Rockets game notes vs. Seattle tomorrow

Tonight’s Preview: The Rockets open the month of December playing three of their next four games on home ice. Tonight the Rockets host the Seattle Thunderbirds in the first of four meetings this season. Following tonight’s game the two teams hook up again January 7^th and January 21^st in Seattle (Kent), before closing out the seasonal series at Prospera Place March 16^th. These two teams met four times last season with the Rockets going 3-1-0-0. The Rockets outscored the T-Birds 12-6. Overall the Rockets enter tonight’s game having won four straight with wins over Prince George (twice) and single wins over Regina and Spokane. The Rockets enter tonight’s game with ten wins in their last eleven games (10-1-0-0). Following tonight’s game the Rockets are back on the ice Friday in Chilliwack before hosting Saskatoon on Saturday night. Overall, the Rockets have won a season high 5 straight games at home.

Rockets recent game: The Rockets used an overtime goal from Geordie Wudrick on the power play in a 3-2 win in Spokane Saturday night. Wudrick and Zach Franko also scored in regulation time as the Rockets built up a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes before the Chiefs battled back to tie the game at two with back-to-back third period goals. Adam Brown earned the win in goal, making 21 saves. The Rockets were 2 for 4 on the power play.

Who’s Hot: Shane McColgan has 3+10=13 in his last eleven games. Mitchell Callahan has seven goals in his last eleven games. Brett Bulmer has (4+5=9) in his last ten games. Tyson Barrie has thirteen points in his last eight games. Barrie has 2+11=13 over that period. Wudrick has 5 goals in his last two games.

Who’s Not: Zach Franko snapped a nine game goal scoring drought Saturday night. Spencer Main has one goal in his last 15 games.

A November to remember: The Rockets were 10-1-0-0 in eleven games during the month of November. Last season the Rockets won just five games during the month. The Rockets earned 20 points last month after recording just eight in October. Tyson Barrie had 19 points in November (3+16=19). Mitchell Callahan had 17 points (7+10=17), while Shane McColgan had 13 points (3+10=13). Geordie Wudrick led the Rockets with 11 goals during November.

This and That: Tyson Barrie has been named to the 39 man training camp roster for the Canadian World Junior team. Barrie is attempting to become the 11^th player in Rockets history to represent the Rockets at the WJHC… The Rockets received great goaltending from Adam Brown in November. Brown was 9-1-0-0 with a goals against average of 1.96 and a save percentage of .934….In the eleven games in the month of November, the Rockets scored four or more goals in seven of those games….European’s Gal Koren and Andreas Stene will be playing for their countries at the World Junior Hockey Championships at Christmas….Two members of the Rockets will participate in the Under 17 Hockey Challenge next month in Manitoba. Rookies Damon Severson and Colton Heffley have been named to Team West….The Rockets made a trade with the Prince Albert Raiders last month. The Rockets sent 18 year-old defenceman Antoine Corbin to the Raiders for a 3^rd round bantam pick. Corbin was a 5^th round pick of the Rockets in the 2007 WHL Bantam Draft…The Rockets have opened up the scoring in their last seven home games…The Rockets have failed to score a power play goal in just seven of their first 25 games this season….The Rockets have scored 80 goals after twenty-five games this season. Last season after twenty-five games the club had 84 goals….The Rockets have allowed 78 goals against this season. Last season after twenty-five games the team had allowed 81 goals against….Last season the Rockets were 10-14-1-0 after twenty-five games….The Rockets have been involved in eleven-one goal games this season. The Rockets are 8-3-0-0 in those eleven-one goal games…Adam Brown has started fourteen of the last 15 games…The Rockets were involved in 11 shootout games last season. The Rockets were 7 and 4 in those games…The Rockets have failed to open the scoring in seventeen of their first twenty-five games this season….The Rockets franchise is playing its 1394^th regular season game tonight. The team has 711 regular season wins….Rockets 17 year-old forward Shane McColgan is rated as the 15^th best prospect in the WHL for the upcoming NHL draft. Central Scouting released its first of three rankings earlier this week…The Rockets have been held to two or fewer goals in ten of their 25 games this season. ...Tyson Barrie is now the Kelowna Rockets franchise leader for points by a defenceman. Barrie has 191 career points. Barrie passes Burt Henderson (1993-1996 - 186 pts )… The Rockets have nine games left before the Christmas break. Of those nine, six are on the road…Shane McColgan has been held off the score sheet just six times this season. ..The Rockets have been out-shot in eight of their last eleven games.

ANOTHER NOVEMBER TO REMEMBER

What a month that was.

With November now at its end, the Saint John Sea Dogs can say they had an impressive 30 days.

In seven games this past month, Saint John went an excellent 6-0-0-1. The Sea Dogs, still without a regulation loss at home, went 5-0-0-1 at Harbour Station. They played only one game on the road, defeating the Moncton Wildcats 9-7 in a building the team has struggled in for years.

Saint John was scheduled to play a second road contest, November 20 in Bathurst, but it was postponed to December 1 because of a snow storm.

The Sea Dogs really hit their stride in November, playing some solid and consistent hockey. Despite a good first few weeks to the year, the team didn’t seem to be clicking the right way. Those memories were erased over the past seven games.

The offense had a strong month. Saint John scored 43 goals for an insane average of 6.14 goals per game. The Dogs scored more than five goals in six of their seven games last month.

Not only was the Sea Dogs' offense rolling, but the defense played well. Saint John averaged 2.85 goals against in the month, allowing a total of 20 goals over seven contests. If the 'Meltdown in Wildtown' didn't happen, the Dogs would have had only 13 goals against.

If it wasn’t for that dang shootout loss against the Chicoutimi Sagueneens on the 6th, Saint John would have had their second straight perfect November. The club went 10-0-0-0 last year when they were in the middle of an epic 22-game winning streak.

Entering tonight’s QMJHL action, Saint John is tied for first overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with a record of 21-3-0-1, good for 44 points. They have scored the most goals of any team with 128 and have allowed the fewest amount of goals with 70.

The Dogs’ hot stretch goes beyond November, though. The team has not lost in regulation since October 22 in Bathurst. They are 11-0-0-1 during that stretch.

Saint John will look to get payback in the building they last suffered a regulation loss in tomorrow when they visit the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at 7:30 pm.

Rockets' well represented on Team Canada

The Rockets have been well represented over the years on the Canadian World Junior team. Ten players, four coaches and two training staff have been a part of Canada's entry over the years. Here is the breakdown for you:

2011: Ryan Huska - assistant coach
2010: Brandon McMillan
2009: Tyler Myers and Jamie Benn
2008: Luke Schenn - athletic therapist Jeff Thorburn
2007: None
2006: Blake Comeau
2005: Shea Weber
2004: Josh Gorges - Jeff Truitt video coach
2003: Marc Habscheid head coach - Athletic therapist Scott Hoyer
2002: Chuck Kobasew - Habscheid was an assistant
2001: None
2000: None
1999: None
1998: Brett McLean
1997: None
1996: Robb Gordon and Marcel Comeau. Comeau was Team Canada's head coach.

POSTSCRIPT: Mooseheads 1, Sea Dogs 7

By Station Nation Staff

SEA DOGS – MOOSEHEADS GAME AT A GLANCE
Final Score: Halifax 1, Saint John 7
Saint John Goals: Zach Phillips (18, 19), Nathan Beaulieu (5), Tomas Jurco (14), Jonathan Huberdeau (16), Stanislav Galiev (12), and Scott Oke (4)
Halifax Goals: Francis Turbide (4)
Winning Goaltender: SNB – Frederic Piche
Losing Goaltender: HAL – Mathieu Corbeil
News 88.9 Top Dog: Simon Despres

THE NUMBERS
Power Play: Mooseheads: 0/5, Saint John: 3/6
Shots on Goal: Mooseheads: 6+12+16=34, Sea Dogs: 17+8+11=36
Length: 2:08
Attendance: 3,277

SAINT JOHN SCRATCHES
Michael Kirkpatrick served the second game of a three-game suspension he received for checking Alex MacDonald of the Moncton Wildcats from behind last Sunday. The Sea Dogs 20-year old center will serve the final game of his suspension Wednesday when Saint John visits Bathurst.

Defenseman Guillaume Cloutier was a healthy scratch.

DOWN GOES HALIFAX. DOGS WIN 7-1.
The Saint John Sea Dogs took an early lead and never looked back as the home team cruised to a 7-1 victory over the Halifax Mooseheads Sunday afternoon at Harbour Station in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

"I think we were moving our feet,'' said Simon Despres to the Telegraph-Journal. "We have a lot of skill and we're scoring lots of goals, but we're also focusing on playing defence, so we're hard to beat.

"We're trying to get the puck out of our zone as fast as we can and going on transitions as fast as we can. We're working on that in practice and it showed today.''

Zach Phillips opened the scoring just 34 seconds in on a breakaway following a Halifax turnover. Phillips gave his team a 2-0 lead at 14:31 after he crept off the side boards and beat Mathieu Corbeil with a hard wrist shot.

In the second period, Nathan Beaulieu scored on a one-timer at the top of the circle at 4:42 to give Saint John a 3-0 lead. Tomas Jurco then made it four straight goals for the Dogs when he finished a great pass from Huberdeau at 17:40.

The Mooseheads got on the board at 2:31 when Francis Turnbide beat Frederic Piche in the crease on what looked like a bit of confusion among Saint John players. But less than a minute later, Huberdeau got the Sea Dogs’ four goal lead back with a power play marker.

Stanislav Galiev made it a 6-1 affair at 9:53 of the third after Ryan Tesink gave him a nice drop pass. Scott Oke finished off the scoring 12:31, making it a 7-1 final.

MOOSE HURTIN’
The Mooseheads are fighting with a few injuries right now to some of their key players. From today’s Chronicle Herald:

Mooseheads forwards Gabriel Desjardins and Luca Ciampini are back on the injury list with headaches and Gerrad Grant is still out with a high ankle sprain.

PHILLIPS ON FIRE
Zach Phillips has been a tear of late, scoring two goals in a game for the third straight contest. Phillips scored two in Moncton last Sunday, two versus Bathurst Friday, and finished it off with two goals yesterday.

The Fredericton native added an assist against the Moose as well to go along with a +2 rating and five shots. His efforts this past weekend earned him first star honours in the league this week.

As JT pointed out in an earlier post, Phillips has recorded eight goals and seven assists in eight November games.

QUICK START
According to Halifax head coach/owner/tall person Bobby Smith, Saint John’s quick start was deadly for the Herd.

“They scored right away and that’s about the worst thing that can happen against a good team like that,” said Smith to Metro Halifax. “We fought back, but it was a difficult game against those guys, and, you know … tough loss.”

Halifax did have a few minutes of offensive pressure but not a whole lot. The Moose did manage to outshoot Saint John in both the second and third period by a total of 28-19.

STILL PERFECT
The Sea Dogs remain perfect on home ice this season. Saint John improved to 13-0-0-1 at Harbour Station this year with their victory Sunday.

Also, the Sea Dogs improved to a perfect 4-0-0-0 against the Herd this season with the win.

GOOD DAY
It was another solid game for the Bachelor Line featuring 2011 draft prospects Jonathan Huberdeau, Tomas Jurco, and Zach Phillips.

The line combined for four goals and four assists with Phillips recording two goals and Huberdeau producing three assists.

QUICK HITS
Ryan Tesink was named the Dickies Hardest Working Player of the Game… Danick Gauthier broke two sticks… it was the first start in some time for Mooseheads goaltender Mathieu Corbeil. He allowed all seven goals but made some nice saves. He wasn’t awful… each Saint John line scored a goal with the exception of the checking line... Zach Phillips still leads the team in goals. He now has three more than Jonathan Huberdeau's 16... to relive the game, check out the SN Live Blog Replay.

HIGHLIGHTS


MOORE POSTGAME


OUT OF TOWN
From The Canadian Press:

Elsewhere in the QMJHL it was: Acadie-Bathurst 4, Cape Breton 2; Montreal 4, Drummondville 3 (OT); Rimouski 5, Quebec 1; Moncton 5, Shawinigan 2; and Val-d'Or 4, Baie-Comeau 1.

NEXT GAME
The Sea Dogs travel to Bathurst Wednesday to face the Titan at 7:30 pm.

PHILLIPS EARNS FIRST STAR HONOURS

A sensational weekend by Saint John Sea Dogs forward Zach Phillips has earned him Telus First Star honours this week. The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League made the announcement this aftermoon.

Phillips scored two goals in each contest he played in this weekend, helping the Sea Dogs defeat the Acadie-Bathurst Titan 6-3 on Friday night and the Halifax Mooseheads 7-1 on Sunday afternoon.

Along with his four goals, Phillips added two assists and was a +3. He was named first star in both contests.

The Fredericton native now has a team high 19 goals this season while also producing 14 assists in the 26 matches he has played in. In his rookie campaign last season, Phillips had 16 goals and 28 assists in 65 games.

It was a good month for Phillips. He recorded eight goals and seven assists in eight November games including six goals in his past two games.

The second star goes to the Val-d’Or Foreurs right-winger Jonathan Hazen. The veteran recorded 3 goals and 2 assists for a total of 5 points while posting a +1 rating in two wins over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar. Furthermore, in a loss to the P.E.I. Rocket on Monday, he registered 2 helpers and was named the third star of the game. He collected seven points in three games last week.

Finally, Drummondville Voltigeurs left-winger Ondrej Palat is this week's third star. The Czech forward scored four goals and added two helpers in two games. He was named first and third stars on Friday and Sunday respectively. On Friday night, the Drummondville Voltigeurs were playing their 1000th home game. They glided to a 5-3 win over the Victoriaville Tigres.

- With files from the QMJHL website

DESPRES INVITED TO CAMP

Simon Despres has been invited to Canada’s National Junior Team Selection Camp.

The full camp roster was announced this afternoon at a press conference in Toronto. The process of selecting the 22-man team to represent Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships runs from December 12 to 15 in the Ontario capital.

Despres was expected to be named to the camp. The Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman will have a good shot at making the team after a solid start to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League season.

"I have to play good positional hockey and be good defensively,'' Despres said about his bid to make Team Canada to the Telegraph-Journal. "I just have to play simple and make a good first pass and try not to do too much. I'm going into (that) camp to earn a spot.''

The 19-year old got a long look at Pittsburgh Penguins training camp this past September before being returned to junior. In 16 games this season with the nationally ranked Sea Dogs, Despres has five goals and 14 assists. He has been dominant on the backend all year for Saint John, carrying an impressive +19 rating.

Despres’ previous Hockey Canada experience involves skating with Team Quebec at the 2008 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, recording no points and 10 penalty minutes in five matches. He then won Gold with Team Canada at the 2008 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka Tournament, registering two goals and eight penalty minutes in four contests. The Pens prospect also represented Canada (4th Place Team) at the 2009 World U-18 Championships where he added two assists and eight penalty minutes in six games to his impressive resume.

The ‘Big Horse’ took part in Canada’s summer development camp in St. John’s, Newfoundland over the off-season.

Despres is just the second Sea Dog in team history to make the camp roster. Chris DiDomenico played for Canada at the 2009 World Juniors in Ottawa, capturing a Gold Medal.

34 of the 39 players at the camp are from the Canadian Hockey League. The full roster can be seen below:

Goaltenders:
JP Anderson Mississauga (OHL)
Calvin Pickard Seattle (WHL
Olivier Roy Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL)
Mark Visentin Niagara (OHL)

Defenseman:
Tyson Barrie Kelowna (WHL)
Jared Cowen* Spokane (WHL)
Simon Despres Saint John (QMJHL)
Calvin de Haan* Oshawa (OHL)
Ryan Ellis* Windsor (OHL)
Brandon Gormley Moncton (QMJHL)
Erik Gudbranson Kingston (OHL)
Brayden McNabb Kootenay (WHL)
Ryan Murphy Kitchener (OHL)
Ryan Murray Everett (WHL)
Dylan Olsen Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA)
Mark Pysyk Edmonton (WHL)

Forwards:
Carter Ashton Regina (WHL)
Michael Bournival Shawinigan (QMJHL)
Casey Cizikas Mississauga (OHL)
Brett Connolly Prince George (WHL)
Sean Couturier Drummondville (QMJHL)
Cody Eakin Swift Current (WHL)
Marcus Foligno Sudbury (OHL)
Brendan Gallagher Vancouver (WHL)
Curtis Hamilton Saskatoon (WHL)
Joey Hishon Owen Sound (OHL)
Quinton Howden Moose Jaw (WHL)
Ryan Howse Chilliwack (WHL)
Ryan Johansen Portland (WHL)
Zack Kassian Windsor (OHL)
Louis Leblanc Montreal (QMJHL)
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Red Deer (WHL)
Brandon Pirri Rockford (AHL)
Brad Ross Portland (WHL)
Jaden Schwartz Colorado (WCHA)
Riley Sheahan Notre Dame (NCAA)
Reilly Smith Miami University (CCHA)
Linden Vey Medicine Hat (WHL)
Garrett Wilson Owen Sound (OHL)

Leblanc, Couturier, Roy, Bournival, Despres and Gormley will represent the QMJHL at camp. Gormley suffered a knee injury last weekend in Lewiston and all indications are that it is not good.

Despres was the only Sea Dog expected to make the camp roster even after Nathan Beaulieu and Jonathan Huberdeau played well in front of the Hockey Canada brass. Their time will come.

Canada is scheduled to play exhibition matches against Switzerland in Oshawa on December 20, Sweden in Toronto on December 21 and Finland in Kitchener on December 23. Meaningful action begins Boxing Day when Canada takes on Russia.

Some exciting pictures from the presser can be seen below:

Tyson Time!

Tyson Barrie has been named to the training camp roster for the Canadian World Junior Team.
Barrie has 4+18=22 points in 18 games this season and most recently became the Kelowna Rockets all-time leader in points by a defenceman.
Barrie, the Rockets captain, has 192 career points.
Barrie is attempting to follow in the footsteps of former Rockets like Brandon McMillan, Jamie Benn, Tyler Myers, Luke Schenn, Blake Comeau, Shea Weber, Josh Gorges and Chuck Kobasew to wear Canadian colours.
Jared Cowen of Spokane, Ryan Murray of Everett, Brayden McNabb of the Kootenay Ice and Mark Pysyk of Edmonton make up the other WHL d-men attending the camp.
Kelowna resident Curtis Hamilton (Saskatoon Blades) has also been invited to the camp.
Team Canada's training camp will be help December 12th to 15th in Toronto.

November by the Numbers

• The Rockets were 10-1-0-0 during the month. That's 20 out of a possible 22 points earned. It's also a far cry from the eight points the Rockets accumulated in October. Had the Rockets not had the mammoth month, how far out of striking distance would they be from the other 9 teams in the Western Conference?
• The Rockets allowed 22 goals against during the month. That's an average of just 2 goals against per game.
• Adam Brown was the story. The 19 year-old goaltender was 9-1-0-0 with a goals against average of 1.96 and a save percentage of .934.
• The Rockets scored 46 goals in November, or 4.18 goals per game.
• Tyson Barrie was the top performer in November with 19 points (3+16=19). Mitchell Callahan was a close second with 17 points (7+10=17).
• Geordie Wudrick scored the most goals with 11 during the month. Wudrick had 11+1=12 in eleven games.
  

WJHC CAMP ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY

This afternoon, Hockey Canada will announce the list of players who will participate in the National Junior Selection Camp which will be held later this month in Toronto. The camp will help shape Canada's 22-man roster for the 2011 World Junior Hockey Championships in Buffalo, New York.

The announcement is scheduled to take place at 2:00 pm AST this afternoon. The Hockey Canada website says that it will carry the announcement live.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League will be represented in some capacity at the camp. A report by RDS indicates that six players from the league will be selected today. They are forwards Louis Leblanc of the Montreal Juniors, Michael Bournival of the Shawinigan Cataractes, and Sean Couturier of the Drummondville Voltigeurs, defensemen Brandon Gormley of the Moncton Wildcats and Simon Despres of the Saint John Sea Dogs, and goaltender Olivier Roy of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

Nick over at the Juniors blog Hockey Points has a rundown of all the players expected to be named today from the QMJHL.

Despres is the only Sea Dog likely to be named to the camp roster – and he has a great chance of making the team. He was unable to play in the Subway Super Series due to injury, but the Pittsburgh Penguins prospect has been lights out this season. Given his age and his experience with the Hockey Canada program in the past, the ‘Big Horse’ should get a long look.

It isn’t known if Wildcats defenseman Brandon Gormley will be named to the camp roster tomorrow. The Phoenix Coyotes first round pick in June suffered a knee injury in Lewiston on the weekend and is reportedly out of action for close to a month. It is a big loss for Canada as Gormley was all but a lock to make the team.

Other Sea Dogs who have attracted attention from Hockey Canada are Nathan Beaulieu, Zach Phillips, and Jonathan Huberdeau. All three played in the Super Series and Beaulieu also took part in the National Junior team’s summer camp in St. John’s, Newfoundland. It would be surprising if any of them were named to the camp roster, but all three will get their chance in the coming years.

The camp begins December 11th and runs through to the 15th. Canada is scheduled to play exhibition matches against Switzerland in Oshawa on December 20, Sweden in Toronto on December 21 and Finland in Kitchener on December 23. The real fun begins on Boxing Day when Canada takes on Russia.

DOGS SHOOT DOWN HERD

SN RECAP
FINAL: Mooseheads 1, Sea Dogs 7

SAINT JOHN – Zach Phillips seems to like scoring in pairs.

For the third straight game, Phillips scored two goals for the Saint John Sea Dogs. His two markers helped guide Saint John to a 7-1 victory over the Halifax Mooseheads on Sunday afternoon at Harbour Station in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

Nathan Beaulieu, Tomas Jurco, Jonathan Huberdeau, Stanislav Galiev, and Scott Oke also scored. Huberdeau added three assists. Frederic Piche played well in the Sea Dogs crease, stopping 33 shots and earning third star honours.

Although the score was lopsided, Halifax played well at times and forced Piche to make some good stops. But Saint John was just too much for the young Mooseheads team that is now 0-4 against the Sea Dogs this season.

Francis Turbide scored the lone Moose goal. Mathieu Corbeil didn’t play all that bad, stopping 29 shots and allowing seven goals.

FIRST PERIOD
Just 34 seconds into the game, Jonathan Huberdeau stole the puck from a Moosehead at the blue line and sent a pass ahead to Zach Phillips. The 18-year old had a small breakaway and beat Mathieu Corbeil upstairs to make it a 1-0 game.

The Sea Dogs kept coming after that. Ryan Tesink made some great moves in the faceoff circle to get around his man before backhanding a shot on goal that was nicely stopped by Corbeil. Then Huberdeau had a good chance as he cut into the crease area but was denied.

After Simon Despres dropped Charles Bety with a big hit in the neutral zone, Danick Gauthier gave a nice feed ahead to Mike Thomas who came in close but was stopped by a focused Corbeil.

Saint John went to the power play at 9:01 as Alex Souligny was called for interference. The Sea Dogs had nothing to show for on the man advantage though. Frederic Piche was forced to make a nice save during the two minute span when Alex Lemieux was left alone and wristed a shot off the glove of the Sea Dogs ‘tender.

The Dogs had another power play opportunity at 12:39 when Darcy Ashley threw the puck out of play. A shot caused a scrum in the crease area before the puck squirted loose to the bottom of the faceoff circle. Phillips crept in from the side boards and wristed a shot past Corbeil to double Saint John’s lead.

At 19:00, a big scrum in front of Corbeil’s crease caused some rough stuff with Despres and Trey Lewis getting matching roughing penalties.

Shots in the opening 20-minutes were 17-6 Saint John.

SECOND PERIOD
Stanislav Galiev was called for tripping 0:23. Despres had a decent chance shorthanded, breaking in one-on-three, but was stopped by Corbeil. After the penalty expired, Andrew Ryan had a short break for the Herd but was denied by a poke checking Piche.

Ryan took a penalty after his offensive chance, heading to the box for slashing at 3:22. At 3:28, Galiev headed to the box again and then Steve Gillard was called. On a four-on-three power play, Nathan Beaulieu ripped a one timer five-hole on Corbeil to give Saint John a 3-0 lead.

After a good Mooseheads scoring chance, it was them taking a penalty after Travis Randell interfered with Galiev. Francis Turbide had a good shorthanded chance as he cut through the crease but was denied by the pad of Piche.

Halifax kept some pressure on with impressive rookie defenseman Simon Desmarais firing a point shot into the glove of the Sea Dogs goaltender.

After Halifax failed to score on two power play opportunities, Huberdeau fed a streaking Jurco with a beautiful cross crease pass. Jurco had an open cage and one timed the puck to make it a 4-0 Sea Dogs lead.

Gabriel Bourret was called for slashing at 18:28. While shorthanded, Danick Gauthier broke loose on a breakaway but was stopped by the pad of Corbeil.

Shots in the second stanza were 12-8 in favour of the visitors.

THIRD PERIOD
Halifax got on the board at 2:31 of the third period. Turbide fired a shot that was stopped by Piche but he could not control the rebound. Turbide picked up his own rebound to make it a 4-1 game.

But at 2:56, Saint John went back to the power play after Konrad Abeltshauser hooked Jurco on a good scoring chance. On the power play, Kevin Gagne sent the puck down low to Huberdeau from the point. Huberdeau stood at the goal line and weaved his way around Corbeil to make it a 5-1 game.

Aidan Kelly then passed to Jason Cameron in front moments later but was stoned by Corbeil.

At 9:53, Ryan Tesink dropped the puck for Galiev who was crossing the line. The Russian slapped the puck from the top of the circle up high on Corbeil to make it a 6-1 Sea Dogs lead.

Not long after at 12:31, Scott Oke made it a 7-1 game when he beat the Mooseheads goaltender in close.

Galiev took his third penalty of the game at 15:19 when he was called for tripping. But it was all Saint John during the span. Mike Thomas led a two-on-one but chose to keep the puck and fire it right on Corbeil for the easy stop. Soon after, Oke fed Bourret who went in and tried to go around Corbeil. Bourret chose to center for Oke but was denied by a nice sprawling save by the Herd netminder.

That would be all as Saint John took the contest 7-1.

Shots in the third were 16-11 Halifax.

The Sea Dogs went 3/6 on the power play while the Mooseheads went 0/5.

NOTES: See Sea Dogs Postscript tomorrow on SN.

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs travel to Bathurst Wednesday to face the Titan at 7:30 pm.

LIVE BLOG: Mooseheads vs Sea Dogs

PRE-GAME: Halifax Mooseheads vs Saint John Sea Dogs

GAME DAY
WHO: Halifax Mooseheads vs Saint John Sea Dogs
WHEN: Today, 4:00 pm
WHERE: Harbour Station

VISITING TEAM: Halifax Mooseheads
Record: 9-17-0-1 (6th in Maritime Division)
Last Game: 4-2 loss at Cape Breton Friday
Leading Scorer: Martin Frk (27GP-10G-19A-29Pts)
Notes: The Halifax Mooseheads enter play today with a record of 9-17-0-1 which puts them last in the Maritime Division but just one point back of the fifth place Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. The Herd are currently 16th overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League… the Mooseheads are coming off a 4-2 loss in Cape Breton on Friday night. Carl Gelinas opened the scoring in the first period but the Screaming Eeagles would counter with four straight goals. Charles Bety had the other Moosehead goal in the third period. Goaltender Anthony Terenzio made 22 saves in 40 minutes of play while Mathieu Corbeil stopped all 10 shots he faced in relief. Cape Breton went 2/4 on the power play… Halifax is 3-7-0-0 away from the Metro Centre this season and have been outscored 40-29. They have collected the second fewest road points in the league so far this year… 4-6-0-0 in their last 10 games and have dropped two straight contests. Halifax’s last win was a 3-2 decision on November 19 against the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. They have lost games against the Val-d’Or Foreurs and Cape Breton since that time… the Mooseheads have the 15th ranked power play in the QMJHL with a rating of 0.160… currently tied with the Saint John Sea Dogs for the leagues eighth best penalty kill. They both have a rating of 0.785… rookie sensation Martin Frk leads the Mooseheads in scoring with 29 points in 27 games. He also leads the team in assists with 19… Frk’s 29 points put him in a tie with the Quebec Remparts’ Tomas Filippi for first overall in the QMJHL’s rookie scoring race… Carl Gelinas leads the Herd in goals with 14 in 27 contests… Alex Lemieux has taken a team high 62 penalty minutes this year… the Moose have served the third most penalty minutes of any team this season with 513… it isn’t clear who will start in goal today. Rookie Anthony Terenzio started his fourth straight contest Friday in Sydney but was pulled in the game. Terenzio has a record of 3-7-0-0, a goals against average of 3.46, and a save percentage of 0.881. If Terenzio does not get the nod, Columbus Blue Jackets draft pick Mathieu Corbeil will get the start. He has a record of 6-8-0-1, a GAA of 3.80, and a SV% of 0.862… Halifax has played the fewest road games of any club this season with 10 while playing 17 at home. But the Moose will be away from the Metro Centre for the next little while. This is the second game of a five game road swing for the Herd that will see them play in Shawinigan, Val-d’Or, and Rouyn-Noranda next week… the Mooseheads lead the league in fighting with 40 tilts this season.

HOME TEAM: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 20-3-0-1 (1st in Maritime Division)
Last Game: 6-3 win vs Bathurst Friday
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Huberdeau (25GP-15G-19A-34Pts)
Notes: The Saint John Sea Dogs come into today’s contest with a record of 20-3-0-1 which is good for first in Maritime Division and seven points up on the second place Moncton Wildcats. The Sea Dogs are currently tied with the surprising Lewiston Maineiacs for second overall in the league. Saint John is 0.140 ahead of Lewiston in terms of winning percentage, however… Saint John was ranked third in the country this week in the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings… the Dogs are coming off a 6-3 win against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Friday night at Harbour Station. Zach Phillips had two goals while singles came from Nathan Beaulieu, Tomas Jurco, Danick Gauthier, and Stephen MacAulay. Goaltender Jacob DeSerres made 20 saves for the win… Saint John is still without a regulation loss at home this season. The club is 12-0-0-1 at Harbour Station and have outscored their opposition 67-29. They are the only team in the league remaining without a regulation loss at home… the Sea Dogs have been hot of late. The team is currently on a 10-0-0-1 stretch meaning they have picked up at least a point in their last 11 games. They are 9-0-0-1 in their last 10 games and have won four straight... Saint John’s last regulation loss came on October 22nd in Bathurst… Saint John’s power play is still middle-of-the-pack with a rating of 0.195. That is good for eighth in the league… Saint John’s penalty kill is ranked eighth in the QMJHL as well but has not been good of late. After allowing five power play goals against Moncton last Sunday, Bathurst scored twice on the man advantage Friday… Jonathan Huberdeau still leads the Sea Dogs in scoring with 34 points in 25 games. He also has a team high 37 penalty minutes… Huberdeau’s excellent +31 rating is the best in the QMJHL… with two goals on Friday, Zach Phillips now leads Saint John in goals with 17… Michael Kirkpatrick leads the Dogs in helpers with 22 on the season… Kirkpatrick will be unable to play in this afternoon’s match as he will be serving the second game of a three-game suspension he received last Sunday for a hit-from-behind… Frederic Piche will likely start in goal today. The 19-year old has a record of 9-1-0-2, a goals against average of 2.47, and a save percentage of 0.912.

SO FAR THIS SEASON
From the Sea Dogs website:

The Sea Dogs are 3-0-0-0 against the Mooseheads thus far in 2010-11, having outscored their divisional adversaries 14-8 over the course of their three head-to-head matchups.

LAST SEASON VS HALIFAX
From the Sea Dogs’ website:

Saint John won seven of their eight matchups with Halifax last year, outscoring the Mooseheads 38-16 in the process. Several Sea Dogs players put up solid numbers versus the Herd in 2009-10, including dynamic winger Zack Phillips (8GP-1G-8A-9P), star centre Michael Kirkpatrick (8GP-2G-6A-8P), and ultra-dependable blue-liner Pierre Durepos (+10 rating in 8GP). Local minor hockey product Aidan Kelly, meanwhile, scored his first career Q-league goal against the Mooseheads last season - on February 17 at the Halifax Metro Centre (during a 6-2 win for Saint John).

GREY CUP
It’s Grey Cup Sunday. Here is a slightly odd video:



NOTES

• Mooseheads play-by-play man John Moore tweeted this Friday morning: “Suprise! Someone in Sydney doesn't like the Moose. Awoke this am to find a pellet hole in drivers bus window & a web of cracked glass.”
• Yahoo! Sports had an article recently on the current woes of the Mooseheads franchise, who after two season of missing the playoffs find themselves close to the border once again.
• Halifax has a begun a long road trip, the Chronicle Herald reports.
• The Mooseheads are currently selling “Christmoose Ticket Packages.”
• One of the Sea Dogs' newspaper ads for this game featured Vancouver Canuck draft picks Steven Anthony of Saint John and Sawyer Hannay of the Mooseheads. If Canuck seventh round draft picks don't bring the fans in, we don't know what will.

ARENA INFO
Venue: Harbour Station
Seating Capacity: 6,297
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, Chronicle Herald, Metro Halifax, Telegraph-Journal

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
Saint John will play in Bathurst on Wednesday in a makeup game. Puck drop is at 7:30 pm.

10 and 1 is a whole lot of fun

• Too bad it’s over. It was such a fun month. The Kelowna Rockets ended the November portion of their schedule the way they started it, with a win. Geordie Wudrick scored in overtime lifting the Rockets’ to a 3-2 victory in Spokane Saturday night. The win was the teams 14^th of the season and tenth in 11 games during the month. The Rockets collected 20 points in November with the only blemish being a 4-0 loss to the Kamloops Blazers.

• The 20 points the Rockets collected during the month is impressive and is only bettered by the 23 points the Rockets accumulated in November 2003. That season the Rockets were 11-3-0-0 with one tie in 15 games.

• Wudrick’s goal came courtesy of a power play after Corbin Baldwin received a delay of game penalty after shooting the puck over the glass with 49 seconds left in regulation time. While the Rockets failed to score late in the period, the short break between the 3^rd period and overtime gave the Rockets a chance to regroup and execute the game winning goal.

• The Rockets built up a 2-0 lead after one period and saw it evaporate as the Chiefs rallied back with two-third period goals. It looked like missed chances would come back to haunt them on this night after Andreas Stene and Mitchell Callahan missed glorious chances to put the Rockets up 4-0 after 40 minutes.

• Stene’s chance in the second period saw the puck jump on his stick just outside the crease. Stene had nothing but net with only the leg of Chiefs goaltender Mac Engel in the way. Stene takes what appears to be a casual looking shot, which gingerly hits Engel’s pad and allows the Spokane goaltender to cover the puck up for a face-off.

• Chiefs head coach Don Nachbaur can’t be all that sour with his teams play. After playing almost a three hour game the night before in Kamloops and then battling back from a 2-0 third period deficit, I’d take the point and walk away from the arena somewhat pleased. The schedule maker didn’t do the Chiefs a favour this weekend.

• Wudrick now has nine goals in his last eight games. He scores in bunches doesn’t he.

• Zach Franko opened the scoring with his 5^th goal of the season. It was his first goal in ten games. Franko’s good fortune ends when he gets hit in the ear with a puck while sitting on the bench. The 17 year-old was nursing the bruise following the game.

• Mitchell Chapman elects to get into a fight with Chiefs forward Darren Kramer. Kramer, who had 311 penalty minutes last season in the AJHL, is the aggressor but Chapman shows he's a willing combatant.

Rockets game notes vs. Chiefs

Tonight’s Preview: The Rockets close out the month of November with a road game in Spokane tonight. The Rockets are coming into the game having won back-to-back road games last weekend in Prince George. This is the first of four meetings between the Rockets and Chiefs. These two teams meet again January 1^st in Kelowna before a return date in Spokane January 22nd. The two teams close out the seasonal series February 18^th at Prospera Place. Last season the Rockets were 1-3-0-0, going 1-1-0-0 on home ice and 0-2-0-0 at Spokane Arena. The Rockets enter tonight’s game with nine wins in their last ten games (9-1-0-0). Following tonight’s game the Rockets are back on the ice Wednesday, at home, against the Seattle Thunderbirds.

Rockets recent game: The Rockets received three goals from Geordie Wudrick in a 6-1 home ice win Wednesday over the Regina Pats. Mitchell Callahan, Andreas Stene and Damon Severson added singles. It was the Rockets 5^th straight home ice win. Adam Brown was solid in goal and was named the games second star. The Rockets were 2 for 6 on the power play while firing 38 shots on goal.

Who’s Hot: Shane McColgan has 3+8=11 in his last ten games…Mitchell Callahan has seven goals in his last ten games. Brett Bulmer has (4+5=9) in his last nine games. Tyson Barrie has eleven points in his last seven games. Barrie has 2+9=11 over that period.

Who’s Not: Zach Franko has one goal in his last 17 games. Spencer Main has one goal in his last 14 games.

A November to remember: The Rockets are 9-1-0-0 in ten games during the month of November. Last season the Rockets won just five games during the month. In 2004-05 the team had 8 wins and four draws in 13 games for a total of 20 points. The Rockets can earn their 20^th point of the month tonight with a win against the Chiefs.

This and That: The Rockets have received great goaltending from Adam Brown this month. Brown is 8-1-0-0 with a goals against average of 1.96 and a save percentage of .936….In the ten games in the month of November, the Rockets have scored four or more goals in seven of those games….European’s Gal Koren and Andreas Stene will be playing for their countries at the World Junior Hockey Championships at Christmas….Two members of the Rockets will participate in the Under 17 Hockey Challenge next month in Manitoba. Rookies Damon Severson and Colton Heffley have been named to Team West….The Rockets made a trade with the Prince Albert Raiders this month. The Rockets sent 18 year-old defenceman Antoine Corbin to the Raiders for a 3^rd round bantam pick. Corbin was a 5^th round pick of the Rockets in the 2007 WHL Bantam Draft…The Rockets are 17 for 72 on the power play in their last ten games (23.6%). The Rockets have opened up the scoring in their last seven home games…The Rockets have failed to score a power play goal in just seven of their first 24 games this season….The Rockets have scored 77 goals after twenty-four games this season. Last season after twenty-four games the club had 82 goals….The Rockets have allowed 76 goals against this season. Last season after twenty-four games the team had allowed 78 goals against….Last season the Rockets were 10-13-1-0 after twenty-four games….The Rockets have been involved in ten-one goal games this season. The Rockets are 7-3-0-0 in those ten-one goal games…Adam Brown has started thirteen of the last 14 games…The Rockets were involved in 11 shootout games last season. The Rockets were 7 and 4 in those games…The Rockets have failed to open the scoring in sixteen of their first twenty-four games this season….The Rockets franchise is playing its 1393^rd regular season game tonight. The team has 710 regular season wins….Rockets 17 year-old forward Shane McColgan is rated as the 15^th best prospect in the WHL for the upcoming NHL draft. Central Scouting released its first of three rankings earlier this week…The Rockets have been held to two or fewer goals in ten of their 24 games this season. ..Tyson Barrie is now the Kelowna Rockets franchise leader for points by a defenceman. Barrie has 189 career points. Barrie passes Burt Henderson (1993-1996 - 186 pts )… The Rockets have 10 games left before the Christmas break. Of those 10, eight are on the road…Shane McColgan has been held off the score sheet just six times this season. ..The Rockets have been out-shot in eight of their last ten games.