Gallant On TPS

Gerard Gallant was a guest on The Pipeline Show this past Saturday.

The Saint John Sea Dogs head coach talked about a number of topics, most notably Stainislav Galiev’s wrist injury. Gallant said Galiev will likely be out of action another four to five weeks.

The other topics discussed in the interview:

• The Memorial Cup celebrations and the motivation created by not being the host team for this year’s tournament.
• The depleted lineup the Sea Dogs dressed for the first few weeks of the season.
• The hot start and future of Danick Gauthier.
• The play of Jonathan Huberdeau. “He’s got his head on right.”
• The play of Nathan Beaulieu.
• The possibility of Zack Phillips playing for Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships.
• Galiev’s injury and his roll with the team.
• How Charles-Olivier Roussel has played since being picked up by the Sea Dogs.
• The play of Mathieu Corbeil.
• Turk signing a contract extension.

The full interview can be downloaded here.

Huberdeau Named First Star

Jonathan Huberdeau has picked up first star honours.

Today, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced the Telus three stars for week spanning from October 24^th to 31^st. The Saint John Sea Dogs’ captain was named first star while Gatineau’s Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Halifax’s Cameron Critchlow were named second and third stars, respectively.

Huberdeau had a pair of goals in Saint John’s 6-3 win over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on Friday night at Harbour Station. On Saturday, he added another goal and three assists in the Sea Dogs’ 6-0 win over the Chicoutimi Sagueneens to give him six points on the weekend.

The Florida Panthers prospect has now recorded seven goals and 15 assists in just 10 games since returning from National Hockey League training camp.

The Sea Dogs are 9-1 since Huberdeau’s return and have won seven straight games since he was named captain on October 13th.

Huberdeau was named the league’s third star last week.

Pageau registered four goals and an assist in two games this past week to earn second star honours. In three games, Critchlow had two goals and four assists to help the Mooseheads sweep their Quebec road trip. 


Photo Credit: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

Recap: A Night Of Champions

SAINT JOHN – It was a night to remember at Harbour Station.

The building buzzed as owners, employees and players of the Saint John Sea Dogs hockey club received their Memorial Cup championship rings. Fans stood and cheered as the President’s Cup and Memorial Cup banners were raised to the rafters. And as if that wasn’t enough excitement, they watched the Sea Dogs dominant the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, winning 6-0.

It was quite a night for the Sea Dogs and the city of Saint John, a night that won’t be forgotten for some time.

In our two-plus years of covering the team, this was one of the most memorable nights. Here is a recap of the festivities.

POSTSCRIPT: Sagueneens 0, Sea Dogs 6

NOTE: Full recap of the pre-game festivities will be posted later.

A collection of recaps from last night’s 6-0 Saint John Sea Dogs victory over the Chicoutimi Sagueneens...

Our recap. The Sea Dogs won their seventh straight game.

Le Quotidien’s recap. Sagueneens head coach Marc-Etienne Hubert believes the long pre-game ceremony may have hurt his team’s first period performance.

Journal de Quebec’s recap. Former Sea Dogs Gabriel Bourret and Alexandre Beauregard wore their old jerseys during the pre-game ceremonies.

SaintJohnSeaDogs.com’s recap. The Saint John Sea Dogs topped off the biggest celebration in team history with a 6-0 win over the Chicoutimi Sagueneens Saturday.

SN Live Blog Replay. No sell-out crowd for Night of Champions.

NOT PLAYING: The Sea Dogs didn’t make any changes to their lineup. Defenseman Tyrone Sock (healthy) and forwards Devon Oliver-Dares (personal reasons) and Stanislav Galiev (broken wrist) were out once again.

FIRST PERIOD: Saint John had yet another strong first period, scoring twice and outshooting Chicoutimi 17-4. The Sags only eight shots through the first two periods.

FORMER DOGS: It was a fairly quiet night for the former Sea Dogs now playing for Chicoutimi.

Defenseman Guillaume Cloutier was a -1 and had no shots, defenseman Gabriel Bourret had one shot and was a -3 and forward Alexandre Beauregard was a -1 and had seven penalty minutes.

Both Bourret and Beauregard helped Saint John capture the Memorial Cup last year. They skated out in Sea Dogs jerseys to pick up their championship rings during the pre-game ceremonies.

A Banner Night

FINAL: Chicoutimi 0, Saint John 6

SAINT JOHN – The Saint John Sea Dogs played like champions on Saturday night.

On ‘Night of Champions’ night at Harbour Station, the Sea Dogs dominated the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, winning their seventh straight game by score of 6-0.

Zack Phillips had a pair of goals while Jonathan Huberdeau, Ryan Tesink, Tomas Jurco and Grant West added solo markers. Huberdeau also had three assists.

Goaltender Mathieu Corbeil continued his strong play, stopping all 14 shots he faced. It was his third shutout in four games.

The Dogs dominated most of the match, holding the Sagueneens to just eight shots through two periods and 14 in total. Saint John fired 33 shots on the Chicoutimi goal. Christopher Gibson allowed five goals on 26 shots while Francis Desrosiers made six stops in relief.

Prior to the game, the Sea Dogs honoured team staff, coaches and players of last year’s Memorial Cup championship team. Championship rings were handed out and the President’s Cup and Memorial Cup banners were raised to the rafters.

On a night the Sea Dogs honoured the past, they showed that the future looks quite promising as well.

Welcome Home

Has Harbour Station ever looked so good?

LIVE BLOG: Night of Champions

GAMEDAY 19: vs Sagueneens

GAMEDAY

Chicoutimi Sagueneens vs Saint John Sea Dogs

Tonight, October 29, 2011 at 7pm

Harbour Station

PREVIEW

SAINT JOHN – Tonight’s the night.

After a long wait, the Saint John Sea Dogs will finally raise their President’s Cup and Memorial Cup championship banners to the rafters of Harbour Station. Players, coaches, ownership, and staff will also receive their championship rings in a pre-game ceremony.

“As a lifelong Saint Johner, I know the people of this city are proud of their champions. To be the only Maritime team in the 93-year history of the Memorial Cup to bring home this national championship trophy means a tremendous amount to the organization, and the city as a whole,” Sea Dogs president Wayne Long said in a release earlier this week. “This is an accomplishment for everyone in the Greater Saint John area to celebrate.”

Fans attending tonight’s match – which is close to a sell-out – are asked to be in their seats early for the ceremony. The official game time is 7pm.

Several special guests will be on hand for the historic night. Canadian Hockey League President David Branch and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Commissioner Gilles Courteau will be among the special guests participating in the ring ceremony. Other confirmed guests include Saint John Mayor Ivan Court, Rothesay Mayor Bill Bishop, Quispamsis Mayor Murray Driscoll, Grand Bay - Westfield Mayor Grace Losier and area MLAs Dorothy Shephard and Glen Tait.

The Sea Dogs also announced yesterday that goaltender Jacob DeSerres, who was Saint John’s No. 1 goaltender in their march to the national championship, will in the building for the festivities.

Along with all the special ceremonies, there is also a game to play. The Chicoutimi Sagueneens are in town as they face the Sea Dogs for the first time this season.

The Sags have a record of 9-5-1-4 and sit fourth in the tough Telus East Division and sixth overall in the league with 23 points. They are 6-2-1-1 in their last 10 games and have not lost in regulation over their past four games.

Saint John has a record of 13-5-0-0 and sit first in the Maritimes Division and second overall in the league. They are winners of six straight and are 8-2-0-0 in their last 10 games.

Sea Dogs Defeat Eagles 6-3

FINAL: Cape Breton 3, Saint John 6

SAINT JOHN – The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles were able to outshoot the Saint John Sea Dogs on Friday night at Harbour Station but weren’t able to beat them on the scoreboard.

The Sea Dogs downed the Eagles 6-3 in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action, giving them their sixth consecutive victory.

Jonathan Huberdeau scored twice while Zack Phillips, Stephen MacAulay, Danick Gauthier and Ryan Tesink added singles. Mathieu Corbeil saw his shutout streak end but still got the win. He made 34 saves in the victory.

It wasn’t Saint John’s best performance nor was it dominating like last weekend’s games. But it got the job done.

Morgan Ellis, David Rose and Kyle Campbell each had goals in the loss. Alexandre Veronneau allowed six goals on 34 shots. Cape Breton was able to outshoot the Dogs in every period except the first. Total shots were 37-34 in favour of the visitors.

LIVE BLOG: Screaming Eagles vs Sea Dogs

DeSerres To Attend 'Night Of Champions'

SAINT JOHN – One of the key components in the Saint John Sea Dogs’ Memorial Cup victory will be at Harbour Station tomorrow night for ‘Night of Champions.’

The Sea Dogs announced today that goaltender Jacob DeSerres will be in-house tomorrow evening as the team hands out their championship rings and raise their banners to the rafters.

DeSerres, who Saint John claimed off waivers from the Western Hockey League last October, went 27-3-0 in the regular season with a goals against average of 2.22 and a save percentage of 0.916. He was solid in the post-season as well, going 12-3-0 with 2.00 GAA and a 0.916 save percentage.

In the Memorial Cup, the overager went 3-0 with a 1.82 GAA and a 0.946 save percentage. He was unreal in the Memorial Cup final, making 34 stops to redeem himself of the 9-1 loss he suffered in the final a year prior with the Brandon Wheat Kings.

DeSerres joined the University of Calgary Dinos in the off-season.

A limited number of tickets remain for tomorrow night’s historic match. The Sea Dogs take on the Chicoutimi Saguennens at 7pm.

The Sea Dogs also announced today that an “authentic goalie stick used by Jacob DeSerres during the team’s 2011 run to the Memorial Cup championship” will be put up for auction. The starting bid is $77.11, representing Saint John’s 77-11 overall record last season.

“Our team gets requests from all over the world for Sea Dogs merchandise and memorabilia,” said Sea Dogs President Wayne Long in a release. “We have held auctions on special game nights over the years, but we recognize that not all of our fans are able to come to Saint John for a game. This online auction is a great way for our fans far and wide to own a piece of Sea Dogs history. What better way to launch than with an authentic piece of Memorial Cup memorabilia on the weekend we are celebrating the championships.”

You can bid on the stick by clicking here.

GAMEDAY 18 - vs Screaming Eagles

GAMEDAY

Cape Breton Screaming Eagles vs Saint John Sea Dogs

Tonight, October 28, 2011 at 7:30pm

Harbour Station

PREVIEW

SAINT JOHN – The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles are in town tonight for the first time this season. Game time is 7:30pm at Harbour Station.

The Eagles enter action today with a record of 7-10-0-1 for 15 points. They sit fifth in the Maritimes Division and 13^th overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. They are 11 points back of the league-leading Victoriaville Tigres and nine points back of the division-leading Saint John Sea Dogs.

Cape Breton defeated Saint John 8-5 in their only previous meeting of the season back on September 16 at Centre 200. Dany Potvin scored three goals while David Rose, Cory MacIntosh, JC Campagna, Sebastien Payette and William Carrier scored singles. Alexandre Veronneau made 23 stops in net for the win.

A lot has changed since that game, though. Saint John was without the likes of Jonathan Huberdeau, Zack Phillips, Nathan Beaulieu, Tomas Jurco, Mathieu Corbeil, Danick Gauthier and all the others who took part in National Hockey League rookie and/training camps.

On September 16, Oliver Cooper had two goals. Aidan Kelly, Kraig Pasher and Stephen Anderson added solo markers while Charlie Millen made 29 stops in the loss. The Sea Dogs led 4-1 in the second period but eventually blew that lead. Given the Sea Dogs’ lineup that night, they didn’t do all that bad.

Saint John’s lineup will have a lot more familiar names in it this evening when the two teams clash.

Saint John enters action tonight with a record of 12-5-0-0 for 24 points. They sit first in the Maritimes Division and second overall in the league. They are two points back of the league-leading Tigres with two games in hand.

The Sea Dogs have won five straight and coming off a dominating three-in-three performance last weekend. They defeated the Halifax Mooseheads 5-0, PEI Rocket 10-3 and the Quebec Remparts 6-0.

Sea Dogs Notebook

UP NEXT

Forgotten in all the hype surrounding Saturday’s ‘Night of Champions’ game is that the Sea Dogs actually play a game tomorrow.

The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles are in town for a 7:30pm showdown at Harbour Station. It’s the first trip to Saint John for the Eagles this season.

Cape Breton defeated Saint John 8-5 at Centre 200 on September 16. The Sea Dogs, who were icing a very depleted lineup with so many players away at NHL training camps, blew a 4-1 lead in the loss.

NAMES AND RINGS

Interesting read in the Telegraph-Journal on Tuesday about who gets their name on the Memorial Cup and who receives championship rings. It’s not an easy thing to decide.

SPORTSNET

Sportsnet announced last night that they will be airing a Canadian Hockey League game every Friday night in high definition during the regular season.

“We wanted a home position for CHL hockey on Sportsnet and created destination viewing with Friday Night Hockey,” said Scott Moore, President, Broadcasting, Rogers Media.  “We recognize the hunger and passion for junior hockey across the country and now fans will have a consistent night each week to catch all the action.”

Sportsnet also announced that RJ Broadhead will do play-by-play this season after the station parted ways with Peter Loubardias over the off-season. Analyst Sam Cosentino and host Rob Faulds are returning for another year. Cosentino will apparently be doing Skype chats throughout the season which should be quite exciting.

The first-half broadcast schedule was released today, and to the shock of nobody, only one QMJHL game will be aired while the OHL and WHL will each have three. The Q game features the Val-d’Or Foreurs taking on the Gatineau Olympiques. Doesn’t get much more exciting than that.

POISED FOR A REPEAT

Speaking of Loubardias, he is doing some writing for Chris Cuthbert’s ‘Golden Goal Sports Blog’ and yesterday had a post about why he believes the Sea Dogs are favourites to repeat as national champions.

“The way I see it, Gerard Gallants team has all the tools to do it again,” writes Loubardias. “With a supporting cast that features the likes of first round picks Zack Phillips and Nathan Beaulieu, Detroit second rounder Tomas Jurco and Washington Capitals prospect Stanislav Galiev (just to name a few), how can this group not be the favourite to return to glory?  Lets face it, almost everyone is back.”

“Many in the hockey world, including myself, were somewhat stunned when they were not awarded the right to host this year's Memorial Cup. While Gerard Gallant and company don't like to talk about it publicly, they are some kind of sour about it.”

Night Of Champions This Saturday

SAINT JOHN – Saturday’s ‘Night of Champions’ at Harbour Station is sure to be a memorable event.

The Memorial Cup arrived back in Saint John on Wednesday as excitement continues to build fir Saturday’s Sea Dogs contest against the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. The championship banners will be raised to the rafters and members of the off- and on-ice team will receive their rings.

According to a Sea Dogs release, “Canadian Hockey League President David Branch and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Commissioner Gilles Courteau will be among the special guests participating in the ring ceremony. Other confirmed guests include Saint John Mayor Ivan Court, Rothesay Mayor Bill Bishop, Quispamsis Mayor Murray Driscoll, Grand Bay - Westfield Mayor Grace Losier and area MLAs Dorothy Shephard and Glen Tait. Game time is 7 p.m. but fans are encouraged to be in their seats early.”

Roughly 1,000 tickets remained as off Thursday morning. The Harbour Station website lists ticket availability as “limited.”

SeaDogsTV released some solid videos earlier this week featuring interviews with goaltender Jacob DeSerres and forwards Danick Gauthier and Jonathan Huberdeau. All three helped Saint John win the 2011 national championship.

Here is the DeSerres video. The description says “sneak peak of a special interview.”

Are we the only ones that feel this should air on ESPN or something?

Saint John Moves Up To No. 3

After a solid week, the Saint John Sea Dogs have moved up in the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings. The latest edition of the rankings were released today.

The Sea Dogs moved up to No. 3 on this week’s list after winning all three of their games in dominant fashion. Saint John beat Halifax 5-0 on the road on Friday, downed the PEI Rocket 10-3 at Harbour Station on Saturday and then defeated the Quebec Remparts by score of 6-0 on Sunday afternoon.

Saint John has now won five straight games and have outscored opponents 34-8 over that span.

Other Quebec Major Junior Hockey League teams ranked this week were the Baie-Comeau Drakkar at No. 2, Victoriaville Tigres at No. 7 and the Quebec Remparts at No. 9. The Shawinigan Cataractes were an honourable mention.

Jacques Beaulieu and the Sarnia Sting moved up to No. 6 this week.

The weekly rankings of the Canadian Hockey League’s Top 10 teams are selected by a panel of National Hockey League scouts.

Here are the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings for week six.

1. London Knights (11-2-0-1)
2. Baie-Comeau Drakkar (11-4-0-0)
3. Saint John Sea Dogs (12-5-0-0)
4. Mississauga St. Michael's Majors (9-3-0-1)
5. Tri-City Americans (10-5-0-0)
6. Sarnia Sting (9-2-0-2)
7. Victoriaville Tigres (12-6-0-0)
8. Regina Pats (9-4-0-0)
9. Quebec Remparts (9-3-2-1)
10. Kamloops Blazers (9-3-0-0) 

Honourable Mention:
Kootenay Ice (9-3-0-2)
Ottawa 67's (8-3-1-0)
Shawinigan Cataractes (10-5-1-1)

The ‘Dynamic Dozen’ made its season debut on Buzzing The Net earlier this week. The Sea Dogs came it at No. 9 this week with a .563 RPI rating.

Saint John plays two games this week. On Friday they host the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and on Saturday Gabriel Bourret, Alexandre Beauregard and the Chicoutimi Sagueneens are in town.

Fleaburn: The Painting

SAINT JOHN – Here is something you don’t see on ebay everyday – an acrylic painting of Saint John Sea Dogs mascot Fleaburn.

According to the description, the piece of art is part of “A Brush of Hope – Celebrity Paintings for Kidney Research in support of The Kidney Foundation of Canada.”

More info:

This is a rare opportunity for you to own an ORIGINAL, one-of-a-kind painting by Brent Crawford as Fleaburn, the Saint John Sea Dogs' mascot. All proceeds from the sale of this painting will go to The Kidney Foundation of Canada so that the Foundation can continue to fund much needed kidney research and improve the lives of people living with kidney disease.

The auction ends on October 30. The current highest bid (and only bid) is at $49.

More details can be found here. 

Sea Dogs Acquire Grant West

Grant West is now a member of the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The club announced today that West, a Fredericton native, has been acquired through waivers. He last played with the Moncton Wildcats.

The six-foot-three, 204-pound forward has played in three games with the Wildcats this season, recording no points, two penalty minutes and a -2 rating. His last game with Moncton was on October 5 in Halifax.

The 19-year old played in three games with the Wildcats last season as well, going pointless and registering 10 penalty minutes. He didn’t record any points in three contests with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in 2009-10, either.

West played most of last season with the Campbellton Tigers of the Maritime Hockey League, tallying nine goals, 22 points and 99 penalty minutes in 46 games at the junior A level. In 2009-10 he had nine markers, 12 helpers and 81 penalty minutes in 46 games with the Tigers.

The addition of West gives the Sea Dogs eight New Brunswickers on their roster with three of them being from Fredericton (West, Oliver Cooper and Zack Phillips).

Photo Credit: MHL

Gauthier, Huberdeau Earn Weekly Honours

Danick Gauthier and Jonathan Huberdeau have both been recognized for their solid play this past week.

Gauthier was named the Telus first star of the week while Huberdeau was named the third star. Rimouski Oceanic defenseman Jerome Gauthier-Leduc was named the week’s second star.

Gauthier scored six of his Sea Dogs’ 21 goals in their three wins this past weekend. The 20-year old scored one goal in Saint John’s 5-0 win on Friday in Halifax, three goals in a 10-3 win over the PEI Rocket and two in Sunday’s 6-0 win over the Quebec Remparts.

The rugged centre is off to a sensational start this season having compiled 16 goals and four assists in just 15 games. He is currently tied with Bathurst’s Zach O’Brien for the league goal-scoring lead.

Huberdeau was in a sharing mood this week, racking up six assists and one goal in three games. He scored on Friday night in Halifax and added three assists on both Saturday and Sunday. The Sea Dogs’ captain has four goals and 12 assists in eight games since returning from Florida Panthers training camp.

Gauthier-Leduc added points in each of his team’s three victories. Wednesday, he registered two points in a 4-3 win and scored a goal which allowed him to add his name to the record book among defensemen with one goal in seven consecutive games. It was his 10th of the season. Friday, against the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, he beat the 32 year-old record held by former Remparts Gaston Therrien, by scoring his 8th consecutive goal. That same evening, he became the 46th defenseman in QMJHL history to reach 50 career goals. Gauthier-Leduc got two goals, three assists for a total of five points and a +/- of +6 this week.

Photo Credit: QMJHL

Four Dogs Named To SSS Roster

Four members of the Saint John Sea Dogs will be skating with Team QMJHL at this year’s Subway Super Series event.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced today the roster that will take on Team Russia next month in Victoriaville and Quebec City. Forwards Jonathan Huberdeau and Zack Phillips along with defensemen Nathan Beaulieu and Pierre Durepos were all named to the team.

It’s no surprise to see Huberdeau, Phillips and Beaulieu invited as all played in the series last year and were selected in the first round of the National Hockey League Entry Draft in June. It’s great to see the undrafted and often underrated Durepos earn a spot.

Phillips is second in team scoring with eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points in 12 games. Huberdeau has four goals and 12 assists in eight games since returning from Florida Panthers training camp. Beaulieu has four markers and six helpers while Durepos has a goal and seven assists.

Each of the three CHL member leagues assembled a selection committee, which worked closely with Hockey Canada’s Chief Scout, Kevin Prendergast, to select the players for this year’s series. The QMJHL selection committee included QMJHL’s Executive vice-president, Marcel Patenaude, the Director of Hockey Operations, PierreLeduc and the general managers of the Quebec Remparts, Patrick Roy, the Victoriaville Tigres, Jérôme Mésonéro and the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, Sylvain Couturier. 

The event is used to help determine Team Canada's roster for the World Junior Hockey Championship this winter. 

Here is the QMJHL roster for the 2011 Subway Super Series.

POSTSCRIPT: Remparts 0, Sea Dogs 6

A collection of recaps from yesterday’s 6-0 Saint John Sea Dogs win over the Quebec Remparts…

Our recap. The Sea Dogs played one of their best games of the season on Sunday afternoon.

The Telegraph-Journal’s recap. "They were very dominant and by far the best team we've seen so far. I appreciate the way they move the puck down low, but I also like their intensity. They backcheck hard, they see the ice well and they're nice to watch.'' – Remparts head coach Patrick Roy.

The Journal de Quebec’s recap. Roy was disappointed in his team’s performance.

SaintJohnSeaDogs.com’s recap. Gauthier – who had a hat trick in Satuday’s win to bring his goals total to a career-best 14 – continued his hot play on Sunday.

SN Live Blog Replay. No clue how a three-on-none while shorthanded even happens.

SeaDogsTV Highlights:

OUT OF ACTION: Oliver Cooper received a one-game suspension for removing a player’s helmet during a fight on Saturday night against the PEI Rocket. Devon Oliver-Dares (personal reasons), Tyrone Sock (healthy) and Stanislav Galiev (broken wrist) were out of the lineup once again.

PEI Bus Trip Is Sold Out

The fan bus that is heading to Charlottetown on Friday, November 11 for the Saint John Sea Dogs – PEI Rocket game is sold out.

You can check out some of this season's other trips by visiting the ‘Sea The Dogs Bus Tours’ website.

What A Weekend

FINAL: Quebec 0, Saint John 6


SAINT JOHN – It was quite a weekend for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Wining 5-0 in Halifax on Friday and 10-3 over PEI on Saturday, the Sea Dogs finished their three-in-three with a dominating 6-0 victory over the Quebec Remparts on Sunday afternoon at Harbour Station.

Danick Gauthier scored a pair to give him 16 goals in 15 games this season. Jason Cameron, Tomas Jurco, Nathan Beaulieu and Charles-Olivier Roussel had the other goals. Mathieu Corbeil recorded his second straight shutout by stopping all 22 shots he faced.

It was a dominating performance by Saint John. Quebec was able to stay in the game thanks to the play of goaltender Louis Domingue who kept it a three-goal contest heading into the third despite being outshot by a large margin.

The Sea Dogs outshot the Remparts 49-22 in the match. Quebec was unable to score on any power play opportunities and gave up two shorthanded goals.

The win gave Saint John their fifth straight win and a league-best record of 12-5-0-0.

LIVE BLOG: Remparts vs Sea Dogs

GAMEDAY 17 - vs Remparts

GAMEDAY

Quebec Remparts vs Saint John Sea Dogs

Today, October 23, 2011 at 3pm

Harbour Station

PREVIEW

SAINT JOHN – Two of the top teams in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League meet this afternoon at Harbour Station as the Saint John Sea Dogs host the Quebec Remparts. Game time is 3pm.

The Sea Dogs enter play today with a record of 11-5-0-0 and sit first in the Maritimes Division and the entire league. The Remparts are 9-2-2-1 and are second in the Telus East Division and fourth overall in the league.

In the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings this past week, the Sea Dogs were ranked fifth and the Remparts sixth.

Saint John is coming off a solid 10-3 blowout win over the PEI Rocket last night at the Station. The Sea Dogs dominated the majority of the game, a contest that featured a seven-goal outburst in the second period. Quebec played in Halifax last night and fell 4-3 in overtime to the Mooseheads.

Quebec and Saint John have been two of the hotter teams of late. The Dogs have won four straight and are 8-2-0-0 in their last 10 while Quebec is on a 9-0-2-1 run and are 9-0-1-1 in their last 10.

The Sea Dogs have scored the second most goals in the QMJHL this season (73) while the Remparts have surrendered the second fewest (41).

Entering this season, it looked as though the Remparts would use this as a building year. But after picking 21 points in their first 14 games it appears they could be contenders once again this year. They have plenty of young talent highlighted by rookies Mikhail Grigorenko, Adam Erne and Anthony Duclair.

Entering play today, five of the top 15 rookie point scorers are Rempart players.

This game ends a three-game road trip through the Maritimes for Quebec. Today’s match also ends a three-in-three for Saint John.

Saint John Pounds PEI

FINAL: PEI 3, Saint John 10

SAINT JOHN – A seven goal second period propelled the Saint John Sea Dogs past the PEI Rocket on Saturday night at Harbour Station.

Danick Gauthier had yet another hat trick while Zack Phillips, Jonathan Huberdeau, Scott Oke, Aidan Kelly, Pierre Durepos, Oliver Cooper and Nathan Beaulieu also scored in Saint John’s 10-3 blowout win over the Rocket.

Huberdeau also had three assists. Tomas Jurco, Ryan Tesink and Charles-Olivier Roussel all had a pair of helpers each.

Sebastien Auger made 19 saves in the win.

The Rocket scored the game’s opening goal but that would be just about the only bright spot for them. The Sea Dogs dominated most of the game, holding period leads of 2-1 and 9-1. Saint John outshot PEI 48-22 with 12 of the Rocket’s shots coming in the final frame.

Saint John was so dominant that at one point Phillips had the same amount of shots on goal as the entire Rocket team.

Josh Currie scored twice for PEI while Victor Provencher chipped in with one marker. Maxime Lagace allowed eight goals on 31 shots before getting yanked. Antoine Bibeau allowed two goals on 17 shots in relief.

LIVE BLOG: Rocket vs Sea Dogs

GAMEDAY 16 - vs Rocket

GAMEDAY

PEI Rocket vs Saint John Sea Dogs

Tonight, October 22, 2011 at 7pm

Harbour Station

PREVIEW

SAINT JOHN – It is ‘Pink in the Rink’ night at Harbour Station as the Saint John Sea Dogs host the PEI Rocket at 7pm.

The Sea Dogs will be wearing pink jerseys during the game. The specially designed sweaters will be auctioned off with the proceeds going to breast cancer research.

“The Sea Dogs are extremely proud to be a part of such a great tradition, especially for this important cause,” said Sea Dogs President Wayne Long in a release earlier this week. “We are happy to know that our contributions can help make a difference. We would also like to thank the support of our fans that help make this happen.”

The Sea Dogs raised $4,700 last season during the same event, a major contribution toward the total of $115,000 raised by the league along with corporate partner TELUS.

Saint John enters play tonight with a record of 10-5-0-0 and sit first in the Maritimes Division and second overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. They have won three straight games, outscoring their opponents 18-5 over that span.

The Dogs are coming off a solid win in Halifax last night. Tomas Jurco scored twice while Jonathan Huberdeau, Danick Gauthier and Scott Oke each added singles. Mathieu Corbeil made 20 stops to shutout his former team.

Saint John has played their last four games on the road. Their last home game was a 6-2 win over the Victoriaville Tigres on September 9. Tonight’s match kicks off a four-game homestand for the defending champs.

The Rocket enter play this evening with a record 4-9-1-1 for 10 points. They sit last in the Maritimes Division and dead last in the entire league. They are 3-6-1-0 in their last 10 games.

Saint John defeated PEI 5-3 on September 18 at the Station. Danick Gauthier had a hat trick in the game and singles came courtesy of Brock Morrison and Scott Oke. Sebastien Auger made 40 saves in the win. The Sea Dogs were without the likes of Jonathan Huberdeau, Zack Phillips, Nathan Beaulieu, Tomas Jurco and Charles-Olivier Roussel for that previous encounter.

POSTSCRIPT: Sea Dogs 5, Mooseheads 0

A collection of recaps from last night’s 5-0 Saint John Sea Dogs win over the Halifax Mooseheads…

Our recap. It’s been a wild few days for Mathieu Corbeil.

Metro Halifax’s first recap. The Halifax Mooseheads got schooled in their first big test of the season.

Metro Halifax’s second recap. "I had about three hours sleep in two days," said Corbeil when talking about his adventure to Columbus.

The Chronicle Herald’s recap. The loss snaps a five-game winning streak for the Mooseheads, their longest since 2007 when they won eight in a row.

SaintJohnSeaDogs.com's recap. The Saint John Sea Dogs continued their solid play on the road.


HalifaxMooseheads.ca's recap. The Memorial Cup Champs showed tonight why they are the favorites to repeat as QMJHL Champions again this season.

SN Live Blog Replay. That’s a lot of pink.

John Moore’s post-game video.

SHUTOUT: It took a while, but Mathieu Corbeil finally has a regular season shutout. Metro Halifax breaks down the situation.

Corbeil had played 123 regular-season games in the QMJHL -- including 99 with Halifax -- without a shutout, although he did record one in the playoffs last season.

The 20-year netminder made 20 saves to pick up the win last night. He was named first star.

Corbeil earned his first career QMJHL shutout in Game Four of the first round of last year’s playoffs against Cape Breton. He made 15 stops in that game.

Sea Dogs Shutdown Mooseheads

FINAL: Saint John 5, Halifax 0

HALIFAX – It has been a wild few days for Mathieu Corbeil.

The 20-year old goaltender was recalled by the Columbus Blue Jackets on an emergency basis earlier this week, playing the role of Steve Mason’s backup on Tuesday. As if that wasn’t enough fun for one week, Corbeil recorded his first career Quebec Major Junior Hockey League regular season shutout on Friday night, backstopping the Saint John Sea Dogs to a 5-0 win over his former team.

Corbeil made some big stops in key moments in Saint John’s win over the Halifax Mooseheads. In total, the netminder made 20 stops in the building he once called home.

Friday night saw the Sea Dogs play a pretty solid game. They played well in the first period, okay in the second and then blew it open in the third. Saint John outshot Halifax 30-20.

Tomas Jurco had a pair of goals which were scored 15 seconds apart. Danick Gauthier, Jonathan Huberdeau and Scott Oke each had singles. Rookie Oliver Cooper had two assists.

Cooper had a more productive night than super rookie Nathan MacKinnon of the Mooseheads. Playing in his first game against Saint John, MacKinnon was held pointless, had two shots and was a -2.

Anthony Terenzio allowed five goals on 30 shots in the loss.

Saint John has now won three straight games. Friday’s loss ended the Mooseheads winning streak at five.

LIVE BLOG: Sea Dogs vs Mooseheads

GAMEDAY 15 - at Halifax

GAMEDAY

Saint John Sea Dogs vs Halifax Mooseheads

Tonight, October 21, 2011 at 7pm

Halifax Metro Centre

PREVIEW

HALIFAX – It’s test time for the Halifax Mooseheads.

After three straight years of icing terrible hockey teams, the Mooseheads are moving in the right direction this season. Off to an 8-4-0-0 start, Halifax sits second in the Maritimes Division and seventh overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Winners of five straight, the Moose will try to keep their streak going tonight against the Saint John Sea Dogs. Game time is 7pm at the Halifax Metro Centre.

Halifax will use this weekend as a measuring stick to see just how good they really are. They host the fifth ranked team in Canada tonight and sixth ranked team – the Quebec Remparts – tomorrow.

“It’s definitely going to be a test for us,” said forward Travis Randell to the Chronicle Herald. “Quebec (was) in first place in the league and Saint John is probably the favourite to win our league again and maybe even another Memorial Cup. It’s definitely going to be a challenge and for the younger guys, it will be a good learning experience as well. Hopefully it pulls us even closer and who knows what can happen. If we come out the way we feel we’re capable of playing, I think we can beat anyone in this league.”

Tonight is the first meeting of the season between the Sea Dogs and Mooseheads. Saint John went 8-0-0-0 against the Herd last year.

Saint John has a record of 9-5-0-0 and sit second overall in the QMJHL with 18 points. They are 8-2-0-0 in their last 10 games and have won two straight.

The Dogs are 5-1 on home ice this season but have been average on the road. Away from Harbour Station they are 4-4-0-0 and have been outscored 36-27. Six of those eight road contests have been played in unfamiliar Quebec arenas.

Despite playing two Quebec road swings already, this is the first three-in-three for the Sea Dogs. They host the PEI Rocket tomorrow night and the Quebec Remparts on Sunday.

Tough Weekend Ahead For Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN – The Saint John Sea Dogs play their first three-in-three of the season beginning tomorrow night in Halifax.

The Mooseheads host the Sea Dogs tomorrow night at 7pm at the Halifax Metro Centre for their ‘Pink In The Rink’ game. The Moose will be wearing pick jerseys and the match will be played on pick ice.

It’s the first meeting of the season between Halifax and Saint John. The Sea Dogs will get their first look at super rookie Nathan MacKinnon who sits third in first-year scoring with five goals and 14 assists in 12 games.

The Mooseheads are one of the hottest teams in the league at the moment having won their last five games. They have a record of 8-4-0-0 and sit second in the Maritimes Division.

On Saturday, the PEI Rocket travel to Saint John to face the Sea Dogs at 7pm at Harbour Station. Like the Mooseheads on Friday, the Sea Dogs will be wearing pick jerseys in support of breast cancer research.

The Rocket sit last dead-last in both the Maritimes Division and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with a record of 4-8-1-1 for 10 points. The Sea Dogs beat the Rocket 5-3 on September 18 at Harbour Station without the likes of Jonathan Huberdeau, Zack Phillips, Nathan Beaulieu, Tomas Jurco, Charles-Olivier Roussel and Mathieu Corbeil. Danick Gauthier had a hat trick in that game.

Saint John will host another super rookie on Sunday afternoon at the Station as Mikhail Grigorenko and the Quebec Remparts come to town. Grigorenko, the second overall pick in this past summer’s Canadian Hockey League Import Draft, leads all QMJHL rookies in scoring with 10 goals and 11 assists in 13 games.

International Scouting Services named Grigorenko theNo. 2 prospect for the upcoming National Hockey League Entry Draft in their October rankings.

Quebec enters play this weekend as the No. 6 ranked team in the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings. Their record of 9-2-1-1 is good for second in the Telus West Division and fourth overall in the league. 

Photo Gallery: Welcome To The Show

@CBJProspects came through in the clutch, providing some unreal photos of Mathieu Corbeil taking warmup with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night.

We've downloaded all of his photos onto the SN Facebook page. You can check them out by clicking here. 

Sea Dogs Notebook

GALIEV UPDATE

Stanislav Galiev gave everyone an update on his broken wrist via Twitter on Tuesday.

“Upset... Just came back from a doctor,” he tweeted. “4 more weeks in cast.”

Galiev played in five games with Saint John before hitting the injured list, recording three goals and three assists. There is no real timeline set for his return.

FIGHTING FOR FIGHTING

John Moore, the Halifax Mooseheads’ play-by-play man on News 95.7, sent out an interesting tweet earlier today.

“Sea Dogs won't be sitting on the fence at Q meetings in Mtl tomorrow,” tweeted Moore. “They are totally opposed to removing fighting from the league.”

Wonder what the specific reasons behind this are?

PROMOTIONS

A bunch of promotions are going on over the next couple of weeks as the Sea Dogs kick off a four-game homestand beginning this Saturday.

On Saturday at Harbour Station against the PEI Rocket, the Sea Dogs will wear pink jerseys for the annual 'Pink In The Rink' promotion. The jerseys will be auctioned off with the proceeds going to breast cancer research.

On Sunday afternoon against the Quebec Remparts, it is Halloween Fun Day. Fans of all ages are encouraged to attend the game in costume, and there will be treats and a costume parade for children. Families can take advantage of the four-for-$46 ticket package.

Next Saturday, October 29, it’s the game that everyone in the city has had circled for months. The banner-raising ceremonies for the President’s Cup and the Memorial Cup will take place before the game against the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, as well as the presentations of commemorative championship rings to players, coaches, ownership and staff. Both Canadian Hockey League commissioner David Branch and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League commissioner Gilles Courteau will be among the special guests.

Sea Dogs Still At No. 5

The Saint John Sea Dogs are ranked fifth in the Canadian Hockey League for the second straight week. The latest edition of the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings were released today.

The Sea Dogs had a rough start to the week, falling 5-1 in Gatineau last Wednesday. But the club rebounded with a 9-4 win in Rouyn-Noranda on Friday and a 4-1 victory on Saturday in Val-d’Or. Saint John is 8-2-0-0 in their last 10 games.

The Baie-Comeau Drakkar slipped to No. 3 in the Top 10. The other Quebec Major Junior Hockey League teams to crack the list were the Quebec Remparts at No. 6 and Victoriaville Tigres at No. 10. The Shawinigan Cataractes were an honourable mention.

Jacques Beaulieu’s Sarnia Sting slid into the rankings this week, coming in at No. 8 with an 8-1-0-1 record.

The weekly rankings of the CHL’s Top 10 teams are selected by a panel of National Hockey League scouts. 

Here are the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings for week five:

1. London Knights (8-2-0-0)
2. Mississauga St. Michael's Majors (8-1-0-1)
3. Baie-Comeau Drakkar (9-4-0-0)
4. Saskatoon Blades (7-2-0-1)
5. Saint John Sea Dogs (9-5-0-0)
6. Quebec Remparts (8-2-1-1)
7. Regina Pats (7-3-0-0)
8. Sarnia Sting (8-1-0-1)
9. Medicine Hat Tigers (8-3-0-0)
10. Victoriaville Tigres (10-5-0-0)
 Honourable Mention:
Ottawa 67's (6-2-1-0)
Kamloops Blazers (7-2-0-0)
Shawinigan Cataractes (8-5-1-1)

The Sea Dogs have a tough weekend ahead, playing three games in three days. They travel to Halifax to face the Mooseheads – winners of five straight – on Friday. The Dogs then host the last-place PEI Rocket on Saturday and the nationally ranked Quebec Remparts on Sunday. 

Corbeil in Columbus

Mathieu Corbeil made his National Hockey League bench debut last night, playing the role as backup goaltender for the Columbus Blue Jackets. The club recalled Corbeil on an emergency basis due to several goaltenders in their system currently suffering from injuries.

Here are some news and notes on the game:

• The Blue Jackets fell 3-2 to the Dallas Stars at Nationwide Arena. Steve Ott, Jamie Benn and Michael Ryder all scored for Dallas while Derick Brassard and Kris Russell each had markers for the Jackets.
• Steve Mason allowed three goals on 18 shots for Columbus.
• Columbus fell to a terrible 0-5-1. They are the worst team in the NHL and the only squad without a win.
• Only 9,158 in attendance. Not that surprising. You’d probably have to pay us to watch a Columbus – Dallas game.
• The Blue Jackets website explains the situation: "Wild day for Mathieu Corbeil. The Blue Jackets have injuries to goaltenders Mark Dekanich (ankle), Curtis Sanford (undisclosed) and Allen York (shoulder), meaning they had to recall Corbeil from Saint John of the QMJHL on an emergency basis. Per the rules of the NHL-CHL agreement, Corbeil can only stay with the Blue Jackets for 24 hours before being returned to his junior club."
• According to the Columbus Dispatch, this is the first time the Blue Jackets have had to use this rule in their history.
• Corbeil became the first Sea Dogs goaltender in team history to dress for a NHL game. Defenseman Yann Sauve is the only Dog to appear in a match, playing  five games for the Vancouver Canucks last year.
• Former Blue Jackets head coach Gerard Gallant on the callup: "They were in dire straits with their two goalies getting hurt the other day in practice,'' Gallant told the Telegraph-Journal. "He (Corbeil) was pretty excited when I called Monday. At first he didn't know if he was getting traded or what was going on.''
• Saint John recalled Richard Tingley from the Amherst Ramblers of the Maritime Junior ‘A’ Hockey League for practice yesterday. The 18-year-old netminder has a perfect 5-0 record in five games level to go with a 2.60 GAA and .921 SV%.
• Corbeil was officially reassigned to Saint John this morning.

First Bus Trip Coming Up

The first "Sea The Dogs Bus Tour" of the season is coming up. Here is all the information for their November 11th trip to Charlottetown. Click the image to enlarge.

Visit their website for more information.

Columbus Recalls Corbeil

Some surprising news came out of Columbus this afternoon as the Blue Jackets were forced to recall Mathieu Corbeil on an emergency basis.

The club had to recall the Saint John Sea Dogs’ No. 1 goaltender following an injury to backup netminder Curtis Sanford.

“Curtis Sanford hurt in practice,” tweeted Blue Jackets General Manager Scott Howson. “Recalling Mathieu Corbeil for tomorrow's game. Rules say he must be returned to Saint John the next day.”

Columbus hosts the Dallas Stars tomorrow night. Steve Mason is expected to get the start in goal. Corbeil will be backup.

Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Blue Jackets noted that the netminders in the Blue Jackets’ system have been hit with injuries recently. “No. 2 (Dekanich, high-ankle sprain), No. 3 (Sanford, undisclosed) and No. 4 (York, shoulder) injured,” he tweeted. “Corbeil a 1-day emergency move.”

The Jackets are off to a horrendous 0-4-1 start and sit last in the National Hockey League’s Western Conference entering play tonight. They only registered 15 shots on goal in their 4-2 loss in Dallas on Saturday.

Even though he will likely sit on the bench all game, Corbeil will no doubt relish the experience.

The 20-year old netminder is off to a solid start this season, going 7-2-0-0 with a 2.61 goals against average and a 0.889 save percentage in his first nine games since returning from NHL training camp.

Photo Credit: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

VIDEO: A Night Of Firsts

This past Friday night in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Simon Despres and the Penguins hosted Mike Thomas and the Springfield Falcons.

It was an eventful night for the two former Saint John Sea Dogs as Thomas recorded his first career American Hockey League goal and Despres his first assist in the Falcons’ 7-4 win. Thomas also recorded an assist, his second of the year.

Thomas’ goal came at the expense of another former Sea Dog as an Alex Grant turnover setup the play.

Despres assist happens around the 1:21 mark of the video below. Thomas’ goal goes down at the 1:57 mark. Highlights courtesy of the Wilkes-Blog.

POSTSCRIPT: Sea Dogs 4, Foreurs 1

A collection of recaps from last night’s 4-1 Saint John Sea Dogs win over the Val-d’Or Foreurs:

Our recap. Saint John ended their road trip on a winning note.

L’Echo Abitibien’s recap. Foreurs Head Coach Marc-Andre Dumont was not satisfied with his team’s offensive efforts on Saturday. The Foreurs fired only 15 shots.

SaintJohnSeaDogs.com’s reacp. The Sea Dogs ended the Foreurs’ shutout streak.

Canadian Press’ QMJHL Roundup.

SN Live Blog Replay. It wasn’t the most exciting game of the season.

OUT OF ACTION: Defenseman Ian Saab returned from a suspension so Tyrone Sock was a healthy scratch. Forward Stanislav Galiev missed the game with a broken wrist.

SAAB’S FIRST POINT: Speaking of Saab, he recorded his first point as a member of the Sea Dogs when he assisted on Zack Phillips’ second period goal. He was also a +1 with one shot.

The defenseman also picked up a roughing penalty. He has gotten some kind of penalty in all six games he has played in this season.

SHOTS: According to News 88.9, the Sea Dogs tied a team record for fewest shots allowed in a game. The Foreurs could only fire 15 on Mathieu Corbeil. Despite not being tested too much, Corbeil was named second star.

Neither team had a great night offensively in the first half of the game. The first period hardly had any legit scoring chances. Once Phillips broke the ice late in the second period, things picked up.

Sea Dogs Drop Foreurs 4-1

FINAL: Saint John 4, Val-d’Or 1

VAL-D’OR – The Saint John Sea Dogs ended their Quebec road trip on a winning note.

Zack Phillips scored twice and added an assist in the Sea Dogs’ 4-1 victory over the Val-d’Or Foreurs on Saturday night at the Air Creebec Centre in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Jason Cameron and Stephen MacAulay added the other two Saint John goals.

Goaltender Mathieu Corbeil wasn’t tested too much, facing only 15 shots in the win.

Neither team had many offensive chances in the opening frame. It wasn’t until the second period that the Sea Dogs got on the board, ending Val-d’Or’s lengthy shutout streak. Saint John led 2-0 entering the third period where they would add two more to take the contest 4-1.

Former Sea Dog Nicolas Marcoux scored the lone Foreurs goal. Francois Tremblay, last week’s Candian Hockey League Goaltender of the Week, allowed four goals on 28 shots in the loss.

The victory improved the Sea Dogs to 9-5-0-0 on the season and a 2-1 record on their road trip.

LIVE BLOG: Sea Dogs vs Foreurs

GAMEDAY 14 - at Val-d'Or

GAMEDAY

Saint John Sea Dogs vs Val-d’Or Foreurs

Tonight, October 15, 2011 at 8pm

Air Creebec Centre

PREVIEW

VAL-D’OR – The Saint John Sea Dogs complete their three-game Quebec road trip tonight at 8pm in Val-d’Or.

The Sea Dogs are coming off a 9-4 victory over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies last night, improving to 1-1 on their trip. They lost 5-1 to the Gatineau Olympiques on Wednesday at Robert Guertin Centre.

Last night, Danick Gauthier recorded a hat trick and Aidan Kelly had a pair of goals. Zack Phillips, Jonathan Huberdeau, Ryan Tesink and Oliver Cooper had the other markers. Huberdeau, Tesink, Stephen MacAulay and Pierre Durepos all had two assists each. Sebastien Auger made 16 saves in goal.

Although it wasn't perfect, it was a much better game than the one the Dogs played on Wednesday in Gatineau. Saint John will look to improve their play even more this evening against the Foreurs, a team they have already had success against this season.

On September 23, the Sea Dogs defeated the Foreurs 5-4 in a shootout at Harbour Station. Stephen Anderson, McKenzie Brown and Stanislav Galiev – all of whom are not currently with the team – along with Jason Cameron scored in regulation for Saint John. Aidan Kelly scored the shootout winner.

Val-d’Or had a pair of goals from Benjamin Casavant and singles from Artem Sergeev and Nicolas Larocque-Marcoux. The Foreurs trailed 4-2 entering the third period but made a comeback to tie the match. Larocque-Marcoux, a former Sea Dog, scored the equalizer with three seconds remaining.

The Foreurs enter play tonight with a record of 6-5-0-2 which is good for 14 points and a tie for top spot in the Telus West Division with the Olympiques. They have been outscored 42-36 by their opponents.

With their win last night, Saint John finally retook the Maritimes Division lead. They have a record of 8-5-0-0 for 16 points and sit a point up on the Moncton Wildcats.

A win tonight would even Saint John’s road record at 4-4. They have struggled away from Harbour Station at times this season having been outscored 35-23 over seven games.