SAINT JOHN SEA DOGS SNIPPETS....

BMO CHL Mastercard Top 10 Rankings....

2012-02-01T19:42:00.001-04:00

The Canadian Hockey League today announced the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings for week 19 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 19
1 London Knights (37-10-0-1)
2 Kamloops Blazers (35-11-1-3)
3 Shawinigan Cataractes (34-11-2-3)
4 Saint John Sea Dogs (36-13-0-2)
5 Tri-City Americans (35-12-1-1)
6 Plymouth Whalers (34-12-2-1)
7 Edmonton Oil Kings (33-12-2-4)
8 Kitchener Rangers (33-13-1-0)
9 Quebec Remparts (32-12-4-2)
10 Ottawa 67's (31-12-4-1)

Honourable Mention:
Portland Winterhawks (33-14-2-1)
Victoriaville Tigres (33-16-0-2)
Niagara IceDogs (30-15-0-3)

Irked By Sea Dogs Effort...

2012-01-30T06:57:00.000-04:00

Even though the Sea Dogs (36-13-0-2) won their fifth straight before 4,608 fans at Harbour Station defeating the visiting Blainville-Boisbriand Armada 6-3 on Sunday afternoon, head coach Gerard Gallant was less than pleased with his team due to their high risk plays and selfish efforts.
“Brutal,’’ Saint John head coach Gerard Gallant said about his team’s showing, as reported in the Telegraph Journal. “I thought we were loose and casual.’’

“It’s the same guys who want to make the fancy plays and long passes,’’ Gallant said. “When the other team had the puck, we were trying to intercept passes instead of playing defence. We can play really well or we can play games like today where it’s all about the cute play or the high-risk play. It doesn’t happen that often, but that game comes out every now and again, and today was one of them.’’

Gallant expressed concern that his team must be better for this weekend’s road games in Drummondville and Shawinigan.

“Hopefully, we’ll play our game,’’ he said. “Against Moncton (Thursday’s 1-0 win), they had three or four good scoring chances and that was it. Today was the complete opposite. We just wanted to play a pond game.’’

About the Game-

Sea Dogs defenceman Ian Saab was called for holding at the 13-minute mark of the first period, setting the stage for Cedric Paquette’s power-play goaljust over a minute later. Saab redeemed himself when he scored at 17:22 of the period, one-timing a blast from the slot after taking a feed from Charlie Coyle.

Saint John took a 2-1 lead on Zack Phillips’ power-play goal at 19:36 of the first frame. Jonathan Huberdeau had the puck on the right side while Coyle screened Armada goalie Storm Phaneuf, who went down anticipating a shot. Huberdeau, however, found Phillips on the other side and the Minnesota Wild prospect fired the puck into an open net.

Paquette potted another power-play goal at 3:15 of the second period to tie the tilt. Jean-Christophe Laflamme scored on a breakaway at 14:18 of the second after stripping the puck from Dogs defenceman Nathan Beaulieu in the neutral zone.

Ryan Tesink set up Tomas Jurco on the power play to even the game at 16:52 of the second period. Huberdeau scored for a 4-3 lead shortly after and Dogs netminder Mathieu Corbeil preserved things with a great save on Raphael Pouliot late in the frame.

Corbeil remained strong in the third period, stopping Olivier Hinse’s breakaway bid. Danick Gauthier cashed in on the power play at 17:48 and made it 6-3 with an empty-netter 21 seconds later.

“We have a lot of talent and sometimes we might overpass it or try to make the pretty play, but we have to put pucks to the net and outwork teams in front,’’ said Coyle, who notched two assists, as did Jurco and Charles-Olivier Roussel. “If we stick to that and just play simple, everything else will follow.’’

The Sea Dogs head to Drummondville for their next game on Friday night.

Sea Dogs Hold Off The Armada....

2012-01-29T18:15:00.000-04:00

The Saint John Sea Dogs ran their winning streak to five games, doubling the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada 6-3 before 4,608 fans at Harbour Station Sunday. With the win the Sea Dogs improve to 36-13-0-2 for 74 pts and one point ahead of Shawinigan for first overall in the league.

Danick Gauthier scored two goals and had an assist for the Sea Dogs, Tomas Jurco had a goal and two assists, and Jonathan Huberdeau scored a goal and added a helper. Ian Saab and Zack Phillips chipped in singles, with two assists each coming from Charlie Coyle and Charles Roussel. Mathieu Corbeil made 33 saves for the win that was Corbeil’s 28th of the season, establishing a new team record.

Cedric Paquette had two goals for the Armada and Alex Micallef added a single. Storm Phaneuf made 33 saves in the loss as Blainville-Boisbriand fell to 27-20-2-1.

Three Stars of the Game-

1. SNB - Charles Coyle

2. BLB - Cédric Paquette

3. SNB - Jonathan Huberdeau
The Sea Dogs play their next three games (Drummondville, Shawinigan and PEI) on the road.

Sea Dogs Get Past Will the Wall...

2012-01-27T07:23:00.000-04:00

It was no easy feat for the Saint John Sea Dogs to get a puck past Moncton Wildcats 19-year-old Czech netminder Roman Will who until the last 8.5 seconds of the third period was unbeatable. The only goal in Saint John’s 1-0 victory came when Nathan Beaulieu fired a waist-high wrister that was tipped out of the air and into the net by Tomas Jurco with 8.5 seconds left, thrilling 4,265 fans Thursday night at Harbour Station.

“It was lucky, but I didn’t have luck the whole game and I couldn’t score,’’ Jurco said minutes after the decisive marker reported in the Telegraph Journal. “(Will) was great tonight, it was so hard to beat him. When you’re playing good (early in the game), you get confidence and that’s what he had the whole game.’’

The Dogs improved to 35-13-0-2 and Saint John goalie Mathieu Corbeil made 20 saves for his 5th shut out of the season. Roman Will made 45 saves in a losing cause and was named first star for the Wildcats, who fell to 22-21-3-2.

Saint John earned four points in the Brunswick News Rivalry Cup: three for the regulation win and one for breaking the 4,000-fan mark with a crowd of 4,265. The Sea Dogs now hold a 14.5-11.5 edge in the Rivalry Cup standings.

Game Notes:

The Dogs held the edge in the first period, coming closest when Pierre Durepos’ point shot went off the post during a power play. It was good news/bad news for Saint John winger Ryan Tesink, appearing in his first game in nearly two months due to a knee injury. Tesink was slapped with a stiff sentence late in the period– two minutes for roughing, another two for unsportsmanlike conduct and a game misconduct for abuse of an official. Moncton failed to capitalize on the extended power play that carried into the second period. Shortly after the missed opportunity, the Wildcats took two undisciplined penalties. Devon MacAusland was called for unsportsmanlike conduct at 4:01 and Patrick Downe was sent off for checking from behind seven seconds later.

The Dogs got plenty of shots on net, but none could beat Will, whose best stop came when he blocked Beaulieu’s one-timer from the slot. With 5:51 left in the middle session, Beaulieu was called for delay of game after his clearing attempt from his own zone went over the glass.

Despite being shorthanded, the Dogs had the best scoring chance as Will came up big on Danick Gauthier’s breakaway bid. Gauthier had another decent chance before the power play expired for Moncton, which failed to produce any serious offensive threat.

Moncton’s Ryan Penny was called for high-sticking at 17:35 of the second stanza, but the Dogs came up empty on the power play despite some quality shots. The game remained scoreless through 40 minutes thanks to Will, who’d made 34 saves to that point.

Corbeil had faced just nine shots when he stepped on the ice to begin the third period. But the 20-year-old was busy early in the final frame, delivering successive saves on Marek Hrivik and MacAusland.

“We had so many shots and you have to give credit to (Will),’’ Beaulieu said. “We had a lot of opportunities to bury it and we didn’t. It was a tough play for the goalie, but a great tip. There were lots of positives that came out of this game and I really feel like we deserved those two points.’’
Three Stars of the Game:
1. MON -Roman Will

2. SNB - Danick Gauthier
3. SNB - Tomas Jurco
The Sea Dogs take to the ice again on Sunday afternoon at Harbour Station hosting the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.

BMO CHL Mastercard Top 10 Rankings and Other Stuff....

2012-01-25T17:24:00.001-04:00

The Canadian Hockey League today announced the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings for week 18 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 moved up one spot from last week.

BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings – Week 18

1 London Knights (35-9-0-1)

2 Kamloops Blazers (34-10-1-2)

3 Tri-City Americans (34-11-0-1)

4 Shawinigan Cataractes (33-11-2-2)

5 Saint John Sea Dogs (34-13-0-2)

6 Edmonton Oil Kings (32-11-1-4)

7 Plymouth Whalers (31-12-2-1)

8 Ottawa 67's (29-11-4-1)

9 Quebec Remparts (30-11-4-2)

10 Kitchener Rangers (30-13-1-0)

Honourable Mention:

Portland Winterhawks (31-14-2-1)

Victoriaville Tigres (32-15-0-2)

Niagara IceDogs (28-14-0-3)

The Saint John Sea Dogs website is reporting Two Special Events for Fans that will provide two unique opportunities to interact with players in the coming week.

Players will be on hand to sign books and other memorabilia at the Sea Dog Styles store in Harbour Station Saturday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. as the store hosts a one-day Memorial Cup Merchandise Blowout. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, the store will be offering two special deals on Memorial Cup souvenirs.

Fans purchasing a copy of the book Hockey Heaven: A Look Inside the Saint John Sea Dogs, 2011 Memorial Cup champions, will receive a free upper-bowl ticket to Sunday’s game against the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. Fans can also receive a free ticket by purchasing the book as part of a package, along with a Memorial Cup Champions T-shirt and puck. A $100 value, this package will be available Saturday for just $77.11 (plus tax) in recognition of the team’s 77-11 overall record last season. The book alone retails for $58 in recognition of the team tying the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League record with 58 wins.

A variety of players from the defending Memorial Cup champions will be available to sign items purchased Saturday, and fans are welcome to bring other previously purchased merchandise as well.

“The support for the Hockey Heaven book has been overwhelming, and just goes to show how much the Memorial Cup means to our fans and the Saint John region as a whole,” said Sea Dogs President Wayne Long. “Fans pre-ordered the book by the hundreds and they’ve been looking forward to getting it signed by the players who brought this championship to Saint John. This is a chance for them to do that, as well as a chance for fans to get a copy of the book at an incredible value before they’re all gone.”

In addition, Sea Dogs players will be at the new BMO branch at 45 Hubert Street Monday from 5 to 7 p.m. As part of the bank’s grand opening, and to showcase its new sponsorship of the Canadian Hockey League, the branch is hosting an “Ultimate Fan” competition.

The first 100 people to register on site will be entered in a trivia contest to prove who knows their favourite junior hockey team the best. The winner will be entered into a draw, along with winners from 40 other communities, to win a grand prize of a trip for two to the 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup in Shawinigan, Que.

Thursday night the Sea Dogs will face the Moncton Wildcats in the next instalment of the Brunswick News Rivalry Cup at 7 p.m. The Sea Dogs are hoping for a second straight sellout as upper-bowl tickets are just $10. In addition, the Sea Dogs are accepting donations in partnership with Aeropostale for the fifth annual Teens For Jeans campaign. Fans can donate any brand or size of gently worn jeans, which will be given to local charities that serve homeless teens. Fans making a donation will receive a coupon for 25 per cent off a pair of new Aero jeans at Aeropostale, and a chance to win a pair of Aero jeans signed by the Sea Dogs.

Finding Ways To Win...

2012-01-23T07:41:00.001-04:00

If there's one thing we've learned about this season's Saint John Sea Dogs team, it's to never count them out. A prime example is yesterday's match up in Bathurst against the Titan. After finding themselves in a 2-0 hole early in the first period, the Saint John squad found a way to dig themselves out and take the game in a convincing 5-2 win. The victory moves the Sea Dogs into a tie with the Shawinigan Cataractes for the league lead.
More About The Game-
Acadie-Bathurst capitalized on a double-minor to Sea Dogs defenceman Nathan Beaulieu, for checking from behind and unsportsmanlike conduct, with a pair of power-play goals before the game was five minutes old.

O’Brien got the first just 17 seconds into the man advantage when he broke down the wing, blew by the Sea Dogs defender and cut to the front of the net before beating Sebastien Auger, who got the start in the Saint John goal, for his league-leading 42nd goal of the season.

Just over a minute later the Titan power play struck again when Hoefflin took a pass from O’Brien and beat Auger low on the stick side from the high slot.

“We took a double-minor and they scored two power-play goals right off the bat and there goes the game plan,” said Saint John head coach Gerard Gallant following the win, as reported in the Telegraph Journal. “We had talked about killing their power plays and limiting their chances, but we just regrouped and found a way to get a couple of goals back early in the game to tie it up and we went from there.”

The early Titan momentum was short-lived, as the Sea Dogs got their first goal of the game just over two minutes later and never looked back.

Charles-Olivier Roussell broke the ice for Saint John when he pounced on a big rebound in the slot and snapped a shot over the glove hand of Titan netminder Robert Steeves at the 6:47 mark to cut the lead in half.

Charlie Coyle evened the score before the midway point of the opening frame when he banked the puck off an Acadie-Bathurst defender and by Steeves from behind the net.

Titan head coach Eric Dubois said the quick two-goal lead wasn’t necessarily the best thing that could have happened to his team.

“No I don’t think so. Lately when we play well against (the big teams) the game was tight for a long, long time, until we reached the third period,” he said. “I thought when we took the lead right away (Sunday) we started opening up the game and I didn’t like it. We were not as physical as we should have been.”

Zack Phillips gave Saint John the lead just under 13 minutes into the first period when he fired a shot from the slot over Steeves’ left shoulder.

“We saw some bad decisions,” said Dubois. “Giving up a four on three on their first goal, not covering the slot, giving them way too much space. Their transition is unbelievable. “

“I was happy with the scoring chances we created but I thought we gave up too many,” said Gallant. “I thought it was a well played first period offensively by both teams, but there were obviously some breakdowns. It was entertaining for sure.”

The Sea Dogs are back on the ice Thursday night at Harbour Station as they face the Moncton Wildcats in another installment of the Rivalry Cup. The Sea Dogs are hoping for a second straight sellout as upper-bowl tickets are just $10. In addition, the Sea Dogs are accepting donations in partnership with Aeropostale for the fifth annual Teens For Jeans campaign. Fans can donate any brand or size of gently worn jeans, which will be given to local charities that serve homeless teens. Fans making a donation will receive a coupon for 25 per cent off a pair of new Aero jeans at Aeropostale, and a chance to win a pair of Aero jeans signed by the Sea Dogs.

Sea Dogs Down Titan....

2012-01-22T19:57:00.000-04:00

Early in the first period, Sea Dogs defenceman Nathan Beaulieu took a double minor penalty which led to the Titan scoring 2 power play goals. Being down 2-0 was not the start the Sea Dogs wanted but the Port City squad battled back with 5 unanswered goals and defeated their divisional rivals 5-2.

These teams will play each other two more times in regular season play. Both games will be at Harbour Station.

1st Period-

1, Acadie-Bathurst, O'Brien 42 (Hoefflin), 3:13 (pp). 2, Acadie-Bathurst, Hoefflin 8 (Trudeau, O'Brien), 4:37 (pp). 3, Saint John, Roussel 10 (Phillips, Huberdeau), 6:47. 4, Saint John, Coyle 5 (Durepos, Roussel), 9:35. 5, Saint John, Phillips 24 (Coyle, Huberdeau), 12:53.

Penalties-

Beaulieu Snb (boarding, unsportmanlike conduct), 2:56; Kabambi Bat (tripping), 13:14.

2nd Period-

6, Saint John, Phillips 25 (Saab, Huberdeau), 3:45. 7, Saint John, Gauthier 35 (Jurco), 11:45 (pp). Penalties-

Huberdeau Snb (interference on a goaltender), 0:41; Saab Snb (fighting), 5:34; Davis Bat (fighting), 5:34; Fraser Bat (checking from behind), 8:35; Girard Bat (interference of a player or a goaltender), 11:21; West Snb (spearing, spearing), 16:57.

3rd Period- No Scoring.

Penalties-Murray Bat (roughing), 5:30; Murray Bat (high-sticking), 7:35; Cooper Snb (checking from behind), 10:52; Saab Snb (roughing after the whistle), 10:52; Kabambi Bat (roughing after the whistle), 10:52; Kelly Snb (unsportmanlike conduct), 15:41; Davis Bat (roughing after the whistle), 15:41; Beaulieu Snb (high-sticking), 19:24.

Shots-
Saint John 23. Acadie-Bathurst 32.

Power Play
Saint John 1 of 5; Acadie-Bathurst 2 of 7.

Goalies-
Saint John, Auger 8-2-0-2 (32 shots-30 saves).
Acadie-Bathurst, Steeves 17-9-2-3 (23 shots-18 saves).

Game Day: Sea Dogs vs. Titan...

2012-01-22T09:53:00.000-04:00

The Saint John Sea Dogs (33-13-0-2) face off against another division rival , the Acadie-Bathurst Titan (23-19-2-3) at the K.C. Irving Regional Centre this afternoon at 4pm.

The Sea Dogs coming off a 7-3 win over the Halifax Mooseheads last night at Harbour Station will have to contend with the Big 3 on the Titan roster: League goal leader - Zach O'Brien who has 41 goals and 41 assists for 82 pts. Sebastien Trudeau with 20 goals and 57 assists for 77 pts. and Matthew Bissonnette with 34 goals and 36 pts for 70 pts.

For the Sea Dogs points leaders are Zack Phillips with 23 goals and 38 assists for 61 pts., Danick Gauthier with 34 goals and 26 assists for 60 pts. and Tomas Jurco with 23 goals and 26 assists for 49 pts.

Newcomer Charlie Coyle has been hot in this first three games as a member of the Sea Dogs scoring 4 goals in 3 games.

It's always a hard fought game when these two teams meet, so today should be no exception.

Sea Dogs Rout The Herd....

2012-01-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

A sell-out crowd of 6,488 Saint John’s largest of the season, watched the Sea Dogs take a third-period explosion to a 7-3 win over the Halifax Mooseheads Saturday at Harbour Station.

Charlie Coyle and Tomas Jurco gave the home crowd plenty of reason to cheer with two goals each as the Dogs outgunned their Maritime Division rivals to improve to 33-13-0-2. Jurco added an assist, and Danick Gauthier had a goal and a helper, with single goals coming from Stephen MacAulay and Aidan Kelly. Jonathan Huberdeau and Grant West chipped in two assists each and Mathieu Corbeil made 29 saves for the win against his former team.

Darcy Ashley, Martin Frk and Konrad Abeltshauser scored for Halifax and Zachary Fucale made 30 saves on 37 shots – many of them outstanding – before being relieved by Marc-Olivier Daigle. Daigle made four saves in 11:25 of work as the second-place Mooseheads fell to 26-16-1-3.

With Saturday's win the Sea Dogs are two points behind Shawinigan (who lost last night to Gatineau) for the overall league lead and remain first in the Maritimes Division 12 pts. ahead of Halifax.

Game Notes-
The first period started out with plenty of back-and-forth, but play was scrambly, with few shots on target.

Ashley drew first blood for Halifax at the 10:09 mark of the first period, depositing the puck into a wide-open net as Corbeil got caught out of his net in a scramble.

Coyle evened the affair at 11:28, taking a breakaway feed from Huberdeau at the blueline, deking out Fucale and finishing on his forehand. Jason Seed had the other assist on the goal. Coyle added another just nine seconds later, (a team record) when Huberdeau intercepted a pass, and tossed a backhand dish to Coyle, who buried a one-timer for his fourth. The Minnesota Wild prospect has scored in all three games as a Sea Dog.

The Mooseheads had a great opportunity to equalize later in the period but Jonathan Drouin fanned on a one-timer with an open net.

After outshooting Halifax 13-10 in the first, Saint John came out strong again in the second. On the first shift of the frame Nathan Beaulieu fed Huberdeau for a one-timer that Fucale denied. Gauthier then made it 3-1 on a 2-on-1 with West at 7:38. West fed Gauthier a backhand pass and the overager buried it upstairs to Fucale’s blocker side for his team-leading 34 goal, with the other assist going to Oliver Cooper.

Shortly thereafter, Coyle got in behind the defence and had a chance at a hat trick denied by Fucale’s right pad. Fucale also came up with a big save on a Jurco deke to the backhand during a 4-on-4 midway.

The Sea Dogs then faced a 4-on-3 penalty kill when Huberdeau was called for goaltender interference at 11:44. The Saint John penalty killers turned in a great effort, highlighted by MacAulay laying down to block a shot, but Frk blasted a shot through Corbeil from the top of the left-wing circle at 12:41.

Saint John had several opportunities to extend the lead late in the second.

The Mooseheads equalized 45 seconds into the third. After a couple of nice stops by Corbeil, Abeltshauser threw a point shot through traffic that found its way into the net to make it 3-3.

But the Dogs pulled back into the lead 23 seconds later on MacAulay’s 11th of the year. Jurco fished the puck out from behind the net, got it out front to MacAulay, and his quick backhander found the back of the net.

Jurco then scored a goal of his own, when he took a pass in the high slot from Gauthier, and deked to his backhand to beat Fucale at 5:12. Just 20 seconds later Jason Seed appeared to score his first as a Sea Dog on a point shot that bounced past Fucale, but the goal was waved off with no explanation.

The Dogs added to the lead on Kelly’s eighth at 7:38 of the third. West drove hard to the net but was stopped by Fucale, who also stopped Jason Cameron’s rebound attempt, but couldn’t stop Kelly on the next one.

Jurco rounded out the summary at 8:35. The goal brought Fucale’s night to an end, as he gave way to Daigle for the rest of the evening. (from Sea Dogs website)

Three Stars of the Game-
1. SNB - Charles Coyle
2. SNB - Tomas Jurco
3. SNB -Stephen MacAulay

The Sea Dogs visit the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Sunday, for a 4 p.m. start.

Not To Be Taken Lightly-

2012-01-20T07:55:00.001-04:00

The Sea Dogs have not played a game since last Saturday night and fans are looking forward to a visit to Harbour Station this Saturday night from the Halifax Mooseheads. With help from rookie Nathan MacKinnon the Herd has proven they are a force that should not be taken lightly by any team.

Since they acquired MacKinnon’s rights from the Baie-Comeau Drakkar this past summer, the Herd has become one of the most-watched teams in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Previous to this season, the Mooseheads suffered through three straight losing seasons, averaging 17 wins per year and missing the playoffs twice in that span. Halifax, however, owns a 26-14-1-3 record entering tonight’s match up against Cape Breton.

“It’s become a rivalry,’’ Dogs forward Jason Cameron said about the Maritime Division opponents in today's Telegraph Journal.. “They’re getting better and they always work hard. We always have to be up for them and we can’t take them lightly.’’

MacKinnon has 22 goals and 55 points, just three behind Quebec’s Mikhail Grigorenko in the league’s rookie scoring race. Second-year Czech forward Martin Frk is healthy again, (4-3-7 in 12 games) making the Mooseheads even more dangerous.

“We have to shut those guys down,’’ Cameron said. “Once you get by those guys, there are not too many offensive threats. Whenever you’re able to shut guys down like that, it gives you a lot of confidence.

“When you play against them, they’re really tough and it teaches you to work hard. We’ve been working hard the last couple of weeks on our defensive-zone (coverage) and I think we’re going to shut them down. If you shut those guys down and if we play a full three periods, we’ll come out with the win and get back in gear.’’

The Sea Dogs are on the road for their second weekend game to be played Sunday at 4 p.m., against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at the K.C. Irving Regional Centre.

League Suspension

Val-d’Or Foreurs defenceman Alex Filiatrault was suspended for six additional games, the QMJHL announced Thursday. The suspension was handed out after a knee-on-knee collision during a game against the Quebec Remparts on Jan. 14. Filiatrault’s original suspension was just one game. In addition, the league fined the Remparts $2,500 for comments made by head coach and general manager Patrick Roy. “I do not tolerate any criticism made to the media about our officials, video goal judges, team personnel or players that casts a doubt at the integrity of our league,’’ commissioner Gilles Courteau said in a release.

Midweek News and Notes...

2012-01-18T07:07:00.001-04:00

FOOD BANKS THE WINNERS IN RIVALRY CUP

The results are in and New Brunswick food banks were the winners in the Brunswick News Rivalry Cup food bank challenge.
To make the annual New Year’s series between the teams a little more interesting, the Saint John Sea Dogs and Moncton Wildcats co-hosted a friendly competition for a good cause. Each city was challenged to bring non-perishable food donations to the rink, and the teams combined to raise roughly 4,000 pounds of food for the *Moncton Food Bank Name* and the Saint John Community Food Basket.
Generous Moncton fans piled food high at the Coliseum on New Year's Eve and the Wildcats were able to secure an industrial scale to actually weigh each food item, for a grand total of 1,911 pounds. Saint John raised a similar amount of food at its home game Jan. 2, with a total determined based on a national formula for calculating food bank donations.
“Healthy competitions such as the Rivalry Cup reach far into the community, evidenced here by this very generous donation that will benefit the people that we help. I would like to thank fans of the Sea Dogs who do such a great job supporting them,” said Carolyn Danells, executive director of the Community Food Basket.
Because of the differences in methods used to compare the totals, the teams have agreed to split the three bonus Rivalry Cup points and declare the food banks the real winners.
“The Rivalry Cup certainly adds an extra element of competition as a friendly challenge between the two cities,” said Sea Dogs President Wayne Long. “The fans in both Saint John and Moncton deserve credit for stepping up to support their communities.”
Moncton remains in the lead in the overall Rivalry Cup standings, holding an 11.5-10.5 edge in the competition, which is based on on-ice results, attendance, and various off-ice elements. Still underway is the social media challenge, with five points on the line for the team with the most engaged fans on Twitter and Facebook. (as reported on the Sea Dogs website)

Overage defenceman Charles-Olivier Roussel wasn't with the Sea Dogs last year when they had their magical run that lead to winning the Memorial Cup. It wasn't much fun when his Montreal Juniors team was knocked out of the playoffs by the now defunct Lewiston Maineiacs. Roussel joined the Sea Dogs at the start of the season through a trade and has recaptured the fun of playing the game of hockey as Scott Briggs reports in the Telegraph Journal today.

Mixing Business With Pleasure-
Whether it was the expectations that come with being an NHL draft pick or the pressures of winning, Charles-Olivier Roussel wasn’t having much fun last season. Roussel wanted to help the Montreal Juniors to a long playoff run, but they ran into an upstart Lewiston Maineiacs team in the second round.

The defeat still stung after the season, so the Nashville Predators prospect welcomed a trade to Saint John this past fall.

“I’m enjoying the game again,’’ Roussel said after finishing a three-on-three competition after Tuesday’s practice at Harbour Station. “I lost that last year in Montreal, but the guys here and the coaching staff here (have helped) me to start loving the game again. I think that’s the most important thing. I can’t wait to come to the rink and see the guys, and that has been the biggest difference this year.’’

Drafted 42nd overall by Nashville in 2009, Roussel was poised to play for the Predators’ American Hockey League affiliate in Milwaukee, Wisc., in 2011-12. But the Preds supported a trade that brought the 20-year-old blue-liner to the Port City. The native of St. Eustache, Que., has nine goals and 28 points, just two shy of last year’s output.

“I had a bit of a down season last year,’’ Roussel said. “I think I focused on the wrong things. I came back this year playing to my strengths and having fun. I’m a player who’s good when I have fun and play a lot, and I think last year I didn’t play that much. This year the coaches have confidence in me and they’re putting me out there and I’m having fun.’’

Roussel will be looking to build on his strong season when the Dogs (32-13-0-2) host the Halifax Mooseheads (26-14-1-3) Saturday at 7 p.m. at Harbour Station. Saint John’s other weekend contest goes Sunday at 4 p.m. versus the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at the K.C. Irving Regional Centre.

“We’re happy with him,’’ Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant said about Roussel. “He’s competing real hard and he’s a big part of our blue-line. Nashville was comfortable sending him back here and they trusted he would play a lot and work hard and play in all situations. I think they’re real happy and we’re happy with what we see, too. He’s just a solid guy and he’s doing a good job.’’

Roussel joined the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League when Shawinigan drafted him third overall in 2007. He spent three years with the Cataractes and came within a game of winning the President’s Cup in 2009. All that history means there’s plenty of anticipation building toward Saint John’s two games in Shawinigan – Feb. 4 and March 11.

“I’m pretty excited, but that’s not all I’m thinking about,’’ Roussel said. “I’d rather play in Shawinigan in the month of May (during the Memorial Cup). That would be way more exciting. Those games (this winter) are going to be important, but the real ones are going to be in May.’’

Until then, Roussel is intent on appreciating every day at the rink, whether it’s a game or practice.

“You always have to keep in mind that it’s a sport and you do it for fun,’’ he said. “We’ve done this since we were young and it’s because we love the game. There’s always a time to be serious and always a time to have fun.

“I think our coaches and players understand that. (Our coaches) have been in the NHL and they know how to treat their players. They know how to manage. I just love it so far, there’s not one bad thing I can say about Saint John.’’

Not Pretty But Effective....

2012-01-16T10:45:00.000-04:00

It's not always about getting shots on net or making that highlight reel play. It doesn't have to be pretty to be effective. Sometimes just getting anything near the net will do the trick. That's the gist of an article today in the Telegraph Journal by Scott Briggs, reporting on the Saint John Sea Dogs’ 3-0 blanking of the Drummondville Voltigeurs Saturday night at Harbour Station. (With the win the Port City squad improved to 32-13-0-2 and now sit two points behind the Shawinigan Cataractes for the overall lead in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League standings.)
The Not So Pretty Goals-

The first was when the Sea Dogs took a 1-0 lead at 10:54 of the first period when Zack Phillips circled behind the net and banked a wraparound backhander off the behind of Volts goalie Domenic Graham. The Dogs went up 2-0 just 49 seconds later on Charlie Coyle’s goal, his second as a Sea Dog and it was another goal that came from simply putting the puck in the general vicinity of the net.

Coyle created his own luck by beating Volts defenceman Nikolas Brouillard to a loose puck along the end boards. The Saint John winger didn’t handle the puck, instead firing a backhand pass that hit Graham’s skate and went in the cage.

“That’s something we talked about,’’ Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant said about having a more simple approach after Thursday’s 4-1 loss to Shawinigan. “We were over-passing too much (Thursday), but our game is still not there. The last two games, we haven’t played our style of hockey, but we found a way to win tonight.

“We’re going through this (funk) right now and we’re hoping we’re going to get better. I’m not concerned about it, but I’m a bit frustrated. We’re missing our jump. Whether it’s a couple of good, hard skates in practice or whatever, we’ve had a lot of guys coming back to our team (from tournaments like the world juniors and world under-17 tournament). I hate making excuses, but we haven’t had guys playing together a whole lot (lately).’’

Saint John’s third and final goal was another example of shooting without trying to be too fancy. Defenceman Pierre Durepos drifted a shot from the right point that went through traffic and past Graham at 14:20 of the second period, essentially putting the contest out of reach for Drummondville.

Sea Dogs netminder Sebastien Auger made 28 saves to register his first career QMJHL shutout. The rookie from St. Augustin de Desmaures, Que., was busiest in the second period, turning aside 14 shots. The 17-year-old stopped seven pucks in both the first and third frames.

“The guys played very well defensively and I just had to make a couple of good saves,’’ Auger said, downplaying his best performance of the season. “I want to build on this and I’ll continue (to work). I didn’t put pressure on myself. It was another game and I had to contribute.’’

Gallant was more direct about the goalie’s performance.

“He battled and he made some good saves,’’ the bench boss said. “We’re real happy for him.’’
The Sea Dogs don't play again until Saturday night when they face the Halifax Mooseheads and phenom Nathan MacKinnon at Harbour Station.

Sea Dogs Blank the Volts...

2012-01-15T07:18:00.000-04:00

The Saint John Sea Dogs defeated the Drummondville Voltigeurs by a score of 3-0 at Harbour Station Saturday night in front of 5,209 fans.

Zack Phillips, Charlie Coyle and Pierre Durepos had goals for the Sea Dogs. Danick Gauthier added two assists as their record improved to 32-13-0-2. Sebastien Auger made 28 saves for his first QMJHL shutout.

Domenic Graham made 19 saves in the loss as the Voltigeurs dropped to 17-24-2-3.

Three Stars of the Game-
1. SNB - Sébastien Auger
2. SNB - Pierre Durepos
3. SNB - Charles Coyle

Game Notes-

The Sea Dogs managed some sustained pressure in the offensive zone just past the halfway point of the first period. Nathan Beaulieu set up shop at the left point and took a pass from Gauthier. Phillips tipped Beaulieu’s point shot wide, corralled his own rebound off the back boards and wrapped around for a backhand bank-shot off Graham at 10:54 for his 23rd of the year.

Less than one minute later, Coyle chased down a Jason Seed dump-in, won a race to the puck, reached around a defender and whipped the puck in off of Graham and into the net. The goal, Coyle’s second in as many games, came at 11:43, with the other assist going to Ian Saab. The Sea Dogs kept the pressure up despite having to kill a late penalty and finished the period up 2-0.

Graham made an incredible glove save on Coyle one-timer on a 2-on-1 chance with Jonathan Huberdeau, whose 10-game points streak came to an end. The game continued with plenty of chances at both ends, including a number for the Sea Dogs where Graham shut the door. It turned into a goaltending battle in the second, as Auger made several big stops including two sprawling pad saves during a Drummondville onslaught.

Durepos extended the Sea Dogs lead with a shot from the right-wing point at 14:20 of the middle frame. Gauthier and Tomas Jurco picked up assists on the goal, the third of the season for Durepos. Phillips did a good job forcing a turnover from Graham behind the net with less than two minutes to go in the second, but couldn’t find an open player for an empty net chance. The Sea Dogs were outshot 14-7 during the second

Auger continued making several saves in the first 10 minutes of the third period en route to a shutout victory. (from Sea Dogs website)

The Sea Dogs have a week off until next Saturday when the Halifax Mooseheads come to Harbour Station.

The game starts at 7 p.m.

Dogs And Volts Face Off Tonight....

2012-01-14T07:26:00.000-04:00

Thursday night's loss against the Shawinigan Cataractes has given the Sea Dogs resolve to get back to the basics and play their game. Saint John (31-13-0-2) has two more games against the Cataractes, both in Shawinigan, on Feb. 4 and March 11. With Shawinigan's 8-2 win last night against PEI, the Cataractes now sit first overall in the league, 2pts ahead of the Sea Dogs.

But the focus for the Sea Dogs is on the match up against the Drummondville Voltigeurs (17-23-2-3) at Harbour Station tonight at 7 p.m.

“We just have to focus on being simpler, especially on the power play,’’ Dogs forward Stephen MacAulay said after Friday’s practice at Harbour Station. “We struggled a lot (Thursday) by trying to make the perfect pass. We just have to make sure we get shots.

“We have big guys at the net – (Charlie) Coyle, (Danick) Gauthier and myself. We have to chase down the rebounds and we have enough skill at the net to make plays, too. We just have to make sure we battle for the net presence.’’ (quotes from Telegraph Journal)

Cataractes Top Sea Dogs.....

2012-01-13T07:27:00.000-04:00

The Shawinigan Cataractes came out on top with a 4-1 win over the Memorial Cup champion Saint John Sea Dogs as the teams battled for the second time in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League regular season Thursday. These teams will meet two more times this season in Shawinigan.

Despite some nasty weather outside, a crowd of 4,065 at Harbour Station watched the new Sea Dogs acquisition Charlie Coyle make an immediate impact by scoring his first QMJHL goal, but that was all the offence the Sea Dogs could muster for a record of 31-13-0-2. Jonathan Huberdeau finished with an assist to extend his points streak to 10 games. Mathieu Corbeil made 22 saves in the loss.

Peter Sakaris had two goals, and Michael Chaput and Michael Bournival also tallied for the Cataractes. Gabriel Girard stopped 29 shots for the win as Shawinigan climbed to 30-10-2-2 and evened the season series at a game apiece.

Post Game Quotes-
Brandon Gormley

“There’s no better time to test yourselves than against one of the best teams in the league,’’ said Gormley, acquired in a blockbuster deal with the Moncton Wildcats on Jan. 7. “It was great to see the way we responded. We just have to prepare the way we did today and we should be fine.’’

Sea Dogs Coach Gerard Gallant

“We didn’t click at all tonight,’’ Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant said. “We played OK in the first period, but we didn’t capitalize on our power plays (0-for-6) and I thought our work ethic was awful. We just didn’t meet the challenge and they took over the game in the second and third periods, and we didn’t have much pushback. That was pretty hard to believe from our team.

“I just thought we played too much as individuals and we had no get-up-and-go. They came in here and played a good game. I didn’t like my team one bit.’’

Game Summary-

1st Period-

1, Shawinigan, Chaput 11 (Kabanov, Veilleux), 7:40. 2, Saint John, Coyle 1 (Huberdeau, Phillips), 10:33. Penalties-

Maynard Sha (holding), 8:16; served by Kabanov Sha (too many men on the ice), 12:10; Zlobin Sha (tripping), 14:49; Roussel Snb (tripping), 15:53.

2nd Period-

3, Shawinigan, Sakaris 15 (Zlobin, Bournival), 18:50.

Penalties-

Arseneau Sha (roughing), 6:31; Morin Sha (roughing), 6:31; Huberdeau Snb (roughing), 6:31; MacDonald Snb (roughing), 6:31; Chaput Sha (roughing), 6:54; Racine Sha (slashing), 13:56.

3rd Period-

4, Shawinigan, Sakaris 16 (Bournival, Zlobin), 0:26. 5, Shawinigan, Bournival 17 (Maynard), 16:48. Penalties

Arseneau Sha (tripping), 13:33; Narbonne Sha (fighting, fight in the final 5 minutes of regulation time, or anytime of the overtime - game misconduct), 18:32; McGuigan Snb (fighting, fight in the final 5 minutes of regulation time, or anytime of the overtime - game misconduct), 18:32.

Shots-Shawinigan 26. Saint John 30.
Power Play Opportunities-Shawinigan 0 of 1; Saint John 0 of 6.
Goalies-
Shawinigan, Girard 13-3-1-0 (30 shots-29 saves).
Saint John, Corbeil 25-9-0-0 (26 shots-22 saves).

Game Day- Cataractes vs. Sea Dogs....

2012-01-12T07:44:00.000-04:00

Expecting stormy weather in our region today on and off the ice. The Shawinigan Cataractes, this year's hosts for the Memorial Cup face off against the reigning Memorial Cup champions Saint John Sea Dogs tonight at Harbour Station.

Pre-Game Ceremony-

In recognition of their performances at recent international tournaments, the Saint John Sea Dogs will host a pre-game ceremony tonight to honour seven players.

Four Sea Dogs players represented their countries at the World Junior Hockey Championship recently, including bronze medalists Jonathan Huberdeau and Nathan Beaulieu of Canada. Tomas Jurco (Slovakia) also competed at the world juniors as did Charlie Coyle (USA), who will make his Quebec Major Junior Hockey League debut Thursday. Coyle, a six-foot-two, 207-pound forward from Weymouth, Mass., will join his three new teammates in being recognized before Thursday’s 7 p.m. game against the Shawinigan Cataractes.

Team Canada members Michael Bournival and Brandon Gormley of the Cataractes will be honoured as well.

The Sea Dogs had one other representative wearing the Maple Leaf over the Christmas holidays. Rookie Oliver Cooper skated for Team Atlantic at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

All seven players will receive a plaque from the Sea Dogs for their efforts in representing their countries on the international stage. In addition, Sea Dogs Chairman and CEO will join President Wayne Long in presenting Huberdeau and Beaulieu with official Team Canada jerseys at centre ice.

Other News-
World Under-17 experience invaluable for Oliver Cooper

Even though he didn’t win a medal, it was an invaluable experience for Fredericton native and Saint John Sea Dogs Oliver Cooper, getting to play for Team Atlantic at this year’s World Under-17 Challenge in Windsor, Ont.
“It gives you a taste of all the players you’re up against,’’ the Saint John Sea Dogs rookie said in an article by Scott Briggs in the Telegraph Journal.. “It’s kind of an eye-opener. There’s some tough competition.’’
Playing on a line with Halifax Mooseheads freshman Nathan MacKinnon in three of fives games. MacKinnon, projected as an early pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, set up Cooper for the game-winning goal in a 4-3 victory over Germany during the round-robin.
About MacKinnon, Cooper commented ,“He’s so explosive, He takes two strides and he’s at full speed. He’s unreal; he’s going to be something. He does things that no one else even thinks of doing. He had a lot of pressure on him, but I think he handled it well.’’
“I think beating (two) countries was a big accomplishment,’’ Cooper said. “I think beating Ontario might have felt a little bit better, but we were proud (of our effort).’’
Aside from facing the top talent in his age division, Cooper had to cope with trade rumours.
“Some of the guys were joking with me and asking me where I was going, but I tried not to think about it,’’ he said “It was definitely in the back of my mind, but I’m glad I’m staying here.
“It couldn’t have worked out better because I’m still here and I’m happy. This is where I want to be for the rest of my career.’’
So far, Cooper is having a strong season, notching nine goals and 20 points in 39 games.
“We’re real happy with his development,’’ Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant said. “He’s a big, strong kid and we just expect he’s going to get better. From our experience with the young kids, their second half is even better than their first.
“He’s a great kid and he’s getting better every day. He works hard for us and we’re happy with his character and with everything he’s done

BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings – Week 16
Rank- Team (Record - Last Week Rank- Number of Weeks Ranked
1 Tri-City Americans (32-7-0-0) 1 13
2 London Knights (30-8-0-1) 2 15
3 Plymouth Whalers (28-9-2-1) 4 9
4 Quebec Remparts (29-8-3-2) 3 13
5 Saint John Sea Dogs (31-12-0-2) 5 16
6 Shawinigan Cataractes (29-10-2-2) 6 14
7 Kamloops Blazers (28-10-1-2) 9 7
8 Edmonton Oil Kings (27-10-1-4 7 4
9 Kitchener Rangers (26-11-1-0) 8 5
10 Ottawa 67's (25-10-4-1)- 4

Honourable Mention:
Moose Jaw Warriors (25-12-4-1) 10 2
Brampton Battalion (23-10-2-5) 0
Portland Winterhawks (26-12-2-1) 2

Sea Dogs Goaltender Mathieu Corbeil among QMJHL scholastic players
for the month of December 2011
After compiling the latest school results, team academic consultants from around the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League today released the names of the Scholastic Players of the Month for December.
This initiative’s goal, which was developed by the QMJHL and its member clubs, is to recognize student athletes’ performances both on the ice and at school. The players are selected for their school results, their implication, the school-hockey conciliation, their team spirit and their on-ice performances.
Here are the laureates for the month of December:

Acadie-Bathurst
Sébastien Trudeau
Cégep@distance

Baie-Comeau
Thomas Gobeil
École secondaire Serge-Bouchard

Blainville-Boisbriand
Alex Micallef
Concordia University

Cap-Breton
Cory MacIntosh
Cape Breton University

Chicoutimi
Yoan Pinette
Cégep de Chicoutimi

Drummondville
André Bouvet-Morrissette
Collège Ellis

Gatineau
Jean-Gabriel Pageau
Cégep de l'Outaouais

Halifax
Brent Andrews
Saint Mary's University

Moncton
Mark Tremaine
Harrison Trimble High School

PEI
Josh Currie
UPEI

Québec
Martin Lefebvre
Cégep de Limoilou

Rimouski
Jacob Gervais-Chouinard
Cégep de Rimouski

Rouyn-Noranda
Peter Angelopoulos
ILC (Ontario)

Shawinigan
Mitchell Maynard
Athabasca University

Saint John
Mathieu Corbeil-Thériault
University of New Brunswick

Val-d'Or
Nicolas Dionne
Cégep de Val-d'Or

Victoriaville
Yannick Dubé
La Riveraine

New Sea Dog On The Ice....

2012-01-11T09:02:00.000-04:00

On Thursday night fans at Harbour Station will get to see Brandon Gormley as a member of the Shawinigan Cataractes. They will also see the debut of Charlie Coyle now a member of the Saint John Sea Dogs. Although the Sea Dogs did not make a big splash at the trade deadline the addition of Coyle was definitely a huge addition to an already very good team that has been plagued by the injury bug this season.

About Charlie

He grew up not far from Boston University where he wanted to live his hockey dream.
Before his first game as a freshman in 2010,became a first-round draft pick of the San Jose Sharks.
left the Terriers in mid-December to play for the Saint John Sea Dogs.
Coyle’s stint with the Dogs officially begins with Thursday’s game against the Shawinigan Cataractes at 7 p.m. at Harbour Station
He played for the United States at the world juniors in Alberta, where he registered four goals and added an assist. One of his goals was a lightning-quick wrist shot in a New Year’s Eve loss to Canada. Coyle helped the U.S. win bronze last year in Buffalo, N.Y.
“He has a great shot and he’s fast,’’ said Dogs defenceman Nathan Beaulieu, who played for Team Canada in Alberta. “He’s an unbelievable player. He’s going to play on our first line, there’s no question.’’
.At Tuesday's practice, Coyle skated on a line centered by fellow Minnesota Wild prospect Zack Phillips, while Florida Panthers draft pick Jonathan Huberdeau was on the left side.
Coyle got to know Phillips during Minnesota’s development camp last summer, but the two became linked during a draft-day deal. The Wild traded Brent Burns to San Jose for Devin Setoguchi, Coyle and the No. 28 pick in the draft, which the Wild eventually used to select Phillips.
“He’s what we needed on our line,’’ Phillips said. “He’s a finisher and he’s big in front of the net and he’s good on battles for the puck. I’m excited to see how it goes.’’

Why he chose the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

“I grew up loving BU and wanting to go there all my life,’’ the 19-year-old said Tuesday after his first practice with the Sea Dogs. “I never pictured myself coming up and playing here. I’m going to be learning a lot in the next few weeks and I’m looking forward to that.’’

“The key thing was I just wanted to focus 100 per cent on hockey and kind of leave the school phase behind,’’ said Coyle, who played for Thayer Academy and the South Shore Kings of the Eastern Junior League en route to BU. “Playing more games and having more of a pro schedule were major things that influenced me, too. Hopefully this path will get me to the NHL, but I want to enjoy my stay here and just develop.

“I’m very fortunate to have this opportunity. I guess everyone has their own path that they want to take and this is the one I chose.’’

Lucky Number-

Coyle will continue to wear No. 3, a number chosen as a youth player on the advice of cousin Tony Amonte’s father. Tony Amonte wore No. 3 at BU and later 33 for the New York Rangers.

What can be expected in his debut Thursday night?

“His first game will be a high-energy game,’’ Saint John head coach Gerard Gallant said of Coyle. “I think he’s going to be a top player". (quotes from the Telegraph Journal)

Simon Despres Injured During Penguins Loss To Senators-

Pittsburgh Penguins Rookie defenseman Simon Despres left about midway through the first period with an unspecified injury and did not return. He attempted to hit Ottawa's Kaspars Daugavins and went hard into the boards. He appeared somewhat hobbled as he left the ice. Coach Dan Bylsma said Despres needed further evaluation.

Despres was called up from the American Hockey League earlier in the day to replace Paul Martin, who is ill.

Sea Dogs Not Chopped Liver....

2012-01-10T10:33:00.001-04:00

By all accounts Shawinigan appears to be the team that improved the most during the trade period, adding Brandon Gormley, Morgan Ellis and Jonathan Narbonne, all three considered high-end defencemen, but it’s not like the Sea Dogs are chopped liver as stated by Peter McGuire in the Telegraph Journal.. The defending Memorial Cup champions have four NHL first-round draft picks on their roster and a more-than-capable supporting cast.

Despite missing key players like Stanislav Galiev (5 games played), Jonathan Huberdeau (14GP) and Ryan Tesink (20GP) for extended periods this season and the fact that the team was missing four players during the world juniors, this team is still in first place overall with a record of 31-12-0-2, one point ahead of the Quebec Remparts.

And they also picked up former NHL first-round pick Charlie Coyle from Boston University without giving up any players or draft picks.

The Sea Dogs may not have landed Brandon Gormley, but when everyone is healthy,they will have added four high-end players.

“The biggest question around the league is, ‘How good is Saint John going to be?’”, Kelly said in the Telegraph Journal. “Nobody has seen Charlie Coyle and nobody knows how much of an impact he’s going to have. It’s the same thing with Galiev and Tesink when they return. We’re very comfortable with our team and we told the kids that.”

Hoping For Villemaire To Return....

Recently acquired Maxime Villemaire returned home to Quebec for personal reasons after playing just one game for the Sea Dogs. Saint John had surrendered a first-round draft pick in a complicated three-team deal with Drummondville and Rimouski.They still have not given up on Villemaire. In fact, Kelly said the Sea Dogs feel good about the 19-year-old returning to the lineup. If that doesn’t happen, Kelly said what normally happens in a case where a transaction goes awry is the teams involved get together to make things right, even though the original deal is registered with the league.

A Galiev update

The talented Russian no longer has a cast on his wrist. He’s wearing a splint and is skating regularly. His next doctor’s appointment is early February and the team hopes to have him back in the lineup by the middle of next month.

Stars On Ice-At Harbour Station....

A cross section of talent from this year’s world junior tournament will be at Harbour Station Thursday night.

The Saint John Sea Dogs have defenceman Nathan Beaulieu and forward Jonathan Huberdeau back from Team Canada, along with Slovakian sniper Tomas Jurco and American Charlie Coyle.

The visiting Shawinigan Cataractes have two players who skated for Canada – Brandon Gormley, the tournament’s top defenceman, and forward Michael Bournival.

“It will be a couple of top teams playing,’’ Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant said of the contest, which begins at 7 p.m. “You always want to play those big games.’’ ( all quotes from Telegraph Journal)

Charlie Coyle, a former first-round draft pick of the San Jose Sharks, will be making his Dogs debut.

“He was a first-round draft pick in the NHL and that says enough about the kid,’’ Gallant said. “He’s a power forward with great hands.’’

Coyle, who was scheduled to arrive Monday night, left Boston University shortly before Christmas to play for Saint John (31-12-0-2), first overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Before adding Gormley, Shawinigan (29-10-2-2) acquired Morgan Ellis, the league’s third star of the week after tallying seven points in three games. Acadie-Bathurst’s Zach O’Brien is the first star after notching nine points in three games, while Moncton goalie Roman Will is second after posting a .966 save percentage and 0.97 goals-against average in three games.

Jonathan Huberdeau admits it will be strange facing Gormley and Bournival after spending several weeks as teammates with Team Canada, which faced its share of adversity.

“It was hard against the Russians (in the semifinal),’’ Huberdeau said. “We were down 6-1, but we never quit and almost came back.’’

Although Canada settled for bronze, the tournament was a personal victory for Huberdeau, who returned from a foot injury suffered in early November.

“It was hard to get my conditioning back, but I think I had a good tournament,’’ he said.

Nathan Beaulieu is still savouring the overall experience, including a pre-tournament stay in the Rocky Mountains.

“Banff was one of the most beautiful spots I’ve ever seen,’’ he said. “We stayed in a resort to get away from everything before the tournament. It was really cool and it’s an experience I’ll never forget. I met a lot of good people out there and friends I’ll be in touch with for the rest of my life.’’

A Quiet Day On The Sea Dogs Front-

2012-01-09T14:00:00.000-04:00

No Sea Dogs hockey until the big Shawinigan match up Thursday night at Harbour Station. Recently acquired Charlie Coyle is expected to be in the lineup for the Dogs. We can also expect to see the Cataractes big catch at trade deadline to be in their line up. It will seem odd to see Gormley not wearing the Wildcats jersey. Should be an exciting game!

From Sea Dogs to Bulldogs-

Three wins in 46 hours for the Hamilton Bulldogs. Andreas Enqvist scored twice and former Saint John Sea Dogs goaltender, Robert Mayer had his shutout bid squashed late in Sunday’s 3-1 win over the Oklahoma City Barons on Sunday at Copps Coliseum, capping a three-game, three-win weekend for Hamilton.

The Bulldogs had a big weekend on the scoresheet, netting 12 goals in three games with wins against Syracuse (5-2), Toronto (4-1) and Oklahoma City (3-1).

Robert Mayer made 35 saves in the win, but lost his shutout bid late in the third. It’s Mayer’s second consecutive win since coming in for Nathan Lawson after he left with a concussion Friday night.

“For a guy that sat down 36 games last year and stepping up like this, I’ve got to give him credit,” Jodoin said of Mayer’s recent play.

“He had some rough times at the beginning of the season, he couldn’t win a game, but now he’s winning,” Jodoin said. “This is a huge asset for us.” (quotes from Hamilton Spectator)

Sea Dogs Double Up Moose....

2012-01-08T06:59:00.000-04:00

The Halifax Mooseheads had their chances to knock off the Sea Dogs Saturday night in front of 8,680 fans at the Metro Centre, but a five goal barrage by the Sea Dogs in the second period would be their undoing. The Sea Dogs went on to win 6-3.

Jonathan Huberdeau, Zack Phillips, Stephen Anderson, Oliver Cooper, Pierre Durepos and Kevin Gagne scored for the Sea Dogs. Nathan MacKinnon had a pair of goals for the Mooseheads and Matthew Boudreau scored one.

Former Moosehead Mathieu Corbeil stopped 19 shots for Saint John and Zachary Fucale made 28 saves for Halifax.

The Mooseheads led 2-1 after the first period but gave up two goals in the first 1:44 of the second period. The Sea Dogs added two more goals before the period was over to take a 5-3 lead. Saint John then tightened up defensively in the third period and clinched the win with an empty-net goal. It’s the second loss in a row for the Mooseheads, who only managed to get 11 shots in the final two periods.

Saint John out shot Halifax 34-22.
Three Stars of the Game-
1. SNB - Kevin Gagné
2. HAL -Nathan MacKinnon
3. SNB - Jonathan Huberdeau

Heading For Moose Country...

2012-01-07T08:04:00.000-04:00

The Sea Dogs (30-12-0-2 for 62pts.) visit the Halifax Mooseheads (24-12-1-3 for 52 pts) tonight for the fifth meeting between the two teams this season. Saint John leads the season series 3-1. Danick Gauthier and Tomas Jurco are two Sea Dogs who have combined for 12 goals and 18 points in the four games against Halifax this season. They will be looking to continue their hot streak. The Moose are coming off a loss last night where they gave up two goals in the first 96 seconds, worked their way back into the game a few times but ultimately lost 5-4 to the last-place P.E.I. Rocket.
Puck drop against the Sea Dogs is 7pm.

Despres Selected To 2012 AHL All Star Classic
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, in conjunction with the American Hockey League, announced that right wing Colin McDonald and defenseman Simon Despres have been selected to the Eastern Conference All-Star Team at the 2012 AHL All-Star Classic, to be held Jan. 29-30 in Atlantic City, N.J.

McDonald earns his second consecutive selection to the All-Star Classic having posted eight goals and 20 assists in 32 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Wethersfield, CT native is the team's leader in assists (20) and points (28) and is current tied for third in the AHL with a +17 plus/minus rating. Last season, McDonald led the league with 42 goalswhile skating with the Oklahoma City Barons.
A 20-year old rookie from Laval, QC, Despres has already appeared in 13 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins this season, compiling a goal and three assists. Returned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on New Year's Day, Despres has recorded three goals - all game-winners - and four assists in 27 games for the Penguins. He was Pittsburgh's first-round pick (30th overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Another Win For The Sea Dogs...

2012-01-05T08:08:00.001-04:00

The Sea Dogs are starting the New Year on a positive note with two wins at home. Danick Gauthier moved back into a tie for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League lead in goals as his game-winner lifted the Saint John Sea Dogs to a 3-2 victory over the Gatineau Olympiques Wednesday.

Gauthier’s 33rd created what has become a familiar scoreline between the two sides, as three of the six games in last year’s President’s Cup final were 3-2 contests, including Saint John’s Cup-clinching Game 6 win in Gatineau.

Zack Phillips had a goal and two assists and was named first star for the Sea Dogs, while Maxime Villemaire scored in his debut and was named third star. Aidan Kelly had two assists and Mathieu Corbeil made 26 saves for his league-leading 24th win. A crowd of 4,237 watched Saint John win its second straight at home and improve to 30-12-0-2. With the win the Sea Dogs remain first in the Maritimes Division and regain first overall in the league- one pt ahead of the Quebec Remparts.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau had both Gatineau goals and Francois Lacerte stopped 35 shots in a losing cause.

Game Notes-
Maxime Villemaire wasted no time winning over the Saint John fans, scoring from in close on his first shift thanks to a nice pass from Phillips behind the net. Kelly had the other assist on the goal, the former Drummondville Voltigeur’s ninth of the season.

The Sea Dogs nearly made it 2-0 when Jason Cameron deflected a Pierre Durepos point shot and the puck landed directly on top of the net. The shots were 8-1 at one point in the first, as it took Gatineau nearly seven minutes to record its first shot on goal.

Villemaire had another chance about 10 minutes in, splitting the defence with speed and taking it to the net, but Lacerte stood his ground to make the save. The Gatineau goaltender made an incredible save on the next shift, robbing Brock Morrison on a rebound with a quick reaction save.

Saint John held a 15-6 lead on the shot clock after one, but allowed Gatineau to get even in the second. The Dogs again could have seized a two-goal lead, this time on a power play early in the frame, but Gauthier missed the net on a cross-ice feed from Phillips.

Phillips scored a goal of his own on a 2-on-1 with Kelly at 8:16 of the second, snapping a shot past Lacerte to make it 2-0. It was the 21st goal of the year for the acting captain.

Gatineau got one back off the stick of Pageau at 10:39, and threatened to equalize when Saint John took three straight penalties, giving Gatineau over five minutes of power-play time, including about a minute of 5-on-3. But Saint John escaped the threat with some good penalty killing and a got bit of luck when Adam Chapman took a pass in front but missed a wide open net. Corbeil also came up with several saves, the best when he flashed the glove to rob Pageau from point-blank range with 5:24 to go.

Saint John had another golden opportunity to go up by two when Morrison took advantage of turnover in front, but Lacerte stopped his deke, and Stephen Anderson on the rebound.

Gatineau then scored a short-hander, when Christian Ouellet deked out Corbeil and feathered a pass around the goalie to Pageau for a tap-in at 18:57.

The Dogs came back the other way and scored on the power play, however, with Gauthier taking a feed from Phillips down low and getting a backhander upstairs over Lacerte’s blocker on the short side. Durepos had the other assist on Gauthier’s 33rd goal, which gave Saint John a 3-2 lead heading into the second intermission.

Saint John was able to hold on to that advantage, outshooting the Olympiques 10-7 in the final frame. Gatineau pulled Lacerte in the final minute in favour of the extra attacker, but could not get a shot past Corbeil.

Three Stars

1. SNB - Zack Phillips

2. GAT - Jean-Gabriel Pageau

3. SNB - Maxime Villemaire

The Sea Dogs are on the road Saturday in Halifax to take on the Mooseheads, a 7 p.m. start.

Talk about a good first impression

Newly acquired Maxime Villemaire plays key role in Dogs' win over Gatineau

First shift, first shot, first goal. That sums up Maxime Villemaire's debut with the Saint John Sea Dogs, an effort that helped his new club to a 3-2 win over the Gatineau Olympiques Wednesday night before 4,327 fans in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action at Harbour Station.

The 19-year-old forward also added a physical presence and was good enough defensively to be on the ice when Gatineau added an extra attacker in the late going.

"I like to play physical and I like to (bring) energy,'' said Villemaire, acquired in a trade Tuesday from Drummondville. "I just wanted to make simple plays.''

Villemaire enjoyed strong chemistry with linemates Zack Phillips, who had a goal and two assists, and Aidan Kelly, who tallied two helpers. (Telegraph Journal)

Sea Dogs Trade With Rocket...

2012-01-04T17:19:00.000-04:00

Saint John shipped 18-year-old defenceman Tyrone Sock to the Prince Edward Island Rocket in exchange for 19-year-old rearguard Jordan Moore.

Sock, a native of Elsipogtog, N.B., appeared in 33 games over parts of three seasons, including nine earlier this campaign. He had four assists and 15 penalty minutes to bring his career totals to five assists and 30 penalty minutes.

Moore, who hails from Charlottetown, has 75 games of QMJHL experience with the Rocket and the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, totalling a goal and 5 points to go along with 45 penalty minutes.

This season Moore is an assistant captain with the Pictou County Weeks Crushers of the Maritime League. The six-foot-one, 200-pounder is third in scoring among defencemen in the junior A loop with 28 points through 31 games.

Dream Of Gold Gone...

2012-01-04T08:43:00.002-04:00

When Jonathan Huberdeau and Nathan Beaulieu return to the Saint John after spending the past few weeks playing for Canada's World Junior Team, they unfortunately, won't be bringing a gold medal with them. Last night's heartstopping semi-final match against Team Russia put an end to that hope in a 6-5 loss in Calgary. Russia will play for the gold medal against Sweden while Canada will take on Finland for the bronze medal.

Canada was down 6-1 before making a furious push that put them within one goal but it would be too little to late.

Player Comments-
Dougie Hamilton
"The chance for gold is over," Hamilton said. "I mean, I've dreamed about that gold medal for a long time. And just to not be able to have that in our sights is kind of disappointing.
"Obviously it's going to be tough but at the end of the day, it's still a bronze medal and we're going to do whatever it takes to win it."
Brett Connolly-
"It's a tough feeling. Obviously going through it last year (when the Russians scored five unanswered on Mark Visentin to win gold), we wanted to do the same thing. We battled right to the end, and had a good third period, but we've got to get ready at the start," said Connolly. "We can't give up five goals (on the first 15 shots) and expect to win.
"We just made costly mistakes that turn around and bite us. I'm proud of the way we battled back. We didn't quit. But it sucks."
Canada fell 6-5 to Russia in Tuesday's semifinal at the world junior hockey championship, despite a four-goal burst in the third period that added drama to a game that had looked like a blowout.

"We had to be better early and we weren't," Canadian head coach Don Hay said. Canada will not play for gold in this tournament for the first time since 2001, when the Czech Republic beat Finland in the final in Moscow while Canada settled for bronze.
Instead Russia will meet Sweden for the gold medal, while Canada faces Finland for bronze Thursday. Sweden beat Finland 3-2 in a shootout in Tuesday's other semifinal.

Canada had gone undefeated in four games in the preliminary round. They'd outscored their opposition 9-0 in the first period and 26-5 overall, but they were not prepared to start the game for the speed and skill of the Russians.
"We didn't get off to the start that we have been getting off to," Hay said. "We didn't do the things we normally do, and that's drive pucks down the wall and get pucks to the net. "We didn't do a good job getting pucks to the net off the rush, we didn't do a good job of traffic. Once we started getting more pucks, traffic and people to the net, we had more success."
Canada played in the final every year from 2002 to 2011 with a 5-5 record. With the bar set so high for Canada's junior teams, the loss was crushing for this year's squad. Canada outshot Russia 56-24 and didn't bury enough chances early in the game.
Andrei Vasilevski stopped 44 of 49 shots in Russia's net. He was replaced by Andrei Makarov after Gormley's goal at 4:17. Makarov, who plays for the Western Hockey League's Saskatoon Blades, stopped all seven shots he faced.
Wedgewood allowed four goals on 13 shots. He left the game at 8:48 of the second period when Khokhlachev crashed into the net on Kuznetsov's third goal. Visentin stopped eight of 10 shots in relief.
The Canadians lost their cool after Wedgewood left the game in the second period. Russia scored their fifth goal and second on the power play when Gallagher took a high-sticking penalty on Mikael Naumenkov.
Boone Jenner was given a game misconduct for spearing later in the period and Jonathan Huberdeau took a misconduct for slashing with just under two minutes two go.
Team Canada stayed out of the penalty box in the third period and scored two of their four goals with a man advantage. They had the Russians scrambling to hold them off in the third, but the visitors had done enough work early to get the win.
Canada now plays for bronze, a colour it traditionally doesn't get too excited about.
"Every game you play is worth playing for," Hay said. "It's an honour to win a medal at this competition, no matter what medal it is. Our guys respect the fans, respect each other and I expect them to play hard for each other."

Pair Of Trades For Sea Dogs.....

2012-01-03T17:24:00.000-04:00

The Saint John Sea Dogs made a pair of trades today acquiring 19-year-old forward Maxime Villemaire from the Drummondville Voltigeurs and a first-round pick in the Canadian Hockey League Import Draft.

The first deal saw Saint John send its first-round pick in the 2012 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. In exchange the team receives Rimouski’s first-round pick in the import draft and Quebec’s fourth-round pick in the 2012 entry draft. Rouyn-Noranda also returned Saint John’s second-round pick in the 2012 draft, acquired in a previous trade.

The Sea Dogs then sent the second-round pick to Drummondville, along with a sixth-round pick in 2013 for Villemaire.

The six-foot-two, 219-pound forward has set career highs with eight goals, nine assists and 17 points through 33 games in his 19-year-old season. The hard-nosed Lasalle, Que., native also has 101 penalty minutes. As a rookie with Drummondville last year he recorded six goals, 10 points and 125 minutes in penalties.

Saint John also made a minor deal on Friday, sending seventh- and 14th-round picks in 2012 to Blainville-Boisbriand in exchange for a 14th round pick in 2012, completing the Charles Roussel trade.

The Sea Dogs still hold two picks in the first round of the 2012 entry draft. The final trade period of the QMJHL season ends Saturday at 1 p.m. Atlantic Time.

Shootout Win For Sea Dogs....

2012-01-03T08:14:00.002-04:00

After three straight losses the Saint John Sea Dogs are back in the win column. The Port City squad evened up the annual Rivalry Cup New Year’s series,with a 2-1 shootout win over the Moncton Wildcats Monday night at Harbour Station.

Defenceman Pierre Durepos notched the shootout winner for the Sea Dogs. Danny Chiasson had the game-tying goal in the third period, his first goal as a Sea Dog. Mathieu Corbeil stopped 21 shots in regulation – and four of five in the shootout.

Marek Hrivik scored for the Wildcats and Roman Will made 29 saves in the loss as the Wildcats fell to 18-19-3-1.

The Sea Dogs remain second overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with a 29-12-0-2 record, and also moved within one point of the Wildcats in the Brunswick News Rivalry Cup. Saint John picked up two points for the shootout win and one for breaking the 4,000-fan mark with an attendance of 4,323. Moncton, meanwhile, salvaged a point with the shootout loss to maintain a slim 10-9 edge in the overall Rivalry Cup standings pending the results of the New Year’s food drive.

Sea Dogs fans piled several tables high with food collected by volunteers from Outflow and the Community Food Basket. Moncton held a similar drive Saturday and the city gathering the most food by weight will earn three additional Rivalry Cup points.

Game Notes-

The highlights of the first period were narrow misses. Alex Saulnier had an open net for the Wildcats early in the frame, but Danick Gauthier made a diving effort to rob him from behind. Gauthier had a solid, physical two-way effort all night and was named the game’s first star.

Zack Phillips set up Brett Morrison for a sure goal at the other end a few minutes later, but the affiliate player couldn’t find the handle. In the final minute Morrison had another chance when Jason Seed sent him a centering pass from the right wing, but Will denied him. The Sea Dogs outshot the Wildcats 10-4 in the opening frame, which also featured a fight between Saint John’s Ian Saab and Moncton’s Scott Trask.

In the second period it was more physical hockey, with neither team getting a puck past the opposing goaltender. Trask dropped the gloves just 15 seconds into the middle frame, this time with Spencer MacDonald, and received a game misconduct for his second fight of the night.

Aidan Kelly had the best chance of the period. Gauthier drove hard to the net from the right wing, and Kelly’s backhand attempt at his rebound was denied with about eight minutes to go.

Hrivik finally broke the goose-egg on a power play wrap-around 1:56 into the third period.

But Chiasson equalized when Jason Seed threw the puck on net from the left point and Kelly deflected it to the newly-acquired forward. The 19-year-old from Edmundston made not mistake putting it upstairs in a hurry, earning him cheers from the Harbour Station fans and a nod as the game’s third star.

Gauthier had several chances to give the Dogs the lead as the third period wore on.

On the power play with about seven minutes to go, the overage forward dangled off the right-wing boards and cut in front for a quick shot, but Will was just as quick with the blocker. The Czech netminder was nearly unbeatable and earned second star honours for his efforts.

Saulnier had an outstanding chance for the Wildcats with less than four minutes left when he put a rebound off the side of the net. Later that shift a tired Gauthier was denied on a rebound chance at the other end, one of three quality scoring chances the Sea Dogs generated in quick succession.

It took a breakaway contest to decide this one, however, and the goalies stole the show early, stopping the first six shots before Hrivik put a backhander upstairs to put the pressure on Saint John. Overage defenceman Charles Roussel stepped up with the game on the line and coolly deposited a shot high to Will’s glove side to keep Saint John’s hopes alive. After Patrick Delisle-Houde missed the next attempt, Pierre Durepos got a shot through Will to give the Sea Dogs the extra point. ( from Sea Dogs website)

Saint John is back in action at home Wednesday against the Gatineau Olympiques in a rematch of last year’s President’s Cup championship series. Game time is 7 p.m. at Harbour Station.

More on Last Night's Game....
Unlikely hero comes through for Dogs

Defenceman Pierre Durepos scores winner in a shootout
against the Moncton Wildcats

Two goals after 60 minutes, two shots in overtime, three shootout markers and lots of intensity. That was the recipe for an entertaining Quebec Major Junior Hockey League battle played before 4,324 fans Monday night at Harbour Station, where the Saint John Sea Dogs posted a 2-1 shootout win over the Moncton Wildcats.

The decisive marker came when defenceman Pierre Durepos, Saint John's fifth shooter, beat Roman Will with a shot that the Moncton netminder got a piece of, but not enough to stop it.

"I thought to myself if I get a chance, I would try to shoot low blocker,'' Durepos said. "The goalie stopped it, but luckily for me it trickled in. My goal was just to get a quick release and surprise the goalie.''

(Telegraph Journal)

WJC-

It's Canada against Russia tonight at the Saddledome in Calgary as the two rivals play for a chance to advance to the Finals. Russia defeated Canada last year in the Gold Medal Game that saw a total collapse by the Canadian team. Game time is 10pm Atlantic time.

Wildcats vs. Sea Dogs Tonight...

2012-01-02T11:08:00.000-04:00

After a 5-2 loss to the Wildcats on Saturday, the Sea Dogs return home for a rematch tonight at Harbour Station. The Sea Dogs are also looking to halt a three game losing streak.

Notes-
Moncton: 18-19-3-0 for 39 points. Fourth in the Maritime Division and 12th overall in the 17-team league.

Saint John: 28-12-0-2 for 58 points. First in the Maritime Division and second overall in the league.

Head-to-Head

Moncton won 3-1 on the road and 5-2 at home. Saint John won 2-1 in overtime on the road and 5-2 on the road.

Home/Away

Moncton: 11-6-3-0 at home; 7-13-0-0 on the road.

Saint John: 16-3-0-1 at home; 12-9-0-1 on the road.

Top scorers

Moncton: Alex Saulnier (19-29-48 in 34 games); Allain Saulnier (17-27-44 in 40 games); Marek Hrivik (12-22-34 in 30 games); Patrick Delisle-Houde (12-17-29 in 40 games); Brandon Gormley (10-17-27 in 26 games); James Melindy (7-15-22 in 39 games) and Devon MacAusland (9-10-19 in 28 games).

Saint John: Zack Phillips (20-35-55 in 35 games); Danick Gauthier (32-21-53 in 40 games); Tomas Jurco (21-24-45 in 30 games); Jonathan Huberdeau (10-18-28 in 13 games); Charles-Olivier Roussel (9-19-28 in 33 games) and Nathan Beaulieu (8-18-26 in 30 games).

Offence

Moncton: Average of 2.82 goals per game.

Saint John: Average of 4.21 goals per game.

Defence

Moncton: 3.37 goals-against average.

Saint John: 3.04 goals-against average.

Special teams

Moncton: 27.4 per cent on the power play; 84.3 per cent in penalty killing.

Saint John: 22 per cent on the power play; 77.2 per cent in penalty killing.

New Brunswickers

Moncton: Goaltender Brandon Thibeau (Moncton); defenceman Patrick Downe (New Maryland) and forwards Devon MacAusland (Moncton); Alex Saulnier (Cap-Pele); Allain Saulnier (Cap-Pele); Brett Malone (Miramichi).

Saint John: Defencemen Pierre Durepos (Shediac) and Kevin Gagne (Edmundston) and forwards Zack Phillips (Fredericton); Ryan Tesink (Saint John); Aidan Kelly (Saint John); Grant West (Fredericton); Oliver Cooper (Fredericton) and Danny Chiasson (Edmundston).

Better Than It Looks...

2012-01-02T08:41:00.036-04:00

Beaulieu feels better than he looks...

Team Canada defenceman Nathan Beaulieu looked somewhat like a chipmunk after the game Saturday night against the United States, but he couldn't be happier.
"I feel great, we won. I look good ... never been better," smiled Beaulieu as he pressed an ice pack down on the side of his cheek.
"I took a shot in the face. Fortunately it missed all my teeth and I took a couple of zippers on the inside of the mouth."
Beaulieu was struck with a hard slap shot from U.S. defenceman Stephen Johns in the second period. The scary incident put Canada down two defenceman for the time being as Scott Harrington left the game earlier with an upper-body injury.
"I'm a Canadian hockey player, I got to take this and run with it," said Beaulieu.
"There's been shots guys took in the face in the NHL and you don't see (them) complaining about it. My first thought was when can I get back in."
Beaulieu got stitched up and took a seat on the Canadian bench to cheer on his teammates to a 3-2 victory. (Edmonton Journal)

Not Getting Much Sympathy....

Beaulieu's teammates can't help cracking jokes about the softball-sized goose egg on his right cheek.

Brendan Gallagher -

"It's starting to bug him a little bit," Gallagher said of Beaulieu. "His cheek is getting pretty puffy.

"It's enjoyable for us to kinda laugh at him and have some fun.

"Now that he's OK, we can laugh about it."

Fellow blueliner Ryan Murray admits his teammate has received a few cheapshots.

"Yeah, we're giving it to him a little bit," Murray said.

TSN video clip....Beaulieu The Beauty...

Sea Dogs End 2011 On Losing Note

2011-12-31T18:56:00.000-04:00

The Moncton Wildcats snapped an eight-game losing streak Saturday, defeating the Saint John Sea Dogs 5-2 to take the first game of the annual New Year’s home-and-home between the teams.

Allain Saulnier had two goals and an assist and Marek Hrivik had a goal and two assists for the Wildcats. Ryan Penny and Patrick Delisle-Houde had the other Moncton goals and Roma Will made 31 saves for the win as the Cats improved to 18-19-3-0.

Kevin Gagne and Zack Phillips scored for the Sea Dogs, who matched their season-long losing streak of three games. Mathieu Corbeil made 23 saves in the loss. Saint John also dropped the first three games of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League season, as the majority of the team attended various NHL camps. The team is in a similar situation now, missing several key players to injury and international tournaments. The Sea Dogs remain second overall in the QMJHL with a 28-12-0-2 record.

The Sea Dogs play the Wildcats again on Monday.

Sea Dogs Lose In Shootout....

2011-12-31T07:16:00.000-04:00

The Saint John Sea Dogs dropped a 4-3 shootout decision to the Prince Edward Island Rocket Friday, with Port City native Matthew Bursey notching the shootout winner.

Aidan Kelly, Stehpen MacAulay and Charles Roussel scored for the Sea Dogs, who led 3-2 into the final two seconds of regulation time.

But Josh Currie’s buzzer-beater gave the Rocket another life, and they took advantage by picking up the extra point in the shootout. Jessyko Bernard and Ben Duffy had a goal and an assist each for P.E.I. and Maxime Lagace made 33 saves for the win as the Rocket improved to 10-25-2-2.

Sebastien Auger stopped 20 shots for the Sea Dogs, who fell to 28-11-0-2.

More on last night's match up....
Bursey plays spoiler in thrilling homecoming
It was more than a happy homecoming for Matthew Bursey. It was downright awesome for the 17-year-old Saint John native.

Bursey's shootout goal was the decisive marker in a 4-3 victory for the Prince Edward Island Rocket over the Sea Dogs before 5,834 fans Friday night at Harbour Station in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

"It's a pretty unbelievable feeling,'' Bursey said. "It was my first game at home and a bunch of people came out to watch me, and to be able to end it against probably the best team in Canada was just unbelievable.''

Bursey came into the contest with four goals in 14 games split between the Shawinigan Cataractes and P.E.I. He didn't score in regulation, but the gritty winger played a spirited game in his hometown, capping the night with a top-shelf shot that lifted the Rocket to their second straight win.

"I saw the top corner open and threw it up there and luckily it went in,'' Bursey said. "We're definitely going to build off this.'' (Telegraph Journal) Continue to read....

Game On....
Moncton Wildcats host Saint John Sea Dogs at the Coliseum
The Moncton Wildcats will be looking to finish 2011 with a victory and a lead in their Brunswick News Rivalry Cup series with the Saint John Sea Dogs.
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League foes square off today at 4 p.m. at the Moncton Coliseum.
There are special activities surrounding the New Year's Eve game. The top five best-dressed fans will have their photo taken with team mascot Wild Willie and displayed on the video scoreboard during the game and there will be prizes.
There's also a guaranteed $10,000 cash pot for the 50-50 draw. Fans are asked to bring donations for the food drive as part of Rivalry Cup.
Saint John leads Moncton 6-5 after the first three games of the season-long series. Points are awarded based on game results, attendance figures, a social media challenge and the food drive.
The teams meet again Monday in Saint John.

Moncton Wildcats vs Saint John Sea Dogs
The Moncton Wildcats (17-19-3-0 for 36 points) and Saint John Sea Dogs (28-11-0-2 for 58 points) are set to resume their Quebec Major Junior Hockey League rivalry. Moncton is fourth in the Maritime Division and tied for 12th overall in the 17-team league. Saint John is first in the Maritime Division and second overall in the league. The Wildcats are 1-1-1-0 in the season series between these clubs. The Wildcats have with one win in the past 10 games. The Sea Dogs, who are on a 6-4-0-1 run, are missing four players to the world junior championship: Nathan Beaulieu and Jonathan Huberdeau (both Canada), Tomas Jurco (Slovakia) and Charlie Coyle (United States).
Five players still on Moncton's roster have managed 100 career points with the club. Marek Hrivik is seventh in Wildcats career scoring with 165 points. Alex Saulnier is tied for 12th with 149 points. Brandon Gormley is tied for 14th with 145 points. Devon MacAusland and Allain Saulnier are tied for 19th with 129 points. The Saulnier twins and Hrivik are the only ones in this group who are currently in the lineup.
Only six players have had a 40-goal season with the Wildcats. They are Sebastien Roger (53 goals in 1997-98); Stephane Goulet (51 in 2005-06); Steve Bernier (49 in 2002-03); Pierre Dagenais (43 in 1995-96); Simon Laliberte (43 in 1997-98) and Matt Marquardt (41 in 2006-07). Alex Saulnier, the club's top scorer this season, was on a pace entering last night that would see him finish with 32 goals.
Saint John had three players in the top 20 of the QMJHL scoring race entering last night. Zack Phillips was seventh with 54 points, including 19 goals, in 33 contests. Danick Gauthier was ninth with 52 points in 38 games. Tomas Jurco was 17th with 45 points in 30 games. Jonathan Huberdeau has 10 goals and 28 points in 13 games. He would be on pace for 52 goals and 146 points over a full 68-game schedule.
The top four in career regular season games played for Moncton are Sebastien Roger (274); Simon Laliberte (272); Steve Bernier (271) and Nathan Saunders (261). Devon MacAusland is fifth in career regular season games played for the Wildcats with 259. The 20-year-old is currently sidelined with a broken foot and he's being targeted to return to the lineup for the Jan. 11 game.

Trades, Rumours and Game Night.....

2011-12-30T08:06:00.003-04:00

With a little more than a week until the trade deadline, it's getting busy around the QMJHL. Saint John made a second move yesterday moving Scott Oke for first round draft pick and the rumour mill is busy anticipating what the Sea Dogs will do next as many fans believe that Mike Kelly is not done dipping into the trade pool. Some hockey gurus are suggesting Brandon Gormley (Moncton Wildcats) could end up in Shawinigan or Saint John following the World Juniour Tournament but at present that just speculation and rumour.

Fact and Not Rumour-Oke Traded-
The Sea Dogs made their second trade of the annual Christmas trading period Thursday, sending forward Scott Oke to the Rimouski Oceanic, along with the rights to defenceman Maxime Gravel and Chicoutimi’s third-round pick in 2012.

In return the Sea Dogs receive a first-round pick in 2012, previously acquired from the Moncton Wildcats, along with Bathurst’s seventh-round pick in 2012.

The move gives the Sea Dogs three picks in the first round of the 2012 entry draft. The final trade period of the QMJHL season ends Jan. 7.

Oke, 18, was Saint John’s third-round pick, 37th overall, of the 2009 QMJHL Entry Draft. He made his QMJHL debut with nine games in 2009-10, then appeared in 54 games for last year’s Memorial Cup champions, tallying five goals and 10 points. He added a goal and six points in 18 playoff contests and played in all four games at the Memorial Cup.

Oke, who attended training camp with the Dallas Stars of the NHL in the fall, has nine goals, 22 points and 24 penalty minutes through 37 games so far this season.

Saint John selected Gravel in the third round of the 2011 entry draft but he did not report to training camp.

Speculation - Gormley Sweepstakes: Are Dogs in?

We've been hearing the Brandon Gormley talk all week on TSN but that's apparently where it will stay.

Rumours of the Moncton Wildcats stud defenceman coming to the Saint John Sea Dogs or to the Shawinigan Cataractes in what would be a blockbuster trade has been picking up steam in Edmonton and Calgary - the host cities for the world junior hockey championship where Gormley is starring for Team Canada.

But Mike Kelly's lips are sealed.

When the Sea Dogs' director of hockey operations and associate coach was approached about the possibility of the 2010 first-round draft pick of the Phoenix Coyotes coming to Saint John, he deferred.

"Coaches and general managers through the CHL have been asked not to comment on possible trades involving players whose focus is on the world junior tournament, " Kelly said. Link to article by -Peter McGuire, Telegraph Journal,

Game On....Last Sea Dogs home game for 2011.
The Sea Dogs are at Harbour Station tonight against the Prince Edward Island Rocket, a 7:30 p.m. start. The Rocket will be without defenceman and captain Matthew Hobbs who was traded Thursday to the Victoriaville Tigres.
In return for Hobbs, 20, the Rocket received right winger Benjamin Laliberté, 18, and second-round pick and sixth round picks in the 2012 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League draft.
Laliberte, a former first round pick in 2009 by Gatineau, had one goal and three points in 19 games with the Tigres this season. In 72 games with the Olympiques and Victoriaville, the Laval, Que., native has seven goals, 23 points and a career minus-six plus-minus.
P.E.I. (9-25-2-2) is 1-1 since the Christmas break ended and is coming off a 3-2 win over the Moncton Wildcats on Wednesday. The Rocket is last in the league and last overall, four points out of the final playoff spot.

Saint John (28-11-0-1) is second overall in the league and leads the Maritimes Division, and is 4-0 in the season series against P.E.I. this year is coming off a loss to the Titan on Wednesday night.
The Rocket will be without Ryan Graves, Kelly Bent and Yan Pavel Laplante, who are at the world under-17 hockey challenge in Windsor, Ont., Sea Dogs Oliver Cooper is also on Team Atlantic. Saint John won’t have Nathan Beaulieu, Jonathan Huberdeau, Tomas Jurco or Charlie Coyle who are at the World Juniors Championship in Alberta.

Titan Hand Sea Dogs Another Loss....

2011-12-29T07:36:00.000-04:00

The Acadie-Bathurst Titan took advantage of a depleted Saint John lineup to treat their fans to some holiday cheer on Wednesday with a 4-3 win over the Sea Dogs in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action at the K.C. Irving Regional Centre.

The Titan won 4-3, making it four wins in five starts against Saint John this season. The Titan stormed out to a 3-0 lead and then held on to beat Saint John, which fought back with a pair of third-period goals but were unable to get the equalizer in front of 2011 fans who, in true holiday fashion, opened the game by singing the national anthem in unison after technical problems with the rink's public address system prevented the playing of O Canada.

Zach O'Brien led the Titan offence with a pair of goals, to give him 33 on the season, while singles came from Mirko Hoefflin and Sebastien Trudeau. Robert Steeves turned in a solid effort in goal for Acadie-Bathurst, who were outshot 33-24, and led 2-0 after 20 minutes and 4-1 early in the third period.

Danick Gauthier, Aidan Kelly and Stephen MacAulay did the scoring for Saint John, which was missing several high-end players, including Jonathan Huberdeau, Nathan Beaulieu, Tomas Jurco and Charlie Coyle, who are all playing at the World Junior Hockey Championship. Read more in Telegraph Journal......

Game Notes-
O’Brien opened the scoring at 3:54 of the first period when he walked out from behind the net and beat Corbeil. Hoefflin made it 2-0 exactly one minute later, finishing a deke to the backhand.

Gauthier had a chance to move back even with O’Brien in the goals department midway through the first. Kelly fed a trailing Gauthier a pass in the high slot, but Steeves stopped the overager’s attempt.
Jeremie Blain nearly made it 3-0 with under eight minutes left in the first. The Edmonton Oilers prospect got in close on Corbeil and rang a shot off the post, but the goalie recovered and froze the puck.
Saint John’s Scott Oke had another opportunity denied by Steeves with less than three minutes to go in the opening frame. Phillips sent Oke a beautiful feed in behind the defence. Oke missed it initially but Steeves couldn’t corral the puck as it came in on goal, forcing him to recover to make a stellar save on Oke’s rebound attempt.
After outshooting the Titan 10-8 in the first period, the Dogs held a 13-10 edge on the shot clock in the second period, but it was Bathurst that struck first in the middle frame when Trudeau bulged the twine at 16:55.
Saint John finally got on the board just 18 seconds later, however, as Gauthier tucked one in from behind the net. Kevin Gagne and Charles Roussel got the assists on the play.
The Dogs looked to capitalize on that momentum early in the third, but O’Brien scored his second on the frame’s opening shift. The St. John’s, N.L., native took advantage of a turnover just inside the blueline, fought his way into the slot and got a shot past Corbeil, ending his night.
Kelly got Saint John back within two with his sixth of the season at 4:53, from Roussel and Gagne. MacAulay then banged in Kelly’s rebound to make it 4-3 at 15:04. Newly-acquired Danny Chiasson recorded the other assist in his first game as a Sea Dog.
Auger denied Hoefflin on a breakaway with less than four minutes to go to keep the one-goal margin intact and give the Dogs a chance to pull him late for the extra attacker. A late penalty to Olivier Houle gave Saint John a 6-on-4 for the final 45 seconds but they could not capitalize.

The Sea Dogs return home Friday against the Prince Edward Island Rocket.

Sea Dogs Hockey Is Back.....

2011-12-28T07:40:00.003-04:00

The Holiday break is officially over and the Saint John Sea Dogs have an opportunity to record their 29th victory of the season when they visit the Acadie-Bathurst Titan tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the K.C. Irving Regional Centre in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

But and there's always a but, of the team's 10 losses this season, three have come at the hands of the Titan, who are tied for ninth overall with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar with a record of 18-18-2-2 for 40 points. Saint John - 28-10-0-1 for 57 points - was second overall heading into action Tuesday night, just two points behind the Quebec Remparts.

The last meeting between the Titan and Sea Dogs came on Dec. 9, a 3-2 Acadie-Bathurst victory at Harbour Station. It was also the last time the Sea Dogs had what resembled a full lineup, with Nathan Beaulieu, Zack Phillips and Tomas Jurco all in the lineup. Beaulieu and Phillips left the next day for Team Canada's training camp for the world junior championship and Jurco left shortly after that. Team captain Jonathan Huberdeau, who was injured for six weeks with a broken bone in his foot, is also at the worlds as is American Charlie Coyle, who will join Saint John when the tournament is over.

"I think the last one was the most disappointing," said Mike Kelly, director of hockey operations and associate coach. "That said, I thought we played well. The thing that people forget is that they are a good team, a very, very capable team. So no, it's not surprising. With the team we have been playing with, we still have to battle hard for every point that we get." (quote from Telegraph Journal)

Team Canada matches up against the Czech Republic for their second game tonight in World Junior Hockey Championship play. The Game can be seen on TSN at 9pm ADT.

Dynamic Duo- Stone and Huberdeau

2011-12-27T07:34:00.003-04:00

Saint John Sea Dogs captain, Jonathan Huberdeau registered a goal and 4 assists to help a dominating Team Canada defeat Team Finland in game one of the World Junior Hockey Championship on Monday in Edmonton. Together with linemate Mark Stone who scored 4 goals they formed a dynamic duo on the ice. Defenceman Nathan Beaulieu registered an assist in the winning effort.

Sea Dogs fans can look forward to seeing Charlie Coyle suit up for the Saint John team following the 2012 World Junior Championship. Coyle was impressive scoring a hat trick for Team USA in their routing of Denmark 11-3 last night.

Huge help from Huberdeau

Saint John Sea Dogs' captain shines for Team Canada in opening game of world junior tournament

On Monday in Edmonton, Huberdeau silenced any critics when he scored a power-play goal and set up four other markers, including three by Mark Stone, leading Team Canada to an 8-1 win over Finland in the tournament opener.

During a television interview following the game, Huberdeau spoke about the effectiveness of adjustments made on the power play.

"The coaches made some adjustments ... just shoot the puck, that's what we need to do and that's what we did tonight," Huberdeau said. (Peter McGuire, Telegraph Journal) Link to article.....

Huberdeau puts on show
Most fans needed a program to identify the fuzzy-faced teenagers with the Maple Leaf on their chests on Monday afternoon as the IIHF world junior championship began at Rexall Place.
By the end of the proceedings - an 8-1 win for the Canadians over Finland - several players introduced themselves in the same manner as Jarome Iginla, Jordan Eberle and countless NHL stars before them.
Welcome to the world juniors, a launching pad for the stars of tomorrow in pursuit of gold for Canada today.
The opening game rout took place in front of a deafening Boxing Day gathering of 16,296.
"When you come on the ice, you walk through the tunnel and it gets louder and louder," said Canadian forward Brendan Gallagher. "Me and (Saint John Sea Dogs defenceman) Nathan Beaulieu looked at each other and started smiling and laughing.
"It was pretty crazy seeing the crowd so full of energy all the game."(Vicki Hall Postmedia News)
Link to article....

TSN Post Game Interview With Huberdeau

Let The Games Begin......

2011-12-26T08:19:00.002-04:00

It's the day after Christmas and for many people Boxing Day means recovering from a busy day of holiday festivities. For others Boxing Day means sales and shopping, but for the avid hockey fan this year it signals the official start of the World Junior Hockey Tournament. It also means an opportunity to watch Saint John Sea Dogs' Jonathan Huberdeau and Nathan Beaulieu as members of Team Canada. The game begins today on TSN at 4 pm. Recently acquired Charlie Coyle goes for Team USA today against Denmark while Tomas Jurco will play for Team Slovakia on Wednesday.

Steering clear of repeat performance

World junior tournament begins today when Canada plays Finland at 4 p.m. on TSN

The usually unflappable Scott Wedgewood couldn't help but revel in the moment. The Plymouth Whalers goaltender took note of all the red-and-white jerseys and sweatshirts that blanketed the seats at Rexall Place in Team Canada's final tune-up.

He also heard an earful of the "Go Canada Go" chants, knowing that it was only a hint of what's to come when the 2012 world junior hockey championship officially gets underway today.

Canada opens the tournament at 4 p.m. on TSN against Finland, the first of two games on the Rexall schedule. Denmark plays the United States later on Monday.

The Canadian roster includes Moncton Wildcats defenceman Brandon Gormley as well as a pair of Saint John Sea Dogs, defenceman Nathan Beaulieu and forward Jonathan Huberdeau. (Joanne Ireland ,Postmedia News) Link to article.....

Broadcast Schedule
Monday, December 26
Canada vs. Finland 3pm/Noon TSN and TSN.ca

Sweden vs. Latvia 5:30pm/2:30pm TSN2
USA vs. Denmark 8pm/5pm TSN2
Switzerland vs. Russia 10:30pm/7:30pm TSN2

Tuesday, December 27
Czech Republic vs. Denmark 8pm/5pm TSN

Wednesday, December 28
USA vs. Finland 3:30pm/12:30pm TSN
Sweden vs. Switzerland 5:30pm/2:30pm TSN2
Canada vs. Czech Republic 7:30pm/4:30pm TSN and TSN.ca
Russia vs. Slovakia 10pm/7pm TSN2

Thursday, December 29
Denmark vs. Canada 7:30pm/4:30pm TSN and TSN.ca
Latvia vs. Russia 10pm/7pm TSN2

Friday, December 30
USA vs. Czech Republic 3:30pm/12:30pm TSN
Sweden vs. Slovakia 5:30pm/2:30pm TSN2
Finland vs. Denmark 8pm/5pm TSN2

Saturday, December 31
Czech Republic vs. Finland 4pm/1pm TSN
Canada vs. USA 7:30pm/4:30pm TSN and TSN.ca
Russia vs. Sweden 10pm/7pm TSN2

Monday, January 2
Quarter-final 1 5pm/2pm TSN and TSN.ca
Quarter-final 2 8:30pm/5:30pm TSN and TSN.ca

Tuesday, January 3
Semifinal 1 5pm/2pm TSN and TSN.ca
Semifinal 2 8:30pm/5:30pm TSN and TSN.ca

Thursday, January 5
Bronze Medal Game 3:30pm/12:30pm TSN and TSN.ca
Gold Medal Game 7:30pm/4:30pm TSN and TSN.ca

The Day Before Christmas....

2011-12-24T07:18:00.000-04:00

It's the day before Christmas and yes, we will have a white Christmas here in the Port City which is great news for Santa and his reindeer who will be very busy tonight.
The Sea Dogs are on their holiday break until Dec.28th, except for members of the World Junior Hockey Teams. The World Junior Tournament has become a holiday tradition for many hockey fans and this year is no exception for Saint John Sea Dogs fans, with Nathan Beaulieu and Jonathan Huberdeau suiting up for Team Canada; Tomas Jurco on Team Slovakia and newly acquired Sea Dog Charlie Coyle for Team USA. Looking forward to Boxing Day hockey to be sure.

Best wishes to all for a Happy and safe Holiday Season.

Sea Dogs Related News-
Hoffman Makes NHL Debut....

Mike Hoffman was about 45 minutes north of Binghamton, New York, on his way home to Kitchener, Ont., for the Christmas break when he found out he was being called up to the Ottawa Senators for his National Hockey League debut against the Carolina Hurricanes last night.

So the former Saint John Sea Dogs forward had to turn around, return to Binghamton to get his equipment, and then head to Ottawa. It was the start of a long, long night.

Once in Ottawa, Hoffman joined the team on its flight to Raleigh, North Carolina, finally getting to his hotel room at 3:30 a.m. It didn't matter much, though, not when he was about to make his NHL debut.

"It's a great opportunity for me, and I have to take every opportunity I can get," he said. "It's a good stepping stone for me. I've played a few exhibition games. I just want to take the experiences I've had in those games and carry them into (last night's game)."

The 22-year-old has toiled in relative obscurity in AHL Binghamton as a work-in-progress, adapting to the professional game. He has scored seven goals and 10 assists in 32 games this season.

Hoffman joins Yann Sauve and Simon Despres as the third former Saint John Sea Dogs player to play a game in the NHL.

Team Canada Loses 5-3 to Sweden

Saint John Sea Dogs Nathan Beaulieu and Jonathan Huberdeau were part of a losing effort against a strong Team Sweden team on Friday night.

But if you are going to have a wake-up call, it's better that it comes in exhibition play like it did last night for Canada.

Mika Zibanejad scored a pair of goals as Sweden finished pre-tournament play for the upcoming IIHF world junior hockey championships by holding on for a 5-3 victory over Canada.

Rickard Rakell, Filip Forsberg and Johan Larsson also scored for the Swedish team, which improved to 2-0.

Mark Stone, Brendan Gallagher and Jaden Schwartz replied for Canada, which went 2-1 in exhibition action.

“I thought we deserved better,” said Canada forward Devante Smith-Pelly. “We had a 10-minute lapse that cost us. You can't let down at all or it will cost you the game as was shown tonight. We have to tighten up a bit, but I feel we are getting there. We didn't show any quit.”

The Canadian squad feels the loss serves as a lesson of what it will take to be successful at a world juniors.

“With Canada's success in the past I think some people expect us to win every game,” said defenceman Dougie Hamilton. “That's not the case. A lot of the teams are very good and we have to work for our wins. This just shows that. It's an eye-opener for us and we are going to have to get better for our first game.”

Both teams will officially start the tournament on Dec. 26.

Canada is in Pool B along with the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland and the United States and will play its round-robin games in Edmonton. Sweden is in Pool A, along with Russia, Latvia, Slovakia, and Switzerland, playing its games in Calgary.

Sea Dogs.... Notes and News

2011-12-22T06:54:00.001-04:00

World Juniors-

Team Canada suits up for a pre-tournament game tonight against Switzerland -game time 10pm Atlantic. TSN2 will be televising the match. We might get to see Jonathan Huberdeau in action tonight as the following article explains 'he's good to go'.

Canadian star forward declares he's good to go
Huberdeau to see action after return from broken foot

Jonathan Huberdeau skated over to the boards Wednesday morning and offered up a happy nugget for anyone cheering for Canada at the 2012 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship.

"I think I'm ready now to play a game," pronounced the 2011 Memorial Cup MVP. "It's nice to be back with the team."

The dynamic Saint John Sea Dogs winger broke his right foot seven weeks ago after collecting 28 points in 13 Quebec League games. After an exhaustive rehab, the third overall pick of the Florida Panthers skated hard Wednesday in his third practice back with Team Canada.

He hopes to play tonight in exhibition action against Switzerland in Red Deer and Friday night in Canada's pre-tournament finale against Sweden in Edmonton.

"For execution, I'm not really at my top right now," Huberdeau said. "I need two games maybe to get back and ready for the 26th. " (By Vicki Hall, Calgary Herald) Link to article...

Phillips signs 3-year, NHL entry-level deal

Fredericton native Zack Phillips has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild, the National Hockey League club that drafted him 28th overall in the June draft.

. "I've been trying to move forward ever since the draft and work hard to keep the Wild happy with me," Phillips said. "This is a step in the right direction. We were in negotiations for a while, but when it finally got done I was definitely pretty happy."(By Bruce Hallihan, Daily Gleaner) Link to article...

Prank On Simon Despres...
Hung Out To Dry.....
http://watch.tsn.ca/featured/clip589833#clip589833

SEA DOGS MAKE A TRADE WITH DRAKKAR

2011-12-21T18:51:00.000-04:00

The Saint John Sea Dogs have announced the addition of a quality veteran to their protected list in a trade with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar.

The Sea Dogs traded an 11th-round pick in the 2012 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft to Baie-Comeau in exchange for forward Danny Chiasson and a 12th-round pick in 2012.

The 19-year-old Edmundston, N.B., native is a veteran of two QMJHL seasons. He spent the first half of this season with the Dieppe Commandos of the Maritime League, leading the junior A team with 18 goals and 42 points in 32 games. The five-foot-11, 185-pounder has also recorded 53 penalty minutes with the Commandos.

"We are happy to add Danny to our organization. While he will continue his season with the Dieppe Commandos of the Maritime Hockey League, he will provide much needed depth as an affiliate player," said Sea Dogs associate coach and director of hockey operations Mike Kelly.

Chiasson made his QMJHL debut with the Rimouski Oceanic in 2009-10, recording one assist in 15 games before being traded to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

Tuesday's Sea Dogs Tidbits....

2011-12-20T10:27:00.000-04:00

Q trade period gets underway quietly

Sea Dogs will look to improve an already mighty squad

History shows that when a team captures the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League championship it's usually in rebuilding mode the next season. That's because it loses numerous veterans and pays a heavy price with trades.

The Saint John Sea Dogs are in the rare position of having a legitimate shot at winning two consecutive championships.

"We think we have a good team and our best players are our older players," said Sea Dogs associate coach and director of hockey operations Mike Kelly. "Obviously, when you're in that position you're going to try to improve your team if you can and we'll look to do that.

"We go into the trade period with the attitude that yes we want to improve our team, but we're not going to pay over the top. What we believe is fair is what we'll stick with and if we're not able to get trades done then we'll move on."

The QMJHL trade period opened yesterday and concludes on Jan. 7. The top powers at this stage are the Quebec Remparts (28-6-2-1 for 59 points), Saint John (28-10-0-1 for 57 points) and Shawinigan Cataractes (25-9-2-2 for 54 points), (Neil Hodge, Times and Transcript) Link to article...

A Wish list for a team that seems to have it all
by Peter McGuire Telegraph Journal
It's that time of year to play Santa Claus and offer some Christmas wishes to the reigning Memorial Cup champion Saint John Sea Dogs. For a team loaded with talent, toughness, brains and brawn, we were put to the test this year but came up with some suggestions.

If you're offended, don't be. Take each morsel with a grain of salt.

Local ownership group of Wayne Long, Mike McGraw, Rick Watt, Doug Holland and Paul Chase - A victory over the Shawinigan Cataractes in the QMJHL final and a lopsided win over the same Cataractes in the Memorial Cup final. That might help ease the pain of losing out to Shawinigan to host the 2012 Memorial Cup in a controversial decision that we still can't figure out. Link to continue reading

Penguins' rookie Despres getting his shot
The Penguins were on a power play. Simon Despres rotated into the right circle. From the far side, winger Tyler Kennedy threaded a pass that found the sweet spot for a left-handed shot by the rookie defenseman.

Despres slammed a one-timer from the faceoff dot past Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller in the first period of an 8-3 win Saturday. It was his first NHL goal in his eighth game.

The puck sits in his hotel room waiting for him to get the chance to give it to his father.

"I got a lot of congratulations from my friends and family," Despres said Monday after practice.

(By Shelly Anderson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ) Link to article...

Sea Dogs News and Stuff...

2011-12-19T07:13:00.000-04:00

The Sea Dogs are officially on their Christmas Break after yesterday's game against the Moncton Wildcats where they recorded a 5-2 victory over their provincial rivals. So, there's no Sea Dogs hockey until they visit the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Dec.28th.

There's no break for Nathan Beaulieu, Jonathan Huberdeau, Team Canada, Tomas Jurco, Team Slovakia and newly acquired Charlie Coyle, Team USA busy preparing for the 2012 World Junior Hockey Tournament. A pre-season game featuring Team Canada and Team Finland will be shown tonight on TSN2 beginning at 10 pm Atlantic Time.

The following link talks about defensive pairings for the tournament with Nathan Beaulieu, Brandon Gormley and coach Don Hay.

http://watch.tsn.ca/featured/clip587769#clip587769

Dogs extend Wildcats' losing streak

Saint John walks into Moncton, hands provincial rival sixth straight loss

The Moncton Wildcats are limping into the Christmas break. They're now on a season-high, six-game losing streak following a 5-2 setback to the Saint John Sea Dogs in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action Sunday in front of 4,204 fans at the Moncton Coliseum.

Both clubs were without several key players for their final game before the holidays. Moncton was missing seven players and Saint John was minus six players.

Stephen MacAulay, with a pair, Grant West, Kevin Gagne and Zack Phillips scored for Saint John, which is first in the Maritime Division and second overall in the league at 28-10-0-1. The Sea Dogs, whose final goal was an empty netter, held a 36-25 shots edge. ( Neil Hodge,Times and Transcript) Link to article....

Saint John takes lead in Rivalry Cup

The Saint John Sea Dogs lead the Moncton Wildcats 6-5 after Round 3 of the Brunswick News Rivalry Cup. Saint John jumped in front in the points standings for this trophy with a 5-2 win over Moncton in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action yesterday in front front of 4,204 fans at the Moncton Coliseum.

Moncton has one win, one regulation loss and one overtime loss against Saint John this season. The results and the attendance for the eight Wildcats-Sea Dogs games are part of the Rivalry Cup.

The Scoring System:

On-ice record: One point for an overtime or shootout loss, two points for an overtime or shootout win, and three points for a regulation win.

Attendance: One point for 4,000 or more fans, two points for 5,000 or more fans and three points for 6,000 or more fans.

Social Media Challenge: One point per new like on each team's Facebook page, one point per new follower on Twitter and five points per picture taken in opposition territory. The team with the highest total receives five points.

Food drive: The food drive will take when the Wildcats and Sea Dogs meet on Dec. 31 at 4 p.m. Moncton and Jan. 2 in Saint John. The team gathering the most food by weight will earn three points.

Phillips Signs With Wild
It was reported through Twitter that Sea Dogs Zack Phillips signed an entry level contract with the Minnesota Wild on the weekend. Official word pending NHL approval.

Sea Dogs Win In Moncton....

2011-12-18T19:14:00.000-04:00

The Saint John Sea Dogs start their Christmas break following a 5-2 win over the Moncton Wildcats today in Moncton.

Stephen MacAulay led the way with two goals for the Sea Dogs, Zack Phillips had a goal and an assist a day after signing his first NHL contract with the Minnesota Wild, and Grant West and Kevin Gagne added singles. Mathieu Corbeil made 23 saves for the win, Saint John’s third in the last four games.

The Sea Dogs enter the break 28-10-1-1, second overall in the QMJHL. Saint John also seized a 6-5 lead in the Brunswick News Rivalry Cup, earning three points for the regulation win over Moncton, while the Wildcats picked up a point for breaking the 4,000-fan barrier.

Moncton got a goal and an assist each from Allain Saulnier and James Melindy. Roman Will made 31 saves in the loss as the Wildcats fell to 17-18-2-0.

Game Notes:
West opened the scoring at 11:45 of the first period, taking a feed from Oliver Cooper, cutting in from the left wing and beating Will with a deke to the forehand. Jason Cameron picked up the other assist on the former Wildcat’s fifth goal of the season.

MacAulay made it 2-0 on a power play at 14:49 of the opening frame. Phillips fed him a beautiful pass down low to Will’s left and the St. Louis Blues prospect redirected it past the goalie. Charles Roussel was credited with the other assist.

Gagne extended the lead 1:19 into the second period, taking a long shot from the left-wing boards that got through Will’s glove side. Danick Gauthier and Aidan Kelly assisted on Gagne’s sixth of the season.

The Wildcats charged back, however, taking advantage of a power play to get on the board on Saulnier’s goal at 4:42. Melindy then got the Wildcats back within one at 2:48 of the third.

MacAulay put the Dogs back in the drivers’s seat with an unassisted marker at 8:06, springing loose on a breakaway and beating Will with a low shot for his eighth.

Phillips added an empty-net marker at 18:32. The acting captain’s 19th of the year was also unassisted. ( from Sea Dogs website)

The Dogs are off until Dec. 28, when they visit the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

Game Day and A Milestone Goal...

2011-12-18T11:16:00.000-04:00

The Saint John Sea Dogs (27-10-0-1 for 55 points) take on the Moncton Wildcats (17-17-2-0 for 36 points) this afternoon at 4pm in the Hub City.
Moncton is fourth in the Maritime Division and 12th overall. Saint John is first in the division and second overall. The Cats are 1-0-1-0 in the season series. The Cats have two wins in the past eight games. The Dogs have one win in the past four games. Saint John and Victoriaville are the two best offensive teams and two most penalized teams in the league.
Saint John is missing five key players -- defenceman Nathan Beaulieu and forwards Jonathan Huberdeau, Tomas Jurco, Stanislav Galiev and Ryan Tesink. Beaulieu and Huberdeau are with Team Canada for the 2012 world junior championship.
Danick Gauthier of Saint John and Zach O'Brien of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan were tied for the league lead with 31 goals entering last night. Gauthier was on pace for 57 goals this season and is developing into an elite goal scorer. He had 29 goals in his first three seasons combined and has already surpassed that total this season. His previous career high was 13 goals in 2009-10.

Milestone For Former Player-
Congratulations to former Saint John Sea Dogs defenceman Simon Despres who scored his first NHL goal last night for the Pittsburgh Penguins in an 8-3 routing of the Buffalo Sabres.

Following is a post game interview with Despres.

Saturday's Sea Dogs Stuff...

2011-12-17T07:37:00.001-04:00

Coyle Coming To Sea Dogs-
It was confirmed yesterday that the Saint John Sea Dogs have made a significant acquisition to bolster the lineup for the second half of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League season, announcing the signing of talented American forward Charlie Coyle.
The 19-year-old from from East Weymouth, Mass., is expected to join the Sea Dogs after the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship. He is currently with Team USA at its pre-tournament camp in Camrose, Alta.
Coyle represented his country at last year’s world juniors, tying for the team lead with six points in six games as the Americans captured a bronze medal on home ice in Buffalo, N.Y.
“Charlie is a world-class player for his age group,” said Mike Kelly, associate coach and director of hockey operations for the Sea Dogs. “We’re looking forward to getting to know him and we think he will fit in well on our team.”
Because Coyle is a free agent when it comes to the major junior ranks, the Sea Dogs didn't have to surrender any players or draft picks for his services. Coyle joins fellow Sea Dogs Nathan Beaulieu and Jonathan Huberdeau, who will play for Canada, and Tomas Jurco of Slovakia at the world junior tournament.
Coyle’s acquisition gives the Sea Dogs four first-round NHL draft picks on their roster, joining forwards Zack Phillips and Jonathan Huberdeau and defenceman Nathan Beaulieu. The San Jose Sharks selected him 28th overall in 2010, and later traded his rights to the Minnesota Wild. San Jose sent Coyle, forward Devin Setoguchi and a first-round pick at the 2011 draft to Minnesota for defenceman Brent Burns. Coincidentally, the Wild used that pick to select Phillips, also 28th overall.
The six-foot-two, 207-pound Coyle played the past season and a half at Boston University. He recorded seven goals and 26 points in 37 games as a freshman and had three goals and 14 points in 16 games so far this season. It is reported that Coyle made the decision to play Junior hockey in order to focus on hockey.

Huberdeau getting closer to returning to action
Jonathan Huberdeau took another step toward recovery on Friday. And it was a painfree one reports the Calgary Herald today.
The winger, who has been rehabbing a broken foot, skated for 15 minutes prior to Friday's intense morning practice at The Fenlands arena in Banff. He also joined the national junior team on the ice for about 20 minutes of drills.
"I thought it was great to have him out," said Canadian head coach Don Hay. "It's a great sign. He was really excited about being on the ice. We're excited to have him there and he's really going to add a lot to our group."
The next hurdle? His conditioning.
Huberdeau, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2011 National Hockey League entry draft, hasn't skated at all with the team since arriving in Calgary wearing a walking cast. He hasn't played a game since Nov. 5 with the Saint John Sea Dogs.
"It doesn't bother me anymore," said the six-foot-one, 176-pound Florida Panthers prospect. "So that's good but, still, my conditioning isn't there yet. I just have to work hard now and keep going slowly.
"No (pain) on the ice but off the ice, I feel it a little more."
It was a big day for Huberdeau, who is pencilled in on a line with centre Mark Scheifele and right-winger Devante Smith-Pelly.
He's been taking baby steps since arriving in Alberta, working on skating by himself and doing some underwater treadmill work earlier this week.
Huberdeau said he is ramping up his training and hopes to be back as soon as possible. Hockey Canada would like to see him in at least one exhibition game.
"I knew it was going to be hard at the beginning," Huberdeau said. "Still, it's getting better, and on the ice, it's feeling great. I hope to get back with the team as soon as possible.
"For sure, it is frustrating. But I can't do anything about it. I just need a couple days to get back into shape and on the ice and hopefully get into the exhibition game."

Rivalry Cup Resumes Sunday:

The Moncton Wildcats lead the Saint John Sea Dogs 4-3 in the Brunswick News Rivalry Cup points standings.

These clubs will complete the pre-Christmas schedule when they clash for the third time this Quebec Major Junior Hockey League season tomorrow at 4 p.m. at the Moncton Coliseum. The Wildcats had a 3-1 win and a 2-1 overtime loss in their first two meetings.

The results and attendance for the eight Moncton-Saint John games are part of the Rivalry Cup.

Here's how the scoring works:

On-ice record: One point for an overtime or shootout loss, two points for an overtime or shootout win, three points for a regulation win.

Attendance: One point for 4,000 or more fans, two points for 5,000 or more fans and three points for 6,000 or more fans.

Food Drive: The food drive will take when the Wildcats and Sea Dogs meet on New Year's Eve in Moncton and Jan. 2 in Saint John. The team gathering the most food by weight will earn three points.

Sea Dogs Hang On For Win Over Eagles...

2011-12-17T06:52:00.000-04:00

The Saint John Sea Dogs managed to hang on to defeat the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 4-3 in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action Friday night.

Scott Oke scored two goals, Kevin Gagne and Zack Phillips tallied singles and Danick Gauthier added two assists for the Sea Dogs, who now sit at 27-10-0-1. Mathieu Corbeil made 28 saves in the win. Logan Shaw had two and William Carrier had one in response for the Screaming Eagles who fell to 14-21-0-1. Philippe Trudeau made 22 saves for Cape Breton in the loss.

The Sea Dogs are now 4-1 over the Screaming Eagles this year and continue their dominance over the Eagles in the last two seasons. The Sea Dogs are now 11-2 in regular season action against Cape Breton.

Game Notes-

The Sea Dogs came out to play Friday night. Just under two minutes into the game, Gauthier laid a big hit to set the tone. The Sea Dogs drew a penalty on the play, and the Dogs made them pay quickly. Oke centred the puck in front of the net and deflected off a Screaming Eagle defender for Oke’s eighth of the season at 3:30 of the first. Pierre Durepos and Gauthier drew the assists on the play. Less than a minute later, Gagne scored his fifth goal of the season on a long shot from the left wing boards at 4:13 with assists to Jason Cameron and Oliver Cooper.

Despite being outshot 9-3 after scoring the first two goals, the Sea Dogs kept the pressure on the Eagles and held the momentum by killing an Ian Saab penalty. Phillips, Oke, and Stephen Anderson all had excellent chances to extend the lead with just over three minutes to go, but Trudeau shot the door. Strong defense and excellent stops by Corbeil kept the game scoreless to end the first.

Denis Creighton made an impact in the second, dropping the gloves against William Cochrane at 3:12. Creighton landed a couple of punches before tackling Cochrane to the ice. Corbeil got some help from both of his metal friends, with Logan Shaw knocking a shot off both posts, somehow staying out of the net. Another power play for the Sea Dogs resulted in an extended lead at 7:11 of the second. Phillips finished off a beautiful passing play from the bottom of the left-side faceoff circle. Gauthier took the puck down into the right corner, slid it back to Stephen MacAulay who zipped it across for Phillips to one-time it past Trudeau for his 18th goal of the season. Just over a minute later, Anderson forced a turnover and slid the puck to Oke who cruised into the zone and shot his second of the game past Trudeau from just left of the slot at 8:29 to make it 4-0 Sea Dogs. The Dogs were shut down on their third power-play chance just over the mid-way point, but still generated plenty of momentum culminating in a flurry of chances to end the second frame.

The Screaming Eagles forced their way back into the game in the third. Carrier ended the Sea Dogs shutout bid at 2:40 of the final period and 27 seconds later, Shaw notched a marker to cut the Sea Dog lead in half. Jonathan Brunelle took a 4-minute high-sticking penalty at the 7-minute mark after getting Oke in the face, giving the Sea Dogs a strong chance to seal the game. However, Shaw tallied a shorthanded goal to draw the Eagles closer to the comeback. After an unsuccessful power play, the best Sea Dog chance came on an Anderson push into the zone down the left wing side, but Trudeau shut the door.

With the third Cape Breton goal, the Sea Dogs took a more defensive pace to keep the lead intact. Back on their heels, the Sea Dogs still had a couple of opportunities, one being a 2-on-1 with Grant West and Cameron coming in on Trudeau and having the puck bounce at the last second. Oke had the opportunity in the last two minutes for the hat-trick goal on a beautiful 2-on-1 feed from Anderson. Corbeil made some excellent saves to cement the lead, as time expired on the Screaming Eagles comeback. (from Sea Dogs website)

Quotes:
“They’re never going to quit. They’re a competitive team that works really hard,” said Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant. “I thought we played two really good periods and then fell asleep in the third. We didn’t play the way we did in the first two and it almost came back to bite us.”

The Sea Dogs play Sunday in Moncton against the Wildcats. 4pm start.

Sea Dogs Take On Eagles And Other News....

2011-12-16T07:46:00.001-04:00

The Saint John Sea Dogs are back on the ice tonight as they face off against division rivals the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in Sydney. Puck drop is 7pm. The Sea Dogs slipped from second to fourth in the CHL Mastercard Rankings this week but they will get some help for tonight's match up as forward Zack Phillips returns to the lineup. Phillips is the Sea Dogs leading scorer. The Saint John squad will still be missing some key players tonight- Nathan Beaulieu and Jonathan Huberdeau are on Team Canada preparing for the World Junior Championship Series that begins on Boxing Day. Tomas Jurco will join Team Slovakia. Still on the injured list are Stanislav Galiev and Ryan Tesink.

The Sea Dogs will play on Sunday against the Moncton Wildcats before taking their Christmas break.

More On World Junior Team...

2011-12-15T08:02:00.000-04:00

As we wait another day for the Sea Dogs to play the Screaming Eagles, there is plenty of press on the 2012 National World Junior Team that may be of interest. If you're a Sea Dogs fan, it has to be thrilling to have two Saint John Sea Dogs representing Canada. But there are bittersweet feelings regarding Zack Phillips not making the cut. We can feel disappointment for him on not making the team but also happiness that we have him back on the team. With a depleted Sea Dogs lineup he's definitely needed.

Canadian juniors come knocking
Nathan Beaulieu is not easily excited. He's as laid back as they come. But when a knock came on his hotel room door shortly after 7 a.m. on Wednesday, even the 19-year-old from Strathroy, Ont., who spent his formative years growing up in Quispamsis, couldn't contain himself.
Beaulieu had received word that he had made the grade with Team Canada for the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championship in Edmonton and Calgary.
It's a dream of most teenage hockey players. Each year, the world juniors is one of the most anticipated events on the hockey calendar in Canada.
Beaulieu joins Sea Dog team captain Jonathan Huberdeau and Moncton Wildcats' defenceman Brandon Gormley as New Brunswick-based players to make a squad that will try to avenge a loss in the final last year to Russia. The tournament begins Dec. 26 against Finland. Link to article... (by PeterMcGuire,Telegraph Journal)

Phillips disappointed but not discouraged
Zack Phillips returned to Saint John from Calgary late Tuesday, the same day he was released from Team Canada's roster for the 2012 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Hockey Championships.
Phillips, although disappointed he didn't make Canada's national junior hockey team, is anxious to help the Saint John Sea Dogs keep winning in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The final team was selected Wednesday.
Phillips, a centre with the Saint John Sea Dogs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, said when his phone rang Tuesday morning, he knew his chances to represent Canada against the rest of the world later this month were over.
"I was definitely disappointed," Phillips said. "I'm an offensive forward, so I knew my spot (on the team) would have to be one of the top two centre jobs, and that's a tough spot to crack for all of Canada. I knew I had a chance, and I had my hopes up, but it happens. The other two guys who made it are good players and I wish them luck." Link to article.. (by Jamie Ross, theDaily Gleaner)

Huberdeau, Howden day-to-day

Coaching staff hopes to have talented scorer, veteran playing soon

On the one hand, Jonathan Huberdeau and Quinton Howden just received the ultimate sign of faith from the coaches of Canada's world junior hockey team.

On the other hand, the two injured forwards who saw zero to limited action, in Huberdeau's and Howden's cases, respectively, during the three-day selection camp might not be as effective as head coach Don Hay and his staff are hoping when the tournament gets underway on Dec. 26 at Rexall Place and Calgary's Scotiabank Saddledome.

Huberdeau, a highly offensive player with 10 goals and 18 assists in 13 games this season with the Saint John Sea Dogs in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, is recovering from a broken foot.

Link to read article...(By Chris O'Leary, Edmonton Journal )

Two Sea Dogs On Final Roster...

2011-12-14T14:01:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to Sea Dogs' Nathan Beaulieu and Jonathan Huberdeau named to the 2012 World Junior Hockey Team representing Canada.

As reported in the Canadian Press, the team released 13 players Wednesday morning to finalize the 22-man roster that will represent the host country at the upcoming world junior hockey championship.

Named to the team were goaltenders Mark Visentin and Scott Wedgewood with Nathan Beaulieu, Brandon Gormley, Jamie Oleksiak, Dougie Hamilton, Scott Harrington, Ryan Murray and Mark Psysyk all on defense.

Up front, Freddie Hamilton, Quinton Howden, Jonathan Huberdeau, Tanner Pearson, Mark Scheifele, Devante Smith-Pelly, Mark Stone, Ryan Strome, Michael Bournival, Brett Connolly, Brendan Gallagher, Boone Jenner and Jaden Schwartz will skate for Canada.

The players released included goaltenders Louis Dominigue and Tyler Bunz, defensemen Cody Ceci, Alex Petrovic, Ryan Murphy and Joe Morrow as well as forwards Brett Bulmer, Phil Di Guiseppe, Tyler Toffoli, Christian Thomas, Ty Rattie, Brad Ross and Phillip Danault.

Edmonton and Calgary will host this year's world event. Canada opens the tournament Dec. 26 in Edmonton.

Canada will play exhibition games in Calgary, Red Deer, Alta., and Edmonton next week.

Phillips In First Cuts From World Juniors Camp

2011-12-13T14:54:00.000-04:00

Canada's world junior team cut seven players from its selection camp in Calgary on Tuesday morning to bring its roster down to 35.

The cuts included 17-year old Red Deer defenceman Mathew Dumba, Rimouski blueliner Jerome Gauthier-Leduc, Brenden Kichton of the Spokane Chiefs, Mark McNeill of the Prince Albert Raiders, Brandon forward Michael Ferland, Saint John Sea Dogs forward Zack Phillips, and Kootenay forward Max Reinhart.

Disappointing for Zack to be sure but it's good news for the Sea Dogs who still have two games to play in Cape Breton and Moncton before the Christmas break.

Sea Dogs Fall To Moose...

2011-12-12T06:24:00.000-04:00

Despite a late push by the Sea Dogs, the Halifax Mooseheads hung on for their first win over the Saint John Sea Dogs in nearly two years. Matthew Boudreau scored twice in a 3-2 win for the Mooseheads, who snapped a 15-game Quebec Major Junior Hockey League losing streak against Saint John. Martin Frk had the other goal for Halifax, which had not beaten the Sea Dogs since Dec. 17, 2009. Zachary Fucale made 21 saves for the win as the Mooseheads improved to 20-9-1-2

Danick Gauthier scored his 31st goal to move into a tie with league leader Zach O’Brien of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Tomas Jurco had the other Saint John goal, while Sebastien Auger turned away 16 shots in the loss as the Dogs dropped to 26-10-0-1, still good for first overall.

Halifax finished 2-for-7 on the power play, while Saint John was 0-for-4. Devon Oliver-Dares left the game in the second period and did not return after hitting his head on the ice during a fight with Luca Ciampini of the Mooseheads.

Game Notes:

It took the Mooseheads 15 minutes to get their first shot of the game, and they trailed the Sea Dogs 7-1 on the shot clock at one point. But an opportunistic Boudreau made Halifax’s second shot count at 16:31. Auger attempted to dish a backhand pass along the end boards behind the net, but Boudreau anticipated the play, intercepted the pass and tucked in a backhander before the goalie could recover.

Boudreau made it 2-0 on a power play at 5:57 of the second, pulling the trigger from the right-wing faceoff circle to finish a pretty passing play with Alexandre Grenier and Darcy Ashley.

Gauthier had a breakaway chance on a penalty kill late in the middle frame. His deke to the backhand was stopped, then his rebound attempt just rolled along the goal line. As he came around the net in an attempt to tap it in, Halifax’s Joshua Desmond flew into the net, knocking it off to take a delay of game penalty. Saint John did not score on the abbreviated power play, but they maintained the momentum, leading to Jurco’s marker at 18:15. Stephen Anderson threw the puck toward the net from the left-wing corner with Jurco driving to the net, where he redirected the puck past Fucale. Ian Saab earned the other assist on the goal, Jurco’s 21st.

The Sea Dogs came close to tying things up about eight minutes into the third period, when Jason Seed rang a shot off the post. But the Mooseheads added an insurance marker with another power-play goal, this time off the stick of Frk at 15:36. It was the first goal of the season for the talented Czech, who has missed all but three games recovering from a concussion.

Saint John got a late power play and Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant pulled Auger for a 6-on-4 advantage. Halifax killed the penalty, but Saint John continued to press with the extra attacker, resulting in Gauthier’s goal. The overage forward tipped home Charles Roussel’s point shot with 56.1 seconds to go. The other assist went to Pierre Durepos.

The Dogs battled to the final second, with Anderson getting a couple of whacks in front of the net late, but they were unable to find the equalizer. ( Sea Dogs website)

Saint John’s next three games are on the road, with visits to Cape Breton Friday and Moncton Sunday.

Sea Dogs Bag The Moose...

2011-12-11T07:05:00.000-04:00

With a depleted roster due to injuries and 3 Sea Dogs attending World Juniors Selection Camp,the Saint John Sea Dogs continued their dominance over the Halifax Mooseheads with a 7-3 win Saturday at Harbour Station.

It was the 15th straight win for the Sea Dogs over Halifax, as 4,409 fans watched Saint John’s final home game before Christmas, a festive affair that featured the annual Teddy Bear Toss.

Danick Gauthier had a hat trick for the Sea Dogs to reach the 30-goal plateau for the first time in his career. Tomas Jurco added a goal and three assists, while Stephen Anderson, Kevin Gagne and Ian Saab chipped in singles. Saab’s goal was his first of the year. Devon Oliver-Dares, Grant West and Oliver Cooper had two assists each and Mathieu Corbeil made 20 saves for the win. Saint John remains first overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with a 26-9-0-1 record.

Darcy Ashley, Matthew Boudreau and Andrew Ryan had the Halifax goals and Alexandre Grenier tallied two assists. Zachary Fucale made 23 saves on 29 shots before giving way to Marc-Olivier Daigle, who stopped two of three in the final 7:19. Missing in action for the Moose was phenom Nathan MacKinnon who was injured in the game against the Rocket.

The teams renew acquaintances Sunday in Halifax, a 3 p.m. start at the Metro Center.

Game Summary-
Anderson opened the scoring at 9:51, burying a feed from Stephen MacAulay with a one-timer from in front of the net. Devon Oliver Dares had the other assist on Anderson’s fifth of the year, which cued a downpour of teddy bears and other stuffed animals for the annual Teddy Bear Toss.

Gauthier extended the lead at 11:11, taking a backhand pass from Oliver Cooper and finishing to make it 2-0. Jurco notched the other assist on the goal.

The Mooseheads cut the lead in half on Ashley’s power-play goal at 15:47 of the second, but Gauthier restored the two-goal cushion at 7:52 of the second. The overage forward, wearing the captain’s C, took a feed from Jurco on the left wing and fired a shot from the left-wing faceoff dot for his second of the night and 29th of the year.

Jurco made it a 4-1 game when Aidan Kelly sent him in on a breakaway and his shot beat Fucale to the blocker side at 13:27 of the middle frame. Jason Cameron had the other assist on the goal, Jurco’s 20th.

Gauthier completed the hat trick with another goal on a power play at 11:11 of the third period. With West screening in front, Gauthier snapped home a shot from the right-wing circle. West and Durepos had the assists on Gauthier’s 30th goal, which surpassed his career total of 29 heading into the season.

Boudreau got one back just 18 seconds later but Gagne restored the lead on another power play at 12:41. Again West provided the screen as Gagne got a wrist shot through for his fourth of the year. Jurco picked up the other assist.

Ryan made it 6-3 with an unassisted marker at 15:17, but Saab struck four minutes later to round out the summary. Saab fired a shot from the left point for his first of the season, with assists from Anderson and Oliver-Dares. ( from Sea Dogs website)

Saint John’s next four games are on the road, with the next home game on Dec.30 against the Rocket.

Sea Dogs Fall To Titan

2011-12-10T07:32:00.000-04:00

The Saint John Sea Dogs fell to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan 3-2 in front of a crowd of 3,386 in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action Friday night.

Danick Gauthier had a goal and an assist, and Aidan Kelly also scored for the Sea Dogs, who remain first overall at 25-9-0-1. Mathieu Corbeil made 14 saves in the loss. Matthew Bissonnette and Zach O’Brien had a goal and an assist for the Titan and Sebastien Trudeau added a single as Bathurst climbed to 15-16-2-2. Robert Steeves made 33 saves for the win.

The Sea Dogs lost back-to-back games at home for the first time since March 3 and 5, 2010. Zack Phillips failed to register a point, and saw his Sea Dogs record points streak come to an end at 22 games.

The Sea Dogs return to action tonight at Harbour Station against the Halifax Mooseheads.

Game Summary-

Just under four minutes in, Gauthier attempted set the tone with a big hit inside the defensive blue line. The Sea Dogs managed to kill off two early penalties to keep momentum even and Corbeil made several big saves early on to keep the game scoreless.

The Sea Dogs outshot the Titan 6-1 in the first half of the second frame, but it was the top line of the visiting squad that tallied the first marker when Bissonnette backhanded the puck past Corbeil at 9:10.

The Sea Dogs upped the pressure in the offensive zone, and had nearly three minutes of time on attack to counter the Titan goal. Jurco had a beautiful chance on a behind-the-net feed from Phillips. Less than a minute later, Gauthier cut down the right wing side, fought off the Titan defender and fed Kelly a centering pass. Kelly banged home it with a backhand top-shelf at 18:59 for his fifth goal of the season. Stephen Anderson made the pass out of the zone for the secondary assist. The Sea Dogs outshot the Titan 13-3 in the second.

O’Brien put the Titan up 2-1 at 2:09 of the final frame. On a mixed-up play Trudeau took advantage of a turnover to extend the Titan lead to 3-1 at 6:29 of the third.

Just as a Titan penalty expired, a frenzied play ensued around the net, with Charles Roussel keeping the puck behind the red line and setting up shop behind the net. He fed it out front to Jurco who slid it across the crease to set up Gauthier’s 27th goal of the season at 15:02. The play remained in the Titan zone for the final quarter of the period, but the Sea Dogs failed to nab the tying goal. (from Sea Dogs website)

Quotes-

"We were soft in our D-zone," Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant said. "We gave them two goals where we were cheating on one side of the puck and if you're going to win tight games, you have to play well defensively.

"It's disappointing. We played well enough to win, but when the other goalie plays well, you have to clear pucks and not have turnovers.

"That cost us the hockey game. When the puck is 10 feet from your blue-line, you have to get it out. You don't have to make a play."

Preparing For The Challenge....

2011-12-08T07:04:00.000-04:00

Sea Dogs ready for challenge

More than just Team Canada hopefuls will be missing from lineup

The Saint John Sea Dogs are preparing to deal with more holes in their lineup. Nathan Beaulieu, Zack Phillips and Jonathan Huberdeau are scheduled to fly to Calgary early Saturday morning to attend Canada's national junior team selection camp.

Huberdeau, who's been sidelined since early November with a foot injury, will be evaluated by medical staff today and Friday to determine whether he'll attend the camp, which ends on Dec. 14. This year's world junior tournament runs Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Calgary and Edmonton.

Despite having Huberdeau for just 13 games this season, the Dogs have coped to the tune of a 25-8-0-1 record, tops in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Losing Beaulieu and Phillips, however, provides yet another test in depth.

"We have five games left before the Christmas break and we'll just try to compete and play well,'' Saint John head coach Gerard Gallant said. "We can't lose focus because a lot of our players aren't here.''

Link to article....by Scott Briggs, Telegraph Journal

The Sea Dogs face the Acadie-Bathurst Titan Friday night at Harbour Station. More on the young Titan team:
Titan Youth movement underway

It is nice when a plan comes together. Just ask Acadie-Bathurst Titan head coach Eric Dubois.

"I think we were the youngest team in the league for sure," smiled Dubois, following the 6-5 come-from-behind win over the Rimouski Oceanic on Tuesday. "After our first line, we had three 18-year-olds and one 19-year-old, everybody else was 17 or younger. On defence, we had four guys who were 17."

Of those 18-year-olds, Ludovic Kabambi had a total of 32 games of Quebec Major Junior Hockey League experience and Robert Davis a grand total of 25. In all, Dubois was forced to dress 11 rookies for the game after losing six veterans from his lineup. Link to article...by Peter Assaff ,Titan Trail

Sea Dogs Stuff ...

2011-12-07T17:23:00.000-04:00

The Canadian Hockey League today announced the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings for week 12 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 remain 2nd in the rankings.

BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings – Week 12

1 London Knights (22-6-0-1)

2 Saint John Sea Dogs (25-8-0-1)

3 Tri-City Americans (22-7-0-0)

4 Quebec Remparts (23-6-2-1)

5 Plymouth Whalers (19-8-2-1)

6 Shawinigan Cataractes (20-9-2-2)

7 Kamloops Blazers (20-7-1-0)

8 Kitchener Rangers (20-8-1-0)

9 Saskatoon Blades (19-11-0-1)

10 Victoriaville Tigres (20-10-0-1)

The Sea Dogs website has an article on former Sea Dogs captain Mike Thomas....

OLD DOGS, NEW TRICKS: THOMAS PURSUES PRO DREAM

Mike Thomas is well on his way to a career in professional hockey, and he credits his time as a Saint John Sea Dog as a major factor in his development.
Thomas, who spent five years with the Dogs, is a rookie all over again with the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League. He’s already scored his first pro goal, to go along with three assists and nine penalty minutes in 17 games.
“I’m really enjoying going to the rink every day and knowing it’s a job. You still have fun doing it but the focus in pro hockey is on a little bit different level than the junior aspect just because it’s older guys and a little bit higher level,” Thomas says. Link to article

Holiday Promotions

Harbour Station will take on a festive atmosphere this weekend as the Saint John Sea Dogs play their final home games before Christmas as reported on the Sea Dogs website.

Saturday’s game against the Halifax Mooseheads will be the annual Holiday Fun Day, with a visit from Santa Claus planned along with the return of the annual Teddy Bear Toss. Fans are encouraged to bring new stuffed animals to the game and throw them on the ice when the Sea Dogs score their first goal of the night. The bears will be distributed to needy families through the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Program.

This game will also feature a “Change Bandit” promotion organized by the Sea Dogs Foundation, with volunteers from local youth hockey teams collecting change to be donated to the Empty Stocking Fund.

Special guest Santa Claus will be attending the game and taking gift requests from young fans.

Game time is 7 p.m. Saturday. Saint John is also in action Friday against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at 7:30 p.m. Fans can receive a special gift of Sea Dogs wrapping paper courtesy of Advocate Printing at both games, while quantities last.

Pre-orders for Hockey Heaven: A Look Inside the 2011 Saint John Sea Dogs, Memorial Cup Champions, will continue to be taken at both games. This limited edition 80-page commemorative book will sell for $58 in honour of the team tying the QMJHL record of 58 wins in the regular season.

In The News....

2011-12-07T08:08:00.000-04:00

The Saint John Sea Dogs do not play again until Dec. 9th when they face off against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

There are a couple of articles in our local newspaper that highlight Sea Dogs rookie Oliver Cooper and coaches Gerard Gallant and Mike Kelly. (Links follow)

Cooper listed among cream of QMJHL's rookie crop

Saint John Sea Dogs forward Oliver Cooper is having a fine freshman season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The 16-year-old from Fredericton is his club's recipient of the RDS mid-season rookie award. He'll be presented with a plaque during a pre-game ceremony this month.

Oliver Cooper has 15 points in 33 games for the Sea Dogs so far this season . Saint John's first choice at the 2011 QMJHL Entry Draft in Victoriaville, Cooper stands out for several reasons. He's six-foot-two and weighs 191 pounds and often uses his big frame to deliver solid hits and drive to the net. That approach has helped him contribute 15 points in 33 games for the Dogs (25-8-0-1), who return to action when they host the Acadie-Bathurst Titan Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Harbour Station. (Telegraph Journal) Link to read...

You are witnessing Dogs' coaches finest hour
There is some irony in the fact that Gerard Gallant likely won't win an unprecedented third straight Canadian Hockey League Brian Kilrea Award this season as the top coach in major junior hockey.
That's because the 48-year-old could very well be enjoying his finest stretch of coaching since taking over the Saint John Sea Dogs to start the 2009-10 season.
Gallant has the Saint John Sea Dogs in first place overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League standings (25-8-0-1) but unlike his two previous years behind the bench, he hasn't had the overabundance of on-ice talent to work with. It's not exactly making chicken salad out of you know what but Gallant and his staff - especially associate coach and director of hockey operations Mike Kelly - have certainly been pushing the right buttons. Link to article... (Tlelegraph Journal)

Sags Slam Sea Dogs...

2011-12-05T06:53:00.000-04:00

It was a game most Sea Dogs fans did not expect and one that will be best forgotten. On Sunday afternoon the Chicoutimi Sagueneens convincingly defeated the Saint John Sea Dogs 8-3. The Saguenenns made few if any mistakes while for the Sea Dogs it was an embarrassment as they saw their team-record 15-game home winning streak come to an end.

Etienne Brodeur had a hat trick and added two assists for Chicoutimi, Charles Hudon scored twice and Lukas Sedlak chipped in a goal and three assists. Dominic Poulin and Andrew O’Brien added singles to round out the summary and former Sea Dog Gabriel Bourret had three assists and a plus-6 rating. Christopher Gibson made 26 saves for the win as Chicoutimi improved to 13-10-3-5.

Tomas Jurco scored a pair for Saint John and Charles Olivier Roussel had the other. Nathan Beaulieu and Zack Phillips picked up two assists each. Although the loss snapped Saint John’s home winning streak, Phillips maintained his personal points streak. The Minnesota Wild prospect has recorded at least one point in 22 straight games, a team record and the longest streak in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League this season.

Mathieu Corbeil made 14 saves on 18 shots before being replaced by Sebastien Auger at 8:50 of the second period. Auger stopped 13 of 17 shots the rest of the way.

Game Summary-

Hudon got Chicoutimi off to a good start, burying a one-timer to give the Sags a 1-0 lead. Roussel equalized on the power play at 5:51. Beaulieu found him in the slot with a backhand pass from the right wing and the overage defenceman redirected it home for his eighth. Danick Gauthier recorded the other assist.

Jurco gave the Sea Dogs their only lead of the night at 14:15. The slick Slovakian picked up the puck in the left-wing corner, dangled out to the bottom of the circle, looked pass, then whipped a wrist shot just inside the post to Gibson’s blocker side. Beaulieu and Phillips assisted on the play, as Phillips extended his points streak to 22.

Brodeur started his scoring spree at 16:28 of the first, then gave Chicoutimi a 3-2 lead at 3:57 of the second. Poulin added another marker at 8:50 of the middle frame, bringing Corbeil’s night to an end.

Saint John seemed to get a brief lift in front of Auger, as Jurco struck again at 12:17 to make it 4-3. Roussel tapped a pass from the point to Jurco and he roofed another shot high to the blocker side from the left-wing circle. Phillips picked up the other assist on the goal, Jurco’s 19th.

The Sags came out strong in the third, however, as Hudon scored at 2:11 and Brodeur completed his hat trick at 4:35 to give Chicoutimi a 6-3 cushion. O’Brien, at 12:30, and Sedlak, at 14:28, rounded out the summary. (from the Sea Dogs website)

Up Next-
Saint John continues its four-game home stand next weekend against a pair of divisional rivals. The Dogs host the Acadie-Bathurst Titan Friday at 7:30 p.m., while the Halifax Mooseheads visit at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Saturday’s game will be the annual Holiday Fun Day, with a visit from Santa Claus planned along with the return of the Teddy Bear Toss. Fans are encouraged to bring new stuffed animals to the game and throw them on the ice when the Sea Dogs score their first goal of the night. The bears will be distributed to needy families through the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Program. This game will also feature a “Change Bandit” promotion organized by the Sea Dogs Foundation, with volunteers from local youth hockey teams collecting change to be donated to the Empty Stocking Fund.

More On The Game-
'We got what we deserved' - Gallant

Two former Saint John Sea Dogs came back to haunt their old team. Gabriel Bourret notched three assists and Alexandre Beauregard had one helper as the Chicoutimi Sagueneens cruised to an 8-3 thumping of the Dogs before 3,377 fans Sunday at Harbour Station. The Port City squad hadn't lost at home since Sept. 8.

"It was fun, especially since we lost (6-0) in our last game here,'' Bourret said. "I think the key was to outwork Saint John. We know they have a lot of skill and they can score. We couldn't give them any chances.''

The Dogs (25-8-0-1), still first overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, had won four straight, including Saturday's 3-2 overtime triumph over the Shawinigan Cataractes. Chicoutimi improved to 13-10-3-5. (Telegraph Journal) Link to article....

Beaulieu Scores OT Winner....

2011-12-04T06:53:00.000-04:00

The Saint John Sea Dogs stormed back from a two-goal deficit to defeat the Shawinigan Cataractes 3-2 in overtime Saturday at Harbour Station.

Nathan Beaulieu fired home the winner after goals by Oliver Cooper and Zack Phillips drew the Sea Dogs even. Mathieu Corbeil made 37 saves for the win. It was the 15th straight home victory for the Sea Dogs, who remain first overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League at 25-7-0-1. Phillips extended his team-record points streak to 21 games, the longest in the league this season.

Game Summary-

Max Le Sieur and Michael Bournival scored for Shawinigan and Gabriel Girard made 29 saves in the loss. The first power play of the game went to the Sea Dogs, but Shawinigan almost scored a short-handed marker when a forechecking Felix-Antoine Bergeron intercepted a Corbeil clearance. Bergeron blindly threw the puck along the ice toward the unguarded cage and it skittered just wide.

It was a back-and-forth first period with chances at both ends, but Le Sieur tallied the opening marker at 16:04, burying a rebound after an outstanding save by Corbeil.

Saint John had a couple of chances to equalize late in the frame. With just over a minute to go, Stephen MacAulay found Cooper out front with a pinpoint feed from behind the net, but Girard denied the rookie. Tomas Jurco and Phillips then had a chance on a 2-on-1 in the dying seconds, but again Girard shut the door.

The Sea Dogs got into penalty trouble early in the second period, with Charles Roussel sent off for hooking at 1:45 and Beaulieu for high-sticking at 2:26. The Dogs were six seconds from killing the first penalty when Bournival took a pass to Corbeil’s left on his backhand and deftly switched to the forehand to find the back of the net and make it 2-0.

The Cataractes thought they had another goal on a scramble shortly thereafter, but a long video review confirmed that the puck stayed out of the net.

The Dogs had a power-play chance of their own when Dillon Donnelly was called for hooking at 4:45 and generated several opportunities. Danick Gauthier may have had the best when, parked to Girard’s left, he corralled a Phillips rebound off the back boards, but he couldn’t switch to his forehand in time. The Sea Dogs whistled a handful of shots just wide, and just as the penalty expired MacAulay made a nice feed to Roussel, whose shot generated a big rebound. But the play was whistled down to boos from the Harbour Station fans as the referee apparently lost sight of the puck.

Saint John finally broke through on Cooper’s goal at 12:49 of the second. Stephen Anderson deflected an Ian Saab pass into the zone, Scott Oke won a puck battle behind the net and threaded the needle to Cooper in front. The rookie got the puck upstairs in a hurry for his eighth of the year to make it 2-1.

Corbeil made several solid saves to keep it that way late in the middle frame. He denied Bournival on a 2-on-1, standing his ground to bat away the Colorado Avalanche prospect’s wrist shot with his left arm. The 20-year-old goalie also kicked out two nice pad stops in the final two minutes.

Girard, his overage counterpart at the other end, was sharp as well. After Jurco fluttered a backhand pass to Gauthier on the left wing, Girard turned away his shot with the glove hand.

Phillips scored the tying goal at 4:42 of the third. After a great keep-in by Kevin Gagne at the left point, he got to puck to Jurco in the right-wing corner. Jurco fed Phillips in the high slot and he rang a shot off the post and crossbar for his 17th of the year, extending his points streak to 21 games.

Corbeil made sure the game got to overtime, robbing Kirill Kabanov with the paddle as he sprawled to his left with about six and a half minutes to go. He also benefited from a little luck when Anton Zlobin fired a shot off the post with five minutes left.

In overtime, Peter Sakaris took a penalty for goaltender interference when he tripped up Corbeil, setting up a 4-on-3 power play. The Dogs took advantage, when Beaulieu’s point shot found its way through at 1:57 of the extra frame. Danick Gauthier picked up the lone assist on the goal, Beaulieu’s eighth. (from Sea Dogs website)

Saint John plays the second of four straight home games Sunday against the Chicoutimi Sagueneens (3 p.m.) Jersey auctions from the Memorial Cup championship team continue with the sweaters of Scott Oke (No. 15), Gabriel Bourret (No. 5) and Alexandre Beauregard (No. 25) up for bid.

Game Day...Cataractes vs.Sea Dogs

2011-12-03T08:50:00.000-04:00

The Sea Dogs have two games at Harbour Station this weekend, beginning tonight against the Shawinigan Cataractes. Sunday afternoon's match up will feature the Chicoutimi Sagueneens.

The Cataractes are coming off a 3-1 victory against the Titan Friday night. The Sea Dogs have not played since Tuesday night in Moncton where they defeated the Wildcats 2-1.

Saint John continues to sit first in the league with a 24-7-0-1 record. Shawinigan is fourth in the standings at 20-8-1-2. In the past 10 games the Sea Dogs are 8-1-0-1 and the Cataractes are 7-3-0-0.
Saint John and Shawinigan will face off 4 times this season.

West willing to do what it takes to stick with Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs wanted to add some muscle to their lineup and they turned to Grant West. But the 19-year-old from Fredericton has done more than just provide a physical presence. The big winger has chipped in with four goals and four assists in 15 games, while racking up 43 penalty minutes.

"I'm a big body and I have to use it," said West, 6-foot-3 and 204 pounds. "I'm not the most skilled guy, so if you're going to make it somehow, you have to do what you have to do."

That mindset has meant the occasional fight for West, who appeared in three games earlier this season for the Moncton Wildcats before signing with the Dogs. (Telegraph Journal) Link to article...

Friday- Facts and Findings....

2011-12-02T08:29:00.001-04:00

Former Sea Dog Makes NHL Debut....

Simon Despres now with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins AHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins became the second former Sea Dog to play a game in the NHL . Yann Sauve made his NHL debut last season with the Vancouver Canucks.

Head injuries to defensemen Kris Letang and Zbynek Michalek opened the door for Penguins 2009 first-round pick Simon Despres to make his NHL debut Thursday night against the Washington Capitals.

"A little nervous, but very excited," Despres told NHL.com Thursday morning when asked about his emotions. "It is what I have dreamed all my life. I'm just going to try to do my best to help the team."

Despres did not look out of place in his NHL debut. He earned an assist, was on the ice for both Penguins goals in his 10 minutes, 30 seconds of ice time in the Pittsburgh victory.

"He looked confident, looked good," Head coach Bylsma said. "Made some plays." The Penguins have reported how long Despres will be on the roster.

Zack Phillips named TELUS first star of the month for November
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League today announced the TELUS three stars of the month for November.
The first star is awarded to Zack Phillips. In thirteen games, the Saint John Sea Dogs forward tallied 5 goals and 18 assists while posting a +13 rating. Phillips established a new team record by recording at least one point in 20 consecutive games. With a total of 48 points, he trails league-leader Zach O’Brien, by only four points. Phillips registered 16 of his 23 points during the Sea Dogs’ 8 road games. Phillips has been a key offensive producer in the absences of Stanislav Galiev and Jonathan Huberdeau.
The second star is awarded to Mikhail Grigorenko. The Quebec Remparts right-winger scored 10 goals and added 9 assists in 12 games. Moreover, he collected 2 points or more in 7 games this month while registering the game-winning goal in a big game versus the Saint John Sea Dogs a few days ago. Grigorenko went 4 consecutive games with at least one goal. The sniper is ranked third in the league in scoring with 22 goals.
The third star belongs to Roman Will. The Moncton Wildcats goaltender received an average of 27.4 shots during his eight starts, posting an impressive 7-1 record. His only loss (2-1) was in overtime against Saint John on November 29th. He also recorded a shutout on November 12th against the Baie-Comeau Drakkar. He finished the month with a goals-against-average of 1.81 and a save percentage of .934.

MOVEMBER NETS NEARLY $4,000

The calendar has turned to December, which means “Movember” is over and it’s time to tally the results.
Players and staff of the Saint John Sea Dogs grew moustaches throughout the month of November in support of men’s health and prostate cancer research. The team solicited donations throughout the month, amassing nearly $2,000 towards the cause. Sea Dogs Chairman and CEO Scott McCain matched that amount Thursday, bringing the total to nearly $4,000.
“As a male in my 50s, I’m mindful of the importance of raising awareness and funds for men’s health,” McCain said. “I’m proud to be able to match the donations raised by players and staff. My congratulations go out to them for their efforts to support of this very important initiative.”
To encourage the players to “grow their mo’s” and solicit donations, the team awarded prizes for the best and worst moustaches, as well as the top fundraiser as of 11:59 p.m. Wednesday.
Stephen MacAulay earned the top fundraiser award with a total of $490 at midnight, although donations continue to roll in for Jonathan Huberdeau, who has since passed his fellow forward.
Meanwhile, fans on the team’s Facebook and Twitter pages decided overwhelmingly to recognize defenceman Spencer MacDonald for having the best moustache, while goaltender Mathieu Corbeil earned the ignominious distinction of the worst.
MacAulay, MacDonald and Corbeil will all receive prizes from the team for their efforts.
The Sea Dogs also helped promote another community cause this week, making a donation to the Raising the Roof campaign to fight youth homelessness.
The team purchased red toques for players, coaches and staff, and posed for photos wearing the distinctive headwear, which is being sold to raise money for the Saint John Youth House project.
“Connecting with our community has always been important to the Sea Dogs, and this is another worthy cause we are happy to support,” said Sea Dogs President Wayne Long. “We hope people will see our players, coaches and staff wearing these red toques and support the Raising the Roof cause themselves.”
The Dogs are back at home Saturday against the Shawinigan Cataractes (7 p.m.) and Sunday against the Chicoutimi Sagueneens (3 p.m.)
The entire Canadian Hockey League participated in Movember this season and raised nearly $125,000. Funds raised are directed to programs run by Movember and men's health partner, Prostate Cancer Canada.

Phillips Red-Hot...

2011-12-01T07:01:00.000-04:00

The Sea Dogs don't return to QMJHL action until Saturday night when the Shawinigan Cataractes visit Harbour Station. Our local newspaper has an article today about Zack Phillips stellar play so far this season. The lead and link to the article follows:

Red-hot Phillips more than willing to be the big Dog
Forward goes on scoring tear, sports 'C' for injury-plagued squad
November was a month to remember for Zack Phillips.

The Saint John Sea Dogs forward fared well in the Subway Super Series, earning an invitation to Canada's national junior team selection camp. The Fredericton native was also named interim captain when Jonathan Huberdeau went down with a foot injury.

On top of all that, he's riding a league-best and team-record, 20-game points streak entering Saturday's 7 p.m. contest against the Shawinigan Cataractes (19-8-1-2) at Harbour Station.

"I'm trying not to focus on the points too much," Phillips said. "I'm just trying to play the whole game and set up my linemates." (Telegraph Journal) Link to article....

Sea Dogs Ranked Number Two....

2011-11-30T17:11:00.000-04:00

The Saint John Sea Dogs regained second place in the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings for Week 11 after slipping to third place behind the Quebec Remparts last week.

1 London Knights (20-5-0-1)
2 Saint John Sea Dogs (24-7-0-1)
3 Tri-City Americans (19-6-0-0)
4 Quebec Remparts (21-5-2-1)
5 Saskatoon Blades (18-8-0-1)
6 Shawinigan Cataractes (19-8-1-2)
7 Kootenay Ice (18-5-1-2)
8 Plymouth Whalers (17-8-2-1)
9 Victoriaville Tigres (19-9-0-1)
10 Sarnia Sting (15-6-1-4)

Dogs Win 2-1 In OT.....

2011-11-30T07:07:00.000-04:00

To say that the Sea Dogs are dropping like flies would not be an over statement as the injury bug continues to bite the Port City squad. Missing from action are Stanislav Galiev, Jonathan Huberdeau, Aidan Kelly, Stephen MacAulay and last night Jason Seed left and game and did not return. Despite the injury challenges the Sea Dogs keep finding ways to win and last night's match up between their division rivals the Moncton Wildcats was no exception. In a tight hard fought battle the Sea Dogs held on for a 2-1 OT win at the Moncton Coliseum. This was the second meeting for the season for the Sea Dogs and Wildcats who have each won one match. Saint John earned two points in the Brunswick News Rivalry Cup for the overtime win, while the host Wildcats received one point for the overtime loss and lead the competition 4-3 after two games.

Charles -Olivier Roussel scored the overtime winner and Stephen Anderson had the other Saint John goal as the Sea Dogs remained first overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with a 24-7-0-1 record.

Zack Phillips picked up two assists and now has the first 20-game points streak in team history – the longest streak in the league this season. Tomas Jurco also had two assists and Mathieu Corbeil made 30 saves for the win.

Olivier D’Aoust had the Moncton goal before being ejected for checking from behind. Roman Will made 28 saves in the loss as the Wildcats fell to 16-12-2-0.
Three Stars Of The Game-

1. SNB - Mathieu Corbeil
2. MON - Roman Will
3. SNB - Stephen Anderson

Game Summary-

Anderson opened the scoring at 13:33 of the first on a faceoff play to Will’s right. Phillips won the draw back to left-winger Jurco, who fired a shot from near the top of the circle that rebounded to Anderson. The 17-year-old rookie converted for his fourth of the season.

D’Aoust equalized at 13:30 of the second, as Brandon Shea’s shot from the right-wing circle was blocked in front and fell to D’Aoust on the doorstep. He surprised Corbeil with a quick shot to make it 1-1.

The Sea Dogs got a five-minute man advantage at 2:20 of the third period when D’Aoust was called for checking Jason Seed from behind in the corner to Corbeil’s left. Ian Saab dropped the gloves

to stick up for his fallen teammate, but was unable to land any punches as D’Aoust grabbed him and wrestled him to the ground before being escorted off the ice.

Moncton actually got the best chance of the power play, however, as Corbeil had to sprawl to his left to rob Allain Saulnier with the glove. As the Wildcats completed the penalty kill they received a loud ovation from the Coliseum fans.

Corbeil was sharp again, kicking away another Saulnier chance off a faceoff to his left with just over six minutes to go to preserve the 1-1 score.

Roussel ended the match at 3:38 of overtime, coming out from behind the net and jamming in a backhander to give the Dogs the 2-1 margin of victory. The assists went to Phillips and Jurco.

The Dogs are back at home Saturday against the Shawinigan Cataractes (7 p.m.) and Sunday against the Chicoutimi Sagueneens (3 p.m.)

In The News-

Dogs nip Wildcats

Highly-touted Sea Dogs collect 2-1 overtime victory

The Moncton Wildcats could find positives in the face of defeat. They worked hard and turned in a terrific performance, but suffered heartbreak with a 2-1 overtime loss to the Saint John Sea Dogs in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action last night in front of 3,965 fans at the Moncton Coliseum.

"I think we battled hard all game and we contained their top players pretty well," said Wildcats defenceman James Melindy. "It's never easy losing in overtime, especially against a big rival like Saint John, but we can definitely take positives from this game and try to build off it. (Times and Transcript) Link to article....

Dogs and Cats Face Off Tonight....

2011-11-29T14:37:00.000-04:00

The fur will be flying as the Saint John Sea Dogs face off tonight against the Moncton Wildcats at the Moncton Coliseum. Game time is 7pm. The Wildcats lost all eight games against the Saint John Sea Dogs last season.
Saint John, 23-7-0-1, sits atop the QMJHL and it's No. 3 in the Canadian Hockey League rankings. Moncton, 16-12-1-0, is third in the Maritime Division and eighth overall in the 17-team league.

The Wildcats defeated the Sea Dogs 3-1 in their only meeting this season. That was the regular season opener for both clubs and the Sea Dogs were missing almost half of their players to National Hockey League training camps.

The Sea Dogs got off to a 1-3-0-0 start to the season with a short-staffed team. They've gone 22-4-0-1 since then and they haven't played a game this season with their full lineup.

Missing From Action:

Saint John has four players, all forwards, on the injured list. Huberdeau and Stanislav Galiev, who are among the league's best players, won't play tonight. Aidan Kelly and Stephen MacAulay are doubtful for this game.

Moncton defenceman Cameron McDonald (concussion) and forward Mark Tremaine (ankle) are on the injured list. Forward Devon MacAusland, who injured his foot while blocking a shot last week, is doubtful for tonight. Forward Rudy Sulmonte has been released.

Quotes-(as reported in the Times and Transcript)

From Brandon Gormley-

"Obviously, Saint John has a tremendous team and we have to make sure that we're prepared for this game," said Gormley. "It's going to be a battle. It's going to be a great game and we're all looking forward to it.

"We've had this game circled on the calendar. We have a great rivalry against them. Hopefully, the fans really get behind us in this game and help us out."

From Gerard Gallant-
"It's been tough without top guys like Huberdeau and Galiev, but we're finding ways to win," said Saint John head coach Gerard Gallant. "We've got a lot of depth upfront. We've called up some players from junior A who have played really well."

"They're a solid team, they play within their limitations and they play a sound game," he said. "Moncton versus Saint John is a good rivalry. I'm expecting this to be a hard-fought game.

"Their special teams are very good. Our special teams have been just fair so far this season. They have a great power play so we've got to make sure that we're a disciplined team."

From Allain Saulnier-
"I'm looking forward to this game," said Wildcats right winger Allain Saulnier. "You always want to test yourself against the top teams. Saint John was ranked No. 1 in the league the past two seasons and they're first overall in the league again this season.

"We're going to have to bring our 'A' game for sure. Saint John is definitely our biggest rival. It was tough losing all eight games against them last season."

"We won't win an 8-7 game against them," he said. "They're much more skilled than us. We have to play tight defence, play physical against their top players and don't let them have space because they will make plays.

"We need to try to win a low-scoring game. Roman Will has been giving us outstanding goaltending and I'm sure he's going to come up big in this game. We've also got to limit their time on the power play."

From Danny Flynn-

Saint John will be a significant challenge for us as they're certainly one of the best teams in the country," said Wildcats head coach Danny Flynn. "Our guys are looking forward to the test. Saint John is an exceptionally strong team and we want to see where we fit as we hit December.

"We don't like to play a wide-open style against anybody, but especially a team with as much firepower as Saint John. We have to try to play a good two-way game because they have a lot of weapons and a lot of smarts."

A Game, A Cup And A Book...

2011-11-29T07:04:00.000-04:00

Rivalry Cup tilt features world junior hopefuls
Fans at Tuesday's Brunswick News Rivalry Cup game between the Saint John Sea Dogs and Moncton Wildcats could be getting a preview of Team Canada's potential world junior team.

Three Sea Dogs and one Wildcat have been invited to the national junior team selection camp set to take place Dec. 10-14 in Calgary.

The tournament will be held Dec. 26-Jan. 5, 2012 in Calgary and Edmonton.

The Saint John invitees include forwards Jonathan Huberdeau and Zack Phillips along with defenceman Nathan Beaulieu. Blue-liner Brandon Gormley is the lone Moncton invite.

Phillips said he received a lot of congratulations from teammates on Monday.

"With some of the injuries we've had, I've had a chance to step up and help our team," Phillips said of Team Canada taking notice of his play. (Andrew McGilligan, Telegraph Journal)Link to article....

Memorial Cup book in time for Christmas

Saint John Sea Dogs fans are in for a treat this Christmas. The team recently signed off on the final proofs of a coffee table book that commemorates its 2011 Memorial Cup championship run.

Last May, Saint John became the first team from Atlantic Canada to win the Memorial Cup, which has been contested since 1919.

The 80-page publication will sell for $58 in honour of the team tying the QMJHL record of 58 wins in the regular season.

Management wanted to come up with a way to mark the achievement and chose the coffee table book over a documentary-style DVD.

Majority owner Scott McCain made the final call to go the book route.

The Telegraph-Journal's Sea Dogs beat writer Scott Briggs worked closely with Nathan White of the Sea Dogs on the hard-cover publication.

"We knew this was a historic season and we wanted to capture the year in some way, shape or form," said team president Wayne Long. "We debated back and forth which way was best: a DVD or a book. We did a lot of consulting with different people and we felt the book would be the best way to capture it. Even with today's technology, a book is something hard and tangible. Our fans can feel it, look at it, touch it with their fingers and put it on their coffee tables."

"The goal of the book is to capture the historic year we had. In 20, 30 years, and beyond it's something that will still be there. It's important that we recorded the year in more than a virtual or temporary way. We wanted something concrete."

The book will be available in time for Christmas, with an exact date yet to be announced. The team is targeting the week of Dec. 12.

A small print run such as this - 750 - carries a premium cost. The financial goal of the book is to break even and give fans and those associated with the team a memorable keepsake.

We're guessing it's going to be a hot item and proof of that came on the weekend when more than 50 pre-orders were taken after a table was set up for both games against the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.

Orders will continue to be taken at the remaining four home games before Christmas - including Saturday at 7 p.m. against Shawinigan and Sunday against Chicoutimi at 3 p.m. - as well as at the team's office at Harbour Station Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You can also order by phone by calling 657-DOGS (3647). (Peter McGuire,Telegraph Journal)

Three Sea Dogs Get An Invite.....

2011-11-28T16:28:00.000-04:00

Forwards Jonathan Huberdeau and Zack Phillips and defenceman Nathan Beaulieu have been invited to Team Canada selection camp for the World Junior Hockey Championship.

Hockey Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), announced today that 41 of Canada’s top junior-aged players (born in 1992 or later) have been invited to take part in Canada’s National Junior Team Sport Chek Selection Camp, Dec. 10 to 14 at the WinSport Canada Athletic & Ice Complex in Calgary.

Of the 41 players invited, three are returning players – Quinton Howden (Oak Bank, Man./Moose Jaw, WHL), Jaden Schwartz (Wilcox, Sask./Colorado College, CCHA) and Mark Visentin (Waterdown, Ont./Niagara, OHL) helped Canada earn the silver medal at the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo, N.Y

Two Sea Dogs have represented Canada in the six-year history of the team. Forward Chris DiDomenico won a gold medal in Ottawa in 2009 and defenceman Simon Despres won silver in Buffalo in 2011. Forward Tomas Jurco, who played for Slovakia in Buffalo, is also expected to represent his country this year.

Including Huberdeau, Phillips and Beaulieu, eight Quebec Major Junior League players were invited to camp:

Goaltenders:

Louis Domingue (Quebec Remparts)

Defencemen:

Nathan Beaulieu (Saint John Sea Dogs)

Jerome Gauthier-Leduc (Rimouski Oceanic)

Brandon Gormley (Moncton Wildcats)

Forwards:

Michael Bournival (Shawinigan Cataractes)

Phillip Danault (Victoriaville Tigres)

Jonathan Huberdeau (Saint John Sea Dogs)

Zack Phillips (Saint John Sea Dogs)

Huberdeau (third overall, Florida Panthers), Beaulieu (17th overall, Montreal Canadiens), and Phillips (28th overall, Minnesota Wild) are among the 14 first-round selections invited. Thirty-six of the players named to the selection camp roster were drafted in either the 2010 or 2011 NHL Entry Drafts, including nine second-round picks.

Hockey Canada can still add additional players prior to the opening of the selection camp on Dec. 10, in the event that NHL teams loan junior-aged eligible players currently playing in the NHL.

“On behalf of Hockey Canada, we want to congratulate the players named to the camp roster today, along with their club teams, parents and minor hockey coaches that have helped them reach this level,” said Brad Pascall, Hockey Canada’s vice-president of hockey operations/national teams. “As well, we would like to thank the Canadian Hockey League for its partnership and support of the Program of Excellence.”

“Thanks to Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence, many of these players have already received the experience necessary to deal with high-paced international competition such as the World Juniors,” said Kevin Prendergast, Hockey Canada’s head scout of the men’s Program of Excellence. “The quality and skill of the 41 players invited to camp next week is a testament to the hard work, commitment and development of all those involved in the Canadian minor hockey and junior hockey systems.”

Prendergast travelled coast to coast during the early months of the 2011-12 season, assessing players in preparation for the selection camp.

“On behalf of the Canadian Hockey League, I would like to congratulate all players who have been named to the selection camp roster,” said David Branch, president of the CHL. “This is a tremendous honour, and all have worked extremely hard to get to where they are today.”

SELECTION CAMP INFORMATION

There will be two Red-White intrasquad games (Dec. 11-12) and one game against a team of all-stars from Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS). The CIS team will be comprised of players from the University of Calgary and University of Lethbridge. Tickets for all three games can be purchased at Calgary Sport Chek locations or online at www.HockeyCanada.ca. Practices will be open to the public.

Once the final roster is named at the conclusion of the selection camp on Dec. 14, Canada’s National Junior Team will play in three pre-competition games in Alberta prior to the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship, Dec. 26, 2011 to Jan. 5, 2012 in Calgary and Edmonton.

Canada will play its first game of the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship on Boxing Day, Dec. 26 against Finland, a game that will be broadcast LIVE by TSN/RDS and on The FAN Radio Network.

Weekend Sweep For Sea Dogs...

2011-11-27T07:36:00.000-04:00

The Saint John Sea Dogs wrapped up a weekend sweep over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles with a 4-1 win Saturday at Harbour Station.

Zack Phillips had a goal and an assist for the Sea Dogs to extend his league-best and team-record points streak to 19 games, while Oliver Cooper, Danick Gauthier, and Stephen Anderson added singles. Ryan Tesink and Nathan Beaulieu had a pair of assists each and Sebastien Auger made 29 saves for the win.

Logan Shaw had the lone Cape Breton goal and Philippe Trudeau made 29 saves in the loss.

With the win, the Sea Dogs ran their home winning streak to 14 games and remained first overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League standings at 23-7-0-1, while the Eagles fell to 11-17-0-1.

Stephen MacAulay was out of the lineup due an injury.

Three Stars Of The Game

1. SNB - 33 Sébastien Auger
2. SNB - 19 Ryan Tesink
3. SNB - 27 Oliver Cooper

Game Summary:

Cooper opened the scoring at 10:17 of the first. Parked in front on a power play, the rookie took a feed from Tesink and buried a low one-timer. Kevin Gagne picked up the other assist on the goal, Cooper’s seventh.

Shaw had a chance to equalize when he got in behind the defence with about two minutes to go in the frame, but fanned on the puck. Shaw fanned on another great chance early in the second after he found himself alone in front thanks to a Saint John turnover. But the Florida Panthers prospect couldn’t get the puck to sit for him.

Tesink had an opportunity to extend the lead with the Dogs short-handed about five minutes in to the middle frame, but lost the handle on his deke. Anderson, who skated alongside Phillips and Tomas Jurco most of the evening, was the beneficiary of a two nice setups from Phillips midway through the second, but Trudeau turned away his quick shots.

Late in the second, Cooper had an end-to-end rush, cutting around a defender on the right wing, but couldn’t get the puck back to his forehand for a shot.

Gauthier finally found the insurance marker at 17:07. Tesink slipped a nice little pass across the blueline to Gauthier, who went in on the right wing, used linemate Scott Oke as a decoy and fired a wrist shot from the faceoff circle that got through Trudeau. Nathan Beaulieu picked up the other assist on the score, which moved Gauthier into a tie with league leader Zach O’Brien of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at 26 goals.

Cooper nearly made it 3-0 on a rebound try with about 30 seconds to go, but Trudeau recovered to his left to make the save just in time.

Just over five minutes into the third Auger made a spectacular save of his own, recovering to his rights and dropping into the splits to rob William Carrier on a rebound. The highlight-reel stop earned the rookie goaltender several taps on the pads from his teammates and an appreciative ovation from the fans.

Auger continued to look confident, flashing his glove hand to pluck the puck out of a pair of goalmouth scrambles and keep the score 2-0.

Anderson made it 3-0, finally cashing in on his opportunity to play on the top line, as he knocked one home from in close at 10:06 for his third goal. Phillips recorded the assist, as he extended his points streak to 19 games.

Shaw broke Auger’s shutout at the 15:09 mark.

Phillips tallied at 19:59 with an empty-net goal, his 16th of the year, assisted by Beaulieu. (Sea Dogs website)

The Sea Dogs are on the road Tuesday to take on the Moncton Wildcats, a 7 p.m. start at the Coliseum.

Sea Dogs Down Eagles....

2011-11-26T07:45:00.001-04:00

It was a sluggish first period for the Sea Dogs but they came to life in the second and managed to hold on for a 5-2 win over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles before 3,475 fans at Harbour Station Friday night in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Tomas Jurco returned to the lineup after missing a couple of games with an injury.

Scott Oke got a goal and an assist for the Dogs (22-7-0-1), while Danick Gauthier, Tomas Jurco, Nathan Beaulieu and Grant West also scored. Charles-Olivier Roussel collected two helpers for Saint John and goalie Mathieu Corbeil made 17 saves.

Jonathan Brunelle and David Rose each had a goal and an assist for the Eagles (11-16-0-1), while netminder Alexandre Veronneau stopped 16 of 21 shots before yielding to Philippe Trudeau in the third period.

Game Notes:

Cape Breton took a 1-0 lead when Brunelle registered his 9th goal of the season at 17:13 of the first period, finishing a give-and-go play with William Carrier. Before that, the only semblance of intensity in the opening frame was an uneventful tussle between Eagles enforcer Blake Millman and West. Saint John had to kill three penalties in the first stanza and managed just four shots.

Rose scored for Cape Breton just 28 seconds into the second period. But less than a minute later, Oke set up Gauthier to pull the Dogs within one. Saint John tied the game when Jurco cashed in from close range off a nice feed from Oliver Cooper at 1:56 of the middle session.

The game took on an edgy tone after the equalizer as Eagles defenceman Raman Hrabarenka fought with Dogs rearguard Ian Saab. Another scrap followed, this time between Cape Breton's Kyle Campbell and Saint John's Denis Creighton.

Oke gave the Dogs a 3-2 lead at 11:56 of the second, bolting into the offensive zone on the right side and wiring a wrister past Veronneau's far side. The Sea Dogs held their one-goal edge through 40 minutes.

Beaulieu scored during the first shift of the third period for a 4-2 lead. Zack Phillips assisted on the marker to extend his points streak to a team-record 18 straight games.

West scored at 4:55, driving by the Eagles' defence and going backhand to forehand before stuffing it past Veronneau, who was then pulled in favour of Trudeau. Jurco's holding penalty with 8:13 left gave the Eagles a key power play, but the visitors couldn't capitalize and went scoreless in five man-advantage opportunities.

Three Stars:

1. SNB - Scott Oke

2. SNB - Charles-Olivier Roussel

3. CAP - David Rose
Danick Gauthier scored his 25th goal and Zack Phillips kept his 18th game point streak going.

Quotes:
"We came out a little soft in the first period and we didn't have many shots," Oke said. "We talked a bit in the room (during the intermission) since we didn't show up too much in the first. We started being first on the puck, driving the net and using our speed to support each other."

"We're missing some guys, so that's always a factor," Oke said. "They came out hard, but I think everyone comes out hard against us."

"We didn't get many shots through and if we did there wasn't much traffic," Cape Breton defenceman Morgan Ellis said. "Special teams can decide the game."

"In the second half of the game, we played a lot better and started to pressure a little bit more," the bench boss Gerard Gallant said. "It was a tough start but a pretty good finish. We just didn't have any jump or any emotion (early in the game). Once we got behind 2-0, I thought we started to compete harder and it was a different game." (from the Telegraph Journal)

Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant is looking for a stronger start when the teams meet again tonight at 7 p.m. at Harbour Station.

Sea Dogs Take On Screaming Eagles....

2011-11-25T11:41:00.000-04:00

The Saint John Sea Dogs take on the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles for two back to back games at Harbour Station beginning tonight at 7:30pm. The second match up goes Saturday night at 7pm.

The Sea Dogs are coming off loses against the Titan and Remparts and the Screaming Eagles fell 4-1 against the Mooseheads last night. This is the third meeting between these divisional rivals. Cape Breton won the first match up at Centre 200 8-6 back in September while the Sea Dogs even the series winning 6-3 at Harbour Station in October.

The Sea Dogs are 21-7-0-1 for 43 pts and Cape Breton is 11-15-0-1 for 23 pts.

Scoring Leaders:

Cape Breton

Jonathan Brunette 8 goals 22 assists for 30pts.

David Rose -7 goals 22 assists for 29 pts.

William Carrier 9 goals 13 assists for 22 pts.

Top Defenceman - Morgan Ellis 7 goals 11 assists for 19 pts.

Saint John

Zack Phillips 15 goals 28 assists for 43 pts.

Danick Gauthier 24 goals 14 assists for 38 pts.

Tomas Jurco 16 goals 17 assists for 33 pts.

Top Defenceman - Nathan Beaulieu 6 goals 14 assists for 20 pts.

A New Perspective:

Dogs' captain comes to realize a broken foot isn't the end of the world

Recuperating from a broken foot is giving Saint John Sea Dogs star Jonathan Huberdeau more than just extra rest. The 18-year-old forward is also gaining additional perspective from observing others at the hospital. "I was thinking at the beginning (of the injury), not playing hockey was like the end of the world,'' Huberdeau said Thursday in the dressing room at Harbour Station. "It's not that bad having a broken foot.''

Especially compared to other patients Huberdeau has seen. Whether it's someone battling cancer or a long-term injury, the fighting spirit in others has inspired Saint John's captain. (article by Scott Briggs, Telegraph Journal) Link to read....

After The Storm...

2011-11-24T08:08:00.000-04:00

As our American neighbours celebrate Thanksgiving today, here in the Maritimes we're digging out from an early blast of winter. Meanwhile the Saint John Sea Dogs are preparing for back to back games against division rivals Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on Friday and Saturday night. Coming off two defeats at the hands of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan and the Quebec Remparts the Sea Dogs look to return to their winning ways.

Dogs licking wounds

Saint John Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant didn't get the outcome he wanted, but the effort was there.

The injury-plagued Port City squad dropped a 4-1 decision to the Quebec Remparts Tuesday night at the Colisee Pepsi, capping a three-game road swing. Saint John dropped a 6-5 shootout decision to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Sunday after Friday night's 2-1 victory over the Prince Edward Island Rocket in Charlottetown.

"The last two games, I'm satisfied with our effort,'' Gallant said. "We didn't play a bad game (in Quebec). It was a good game. It wasn't really a 4-1 game for me.'' Link to article by Scott Briggs in Telegraph Journal

Sea Dogs Oliver Cooper named to Atlantic U17 Team
Murphy, Zilbert, Cooper, Vanderlaan all named to Atlantic entry at tourney

A song that was a hit before they were born -- John Mellancamp's 1985 anthem "Small Town" -- provides the inspiration for Team Atlantic as they prepare for the World U-17 Hockey Challenge in Windsor, Ont. Dec. 29-Jan. 4.
Head coach Eric Bissonnette said the theme of "Small Towns and Big Dreams" -- country artist Paul Brandt had a hit tune by that very name a couple of years ago, but Bissonnette is more of a Mellancamp man -- is one that surfaced in the summer as he and the coaches began fashioning the team that will represent the region at the 10-team tourney.
"When we met in the summer, our team motto was 'Small town, big dreams," said Bissonnette. "We had a map showing how big Atlantic Canada is, and showing Russia and the United States and so on, and where we fit in the big scheme of things. It's a very, very small part. So we were trying to build an "Us against the world" kind of mentality." by Bill Hunt Daily Gleaner Link to article....

Sea Dogs Drop In CHL Top 10 Rankings

2011-11-23T17:15:00.001-04:00

The Saint John Sea Dogs dropped from 2nd to 3rd place in the

BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings – Week 10

1 London Knights (18-4-0-1)
2 Quebec Remparts (20-4-2-1)
3 Saint John Sea Dogs (21-7-0-1)
4 Saskatoon Blades (18-6-0-1)
5 Tri-City Americans (16-6-0-0)
6 Plymouth Whalers (16-6-2-1)
7 Sarnia Sting (15-4-1-3)
8 Shawinigan Cataractes (17-8-1-2)
9 Victoriaville Tigres (18-9-0-1)
10Kootenay Ice (16-5-1-2)

Sea Dogs Fall To Remparts

2011-11-23T07:07:00.000-04:00

The loss of star players is beginning to take its toll on the Saint John Sea Dogs as this injury-plagued team lost to the Quebec Remparts 4-1 in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action Tuesday night at the Colisee Pepsi, Quebec City. In the second match up this season they are tied 1-1. Saint John defeated the Remparts 6-0 back in October at Harbour Station.

Zack Phillips scored the lone goal for the Sea Dogs to run his league-best and team-record points streak to 17 games, while Mathieu Corbeil made 29 saves in the loss. The Dogs – missing forwards Jonathan Huberdeau, Tomas Jurco, Stanislav Galiev and Aidan Kelly – fell to 21-7-0-1 and have lost two straight for the first time since September 2010.

Mikhail Grigorenko had a hat trick and Patrick Walsh added a single marker for the Remparts, who improved to 20-4-2-1. Louis Domingue had 25 saves in the win.

With the win, the Sea Dogs and the Remparts now sit tied for first in the QMJHL with 43 points.

Game Notes:

Affiliate players Mackenzie Brown, Brock Morrison and Stephen Anderson rounded out the lineup for the Dogs. Setting the tone early in the first, Brown leveled rookie scoring leader and top 2012 NHL Entry Draft prospect Grigorenko in what would be a grinder of a first period. Few whistles made for a quick first period with a flurry of serious activity in the final minute. On a beautiful intercept in the defensive zone, Oliver Cooper took a pass up the middle for a two-on-one with Danick Gauthier, who just missed the opening goal in the final 10 seconds of the period.

The penalty-filled second period picked up exactly where both teams left off. It was back-and-forth until Grigorenko made the Sea Dogs pay with his 20th goal of the season coming in off the right wing boards and firing it past Corbeil 4:29 into the second frame. He followed that up with his 21st just under five minutes later at 9:28. The physicality continued with Grant West also laying out Grigorenko around the 12-minute mark. The chances continued with the back and forth play continuing to the end of the second.

Just over five minutes into the third, Alexandre Comtois came in on a breakaway but was turned away by Corbeil. It was the beginning of a furious attack by the Remparts who scored two goals in a span of 12 seconds. Grigorenko completed the natural hat-trick on a quick shot at 9:57. Walsh potted his marker at 10:09.

Phillips scored his 15th of the season and broke the shutout quest for Domingue at 15:20 off a blocked shot by Stephen MacAulay. Phillips picked up the puck and rifled one from the top left face-off circle into the corner over the shoulder of Domingue. The Dogs pulled Corbeil with just over three minutes remaining in an attempt to get another, but the 4-1 score stood.

The hits kept coming with Cooper being drilled at the Remparts bench with less than three minutes to go. The chippy play continued right up to the last second with Charles-Olivier Roussel dropping the gloves with Jeremie Malouin. Roussel tackled Malouin after landing a couple solid right hands in the short bout.

The Sea Dogs return home for a pair of games against the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 7 p.m.

About Sunday's Game....

2011-11-21T07:19:00.000-04:00

We could see this one coming. The Sea Dogs have been scratching out wins in their last few games and odds were that eventually they'd come up short and that's what happened on Sunday against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. The Titan took advantage of two first period power plays and took a 2-0 lead in the first period. The Sea Dogs kept clawing back but could not manage to beat Titan goalie Jacob Brennan in the shootout and lost 6-5.

The Good-

The Sea Dogs have picked up 9 out of a possible 10 pts in their last 5 games.

Zack Phillips continued his 16 game point streak and tallied 4 pts. in the losing effort.

Two goals by Tomas Jurco and Ryan Tesink (redemption for the first penalty that led to a Titan lead).

Sea Dogs outshot their opponents 38-22.

The Bad-

Tomas Jurco did not finish the third period and did not participate in OT or the shootout. Fingers crossed that he does not join the injured list of Jonathan Huberdeau, Stanislav Galiev and Aidan Kelly.
Defensively, not their best effort.
The Ugly-
The Sea Dogs power play has gone south, going 1-9 and the inability to capitalize on a 5-3 while the Titan went 3-4 on their power play opportunities.

It doesn't get any easier for the Port City squad as they move on to Quebec City for a game on Tuesday night against the Remparts just coming off their 8th straight victory.

Quotes from the Coach

"We didn't take advantage of our chances and special teams were definitely the difference in the game," said Saint John head coach Gerard Gallant. "There definitely wasn't much defence out there. I thought their young kid (Brennan) made some real good saves in the net. Our guy (Auger) didn't get tested a lot but I don't really blame him.

"We didn't come ready to dominate the game," said Gallant. "When we are playing teams now, they are trying to beat the top team in the league. Every team is ready for us to play right now, and we've got quite a few injuries and we're not playing quite as good as were. Two weeks ago, we were dominating teams and dominating games. But when you take three of your top six forwards out of your lineup it is not the same team. The last five games have been real tough for us, but we have nine points out of a possible 10 so I am pretty happy with that, just not happy with the way we are playing."

Sea Dogs Streak Stopped By Titan

2011-11-20T19:41:00.000-04:00

The Acadie-Bathurst Titan ended the seven-game winning streak of the Saint John Sea Dogs with a 6-5 shootout win. Zach O’Brien had the game-tying goal and the shootout winner. This was the first shootout loss for the Sea Dogs.

Zack Phillips had four assists for the visiting Sea Dogs, who picked up a point for the eighth straight game to run their record to 21-6-0-1. Phillips now has points in 16 straight games, the longest streak in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and a team record. Ryan Tesink scored twice and added an assist, Tomas Jurco chipped in two goals and Kevin Gagne notched a single. Sebastien Auger made 17 saves in the loss.

Alec Jon Banville led Bathurst with two goals, while Mirko Hoefflin had a goal and two assists. In addition to O’Brien, Olivier Houle tallied a single, while Christophe Lalancette and Sebastien Trudeau had two assists each. Jacob Brennan earned the win with a 33-save performance as Bathurst improved to 10-14-2-1.

Game Notes:

Bathurst put the Sea Dogs in a 2-0 hole in the first period, scoring power-play goals early and late in the frame. Both goals came off the stick of Banville, at 3:48, and 15:03, with Hoefflin assisting on both.

Tesink, however, cut the lead in half before the period was out. Phillips executed a toe-drag move around Garrett Clarke and fed in front to Tesink, who finished at 17:12 to make it 2-1.

Jurco found the equalizer at 7:22 of the second, again with an assist from Phillips. Danick Gauthier collected the other helper on the play.

Just 1:15 later Houle put the Titan back in front, but 50 seconds after that goal, Tesink made it 3-3. The sophomore from Saint John deposited his eighth of the year on a deke to the backhand, again taking a feed from Phillips, who took advantage of a Titan turnover.

Saint John at one point had five straight power plays in the second period and early in the third, but it was Bathurst that capitalized when Hoefflin tallied a short-hander 1:22 into the third.

The Dogs came back once again, however, as Jurco equalized at 4:45, finishing a passing play with Phillips and Scott Oke for his 16th. Gagne gave the Sea Dogs their only lead of the evening 35 seconds later, knocking in a rebound after Tesink hit the post. Stephen MacAulay had the other assist on the goal, Gagne’s third.

But Bathurst continued to make the most of their man-advantage opportunities, as O’Brien fired his 23rd of the season through a crowd at 8:50 to send the game to overtime. The Titan finished 3-for-4 on the power play, while Saint John was 1-for-9.

After overtime settled nothing, O’Brien tallied the lone marker of the breakaway contest, deking Auger to secure the bonus point for his team. Tesink had a chance to keep the Dogs alive in the shootout, but fired a shot just high. (from Sea Dogs website)

The Sea Dogs continue their road trip Tuesday against the Quebec Remparts, an 8 p.m. Atlantic Time start.

Sea Dogs Face The Titan....

2011-11-20T09:42:00.000-04:00

The Sea Dogs are in Bathurst this afternoon for their third match up against the Titan. Back in early September the Titan hammered the Sea Dogs 8-1 and in the second meeting saw the Sea Dogs win 6-2 at Harbour Station.

The Sea Dogs currently hold a one pt lead in the Q standings with a record of 21-6-0-0 the Titan are 9-14-2-1.

The second of a three game road trip for the Saint John squad they have won 9 of their last 10 games and are on a 7 game winning streak.

Titan Leaders-

Zach O'Brien has 22 goals and 22 assists for 44 pts.

Sebastien Trudeau- 14 goals -29 assists for 43 pts.

Mathew Bissonette 40 pts. (19 goals 21 assists)

Sea Dogs Leaders-

Zack Phillips has 38 pts (14 goals,24 assists)

Danick Gauthier leads the league in goals with 24 and 13 assists

Tomas Jurco 14 goals, 17 assists for 31 pts.

It is always a high spirited affair when these two teams meet so we could be in for an exciting match this afternoon.

Sea Dogs Hang On For Win....

2011-11-19T07:04:00.001-04:00

The PEI Rocket played the best game of their 4 matches against the Port City squad but still game up short as the Sea Dogs made the most of their power play opportunities on the way to a 2-1 win in Charlottetown last night.

Tomas Jurco and Danick Gauthier scored for the Sea Dogs, who improved to 21-6. Gauthier's goal extended his league-leading total to 24, while Zack Phillips picked up an assist to run his QMJHL-best points streak to 14 games. Mathieu Corbeil made 25 saves for the win.

Despite being last overall in the QMJHL, the Rocket turned in a solid effort, keeping the game close from beginning to end. Maxime Lagace made 32 saves, several of the outstanding variety, to keep his team in the game. The Rocket dropped to 6-18-2-1.

Sea Dogs Ryan Tesink returned to the lineup. Aidan Kelly did not return to game after a hit to the head in the second period.

Three Stars Of The Game-
1 SNB Mathieu Corbeil
2. PEI - Maxime Lagacé
3. SNB -Tomas Jurco

Game Notes-

Corbeil had to be sharp early, stopping Victor Provencher on a short break after Nathan Beaulieu couldn't get the puck to sit at the defensive blueline. The Dogs appeared to score when MacAulay knocked in a rebound with less than five minutes to go in the first, but the goal was waved off and no reason was announced. Corbeil had to come up with another great save late in the opening frame, stopping Alex Noel, who got in behind the defence with less than three minutes to go.

Just over three minutes in to the second, the Rocket's Louick Marcotte had two chances in tight, but put one off side of the net, and missed the net on the other. The Dogs generated a good chance shortly thereafter. Ryan Tesink, making his return after missing five games due to injury, took a nice cross-ice feed from Phillips, and fired a one-timer from the right wing. The Rocket came back the other way on the next shift and Corbeil flashed the right pad on a Felipe Corbo shot off the rush.

Saint John received a five-minute power play at 6:08 of the second after Jimmy Oligny was ejected for blindsiding Aidan Kelly with a punch to the back of the head. The Dogs had a close call early on the power play, as Gauthier redirected a Phillips pass off the crossbar. The play was subject to a long video review at the next stoppage, before the no-goal call stood as "inconclusive."

Seconds later, Beaulieu made a great pass down low to Jurco, who collected it off his skate and fired it home for his 14th of the year. Phillips picked up the other assist on the goal at 9:07, extending his league-best points streak to 14 games.

Corbeil preserved the 1-0 score with a couple of solid saves on Noel late in the frame, then came up with another in the dying seconds. Tesink was whistled for checking from behind with four seconds to go to set up a faceoff to Corbeil's left. P.E.I. executed a faceoff play to Matej Beran that almost worked but Corbeil slid to his right to deny Beran with the blocker.

The Dogs had a chance to extend the lead about six minutes in to the third when Gauthier unloaded a slap shot from the left wing that got through Lagace and almost trickled in before the goaltender recovered. Lagace was shaken up on the play, which was video reviewed.

Saint John continued to have great chances: Denis Creighton nearly connected for his first QMJHL goal, deflecting a shot on Lagace, then getting good wood on a rebound that Lagace turned away. Then, with Marc-Andre Levesque being called for a delayed penalty for checking from behind, the Dogs got two more chances with the extra attacker. Charles Roussel unloaded a one-timer that Lagace stopped, then the goalie somehow recovered to rob Stephen MacAulay on the rebound.

Saint John would not be denied on the ensuing power play, however. After a nice effort by Beaulieu to keep the puck in at the right point, Gauthier took the puck behind the net, wrapped around and took a couple whacks at it before the red light went on. No assists were awarded on the goal, Gauthier's league-leading 24th, at 9:10 of the third.

P.E.I. finally broke the shutout at 18:52 of the third, when Beran banged one in behind Corbeil. Rocket coach Gordie Dwyer called a timeout immediately but the Dogs were able to maintain possession in the P.E.I. zone and hang on for the win. ( Sea Dogs website)

The Sea Dogs will be on the road for the next two games, playing in Bathurst at 4 p.m. Sunday and Quebec at 8 p.m. Atlantic Time Tuesday.

Sea Dogs On The Road Again....

2011-11-18T07:34:00.000-04:00

The Sea Dogs begin a three game road trip tonight as they face off against the PEI Rocket at the Charlottetown Civic Centre. Game time is 7pm.. The Sea Dogs are 3-0 against the Rocket in regular season play. Tonight will be the fourth meeting between these divisional rivals.

Despite recent funk, Sea Dogs are still finding a way to win

Saint John Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant admits his team could have played better in Wednesday night's 4-3 win over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. But it's not like the Port City squad let the game slip away.

"Whether we're tired or it's just a funk, the compete level isn't good enough,'' Gallant said. "We're just playing a soft game defensively and we're getting beat one-on-one a lot. When we're playing well, we're an aggressive, backchecking team and a hard-working team, and we're not that right now.''

The Dogs (20-6-0-0) will look for a more consistent effort when they visit the Prince Edward Island Rocket (6-17-2-1) tonight at 7 p.m. at the Charlottetown Civic Centre. (Telegraph Journal) Link to read...

Teams battle tonight at Civic Centre
To hear the combatants talk, one would think both the Saint John Sea Dogs and P.E.I. Rocket were in dire straits while sailing into tonight’s Quebec Major Hockey League matchup at the Civic Centre.
Game time is 7 p.m.
“They’re a solid depth team. They have four lines that can hit, that can score, (that play) a full 60 minutes,” said Rocket forward Ben Duffy following a recent 7-3 loss to Saint John in Charlottetown. “We just let up, stopped competing . . . and you can’t do that against a lineup like that.”
The truth is the Rocket (6-17-2-1) is last overall and last in the Maritimes Division, has lost five straight regular season games and is 2-8 in its last 10 games. (The Guardian) Link to read....

Sea Dogs Halt Huskies....

2011-11-17T07:34:00.000-04:00

The Saint John Sea Dogs held on for a 4-3 win against a scrappy Rouyn-Noranda Huskies team at Harbour Station last night in front of an announced crowd of 4,227 fans.
This was the Sea Dogs 12th straight home win, which proved to be tougher than the standings might have predicted. Danick Gauthier tallied a goal and two assists, improving his league-best goals total to 23 as the first overall Sea Dogs had their hands full with the 16th-place visitors. Zack Phillips potted two goals and Charles-Olivier Roussel added the game-winner on a late power play. Tomas Jurco and Nathan Beaulieu were credited with two assists each. Mathieu Corbeil made 27 saves for the win as the Dogs improved to a 20-6-0-0 record.

Mathieu Brisebois tallied two for the Huskies, Mathieu Lemay added a single and Robin Gusse stopped 24 for the Huskies, who fell to 7-16-1-1. Sea Dogs defenceman Pierre Durepos did not return to action in the third period.
Three Stars of the Game:
1. SNB - Zack Phillips
2. ROU - Mathieu Brisebois
3. SNB - Danick Gauthier

Game Summary:
The first five minutes was filled with action as Saint John held a 7-1 shots edge in the early going. Phillips opened the scoring on the power play thanks to a nifty little play started by Beaulieu pinching down from the point. At 1:44, Jurco found Phillips waiting to the goaltender’s right, where he slid the puck behind Gusse as Beaulieu drove the net to make it 1-0 for the Dogs.
Brock Morrison, recalled from junior A, added some physical play with a big hit at the five-minute mark. Midway through the frame, Corbeil made a brilliant left pad save on a Robbie DeFulviis backhander to keep the Dogs ahead in a game that, at times, looked like a schoolyard version of hot potato.
In the final minute of the first, Phillips missed an open net chance. But Gauthier extended his league lead with his 23rd goal of the season at 19:32, with an assist from Jurco.
The Sea Dogs struggled to start the second period, coughing up the puck on two plays, but Corbeil stood tall to keep the lead at 2-0. On an early power play opportunity, the Huskies turned up the pressure in the offensive zone. That led to a Rouyn-Noranda goal at 8:25. Brisebois cruised in on the right wing and fired one past Corbeil to cut the lead in half.
Scott Oke had a breakaway chance to extend the lead at 9:48, but Gusse was up to the task. Corbeil made a nice stop at the other end on a DeFulviis breakaway, turning him away with the right pad, then caught a break when Maxime St-Cyr batted a great opportunity wide. The Huskies held much of the momentum until Phillips potted his second on a beautiful pass from the left wing by Beaulieu at 15:24. Gauthier had the other assist on the passing play, which gave Phillips 14 on the season.
The Huskies started off the third period strong. At 3:12, Brisebois let loose a wrist shot that found its way through Corbeil to bring the game to 3-2. Less than two minutes later, the Huskies scored again on a tic-tac-toe play started by Jean-Francois Grenier and finished by Brisebois at the five-minute mark.
Looking to spark the Sea Dogs, Grant West dropped the gloves with Antoine Quevillon 20 seconds later. In a spirited bout, West managed to land a few solid punches before dropping Quevillon.
Kevin Gagne made a great defensive play to keep the score even with just over six minutes left, laying down the body to take away a 3-on-1 chance for the Huskies. Corbeil made another huge save to keep things tied shortly thereafter.
It proved to be the turning point at 16:19, when Maxime St-Cyr threw the puck over the glass for a delay of game penalty. Just 24 seconds in to the power play, Roussel snuck in from the point and capitalized on a feed from Gauthier in the corner. Jurco notched the other assist on the goal, Roussel's sixth of the season.
The Dogs took a late penalty with Gagne heading to the box for hooking at 17:30. But Saint John held on with a solid penalty kill. (info from Sea Dogs website)
The Sea Dogs will be on the road for the next two games, playing in Prince Edward Island at 7 p.m. Friday, and in Bathurst at 4 p.m. Sunday before heading to Quebec.

BMO CHL MasterCard Rankings

2011-11-16T17:17:00.000-04:00

The Canadian Hockey League today announced the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings for week 9 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 remain at number 2 in the rankings.

BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings – Week 9
1 London Knights (16-3-0-1)
2 Saint John Sea Dogs (19-6-0-0)
3 Tri-City Americans (15-5-0-0)
4 Quebec Remparts (16-4-2-1)
5 Sarnia Sting (13-3-1-3)
6 Saskatoon Blades (15-6-0-1)
7 Red Deer Rebels (14-4-0-2)
8 Plymouth Whalers (13-6-2-1)
9 Shawinigan Cataractes (16-7-1-2)
10 Victoriaville Tigres (16-8-0-1)

Sea Dogs Face Huskies....

2011-11-16T07:47:00.019-04:00

The Saint John Dogs (19-6-0-0 ) hosts the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (7-15-1-1) tonight at 7 p.m. at Harbour Station for second meeting this season. The Sea Dogs defeated the Huskies 9-4 back on Oct. 14th.

Still missing from action tonight will be injured players Jonathan Huberdeau (foot) Stanislav Galiev(hand) and Ryan Tesink (upper body).
The Sea Dogs are playing it safe with their injured players.and have no intention of rushing these offensive stars back as reported today in the Telegraph Journal.

"I'm feeling good,'' Ryan Tesink said after Tuesday's practice. "I'm trying to get back in game shape. I've been on the ice the last couple of days and I'm just trying to get back to game pace.''Tesink has six goals and 19 points through 15 games, after his first NHL camp with the St. Louis Blues.Ryan Tesink has missed the last four matches.

The Dogs are hopeful for Tesink's return this weekend when they return to face the Prince Edward Island Rocket (6-16-2-1) Friday night at 7 p.m. at the Charlottetown Civic Centre. They will then head to northern New Brunswick for a Sunday matinee matchup against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan (9-12-2-1) at 4 p.m. at the K.C. Irving Regional Centre.

Huberdeau is hoping to be ready in time for Canada's national junior team selection camp in December, while Galiev (wrist) is a candidate to receive a tryout with Russia's junior team.

The injuries to key players have provided openings for others, including 16-year-olds Oliver Cooper and Mackenzie Brown. Cooper (6-6-12) has been with the Dogs all season and has missed just one game, while Brown has appeared in eight games . The Dogs drafted both Fredericton midget AAA products this past summer in Victoriaville, Que. Both are eligible for play for Team Atlantic in the World Under-17 Challenge.

Jersey Auction Continues:

Game-worn jersey auctions from the 2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup championship team will continue during tonight's game. This will be the only chance for fans to obtain a game-worn jersey from last year's record-setting season.

Up for bid tonight are five white jerseys, including the No. 13 of Tomas Jurco, who scored Saint John's first goal at the Memorial Cup. The remaining four jerseys are those of Saint John native Aidan Kelly (No. 22), reserve goaltender Jacob Edwards (No. 33), defenceman Tyrone Sock (No. 3) and defenceman Eric Gelinas (No. 4).

An article on Nathan Beaulieu by Kevin Mio appears in the Montreal Gazette today. (Sometimes the Gazette site will not let you read unless you subscribe.)
Father/coach helps shape Beaulieu's career
The 6-foot-3 defenceman from Strathroy, Ont., who is in his fourth QMJHL season, seemed destined to be a hockey player from a young age.
"My parents always said my favourite toy was a mini (hockey) stick, so I was always carrying that around," the 18-year-old said.
Beaulieu said he started playing hockey around age 4.
"The biggest memories are of growing up around hockey and the backyard rink, and being around the London Knights (of the Ontario Hockey League, where his father was an assistant coach)," he recalled. "Those memories stick, and really got me hooked and knowing that is what I wanted to do."
Link to read....

MOVEMBER FUNDRAISING CHALLENGE ISSUED...

2011-11-15T17:19:00.000-04:00

Saint John Sea Dogs Chairman and CEO Scott McCain is jumping on the Movember bandwagon, issuing a personal challenge to fans to help raise funds and awareness for men’s health as reported on the Sea Dogs website.
Sea Dogs players, staff and fans are participating in Movember – a moustache-growing, fundraising initiative that Canadian Hockey League teams take part in each season. McCain announced Tuesday that he will personally match donations to the Saint John Sea Dogs team, up to a maximum of $3,000.
“This is a great cause that our players are proud to take part in,” McCain said. “The donations are rolling in little by little, and I want to do my part to help encourage more.”
Fans can follow the progress of the Sea Dogs team and make donations at:http://mobro.co/SeaDogs. During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men's faces in Canada and around the world. The annual month-long moustache growing and appreciation charity event helps raise vital funds and awareness for men's health, specifically prostate cancer.
Fans can also join the team and donate funds to the initiative. The funds raised are directed to programs run directly by Movember and men's health partner, Prostate Cancer Canada. In 2010, more than 450,000 "Mo Bros" and "Mo Sistas" came together as Citizens of Movember around the world raising more than $75 million for Movember's global men's health partners.

Gauthier, Jurco answering bell for Sea Dogs

When talented Russian Stanislav Galiev was placed on the disabled list with a broken wrist early in the season, it was bad news for the Saint John Sea Dogs but hardly a cause for concern. The talent pool is so deep that Galiev, as valuable as he is, could be replaced.

Then when word came last week that the team's Memorial Cup MVP and captain Jonathan Huberdeau would be out of the lineup for a few weeks with a broken bone in his foot, the concern meter at Harbour Station started to kick into high gear.

Add the fact that Ryan Tesink is now on the shelf with an upper body injury and the Sea Dogs find themselves in unfamiliar territory. It is times like these that players must fill the void. (Telegraph Journal) Link to article...

Sea Dog Named 2nd Star Of The Week....

2011-11-14T17:30:00.000-04:00

Roman Will, Danick Gauthier and Pierre-Olivier Morin were named today the TELUS three stars of the week for the period spanning November 7th to the 13th, 2011.

Moncton Wildcats goaltender Roman Will is the first star. Saturday, against the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, he registered a 4-0 shutout victory and was also named the 3rd star of the game after stopping 29 shots. Sunday, versus the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, he pushed away 28 pucks in a 5-1 victory. It’s worth noting that before the Screaming Eagles scored, Will went 129 minutes and 21 seconds without allowing a goal, only 50 minutes shy from the team’s record which has been held by Nicola Riopel since February 2010.

Danick Gauthier, Saint John Sea Dogs center, is the second star after collecting 7 points in 3 games. Friday, in a 7-3 victory over the PEI Rocket, he recorded one goal and added an assist on top of being named the game’s 3rd star. Saturday, in a 4-3 victory over the Halifax Mooseheads, he was named the first star of the game after scoring 2 goals, including the game-winner, and adding 2 assists. Finally, Sunday against the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, he registered an assist as the Sea Dogs captured their 3rd win of the week. He finished the seven-day span with 3 goals, 4 assists and a +/- of +4.

Pierre-Olivier Morin is the third star after tallying 5 points in 2 games. Friday, against the Rimouski Océanic, he scored 2 goals and assisted on another in an 8-7 win. The following day, against the Drummondville Voltigeurs, he had a goal and an assists as the Cataractes won 6-1. In total, he collected 3 goals and 2 assists and recorded a +/- of +4.

Sea Dogs Sweep Weekend Games..

2011-11-13T18:31:00.000-04:00

The Saint John Sea Dogs held off the Baie-Comeau Drakkar at Harbour Station Sunday afternoon with a 5-3 win in front of a crowd of 3,129. After giving up a 2 goal lead the Sea Dogs found a way to rally back for the victory.

Nathan Beaulieu had a goal and an assist for the Sea Dogs, and Stephen MacAulay, Jason Cameron, Tomas Jurco and Charles Roussel scored the other Saint John goals. Sebastien Auger made 23 saves for the win as the Sea Dogs won their 11th straight at home and improved to 19-6, the best record in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Lukas Cingel had two goals for Baie-Comeau, J-P Caron added a single and Antonio Mastropietro made 11 saves in the loss. Baie-Comeau fell to 12-10.

The annual Support Our Troops game was preceded by an emotional Remembrance Day ceremony. In honour of the 158 Canadian Forces personnel who have been killed in the war in Afghanistan since 2002, 158 seats were set aside and marked with white crosses bearing each of the 158 names. The ceremony also included a performance by Terry Kelly of his well-known song Pittance of Time, and a military band performed O Canada.

1st Period Scoring

Saint John, Beaulieu 6 (Cooper, West), 6:25. 2, Saint John, MacAulay 6 (Saab, Seed), 11:07. 3, Baie-Comeau, Cingel 8 (Filippi), 14:45.

2nd Period Scoring

Saint John, Cameron 4 (Kelly, Durepos), 8:49. 5, Baie-Comeau, Caron 6 (Verpaelst), 9:00.

3rd Period Scoring -

6, Baie-Comeau, Cingel 9 (Guimond, Gélinas), 1:52 (pp). 7, Saint John, Jurco 13 (Phillips, Beaulieu), 5:11 (pp). 8, Saint John, Roussel 5 (Gauthier), 8:34.

Shots-Baie-Comeau 26. Saint John 16.

Power Play Opportunities-Baie-Comeau 1 of 3; Saint John 1 of 2.

Goalies-

Baie-Comeau, Mastropietro 6-5-0-0 (16 shots-11 saves).

Saint John, Auger 5-1-0-0 (26 shots-23 saves).

Three Stars:

1. SNB - 28 Nathan Beaulieu

2. SNB - 13 Tomas Jurco

3. BAC - 16 Félix Girard

The Sea Dogs are back in action at Harbour Station on Wednesday night against the Rouyn Noranda Huskies. Game time 7pm.

Sea Dogs Hold Off Herd....

2011-11-13T06:40:00.001-04:00

The Saint John Sea Dogs edged out the Halifax Mooseheads 4-3 before 5,070 fans at Harbour Station on Saturday night in an entertaining match-up. Danick Gauthier had a four point night, scoring twice and adding two assists in a matchup of the top two teams in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Maritime Division. Gauthier now leads the QMJHL with a career-best 22 goals.

Tomas Jurco and Grant West had a goal and an assist each, with West adding a fight for the Gordie Howe hat trick. Nathan Beaulieu chipped in two assists and Mathieu Corbeil made 33 saves for the win against his former team.

Rookie phenom Nathan MacKinnon delivered as advertised for the Mooseheads, scoring twice, while Gabriel Desjardins added a single. Alexandre Grenier and Matthew Boudreau had two assists each and Zachary Fucale made 28 saves in the loss.

Three Stars Of The Game:

1. Danick Gautier

2. Nathan MacKinnon

3. Grant West

With the win the Sea Dogs remained first overall with a record of 18-6, while Halifax fell to 13-6-1-1, eight points behind Saint John in the Maritime Division race.

Game Notes:

Gauthier dropped a few jaws as he opened the scoring with a long wrist shot that beat Fucale high to the glove side on Saint John’s first shot of the game. West and Nathan Beaulieu assisted on the goal at 8:03.

MacKinnon evened the score with his first of the night at 13:05, driving to the net from the right-wing corner and burying a rebound.

The Dogs pulled back in front on a power play at 9:40 of the second period. Zack Phillips slid a pass from the right-wing boards just inside the blueline to Jurco, who wound up with a slap shot from in between the top of the circles. Jurco’s blast beat Fucale for his 12th of the year. Gauthier picked up one assist, with the other going to Phillips, extending his points streak to 12 games, the longest active streak in the league.

MacKinnon once again drew Halifax even, taking a laser cross-ice feed from Grenier at Corbeil’s left, and depositing it into a wide-open net at 12:35.

West gave the Dogs a 3-2 lead heading into the second intermission, driving to the net through four defenders, taking a feed from Scott Oke and knocking it in for his third of the year. Gauthier picked up the other assist on the marker at 19:07.

Gauthier added an insurance marker on a power play early in the third. The 20-year-old forward executed a give-and-go with Jurco, feeding the Slovakian in the right wing corner and driving to the net where he finished for his league-best 22nd.

The Dogs ended up needing Gauthier’s second goal, as Desjardins made it 4-3 at 5:05. Saint John was able to hold on thanks to strong play from Corbeil and his defensive corps. The overage netminder robbed Brad Cuzner with just over eight minutes to go, sprawling to keep the puck out with his left arm.

Halifax was awarded a power play with 6:13 left, but the Sea Dogs penalty killers came up big. The last minute provided several edge-of-the-seat moments, as an empty-net attempt by the Dogs squirted just wide and was called for icing with 55.9 seconds remaining.

The Mooseheads called a timeout and set up with the extra attacker. Boudreau had the best chance in tight, but Corbeil held on with 20.7 to go and the Dogs were able to prevent further quality chances and hold on for the win. (info from Sea Dogs website)

The Dogs host Baie-Comeau today at 3 p.m. for the team’s annual Support Our Troops game.

Divisional Rivals Face Off Tonight

2011-11-12T11:05:00.001-04:00

Game On:

We can expect a good one tonight. In their previous meeting back on Oct. 21st the Sea Dogs blanked the Herd 5-0 in Halifax. The Halifax Mooseheads are coming off a tough 3-2 shootout loss to the Baie Comeau Drakkar last night at the Metro Center, while the Saint John Sea Dogs return from Charlottetown with a 7-3 win against the PEI Rocket. This will be first time the Harbour Station crowd will get a close up look at Nathan MacKinnon. He played on Team Canada in the 2011 Subway Super Series along with Sea Dogs Nathan Beaulieu, Zack Phillips and Pierre Durepos.
The Sea Dogs are 17-6-0-0 for 34 pts to lead the Maritimes Division. The Mooseheads are 13-5-1-1 for second place behind with 28 pts. Puck Drop is 7 pm.

Leading The Way:

Halifax: Sixteen year old Nathan MacKinnon leads his team with 10 goals and 20 assists for 30 pts.

Saint John: Zack Phillips has 12 goals and 21 assists for 33pts. Danick Gauthier leads in goals with 20, second in the league.

Jersey Auction Begins:
The Sea Dogs will begin auctioning off authentic game-worn jerseys from the 2010-11 team that became the first from Atlantic Canada to win the Memorial Cup championship in its 93-year history.
Several upcoming home games will feature silent auctions at Sea Dogs Central, beginning with Saturday’s 7 p.m. start against the Halifax Mooseheads. Up for bid are five white jerseys, including the No. 17 of Mike Thomas, complete with captain’s ‘C.’
Also on the block Saturday are the white jerseys of Jason Seed (No. 6), Devon Oliver-Dares (No. 12), Pierre Durepos (No. 23) and Mathieu Corbeil (No. 35). All jerseys are the authentic jerseys worn by the players during last year’s run, with official numbering and lettering and Memorial Cup patches.

Sea Dogs Down Rocket

2011-11-12T07:25:00.001-04:00

The Saint John Sea Dogs won the first of three weekend games as they defeated the PEI Rocket 7-3 at the Charlottetown Civiv Centre Friday night.

The win – Saint John’s third straight – wrapped up a four-game road swing and they did so without the offensive power of Jonathan Huberdeau, Stanislav Galiev and Ryan Resink who are on the injured list.
Tomas Jurco had two highlight-reel goals and an assist for the Sea Dogs, and Charles Roussel scored and racked up three assists. Scott Oke and Danick Gauthier chipped in a goal and an assist each, while Spencer MacDonald and Stephen MacAulay tallied singles. Aidan Kelly and Zack Phillips recorded two assists each and Mathieu Corbeil made 19 saves for the win. Saint John improved to 17-6 and remains on top of the Maritime Division.

Ben Duffy had a goal and an assist for P.E.I. Josh Currie and Victor Provencher had the other Rocket goals and Maxime Lagace made 34 saves in the loss. The Rocket sit 6-15-2-1, last in the 17-team Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Gauthier’s goal-scoring has outweighed his assist totals so far this season. But the 20-year-old showed he can thread a pass as well, with a great feed to set up Oke at 1:48 of the first period. Aidan Kelly had the other assist on the goal, Oke’s sixth of the year.

Sea Dogs Head Coach Gerard Gallant juggled his forward lines throughout the evening, as just 10 forwards dressed due to injuries to three star players. Defenceman Kevin Gagne chipped in on the forward ranks when called upon as well.
Three Stars of the Game:
1. Charles-Olivier Roussel
2. Tomas Jurco
3. Danick Gauthier

Game Notes-
The Dogs made it 2-0 at 5:44 as MacDonald scored in front of his hometown crowd for his second of the year. Grant West had the lone assist, giving him four points in six games since being acquired on waivers from the Moncton Wildcats.

The Rocket cut the lead in half on a timely goal at 19:21, as Duffy deflected a Jimmy Oligny shot to make it 2-1. Currie then evened the score early in the second, pouncing on a rebound at the 47-second mark.

The tie game lasted just 39 seconds, as Gauthier scored his team-best 20th of the year, from Oke and Roussel, at 1:26. MacAulay restored the two-goal lead at 6:56, going to the net and banging in a rebound of a low point shot from Roussel. Kelly had the other assist on the goal, MacAulay’s fifth of the season. Jurco added the insurance marker at 15:17 thanks to an indescribable skill move in the right-wing circle. The slick Slovakian turned his back to defender, faked to his backhand, then quickly turned and whipped a forehand shot behind a stunned Lagace. Gagne and Phillips assisted on the goal.

Provencher made it 5-3 on a power play at 17:56, but Jurco struck again with a power-play marker of his own at 19:06. This time the goal came from the left-wing circle, as the Detroit Red Wings prospect powered a water-bottle-popping wrist shot past Lagace. Roussel and Phillips picked up the assists on the goal, Jurco’s 11th. Roussel continued his outstanding game, driving the nail into the coffin on a power play at 3:28 of the third. Jurco picked the puck out of a crowd on the right-wing boards and found an open Roussel drifting in from the point. The overage blueliner buried his fourth of the year to make it 7-3.

Saint John will be at home Saturday nigt to welcome 16-year-old phenom Nathan MacKinnon and the Mooseheads, a 7 p.m. puck drop. Sunday will see the Baie-Comeau Drakkar at Harbour Station for their third and last regular season meeting.

Sea Dogs Take On The Rocket...

2011-11-11T07:24:00.000-04:00

Harbour Station will hold it's annual Remembrance Day Service today while the Saint John Sea Dogs will travel to Charlottetown to face the PEI Rocket.

Tonight will be the first meeting between the teams at the Charlottetown Civic Center this year. The Dogs lead the eight-game season series 2-0 after wins of 5-3 and 10-3 in Saint John.

P.E.I. (6-14-2-1) is 17th overall and one point behind the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies for the final post-season berth. Saint John is first in the Maritimes Division (16-6-0-0). The Sea Dogs have won nine of their last 10 regular season games and maintained its national ranking at number two.

There is a strong Island connection to the Port City team who are led by Summerside native Gerard Gallant, head coach, and Kinkora’s Mike Kelly, director of hockey operations and assistant coach as well as players Jason Cameron and Spencer MacDonald.

Rocket goalie Maxime Lagacé is scheduled to start tonight, returning to practice after playing in the Subway Super Series against the Russian national junior team. Lagacé started Game One on Monday in Victoriaville and lost 2-0.

Tonight’s game will feature a special pre-game ceremony honouring Canada’s war veterans. Game time is 7pm.AST.

Team Russia Wins "Q" Series

2011-11-10T07:59:00.000-04:00

Matthew Bissonnette's hat trick wasn't enough to prevent the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from dropping its fourth straight game to the Russians in the Subway Super Series junior hockey tour last night in front of an enthusiastic crowd at the Colisee Pepsi in Quebec City.

Russian captain Daniil Apalkov scored the shootout winner against Louis Domingue, in a 5-4 victory for Team Russia.
Bissonnette (Acadie-Bathurst Titan), from Beaconsfield, Que., forced the shootout when he tied the score with his third goal of the game with just 15 seconds left in the third period. Nathan Beaulieu would score in the fifth round for Team Q but it fell short, as Apalkov would notch the winner in round six.
Nikita Gusev and linemate Mikhail Grigorenko (Quebec Remparts) each had a goal and two assists for the Russians. Nikita Kucherov, the third member of the line, had a goal and an assist.
Matthew Bissonnette was named the player of the game for Team QMJHL while Mikhail Grigorenko got the honours for Team Russia.

The series shifts to the Ontario Hockey League for the next two games also televised on Rogers Sportsnet.

Plenty at stake in Super Series

For three members of the Saint John Sea Dogs, the Subway Super Series was about more than winning or losing a couple of games.

Hockey Canada uses the event to size up candidates for the national junior team. And while the roster of the final selection camp will not be announced until early December, a strong performance in the Super Series can only help players aspiring to play for Team Canada.

Sea Dogs forward Jonathan Huberdeau is nursing a broken foot, but the 18-year-old is expected to get a tryout next month - if he's healthy. While Huberdeau's injury caused him to miss the Super Series, teammates Zack Phillips, Nathan Beaulieu and Pierre Durepos played the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League all-star squad in the showdown against the Russians, a series formerly known as the Canada-Russia Challenge.

( Scott Briggs, Telegraph Journal) Link to article...

The next game for the Sea Dogs is on Friday night when they visit the Island to take on the PEI Rocket.

More Sea Dogs Stuff....

2011-11-09T17:22:00.000-04:00

The Canadian Hockey League today announced the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings for week 8 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 remain at number 2 in the rankings.

BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings – Week 8
1 London Knights (15-2-0-1)
2 Saint John Sea Dogs (16-6-0-0)
3 Tri-City Americans (12-5-0-0)
4 Victoriaville Tigres (16-6-0-1)
5 Sarnia Sting (12-2-1-3)
6 Kootenay Ice (12-3-1-2)
7 Quebec Remparts (14-4-2-1)
8 Mississauga St. Michael's Majors (10-5-1-2)
9 Medicine Hat Tigers (14-5-1-0)
10 Shawinigan Cataractes (14-6-1-2)

GAME-WORN JERSEY AUCTION SET TO LAUNCH

The Saint John Sea Dogs website reports that auctioning off authentic game-worn jerseys from the 2010-11 team that became the first from Atlantic Canada to win the Memorial Cup championship in its 93-year history.

Several upcoming home games will feature silent auctions at Sea Dogs Central, beginning with Saturday’s 7 p.m. start against the Halifax Mooseheads. Up for bid are five white jerseys, including the No. 17 of Mike Thomas, (now with Springfield Falcons,AHL) complete with captain’s ‘C.’

Also on the block Saturday are the white jerseys of Jason Seed (No. 6), Devon Oliver-Dares (No. 12), Pierre Durepos (No. 23) and Mathieu Corbeil (No. 35). All jerseys are the authentic jerseys worn by the players during last year’s run, with official numbering and lettering and Memorial Cup patches.

“Jersey auctions are an annual tradition and it’s great to see fans wearing game-worn jerseys from throughout the franchise’s history to our games,” said Sea Dogs President Wayne Long. “This year, more than ever, these jerseys will make memorable keepsakes, and I’m sure a few will find their way under Christmas trees around the Saint John area.”

Bid sheets will be situated at Sea Dogs Central and bidding will close at the beginning of the third period.

Sea Dogs Stuff....

2011-11-09T12:21:00.000-04:00

Game 2 of the 2011 Subway Super Series goes tonight in Quebec City. Team Russia with a 2-0 win on Monday night in Victoriaville leads the series 1-0. Remparts Louis Domingue gets the nod in goal tonight for Team Canada. Zack Phillips, Nathan Beaulieu and Pierre Durepos will suit up for a second time. The game is on Rogers Sportsnet at 8 pm AST.

Facing Some Challenges-
The coming weeks the Saint John Sea Dogs' depth will be tested being as they will be without two of their star players. Missing from the lineup will be captain Jonathan Huberdeau healing a broken foot. The 18-year-old sustained the injury while blocking a shot during Saturday night's 3-2 victory over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar.

Still missing from action is nineteen-year-old winger Stanislav Galiev who had three goals and six points in five games before taking time off to heal a fractured wrist. The Sea Dogs are hoping for his return to the lineup before Christmas.

Huberdeau was scheduled to play for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League all-star squad against the Russian Selects in this year's Subway Super Series. But the Florida Panthers prospect didn't feel right during Monday morning's skate in Victoriaville, Que., the site of the series' first game. Game 2 is tonight in Quebec City (8 p.m. on Sportsnet East) where three other Dogs are suiting up for the QMJHL stars, including Zack Phillips, Nathan Beaulieu and Pierre Durepos. The Russians won the opener 2-0.

Huberdeau left the ice Monday morning and a subsequent X-ray revealed a fracture in his foot. He's hoping to be ready for the Canadian national junior team's selection camp in December.

"You hate to lose any player,'' Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant said as reported in the Telegraph Journal. "It's a tough loss, but it's early in the season.'' "The rest probably will do him good. Sometimes it benefits a kid down the road. Jonathan has had a very busy (stretch).''

Huberdeau's busy stretch goes back to Saint John's extended post-season run, which culminated with a Memorial Cup championship on May 29 in Mississauga, Ont. He then attended the NHL combine and various events leading up to the NHL Entry Draft in St. Paul, Minn., where Florida selected him third overall.

After that, he attended the Panthers' summer and rookie camps, all of which led to main training camp. Jonathan eventually returned to Saint John, tallying 28 points in 13 games for the Sea Dogs (16-6-0-0).The Sea Dogs return to action Friday night at 7 p.m., in Charlottetown against the Rocket. Saint John is back on home ice with a weekend set, Saturday at 7 p.m. versus the Nathan MacKinnon-led Halifax Mooseheads and Sunday at 3 p.m. against Baie-Comeau.

Goaltending: A Difference Maker

2011-11-08T07:10:00.000-04:00

Mathieu Corbeil: Standing tall and then some

The only real question mark with the Saint John Sea Dogs heading into this season surrounded the goal crease.

Would Mathieu Corbeil prove to be worthy enough to lead the team to its second straight Quebec Major Junior Hockey League championship and a berth in the Memorial Cup national title?

For many, the jury is still out. But for others, he's answering the question with an exclamation point.

The 20-year-old is the undisputed No. 1 man in Saint John and is making a case to be the top goaltender in the entire 17-team league. (Peter McGuire, Telegraph Journal) Link to article

Hot Goalie Blanks Team Canada
Sergey Kostenko Team Russia's goaltender was the story last night, stopping 42 shots to lead his team to a 2-0 victory over the QMJHL All-Stars in front of just under three thousand fans in Victoriaville. Maxime Lagace finished with 10 saves on 12 shots for Team QMJHL.
Nathan MacKinnon had the game’s first real scoring opportunity on a breakaway from two Russian defenders and raced toward Sergey Kostenko’s net, but he barely managed a shot on goal as he was hooked from behind opening the door for a Team QMJHL powerplay. Despite a few quality shots from the point courtesy of Nathan Beaulieu, the score remained tied at zero.

Team Russia would get on the board with just over three minutes left in the first period. Kirill Rasskazov capitalized on a turnover in the crease and beat goaltender Maxime Lagacé over the shoulder with a quick wrist shot.

Bogdan Potekhin doubled the Russians’ lead at 6:58 of the second frame taking a pass from Pavel Medvedev and putting the visitors up 2-0. Team QMJHL ended the period down by two goals after forty minutes of play.

Neither team was able to score in the third period, enabling Team Russia to keep the lead and get the win..

Nathan MacKinnon was named the player of the game for Team QMJHL while Sergey Kostenko was selected for Team Russia.

Game 2 goes on Wednesday night in Quebec City.

HUBERDEAU OUT FOR SUPER SERIES...

2011-11-07T17:29:00.000-04:00

It's not good news to be sure as the injury bug bites the Sea Dogs again. Saint John Sea Dogs captain Jonathan Huberdeau was a late scratch from the Team QMJHL lineup for the Subway Super Series Monday game.

Huberdeau left Monday’s morning skate with a foot injury, originally sustained in Saturday’s 3-2 win over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar. The Florida Panthers prospect will be re-evaluated upon his return to Saint John. Reports coming out of Sportsnet say he has a broken foot but this has not as yet been confirmed.

Three other Sea Dogs will suit up for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League all-stars against the Russian Selects tonight in Victoriaville, Que., and Wednesday in Quebec City. Defenceman Nathan Beaulieu and forward Zack Phillips will make their second appearance in the Canada-Russia challenge, while defenceman Pierre Durepos is a first-time participant.