Monday, September 27, 2010

TALE OF TWO WEEKENDS

Two weekends at the opposite end of the spectrum are ahead for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

After going a disappointing 0-1-0-1 on their mini Quebec road swing, the Sea Dogs could get just what the doctor ordered this weekend.

The 4-1-0-1 Sea Dogs visit the Halifax Mooseheads on Friday night at the Metro Centre. The Mooseheads are coming three straight losses in Quebec and are 2-6-0-0 to start the season.

After finishing the league basement the past two seasons, Halifax is off to a slow start and even lost to the rebuilding Cape Breton Screaming Eagles earlier this year. Things got even worse in Moose Country this afternoon when it was announced that Vancouver Canucks prospect Sawyer Hannay has been suspended for three additional games.

On Friday, the Mooseheads will re-introduced their black Halifax scripted third jersey’s.

Saint John will then head to Cape Breton on Sunday afternoon where they will face the 2-4-0-0 Screaming Eagles.

Then, the opposition will change from pretenders to contenders.

On Friday, October 8th at 7:30 pm at Harbour Station, the Sea Dogs will take on the rival Moncton Wildcats in the first contest between the two since game six of the Presidents Cup Final.

The Wildcats just got a lot better today with news that Brandon Gormley and Kirill Kabanov will be returning from National Hockey League camps to Moncton this week.

The Kabanov gong show from last season could very well carry over to this year. The New York Islanders prospect showed up late for practice twice during training camp in Long Island.

"I spoke to (Islanders General Manager) Garth Snow this morning,” said Wildcats Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Danny Flynn in a release, “he informed me that Kirill Kabanov was reassigned to the Wildcats. For the most part they were very happy with his on ice performance but feel reassignment to Moncton for a full season is the next step in his development."

It was an epic journey for Kabanov last season which involved a battle with the IIHF, a wrist injury, was (sort of) thrown off two teams, stole some peanuts, lost his agent, and then slipped all the way into the third round of this summer’s draft.

Then on Sunday, October 10th at Harbour Station, the Montreal Junior make their only visit to Harbour Station this season. The Junior, who defeated the Sea Dogs last Friday in Verdun, are expected to be one the best teams in the Canadian Hockey League this season.

Montreal’s lineup will also feature Montreal Canadiens 2009 first round pick Louis Leblanc, who was released from the Habs’ training camp roster earlier today.

Photo Credit: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

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