1-0 lead when Danick Gauthier set up Coyle at 15:21 of the first period. Early in the second period, Saint John’s Grant West was hauled down while going to the net, resulting in a penalty shot that Will stopped.

Saint John grabbed a 2-0 lead when Galiev buried the rebound of Gagne’s shot at 4:34 of the middle session. Villemaire scored while shorthanded at 6:43, finishing a rush started by Ryan Tesink.

Galiev was slapped with four minutes for high-sticking at 15:19 of the second, but Moncton’s extended man-advantage opportunity yielded nothing.

Hrivik’s goal put Moncton on the score sheet at 1:44 of the third period, pulling the visitors within two. But Beaulieu’s wraparound effort gave Saint John another three-goal lead at 8:19.

MacAusland scored on his own rebound with 1:52 left before Huberdeau’s empty-netter with 39.5 seconds to go. Lalonde’s goal completed the scoring with 11.5 seconds left.

Quotes-
Mike Kelly

“From most of our guys, it was a pretty good effort,’’ Kelly said. “We need to be able to play at a higher pace and at a higher level of intensity. We’re real close, but we need to get that throughout our entire lineup consistently, and when we do that, we’re going to be in good shape.’’

“When we’re good, we pressure on the PK,’’ Dogs’ associate coach and director of hockey operations Mike Kelly said . “You’re always going to take some penalties if you play the way we ask the kids to play. We want them to be aggressive, but we took too many penalties tonight and these are lessons we have to learn as we go forward. But when we’re killing well, we pressure. We’ve got good jump and our guys are pretty good at anticipating, and we can skate.’’

Nathan Beaulieu

“I thought we were OK on the penalty kill, but (Corbeil) made some good saves,’’ Beaulieu said. “When he makes those saves, he gives us chances to get in the offensive zone and make plays. The forwards were real creative down there.’’ (quotes from Telegraph Journal)

Only  two home games remain in the regular season, as the PEI Rocket visit Friday at 7:30 p.m., while the Acadie-Bathurst Titan are in town for a 7 p.m. tilt on  Saturday. Both games feature special promotional themes, with Irish Celebration Night kicking off the St. Patrick’s Day celebration early on Friday, and Saturday will feature giveaways from sponsors during the annual Fan Appreciation Night.

Rivalry Cup Decided Tonight....

The Saint John Sea Dogs host the Moncton Wildcats at 7 p.m. at Harbour Station in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action tonight. For the first  time, the outcome of the Brunswick News Rivalry Cup ,  will be decided at the last game of the season between the two rival teams.

The Wildcats hold a 20.5-16.5 lead but Saint John can retain the cup with a regulation win and a crowd of 5,000 or more. A regulation win and crowd of more than 4,000, or an overtime or shootout win and a crowd of more than 6,000 would leave the teams tied. The tie-breaker sees the cup going to the team with the most head-to-head victories, which would be the Sea Dogs in this case. They hold a 5-2 edge this season. The Wildcats won the first two Rivalry Cups while Saint John won last year. The cup will be presented following the game.

Even though the  two teams are separated by 30 points in the standings with the Sea Dogs leading the league, the Wildcats have been far from easy to play against this season. In their last meeting, Saint John came back to grind out a 3-2 shootout win in Moncton on Saturday while the game before that on Jan. 26, the Sea Dogs posted a 1-0 win when Tomas Jurco scored with less than nine seconds remaining in regulation.

Sea Dogs Winning Streak Continues

The Saint John Sea Dogs routed the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 9-1 before a sellout crowd of 6,488 at Harbour Station on Sunday afternoon. The victory was the 14th straight for the Dogs (44-14-0-2), the Canadian Hockey League’s longest winning streak this season.

The Dogs  erupted for six goals in the second period after managing just one in the first frame as Nathan Beaulieu scored on a breakaway seconds after leaving the penalty box.

Jonathan Huberdeau made it 2-0 at 1:40 of the second period and goals by Tomas Jurco and Ryan Tesink had made it 4-0 shortly after the midway mark of the middle session.

Saint John led 7-0 through 40 minutes thanks to Huberdeau’s second, Danick Gauthier’s team-leading 41st and Maxime Villemaire’s power-play marker. Jonathan Brunelle scored Cape Breton’s lone goal on the power play at 9:50 of the third period. Villemaire added another power play goal at 17:18 of the third period and Charlie Coyle connected at 18:33 to complete the scoring.

Stephen MacAulay had three assists, while Zack Phillips and Coyle managed two each. Sebastien Auger made 15 saves for his 12th win. Cape Breton fell to 21-36-1-2. Their goaltender William Racicot faced 44 shots.

Three Stars of the Game-
1. Ryan Tesink
2. Jonathan Huberdeau
3. Nathan Beaulieu

Quotes-
Ryan Tesink
“All we have to do is move the puck and we’re a lot better than most teams, skill-wise,’’ said Tesink, who had three assists. “We’re so deep and every line has a lot of skill. We just have to stop playing so selfish at times and keep going. We had a point to prove. That was a statement game.’’

“We didn’t play well (Saturday),’’ (against Moncton)Tesink said. “The message was that we needed to come out stronger and play a full 60 minutes. I think we did that today.’’

Stephen Woodworth-
“The most important thing is that in our own end, we protected our slot area,’’ Cape Breton defenceman Stephen Woodworth said about his team’s first period. “If they’re going to score goals, we want them to score goals from the perimeter. I thought for the most part we held them off in the first period.

“You look at their top three lines and they’re obviously prepared for a long playoff run. Once they get going in the offensive zone, they can be tough to play against. They’re a team that feeds off turnovers. That’s how they manage their game. In the neutral zone, they’re very aggressive and they’re looking for any turnover to try and go in on the attack.’’

Gerard Gallant-
“Our team speed and our transitions are something special when we’re skating like we did (Sunday),’’ Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant said. “They’re a young team and they’re young on the blue-line, so when you get the pressure that we had today and with the finishers we have on this team, you’re going to get opportunities. I thought we had a lot more people around the net than we did (Saturday).’’  ( all quotes from the Telegraph Journal)

The Sea Dogs are back in action at Harbour Station on Tuesday night when the Moncton Wildcats come to town for the last installment in the Rivalry Cup. Game time is 7 pm.

Shootout Win For Sea Dogs....

Despite an undisciplined and penalty laden first period for the Port City squad, the Saint John Sea Dogs overcame two one-goal deficits on the way to a 3-2 shootout victory over the Moncton Wildcats Saturday for their 13th consecutive win. (It’s the longest streak in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League this year, and matches the 13-game run put together by the Tri-City Americans of the Western League earlier this season.)

Charles Olivier- Roussel and Stanislav Galiev had the goals in regulation for the Sea Dogs, while Jonathan Huberdeau and Tomas Jurco connected in the shootout contest. Charlie Coyle chipped in two assists and Mathieu Corbeil made 25 saves for his league-best and team-record 33rd win. The Sea Dogs moved back into sole possession of first place overall with a record of 43-14-0-2, one point ahead of the Shawinigan Cataractes (40-13-3-4), who have played one more game and who lost to Halifax on Saturday.

Scott Trask and Marek Hrivik scored for Moncton and Roman Will delivered a 50-save performance in a losing cause as the Wildcats fell to 27-25-3-3. The depleted Wildcat team gave the Sea Dogs all they could handle and picked up a point in the shootout loss to their provincial rivals.

Moncton earned four points in the Brunswick News Rivalry Cup – three for surpassing the 6,000-fan mark and one for the shootout loss. Saint John picked up two points in the Rivalry Cup for the shootout win, and trails the Wildcats 20.5-16.5 heading into the final matchup Tuesday in Saint John. The Sea Dogs outshot the Wildcats 53-27.

Spencer MacDonald and Grant West were healthy scratches for the Sea Dogs.

Three Stars of the Game-

1. MON -  Roman Will
2. MON - Marek Hrivik
3. SNB -  Charlie Coyle

Game Notes-

Penalties kept the Sea Dogs from building any momentum in the first period, as Moncton was awarded five straight power plays in the opening frame. The Wildcats struck on Trask’s man-advantage marker just 1:25 into the game, but that was the only offence they could manage despite spending nearly half the period with the extra man. Moncton finished with 18 shots to Saint John’s 11 in the first, but Corbeil stood tall behind the Sea Dogs penalty killers, whose work included killing nearly a full minute of 5-on-3 time.

The Dogs got a 5-on-3 of their own in the second period, and Roussel was able to even the score 54 seconds into the frame. After Zack Phillips hit the side of the net, coming so close the red light went on, Coyle worked the puck back to Roussel at the left point and his shot found its way through for his 13th of the year.

Hrivik put the Wildcats back in front at 6:33 when he poked the puck past Nathan Beaulieu, went around him and knocked the bouncing disc past Corbeil for his 25th.

Saint John held a 15-5 edge in shots in the second period, and an incredible 20-3 in the third, but could not find the equalizer until Galiev’s marker at 15:26. With the Sea Dogs on the power play, the talented Russian took a cross-ice feed from Coyle and beat Will with a shot from the left wing. Kevin Gagne had the other assist on the goal, Galiev’s eighth.

The Dogs dominated the shot clock again in overtime, with a 6-1 shots advantage, highlighted by a late flurry that almost saw Jurco bag the winner.

Jurco, however, had to wait until the shootout to ice the extra point for the Sea Dogs. After Huberdeau beat Will with a beautiful deke to the backhand and Corbeil stopped Allain Saulnier and Hrivik, the slick Slovakian stepped up to write another entry in his personal encyclopaedia of shootout wizardry. Jurco made a nice move to the forehand and flicked a shot past Will’s blocker to give the Sea Dogs the margin of victory. (from Sea Dogs website)

The Dogs are back home Sunday when the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles come to town for a 3 p.m. start.

Back In Action Tonight...

The Sea Dogs who are looking to extend their winning streak to 13 games, return to action tonight facing off against the Moncton Wildcats in the Hub City. (Moncton will also host the Shawinigan Cataractes on Sunday afternoon.) Shawinigan (40-12-3-4 for 87 points) and Saint John (42-14-0-2 for 86 points) occupy the top two spots in the overall league standings. Saint John has 10 games remaining, one more than Shawinigan. Moncton,  5-5-0-0 in the past 10 games, is tied for ninth overall in the 17-team league and enters this weekend with a banged up roster.

The Wildcats are missing defenceman Cameron MacDonald (concussion) and forward Brett Malone (hip) to season ending injuries. Defenceman James Melindy (upper body) and forwards Scott Trask (lower body), Allain Saulnier (lower body) and Alex Saulnier (upper body) are all questionable for tonight’s game.

The Wildcats are also without forward Erik Robichaud, who’s out at least one more week with a lower body injury. Forward Patrick Delisle-Houde will begin serving a five-game suspension tonight.

Moncton has called up two affiliate players for this weekend. They are defenceman Jordan Labbe (Quebec midget AAA) and forward Shawn Boudreau (Bridgewater, N.S. junior A).

“It’s going to be a test for our team this weekend,” said head coach DannyFlynn in the Times/Transcipt. “We’re facing two great opponents and we don’t have our full lineup. We’re short staffed for sure. A lot of young guys are going to get significant ice time and it’s been like that for awhile.

“I like the way our young kids have responded to the increased opportunity they’re getting. It’s a great opportunity for them to show what they can do and for the most part they’ve grabbed hold of it.”

The Sea Dogs Sunday afternoon match up is against the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles at Harbour Station.

Sea Dogs Notes and News....

Last Friday night the Sea Dogs took on the Quebec Remparts at Harbour Station. The match up was televised nationwide on Sportsnet. In an atmosphere that was electric and a packed house the Saint John team went on to defeat Quebec 4-1.

The Dogs will be playing in front of a national television audience again when they open the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs on March 23. The club announced Thursday that Game 1 of its best-of-seven series will be broadcast on Sportsnet and TVA Sports.

Sportsnet will televise the game in English, while TVA Sports will provide French coverage.

“We are honoured that the Sea Dogs and the city of Saint John will be showcased nationally yet again,” Sea Dogs president Wayne Long said in a release. “We are looking forward to another big crowd and another great game.”

Saint John's first-round playoff opponent will be determined after seeding slots are finalized on March 18.

Dogs Face Cats....

The Sea Dogs (42-14-0-2), winners of 12 straight, return to action when they visit the Moncton Wildcats (27-25-3-2) Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Coliseum. The Dogs are back home Sunday to face the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles at 3 p.m.

Playing Leap Frog...

The Sea Dogs have not played since Tuesday night but this morning find themselves one point back of Shawinigan again after the Cataractes won their match against the Screaming Eagles last night. The Sea Dogs have a game in hand. Shawinigan will face Halifax on Saturday whrn the Sea Dogs meet the Wildcats.

Sea Dogs Remain 2nd In CHL Rankings...

The Canadian Hockey League today announced the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings for week 22 of the 2011-12 season. The weekly rankings of the Canadian Hockey League’s Top 10 teams are selected by a panel of National Hockey League scouts.


BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings – Week 22
1 London Knights (42-13-0-1)
2 Saint John Sea Dogs (42-14-0-2)
3 Kamloops Blazers (41-14-1-3)
4 Tri-City Americans (41-15-1-2)
5 Shawinigan Cataractes (39-12-3-4)
6 Portland Winterhawks (42-15-2-1)
7 Edmonton Oil Kings (39-14-3-4)
8 Plymouth Whalers (37-17-2-1)
9 Ottawa 67's (36-15-5-1)
10 Quebec Remparts (36-15-5-2)

Honourable Mention:
Niagara IceDogs (37-16-0-3)
Victoriaville Tigres (37-17-1-3)
Moose Jaw Warriors (37-16-5-2)

Sea Dogs Make It A Dozen...

The Sea Dogs took a lead early in the game but the persistent and pesky  Halifax Mooseheads  wouldn’t go away.

Charlie Coyle’s shorthanded goal at 12:32 of the third period snapped a 3-3 tie and lifted the Saint John Sea Dogs to a 4-3 win over their Maritime Division rivals before 4,889 fans Tuesday night at Harbour Station.

Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and three assists for the Dogs (42-14-0-2), winners of 12 straight and first overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Zack Phillips tallied a goal and a helper for the Port City squad and Charles-Olivier Roussel also scored. Nathan Beaulieu notched three assists for the Sea Dogs, while rookie netminder Sebastien Auger made 20 saves. Jonathan Drouin tallied two goals for Halifax (33-19-2-4), Ryan Falkenham added a single and  goaltender Zachary Fucale stopped 34 shots.

Three Stars of the Game-
1. SNB -  Jonathan Huberdeau
2. HAL - Jonathan Drouin
3. SNB -  Stephen MacAulay

Game Notes-

The Dogs took a 1-0 lead when Beaulieu set up Phillips on the power play at 13:02 of the first period. The hosts held their one-goal edge through 20 minutes and outshot Halifax 13-7.

The Dogs went up 2-0 on Roussel’s goal as the overage defenceman buried a loose puck in front after a three-on-one involving Beaulieu, Huberdeau and Phillips. Saint John’s Ryan Tesink was sent off for tripping at 16:23, setting the stage for Drouin’s power-play goal during a two-man advantage.

Halifax’s Alexandre Grenier took two for holding at 17:26, paving the way for Huberdeau’s power-play marker and a 3-1 lead that stood through 40 minutes.

Falkenham scored 15 seconds into the third period to make it 3-2 and Drouin added his second on the power play at 9:07 to even the affair. Saint John regained the lead on Coyle’s shorthanded marker at 12:32. Halifax’s Nathan MacKinnon fired one off the post with just over a minute left.

The Sea Dogs out shot the Mooseheads 38-23. Oliver Cooper was a healthy scratch for the Sea Dogs.

Next up for the Sea Dogs is a match up with the Wildcats in Moncton on Saturday.

Quotes-

Jonathan Huberdeau

“We didn’t play that bad (through) the second period,’’ Huberdeau said. “In the third period, we dropped down a bit and we still need to work on playing a full 60 minutes. We still got the two points and now we’re first in the standings again.’’

Gerard Gallant

“We fell asleep between periods again,’’ Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant said. “It’s the same old thing. We lay down for 35 minutes against Quebec (Friday) and tonight was not much better for me. Too many top players didn’t show up to play tonight and played a soft game.

“We outshot them pretty badly in the first two periods (28-14) and then we let them back in it. I’m not happy at all. We were too cute and we just didn’t want to compete hard enough. Everything is offence right now. I just didn’t like our game at all and it just looked like a lot of flat superstars tonight.’’  * (quotes from the Telegraph Journal)
Dominique Ducharme-
“It was a lost puck and a lost battle and they capitalized,” said Mooseheads head coach Dominique Ducharme. “We just make a few too many mistakes and they don’t need much. Every game we’re playing them, we’re getting better and taking experience on how to play those teams.” (Metro News)

"They make you pay every time," Ducharme said. "We get better at it every time we play them and that’s a good sign. I thought we played well tonight but there were a few times we made mistakes and they made us pay. And they were mistakes that were easy not to make. A couple of the mistakes were from battles and other ones were from not coming back hard enough and leaving a guy in the slot. We need to be more consistent on that and we need to have all 20 guys going." (Chronicle Herald)

Sea Dogs Host The Herd Tonight....

The Halifax Mooseheads and Saint John Sea Dogs, two divisional rivals meet for the seventh time this season. Saint John has won 5 of their 6 previous match ups.  The Mooseheads (33-18-6) are sixth in the QMJHL and trail the fifth-place Victoriaville Tigres by six points with one game in hand. The Sea Dogs(41-14-0-2) are first in the Maritimes Division and trail Shawinigan for first overall in the Q by one point. The Sea Dogs are also looking for their 12th consecutive win.

The Halifax Mooseheads could have Nathan MacKinnon back for tonight's game against the Saint John Sea Dogs at Harbour Station. They are riding a four-game winning streak, but have been without MacKinnon for the past two games and are calling their leading scorer a “game-time decision”. MacKinnon fractured his thumb blocking a shot last Thursday.  The 16-year-old is 17th in QMJHL scoring and second among rookies with 26 goals and 39 assists for 65 points in 47 games.

Game time is 7pm at Harbour Station.

Huberdeau Telus Second Star...

Frédérick Roy, Jonathan Huberdeau and Roman Will were named today, the TELUS three stars of the week for the period spanning February 13th to the 19th.

Quebec Remparts left-winger Frédérick Roy was named the TELUS first star after an impressive output of 3 goals, 8 assists for a total of 11 points and a +/- of +7. Tuesday, in a one-sided 9-1 win against the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, he scored a goal and added 4 assists while posting a +/- of +4. Friday, against the Saint John Sea Dogs, he added an assist whilst the following day, versus the Moncton Wildcats, he scored the only two goals in a 20 win over the Rocket. Finally, Sunday, against the PEI Rocket, his team got another shutout win as Roy contributed 3 helpers.

The second star of the week is awarded to Jonathan Huberdeau. In only two games, he collected 7 points. Wednesday, in a crushing 10-1 win against the PEI Rocket, the Saint John Sea Dogs left-winger scored 2 goals on two shots and added 2 assists. He was named the first star of the game. Friday, against the Quebec Remparts, Huberdeau helped his team win 4-1 by contributing 3 assists. He was awarded the first star of that game.

The third star goes to Moncton Wildcats netminder Roman Will. The 6’01” goaltender made 34 stops on Friday in a 3-1 win against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Saturday, against the Remparts, he only let one goal through making 29 saves in a 2-0 loss. He was named the first star in both games he played this week.

Make It Eleven In A Row....

The Saint John Sea Dogs jumped out to an early lead and held on for a 4-1 victory over the Quebec Remparts Friday night and their 11th consecutive win.

Tomas Jurco and Danick Gauthier had a goal and an assist each and Jonathan Huberdeau tallied three assists before a sold-out crowd of 6,327 and a national television audience on Rogers Sportsnet. Maxime Villemaire and Stanislav Galiev each registered a goal and Mathieu Corbeil made 25 saves for the win. The Sea Dogs improved to 41-14-0-2 and remain first overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Gauthier’s goal gave him 40 on the season, as he became the fourth Sea Dog to reach the milestone mark, joining Scott Howes (42 in 2007-08), Jonathan Huberdeau (43 in 2010-11) and franchise record holder Mike Hoffman (46 in 2009-10).

Anthony Duclair had the Quebec goal as the Remparts fell to 34-15-5-2. Francois Brassard allowed three goals on 13 shots before giving way to Louis Domingue, who stopped 24 of 25 the rest of the way.

Missing in action for the Sea Dogs: Devon Oliver-Dares (broken collarbone) Jason Cameron (last of his 4 game suspension) Spencer MacDonald (healthy scratch).

Three Stars Of The Game-

1. SNB -  Jonathan Huberdeau
2. SNB - Danick Gauthier
3. SNB -  Tomas Jurco

*Post Game Quotes:

Gerard Gallant

The first 25 minutes, we were ready to play and we were going strong,’’ Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant said. “After it was 4-0, we stopped playing. I don’t know what happened, but I wasn’t real happy with the last 35 minutes of the game. Not that they (were) dominant, but they outplayed us the last 35 minutes of the game because we stopped playing and I was pretty disappointed.

 “The last 35 minutes, we didn’t want to work, we didn’t want to get the puck first and we wanted to make the (fancy) pass in the neutral zone. We played a complete opposite game compared to the first 25 minutes and I have no idea why.’’

 Patrick Roy-

 “We didn’t play as well as I was hoping,’’ Remparts head coach Patrick Roy said. “In a game like this, they stepped up and we did not. For me, that’s the bottom line... maybe they weren’t pretty goals, but they had more jump, they were first on pucks and they wanted it more.

“I thought we were intimidated by them in the first half of the game. It was a little bit better in the second half. It’s a learning process for us.’’

Pierre Durepos-

 “When we move our feet and work hard, our skill always takes over,’’ Durepos said. “We showed that in the first 25 minutes and after that, we kind of let go.’’

“We try to play a six-man unit and play together,’’ Durepos said. “I thought we played a good game defensively and we just have to keep it going.’’  (* from Telegraph Journal)

Links to Highlights Of Game On Sportsnet

             Mathieu Corbeil post game....

Game Notes:

Jurco opened the scoring at 6:18 with a bank shot off Brassard. Huberdeau and Gauthier picked up the assists on the goal, Jurco’s 28th of the season.

Villemaire doubled the lead thanks to an unselfish play by Charles Roussel. The 20-year-old defenceman had the puck in a great shooting position in the high slot, waited Brassard out then dished a no-look backhand pass to Villemaire. Villemaire fired into a wide open net for his 13th of the year, with the other assist going to Nathan Beaulieu.

Gauthier hit the 40-goal plateau just 22 seconds later, collecting a Pierre Durepos shot off the back boards and knocking it in to make it 3-0. Huberdeau picked up the other assist on the goal, which brought Brassard’s night to an end.

The Sea Dogs outshot the Remparts 18-6 in the first period, but Corbeil had to make a tough save on a late power play. The overage netminder slid to his left to make a pad stop on Adam Erne in close and keep the 3-0 score line intact.

Galiev ran the lead to 4-0 with his seventh of the season at 8:04 of the second period. After Huberdeau cycled to Jurco, the slick Slovakian fanned on a good shooting opportunity, but Galiev pounced on the loose puck in the slot and snapped it high to Domingue’s blocker side.

Duclair broke the shutout at 17:32 of the middle frame, slipping a bouncing puck between Corbeil’s right leg and the post. It was the 23rd goal of the season for the impressive 16-year-old, with assists going to Frederick Roy and top 2012 NHL Entry Draft prospect Mikhail Grigorenko.

After being outshot 14-10 in the second, Quebec held a 10-6 shots edge in the final frame, but the Remparts were unable to get another puck past Corbeil and the 4-1 score stood.

National Exposure...

The biggest hockey stage for Junior Hockey in this country is the Memorial Cup Tournament and the Saint John Sea Dogs appeared on that stage last May in Mississauga, representing the QMJHL. Winning the Memorial Cup gave Saint John and the Sea Dogs team and organization national exposure. Some broadcasters actually learned that Saint John and St. John's are not the same city.

The Sea Dogs and Harbour Station will be in the national limelight tonight when they face off against Patrick Roy (aka Public Enemy Number One to Sea Dogs fans )and  his Quebec Remparts (34-14-5-2). This game will be televised nationally on Roger's Sportnet as part of their Friday night CHL coverage. Game time is 8pm, an hour later to accommodate the  television broadcast that will be seen on Sportnet East, Ontario, West, Pacific and Sportsnet One.

This game will provide a much tougher test for the Dogs (40-14-0-2) than their lopsided 10-1 win against the PEI Rocket on Wednesday night. 
The Remparts and Sea Dogs split their two previous meetings, with Saint John recording a 6-0 win at home in late October as the Remparts wrapped up a road trip. Quebec dumped the Dogs 4-1 about a month later in Quebec City, with the Port City squad missing several players. Saint John enters tonight’s match up  riding a 10-game wining streak.

“It should be a good game with two skilled teams,’’ Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant said. “They’re coming in here fresh and we’re going to be a fresh team, too.’’(from Telegraph Journal)

Quebec is heading towards a seventh straight winning season with Roy at the helm. The Hockey Hall of Famer took over behind the bench in 2005-06, a  campaign that ended with a Memorial Cup championship in Moncton over the host Wildcats.