RED LINE REPORT: Huberdeau is Q's top prospect

Some big news out of the hockey prospect world today as USA Today released the latest Red Line Report list of top prospects for the 2011 National Hockey League Entry Draft.

The big news: the top prospect from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is no longer Drummondville Voltigeurs forward Sean Couturier.

“Just continues to take his game to new levels we never thought he would approach so soon,” reads the report on Saint John Sea Dogs forward Jonathan Huberdeau. “He has now ascended the throne as the Quebec League's top prospect.”

Red Line as Huberdeau going fifth overall in the draft while Couturier, who at this time last year was projected by most to be going first overall, has slipped all the way to eighth.

From USA Today:

While the drumbeat has been slowly building for Huberdeau the past three months, he simply has elevated his game to a level we did not expect to see out of him this year. And we can no longer deny what our gut is telling us: He has passed Sean Couturier as the Quebec League's top prospect. Couturier is in his third full year in the Q and far more physically developed than Huberdeau. Yet Huberdeau, in his second Q season, is the more assertive and aggressive player, and we believe he's performing at a higher level right now than Couturier was at this time last year when he won the Quebec League scoring crown.

Huberdeau has been an incredible story this season. He has gone from some scouting websites and agencies not having him going in the opening round to a top-10 pick this June. As Red Line points out, the draft is all over the map this year. There is no clear No. 1, top-five, or top-10.

Huberdeau, who doesn’t turn 18 until June 4, has 102 points this season while Couturier has 95. The Sea Dogs have been one of, if the most scouted team in the Canadian Hockey League this season while Couturier was a given an opportunity to impress at the World Juniors.

A long playoff run and a possible trip the Memorial Cup would surely help maintain Huberdeau’s rise up the rankings.

The latest International Scouting Services rankings were released this week as well. Huberdeau cracked the top-10 and his projected to go ninth overall. ISS has Couturier ranked as the fourth best prospect.

Photo Credit: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

POSTSCRIPT: Voltigeurs 3, Sea Dogs 2 (OT)

By Station Nation Staff

SEA DOGS – VOLTIGEURS GAME AT A GLANCE
Final Score/OT: Drummondville 3, Saint John 2
Saint John Goals: Stanislav Galiev (20, 21)
Drummondville Goals: Ondrej Palat (27, 28) and Sean Couturier (18)
Winning Goaltender: Domenic Graham
Losing Goaltender: Mathieu Corbeil
News 88.9 Top Dog: Eric Gelinas

THE NUMBERS
Power Play: Voltigeurs: 1/4, Sea Dogs: 0/6
Shots on Goal: Voltigeurs: 15+5+6+4=30, Sea Dogs: 11+11+10+0=32
Length: 2:27
Attendance: 5,319

SAINT JOHN SCRATCHES
Forwards Scott Oke and Aidan Kelly were out of the lineup after both appearing in Friday night’s game. Defenseman Jason Seed was also out.

VOLTS DROP DOGS IN OT
The Saint John Sea Dogs suffered their first overtime loss of the season last night against the Drummondville Voltigeurs at Harbour Station. Ondrej Palat scored the winner in extra time as the visitors took a 3-2 win in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League play.

Both teams were sloppy at times and the play was fairly even throughout the tilt. The Sea Dogs outshot the Voltigeurs 32-30 in the match.

Drummondville opened the scoring at 4:35 of the first period. On a power play, Sean Couturier won a faceoff in the offensive zone, giving Palat a chance to score in front. He made no mistake as a backhander beat Sea Dogs netminder Mathieu Corbeil to make it 1-0.

In the second, Stanislav Galiev tied the affair at 1:58 after he banged home a rebound that was produced from an Eric Gelinas point shot. 23 seconds later, Galiev was tugged on on his way to the net and was awarded a penalty shot. Galiev put a nasty little dangle on Volts netminder Domenic Graham to give Saint John a 2-1 lead.

Couturier tied the game at 2:20 of the third stanza after the Sea Dogs were unable to clear the puck out of their own zone, allowing the sniper to beat Corbeil with a wrist shot. Saint John had a glorious chance to retake the lead in frame when they had a lengthy five-on-three power play. But the Dogs couldn’t get much of anything going as the Voltigeurs shut them down.

It was all Drummondville in extra time. It looked as though the Voltigeurs had won the tilt when a shot appeared to beat a scrambling Corbeil. But a long review would show otherwise and play continued. Seconds later, a rebound went to the stick of Palat who had an open net to end the match and give the Volts the extra point.

Voltigeurs head coach Mario Duhamel was pleased with the way his team was able to shutdown Saint John’s offense for most of the game.

NO GOAL
Just prior to the Voltigeurs’ overtime goal, a point shot went wide and banked off the backboards behind the Saint John goal. The puck came out in front for Marc-Olivier Vachon who had a wide open cage to end the game, but Mathieu Corbeil bolted over to jam himself and the puck against the post/netting.

The Volts began to celebrate and half the team left the bench in an awkward moment of confusion. The play went under review and was eventually ruled no goal.

Voltigeurs head coach Mario Duhamel told L’Express (TRANSLATTED THROUGH GOOGLE) that it was a good goal with inconclusive evidence.

"The goal of Vachon was good, because the goalkeeper had returned to complete his goal. But it was impossible to see the puck on the video replay. Our players have jumped on the ice to celebrate the first goal, but they kept their focus on the following sequence, "said Duhamel.

Seconds later the visitors would strike to win the game.

BEAUREGARD VS RANDAZZO

After Alexandre Beauregard laid a big hit by the Voltigeurs bench, Andrew Randazzo dropped the gloves with Beauregard in a pretty good tilt.



GOOD WEEKEND FOR GALIEV
It was a great weekend for Stanislav Galiev. The Russian had been quiet for some time but began to pick his play up in Tuesday’s shootout win against Prince Edward Island. He scored two goals in Saint John’s 7-4 victory over the Voltigeurs Friday night including the game winner. He has been playing on a line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Zach Phillips, the Sea Dogs’ leading scorers, of late.

Last night, Galiev kept the same pace by scoring two straight goals. The latter came on a penalty shot just 23 seconds after his first marker.

His penalty shot looked something like this:



Galiev now has 21 goals and 18 assists in 39 games. Before netting a pair on Friday, the Washington Capitals prospect hadn’t scored since December 12.

TOUGH VOLTS
Last night’s game closed out the Sea Dogs – Voltigeurs season series. Saint John finishes with a record of 1-0-1-1. The Sea Dogs outscored the Volts 15-14 over the three games.

Two of the three meetings went to extra time. The two meeting each other in the post-season could make for an entertaining series.

STREAK ENDS, STREAK CONTINUES
With the loss, Saint John’s six gaming streak comes to an end. Is it just us, or does it seem like the Sea Dogs always have a tough time reaching the seven game mark? Their shootout loss against Chicoutimi earlier this season also came after six consecutive victories.

The Sea Dogs are still unbeaten in regulation on home ice this season with a record of 21-0-1-1.

QUICK HITS
Three QMJHL games were decided in overtime yesterday… goaltender Mathieu Corbeil got his second start as a Sea Dog in goal, making 27 saves in the loss. Both of his starts have gone to extra time… Saint John’s power play did not look good last night and went 0/6… with an announced crowd of 5,319 on hand, the game was the third largest attended at Harbour Station this season… in the battle of Sean Couturier vs Jonathan Huberdeau, Couturier had a goal, an assist, and a +2 rating while Huberdeau had no points and was a -1… Stanislav Galiev led the Sea Dogs in shots with six... Ondrej Palat led the Voltigeurs in shots with an impressive amount of nine. All nine were considered dangerous… Sea Dogs play-by-play man Tim Roszell celebrated a birthday yesterday… the Sea Dogs do not play at Harbour Station again until January 29… there was a pre-game ceremony to present a $16,000 cheque going to the Charlotte County flood relief efforts… to relive the match and technical difficulties, check out the SN Live Blog Replay… for pictures from the game, check our Marc Henwood’s albums HERE and HERE.

HIGHLIGHTS
Courtesy of SeaDogsTV:



OUT OF TOWN
From The Canadian Press:

Elsewhere in the QMJHL it was: Gatineau 5 Halifax 2; Baie-Comeau 5 Rimouski 2; Victoriaville 7 Lewiston 5; Acadie-Bathurst 3 P.E.I. 2 (OT); Moncton 2 Chicoutimi 1 and Rouyn-Noranda 4 Val-d'Or 3 (OT).

Rocket goaltender Evan Mosher, who stopped 65 shots in a 3-2 shootout loss against Saint John on Tuesday, faced 57 shots in a 3-2 overtime loss against Bathurst last night. He has faced 124 shots in the last two games.

ARSENAULT UPDATE
Referee Thane Arsenault was hit in the face with a puck during Friday’s match at Harbour Station. He completed the first period but did not return for the second or third.

“And for those in Saint John wondering about the referee (arsenault) last night that got the shot,” tweeted QMJHL referee Jeff Hopkins yesterday. “A few stitches and a concussion.”

To continue with our theme of where Hopkins eats before the game, he tweeted that he ate at East Side Mario’s before performing his duties at Harbour Station last night.

NEXT GAME
The Sea Dogs begin a three-in-three Quebec road swing on Friday night at 8:30 pm in Baie-Comeau.

WEDNESDAY
Defenseman Nathan Beaulieu and forwards Tomas Jurco, Zach Phillips, and Jonathan Huberdeau will all play in the Wednesday’s Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. The game can be seen across the country on Rogers Sportsnet.

BUS TRIP
A Sea Dogs fan bus is hoping to make a trip to Halifax on February 5 to see the Dogs face the Mooseheads. More information can be found HERE.

Photo Credits: Marc Henwood/Station Nation, Marc Henwood/Station Nation

VOLTS STRIKE IN OVERTIME

SN RECAP
FINAL (OT): Voltigeurs 3, Sea Dogs 2

SAINT JOHN – For a team that is tied for the league high in overtime loses, the Drummondville Voltigeurs showed no signs of struggles on Friday night.

The Voltigeurs dominated the Saint John Sea Dogs in the overtime session, picking a 3-2 win in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action Saturday night. Ondrej Palat put in a beastly performance and scored the OT winner for the Volts at 1:12 of the extra session.

Drummondville had a great chance to finish the game early on in overtime as Sean Couturier missed a wide open cage. A few moments later, a point shot banked off the backboards and went out in front, giving a Voltigeur player an open net. But Sea Dogs netminder Mathieu Corbeil slid over to hug the post and keep the disc out – as a lengthy video review would show.

Palat and Couturier scored in regulation for Drummondville who fell to the Sea Dogs 7-4 last night. Goaltender Domenic Graham was solid in net, making 30 saves in the victory.

It was a bit of a strange game and wasn’t the back-and-forth, shot-after-shot offensive showdown that was predicted. Both teams had shaky moments and missed chances. Saint John’s biggest missed chance was probably in the third period when, on a lengthy five-on-three power play, could not break the 2-2 deadlock.

Stanislav Galiev, now playing on a line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Zach Phillips, had both Saint John goals. Goaltender Mathieu Corbeil got his first real challenge in net as a Sea Dog, making 27 stops. He played well despite letting quite a few rebounds out.

The Volts opened the scoring on a power play at 4:35 of the first. A clean faceoff win by Couturier gave Palat lots of room to work with in front, allowing him to cut through the crease and unleash a backhand shot that flew past Corbeil to make it a 1-0 game.

It wasn’t until the second period that the Sea Dogs were able to tie the tilt. Eric Gelinas let a point shot go that was stopped by Graham. But Galiev was parked in front and buried the rebound to tie it at 1-1 at 1:58.

Only 23 seconds later, Galiev was hooked up on his way to the net on a partial break and was awarded a penalty shot. The skilled Russian put a nasty move on Graham and scored to give Saint John their first lead of the hockey game.

At 2:20 of the third, the Sea Dogs could not clear the puck in front and gave the disc over. Couturier was able to pounce on the play, wristing one past Corbeil to tie the match at 2-2 and eventually propelling the squad to an overtime win.

Saint John went zero-for-six on the power play while Drummondville went one-for-four.

NOTES: See Sea Dogs Postscript tomorrow.

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs travel to Baie-Comeau on Friday to face the Drakkar at 8:30 pm.

Photo Credit: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

LIVE BLOG: Voltigeurs vs Sea Dogs

PRE-GAME: Drummondville Voltigeurs vs Saint John Sea Dogs

By Station Nation Staff

GAME DAY
WHO: Drummondville Voltigeurs vs Saint John Sea Dogs
WHEN: Tonight, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Harbour Station

VISITING TEAM: Drummondville Voltigeurs
Record: 27-12-5-1 (3rd in Telus West Division)
Last Game: 7-4 loss at Saint John yesterday
Leading Scorer: Ondrej Palat (38GP-26G-33A-59Pts)
Notes: The Drummondville Voltigeurs enter action tonight with a record of 27-12-5-1 which is good for a tie for second place in the tough Telus West Division and sixth overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Voltigeurs have 60 points on the year and are tied with the ever improving Gatineau Olympiques for second spot on the Telus West and are seven back of the division leading Montreal Juniors… the Volts were an honourable mention in this week’s edition of the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings… Drummondville is coming off a 7-4 loss last night in Saint John against the Sea Dogs. The Volts had a pair of goals from Andre Bouvet-Morrissette and singles from Maxime Villemaire and Pier-Antoine Dion. Starter Guillaume Nadeau allowed four goals on 18 shots before getting the hook. His replacement, Domenic Graham, allowed two goals on 13 shots… this is the third game of a Maritime road swing for the Volts. After playing in Cape Breton Wednesday, and Saint John last and tonight, they visit the Moncton Wildcats on Sunday afternoon to close it out… 5-3-2-0 in their last 10 games and had earned at least a point in their last three contests until last night’s loss… the team is 12-8-2-0 away from the Marcel Dionne Centre this season. They have outscored their competition 75-63 in their 22 road contests… Drummondville has the league’s fourth best power play with a rating of 26.9%. On the road, the power play is operating at 27.5% which places them as the third best road team on the man advantage… the Voltigeurs penalty kill is the best in the QMJHL with a rating of 83.5%. On the road though, their penalty kill slips down to sixth in the league with a percentage of 81.2%... Ondrej Palat leads the Volts in scoring this season with 59 points in 38 games. Superstar Sean Couturier is a close second with 58 points in 35 matches… Palat leads the team in goals with 26 on the year… Couturier leads the club in assists with 41 on the year… Palat’s 26 goals place him seventh in the league… Couturier sits tied for second in the league in assists… Palat is four-for-four in the shootout this year… Guillaume Nadeau has played the most minutes in net for the Volts this season. He has a record of 17-5-5-1, a goals against average of 2.82, and a save percentage of 0.888. He was pulled last night in favour of Domenic Graham in the second period. Graham has a record of 10-7-0-0, a GAA of 2.61, and a save percentage 0.887…. the Volts are tied with the woeful Baie-Comeau Drakkar for the league high in overtime loses with five… Couturier has a point in nine straight games. He also has a nine game assist getting streak… Couturier also has a five game road assist earning streak.

HOME TEAM: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 35-5-0-2 (1st in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 7-4 win vs Drummondville yesterday
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Huberdeau (42GP-27G-40A-67Pts)
Notes: The Saint John Sea Dogs come into this evening’s match with a record of 35-5-0-2 which is good for first in the Maritimes Division and tops in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Sea Dogs have a 17-point division lead and a one point lead over the Quebec Remparts for first place in the league… in this week’s BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings, Saint John was once again ranked first… Saint John is coming off a 7-4 victory over the Drummondville Voltigeurs last night at Harbour Station. Michael Kirkpatrick and Stanislav Galiev each had two goals while Gabriel Bourret, Jason Cameron, and Steven Anthony had singles. Goaltender Jacob DeSerres made 23 saves in net to pick up the victory. Alexandre Beauregard, Danick Gauthier, and Jason Seed were the scratches… Saint John has been hot of late, winning six straight. Three of those six wins have come in either a shootout or overtime. The Dogs are 9-1-0-0 in their last 10 games… the Sea Dogs are still without a regulation loss on home ice this season. They sit at 21-0-0-1 at Harbour Station this year and have outscored the opponents 112-47. They are one of three teams to have scored over 100 goals on home ice this season... the Dogs have the sixth best power play in the league with a rating of 24.7%. At home, they are operating at 21.9%... Saint John’s penalty kill is also ranked sixth in the league with a rating of 81%. At home, they are running a penalty kill of 84.4%, which is the third best penalty kill among teams playing on home ice… Jonathan Huberdeau leads the team in points with 67 in 42 contests… Huberdeau and Zack Phillips are tied for the team high in goals with 27… Huberdeau leads the club in assists with 40 on the year… Huberdeau and Phillips are tied for third overall in the QMJHL for goals scored… Huberdeau sits fourth overall in the league in assists… Phillips has the second most power play goals in the QMJHL this season with 12… Steven Anthony is tied for the league high in insurance goals with five… Alexandre Beauregard is tied for sixth in penalty minutes with 87… Ryan Tesink sits 11th in rookie scoring with 23 points… if the goaltending rotation continues tonight as it has all season, Mathieu Corbeil will get the start. Corbeil has a record of 8-15-0-1, a goals against average of 3.67, and a save percentage of 0.876. His last and only start as a Sea Dogs was Tuesday night when the Sea Dogs defeated the PEI Rocket 3-2 in a shootout… Saint John is averaging a league high 4.81 goals per game and have allowed a league low 2.57 goals per game… the Sea Dogs lead the league in shots per game. They have an average of 36.76 shots per match.

LAST NIGHT
Last night’s game at Harbour Station between these two teams got rather nasty and feisty as the game grew on. It started when Voltigeurs captain Marc-Olivier Vachon was given a game misconduct and five-minute major for checking Michael Kirkpatrick from behind in the first period.

There were also two spirited fights in the game. The first being Scott Oke vs Marc-Oliver Brouillard and the second was short scrap between Mike Thomas and Pier-Antoine Dion. The Sea Dogs could add another tough guy, Alexandre Beauregard, to their lineup tonight as well.

QUICK HITS

• The Sea Dogs are now 1-0-0-1 against the Voltigeurs this season. They are outscoring them 13-11.
• The winner of both games between these two teams has scored seven goals.
• Five players in this game will play in Wednesday's CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Toronto.
• News 88.9 said that there were roughly 40-50 scouts in the building last night. Many of them will likely return again tonight.

ARENA INFO
Venue: Harbour Station
Seating Capacity: 6,297
Average Attendance: 3,980
Year Built: 1993
QMJHL Arena Guide

MEDIA GUIDE
Radio (Sea Dogs): News 88.9 FM
Live Web Feed: Telus
Television: None
Live Blog: Station Nation
Post-Game Coverage: Station Nation, Telegraph-Journal, The Guardian

TWITTER
Follow Station Nation on Twitter at www.twitter.com/station_nation for in-game updates, scores, stats, and live coverage during tonight’s game.

AFTER THE BUZZER
The Sea Dogs travel to Baie-Comeau on Friday for a 8:30 pm tilt against the Drakkar.

FAN BUS
A Sea Dogs fan bus is hoping to make a trip to Halifax on February 5 to see the Dogs face the Mooseheads. More information can be found HERE.

Photo Credits: David Connell Web Album, David Connell Web Album, Victoriaville Tigres

KIRKPATRICK MAKES HISTORY IN 7-4 WIN

SN POST-GAME
FINAL: Voltigeurs 4, Sea Dogs 7

SAINT JOHN – On a night that was showcasing the best young stars of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, it was an old dog that stole the show.

With two goals, 20-year old Michael Kirkpatrick became the Sea Dogs’ all-time leading scorer with his 218th career point. Kirkpatrick passed follower Cape Bretoner Ryan Sparling who held the previous record of 217 points. Kirkpatrick received a long and loud standing ovation for his accomplishments.

His markers would be two-of-seven Saint John scored last night in a 7-4 victory over the Drummondville Voltigeurs at Harbour Station. Stanislav Galiev also added a pair while Gabriel Bourret, Jason Cameron, and Steven Anthony had goals. Jacob DeSerres made 23 saves in net.

It was a good game for the Sea Dogs for most of the night. Saint John took their foot off the pedal in the third period and it cost them two goals. The Sea Dogs will look to improve on that tonight in the second part of the doubleheader against the Voltigeurs.

Drummondville had a pair of goals from Andre Bouvet-Morrissette and singles from Maxime Villemaire and Pier-Antoine Dion. Starter Guillaume Nadeau allowed four goals on 18 shots before getting the hook. His replacement, Domenic Graham, allowed two goals on 13 shots.

In the first period, Eric Gelinas fired a point shot on goal that was stopped by Nadeau. The rebound went to the side of the net for Jason Cameron who shot the disc off the post and through the crease. But on the next Saint John rush at 6:42, Aidan Kelly sent the puck into the crease from behind the icing line, allowing Cameron to stuff it in for his first goal of the season and make it a 1-0 game.

The Sea Dogs opened up a two-goal lead at 13:43. Earlier in the game, Voltigeurs captain Marc-Olivier Vachon was given a five minute major and game misconduct for checking from behind. With that power play over for the Dogs, the Volts made the mistake of not putting anyone in the penalty box to come out, giving the Dogs some extra man advantage time. During that span, Jonathan Huberdeau weaved the puck around a defenseman and sent a short pass to Gabriel Bourret who wired one past Nadeau to make it a 2-0 game.

In the second period, Kirkpatrick entered the zone and fired a hard shot on Nadeau. The puck went off his glove and deflected into the cage to make it a 3-0 Saint John game at 1:22.

18 seconds later, the Sea Dogs had the puck along the boards in the defensive zone. The disc was turned over and somehow made its way to Maxime Vellemaire who was all alone in front. He beat DeSerres up high to make it a 3-1 game.

The Sea Dogs would respond at 3:54. Stanislav Galiev had the puck in the offensive zone and made a nice little toe drag to get around a defender. He blasted a wrist shot up high on Nadeau, chasing him from the net and making it a 4-1 Sea Dogs lead.

Saint John went to the power play at 4:11. After Graham stopped Ryan Tesink on a partial breakaway, the Voltigeurs struck while shorthanded as Andre Bouvet-Morrissette sniped a long shot past DeSerres to make it a two goal game once again.

With the power play over, Saint John got things rolling again at 9:59. Stanislav Galiev sent a pass ahead to Huberdeau who entered the zone. Huberdeau then made a beautiful spin move, firing a backhand pass to Galiev who beat Garham.

The Sea Dogs ended their second period scoring run at 18:36 as Kirkpatrick deflected a Nathan Beaulieu shot to give him 218 career points and the Dogs a 6-2 lead through 40-minutes.

In the final stanza, Drummondville got their third goal of the game. Bouvet-Morrissette came streaking into the zone and let a shot go on DeSerres. He made the save and thought he had the puck in his feet. But the disc came loose and Bouvet-Morrissette was there to bang it in at 4:48.

The Voltigeurs made things interesting at 10:39 as they made it a 6-4 tilt with a power play marker. A nice passing play down low was finished off by former Cape Breton Screaming Eagle Pier-Antoine Dion which gave the Volts some late hope for a comeback.

Despite the Voltigeurs’ best efforts and pulling their goaltender for close to two minutes, Steven Anthony iced the game with an empty netter at 19:57 to give the Sea Dogs a 7-4 win.

Drummondville went one-for-three on the man advantage while Saint John went zero-for-three.

THE NUMBERS
Drummondville, Voltigeurs 4 at Saint John, Sea Dogs 7 - Status Final
Friday, January 14, 2011 - Harbour Station

Drummondville 0 2 2 - 4
Saint John 2 4 1 - 7

1st Game Period-1, Saint John, Cameron 1 (Kelly, Gagné), 6:42. 2, Saint John, Bourret 5 (Huberdeau, Després), 13:43. Penalties-Gagné Snb (tripping), 3:24; Vachon Dru (checking from behind, checking from behind - game misconduct), 8:31; Villemaire Dru (roughing), 8:31; Bourret Snb (tripping), 8:31; Tesink Snb (roughing), 8:31.

2nd Game Period-3, Saint John, Kirkpatrick 16 (Tesink), 1:22. 4, Drummondville, Villemaire 2 1:40. 5, Saint John, Galiev 18 (Phillips, Gélinas), 3:54. 6, Drummondville, Bouvet-Morrissette 5 (Couturier, Randazzo), 5:31 (sh). 7, Saint John, Galiev 19 (Huberdeau, Phillips), 9:59. 8, Saint John, Kirkpatrick 17 (Beaulieu), 18:36. Penalties-Guertin Dru (high-sticking), 4:11; Brouillard Dru (instigator, fighting, instigator - misconduct), 19:27; Oke Snb (fighting), 19:27.

3rd Game Period-9, Drummondville, Bouvet-Morrissette 6 (Couturier), 4:48. 10, Drummondville, Dion 16 (Dionne, Raymond), 10:39 (pp). 11, Saint John, Anthony 17 (Beaulieu), 19:57 (en). Penalties-Dion Dru (fighting), 2:06; Thomas Snb (fighting), 2:06; Kelly Snb (elbowing), 9:00; Huberdeau Snb (hooking), 14:35.

Shots on Goal-Drummondville 27. Saint John 32.
Power Play Opportunities-Drummondville 1 of 3; Saint John 0 of 3.
Goalies-Drummondville, Nadeau 17-5-5-1 (18 shots-14 saves); Graham 10-7-0-0 (13 shots-11 saves). Saint John, DeSerres 16-2-0-0 (27 shots-23 saves).
A-4,402
Referees-Thane Arsenault (9), Tom Clarkson (11).
Linesmen-Wayne Doyle (43), Jay Doiron (55).

QUICK HITS
Forwards Alexandre Beauregard and Danick Gauthier and defenseman Jason Seed were the scratches… News 88.9 said that there were roughly 40-50 scouts in the building last night… Sean Couturier and Jonathan Huberdeau matched each other in the game as both had two assists… the Sea Dogs have now won six straight games… referee Thane Arsenault was hit in the face with a puck in the first period. He stayed in for the remainder of the frame but did not return for the second or third… before the game, Jacob DeSerres was named the player of the month for December and Zach Phillips was named the Academic Player of the Month… the Sea Dogs are 21-0-0-1 at Harbour Station this season… a lot of players got in the face with pucks. Stange… there was a pre-game ceremony at centre ice involving several politicians from the area showing their support for Saint John’s 2012 Memorial Cup bid… it was a little bit nasty at times on the ice and the game featured two fights. Hopefully that carries over into tonight’s game… in the second period, Couturier was given a loud round of applause when congratulations were given over the P.A. for his silver medal at the World Junior Hockey Championship. That would be considered a classy move by the Sea Dogs if you are into labeling that kind of stuff… to relive the game, check out the SN Live Blog Replay.

NEXT GAME
The Sea Dogs host the same Voltigeurs team tonight at 7:00 pm at Harbour Station.

Photo Credit: David Connell Web Album

VIDEO: Huberdeau's spin pass

SAINT JOHN – Another game, another beautiful play by Jonathan Huberdeau.

At 9:59 of the second period, Huberdeau crossed the line and was quickly getting close to crease area. Rather than shoot, Huberdeau made a spin move and fired a perfect backhand pass to a streaking Stanislav Galiev who chipped the disc into the cage.

The goal would prove to be the game winner as the Saint John Sea Dogs topped the Drummondville Voltigeurs 7-4 in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action on Friday night at Harbour Station.

SeaDogsTV made a video of the goal entitled “STAINSLAV GALIEV FROM HUBERDEAU GOAL OF THE YEAR TO DATE.”

LIVE BLOG: Voltigeurs vs Sea Dogs

PRE-GAME: Drummondville Voltigeurs vs Saint John Sea Dogs

By Station Nation Staff

GAME DAY
WHO: Drummondville Voltigeurs vs Saint John Sea Dogs
WHEN: Tonight, 7:30 pm
WHERE: Harbour Station

VISITING TEAM: Drummondville Voltigeurs
Record: 27-11-5-1 (3rd in Telus West Division)
Last Game: 4-0 win at Cape Breton Wednesday
Leading Scorer: Ondrej Palat (37GP-26G-33A-59Pts)
Notes: The Drummondville Voltigeurs enter action tonight with a record of 27-11-5-1 which is good for a tie for second place in the tough Telus West Division and sixth overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Voltigeurs have 60 points on the year and are tied with the ever improving Gatineau Olympiques for second spot on the Telus West and are just five back of the division leading Montreal Juniors… the Volts were an honourable mention in this week’s edition of the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings… Drummondville is coming off a 4-0 win over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on Wednesday night at Centre 200. Andrew Randazza had two goals while Sean Couturier and Pier-Antoine Dion each scored as well. Domenic Graham made 22 saves to pick up the shutout win. The Voltigeurs went one-for-two on the power play and fired 35 shots on the Eagles… this is the second game of a rather large Maritime road swing for the Volts. After playing in Cape Breton Wednesday, they now play two straight in Saint John beginning tonight. To close it out, they visit the Moncton Wildcats on Sunday afternoon… 5-3-2-0 in their last 10 games and have earned at least a point in their last three contests… the team is 12-7-2-0 away from the Marcel Dionne Centre this season. They have outscored their competition 70-56 in their 21 road contests… Drummondville has the league’s fourth best power play with a rating of 28.8%. On the road, the power play is operating at 27.3% which places them as the third best road team on the man advantage… the Voltigeurs penalty kill is the best in the QMJHL with a rating of 83.2%. On the road though, their penalty kill slips down to sixth in the league with a percentage of 80.5%... Ondrej Palat leads the Volts in scoring this season with 59 points in 37 games. Superstar Sean Couturier is a close second with 56 points in 34 matches… Palat leads the team in goals with 26 on the year… Couturier leads the club in assists with 39 on the year… Palat’s 26 goals place him seventh in the league… Couturier sits third in the league in assists… Palat is four-for-four in the shootout this year… Marc-Olivier Vachon is tied for fourth in the league in shorthanded assists with two. Couturier is third with three… Guillaume Nadeau has played the most minutes in net for the Volts this season. He has a record of 17-5-5-1, a goals against average of 2.27, and a save percentage of 0.891…. Nadeau has played in a league high four shootout wins this season… the Volts are tied with the woeful Baie-Comeau Drakkar for the league high in overtime loses with five… Couturier has recorded a point in eight straight games. He also has an eight game assist streak going… Palat has recorded a point in 15 straight road games.

VISITING TEAM: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 34-5-0-2 (1st in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 3-2 shootout vs PEI Tuesday
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Huberdeau (41GP-27G-38A-65Pts)
Notes: The Saint John Sea Dogs come into this evening’s match with a record of 34-5-0-2 which is good for first in the Maritimes Division and tops in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Sea Dogs have a 15-point division lead and a one point lead over the Quebec Remparts for first place in the league… in this week’s BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings, Saint John was once again ranked first… the Dogs are coming off a bizarre 3-2 shootout win over the Prince Edward Island Rocket at Harbour Station on Tuesday night. Michael Kirkpatrick and Tomas Jurco were able to beat the sensational goaltending performance of Evan Mosher in regulation. Mosher faced 67 shots through 65 minutes of action prior to allowing two goals on three shots in the shootout. Saint John goaltender Mathieu Corbeil picked up the win after only facing 17 shots in the tilt… Saint John has been hot of late, winning five straight. Three of those five wins have come in either a shootout or overtime. The Dogs are 8-2-0-0 in their last 10 games… the Sea Dogs are still without a regulation loss on home ice this season. They sit at 20-0-0-1 at Harbour Station this year and have outscored the opponents 105-43. They are one of three teams to have scored over 100 goals on home ice this season... the Dogs have the sixth best power play in the league with a rating of 25.1%. At home, they are operating at 22.5%... Saint John’s penalty kill is also ranked sixth in the league with a rating of 81.2%. At home, they are running a penalty kill of 84.9%, which is the third best penalty kill among teams playing on home ice… Jonathan Huberdeau leads the team in points with 65 in 41 contests… Huberdeau and Zack Phillips are tied for the team high in goals with 27… Huberdeau leads the club in assists with 38 on the year… Huberdeau and Phillips are tied for third overall in the QMJHL for goals scored… Huberdeau sits fourth overall in the league in assists… Phillips has the second most power play goals in the QMJHL this season with 12… Steven Anthony is tied for the league high in insurance goals with five… Alexandre Beauregard is tied for sixth in penalty minutes with 87… Ryan Tesink sits 11th in rookie scoring with 22 points… Jacob DeSerres will likely start in goal for Saint John. He has a record of 15-2-0-0, a goals against average of 2.23, and a save percentage of 0.922. His last win was last Saturday in Halifax when the Sea Dogs blew out the Mooseheads 9-2… Saint John is averaging a league high 4.76 goals per game and have allowed a league low 2.54 goals per game… the Sea Dogs lead the league in shots per game. They have an average of 36.88 shots per match.

THE BIG GUNS
Fans at tonight’s game will be treated to a preview of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. According to Central Scouting’s mid-term rankings, five of the top 24 North American skaters will play in tonight’s game.

Sean Couturier is ranked second, Jonathan Huberdeau ranked fourth, Nathan Beaulieu ninth, Zach Phillips 12th, and Tomas Jurco 24th.

THE LAST (UGLY) MEETING
The last meeting between these two teams came on September 25 when the Sea Dogs put in a Team Canada like collapse, blowing a 5-1 second period lead in a 7-6 shootout loss. The defense sucked that night.

Saint John was missing Simon Despres, Stephen MacAulay, and Mike Thomas. All three will play a big role tonight in insuring that does not happen.

Also, Scott Oke of all people had two goals in the September road contest.

THAT COUTURIER GUY
Sean Couturier is kind of good. You may have heard of him.



NOTES

• According to the Telegraph-Journal, defenseman Kevin Gagne will return from an upper body injury tonight. He has missed the last four games.
• Team Canada teammates Simon Despres and Sean Couturier will battle each other tonight.

ARENA INFO
Venue: Harbour Station
Seating Capacity: 6,297
Average Attendance: 3,959
Year Built: 1993
QMJHL Arena Guide

MEDIA GUIDE
Radio (Sea Dogs): News 88.9 FM
Live Web Feed: Telus
Television: None
Live Blog: Station Nation
Post-Game Coverage: Station Nation, Telegraph-Journal, The Guardian

TWITTER
Follow Station Nation on Twitter at www.twitter.com/station_nation for in-game updates, scores, stats, and live coverage during tonight’s game.

AFTER THE BUZZER
The Sea Dogs and Voltigeurs do battle again tomorrow night at 7:00 pm at Harbour Station.

FAN BUS
A Sea Dogs fan bus is hoping to make a trip to Halifax on February 5 to see the Dogs face the Mooseheads. More information can be found HERE.

Photo Credits: Marc Henwood/Station Nation, QMJHL, Google

FORMER DOG TRADED TO VOLTS

Former Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman Robert McEwan was traded this morning from the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies to the Drummondville Voltigeurs in exchange for Antoine Nadeau.

McEwan has appeared in 20-games with the last place Huskies this season, recording one goal and three assists to go along with 12 penalty minutes and a -11 rating.

The Mississauga, Ontario native joined the Sea Dogs as a free agent in August of 2008. He played in just 32 games as a rookie in 2008-09 and saw limited ice time. He recorded two assists, 27 penalty minutes, and a -2 rating in his appearances with Saint John.

In five games with the Sea Dogs last season, he recorded no points, four penalty minutes, and a +4 rating. McEwan was designated for assignment in October and released from the team in January.

After a stint in the Ontario junior ‘A’ ranks last year, McEwan joined the Huskies this past August.

The Voltigeurs host the Rimouski Oceanic tonight.

In another move today, the Gatineau Olympiques traded right-winger Yoan Pinette to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan for a second pick in 2011.

- Photo Credit: David Connell Photography