Station Nation Staff
Just like that, it’s over.
The first quarter of the 2010-11 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League season has come and gone – and it’s been an interesting one at that.
We saw coaches fired, owners turned coaches, Patrick Roy’s hate towards Guy Boucher, the occasional suspension, a major trade involving a Russian, two Brandon Wheat King goaltenders imported, Bathurst still has a team – and they are pretty decent, a hot start for the Remparts, the Baie-Comeau Drakkar sucking, and, without a doubt the biggest news story, Pepsi replacing Coca-Cola at Harbour Station.
Yes, it was an eventful first quarter, and somewhere in the shuffle of all of this chaos were Saint John Sea Dogs – who quietly sit tied for first place in the QMJHL with a record of 15-3-0-1.
But despite their record, it wasn’t all roses for the reigning regular season champions. There were moments when we asked if this team could compete in the division at all, and then there were times when we wondered how fast the President’s Cup Finals would sell-out this season (ah, the life of a sports fan). It was definitely a hot and cold first quarter.
Here is a look back and some thoughts:
Frederic Piche – the goaltender has been nothing short of solid in net. He currently has an 8-1-0-1 record, a 0.915 save percentage, and a 2.28 goals against average. Piche has been very consistent, making him immediately likeable. Even though he is clearly the backup on paper, he has shown no signs as to why he shouldn’t be paltooning with Jacob DeSerres in net. Will the rotation ever end?
Ryan Tesink – seen as a defensive forward coming into his rookie season with his hometown junior club, Tesink has shown flashes of offensive brilliance and skills. He has five goals and nine assists in 17 games which places him seventh in team scoring.
Steven Anthony – has really stepped his game up since returning from Vancouver Canucks camp. His battle with consistency seems to be getting better as he has 16 points in 14 games.
Guillaume Cloutier – the rookie defenseman has been very impressive and responsible his own zone.
Team Play – Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant has been preaching it all season – the Sea Dogs, at times, have been playing like individuals on the ice. It’s gotten better over the past two weeks, but there were times when this team looked dreadful on the ice. It can't be a huge surprise given the attention this team is getting with regards to the NHL draft. It will surely get better as the season moves forward.
Stanislav Galiev – disappointment may not be the best word to describe Galiev’s start, but it was a difficult first quarter for the Russian. He currently has nine goals and five assists in 15 games. He just recently entered the plus side of the plus/minus category after a being a minus for most of the season.
QMJHL Website – get better.
Michael Kirkpatrick’s Goal Scoring – is he a better playmaker, defensive forward, or goal scorer? He has certainly shown his playmaking skills this season, but has been snake bitten when it comes to goals. Disappointment probably isn’t the best word, but the 20-year has missed many great chances and will certainly look to try and correct those as the season moves on.
BEST GAME
October 31 at Rouyn-Noranda – the Sea Dogs wiped the floor with Huskies, beating the last place team 7-0 on the tail end of a four game Quebec road trip. Even though it was against a basement team, Saint John kept their floor on the pedal for the majority of the match.
Runner-ups: 7-3 win at Val-d’Or on October 29; 6-2 win vs Moncton October 8.
September 25 at Drummondville – leading 5-1 half way through the second period, the Sea Dogs allow six goals and are forced to go to a shootout tied at 6-6. They would fall 2-1 in the breakaway competition to lose 7-6.
Runner-up: 2-1 loss at Cape Breton on October 3.
COOLEST CAT AWARD
The Upgraded Clock – If you sit at eye level with the center ice clock in the upper bowl, you really have no reason to ever look down. The quality of this thing is unreal – but to us, the fact that it is well operated and used to its full potential makes it the winner of the coolest cat award.
BIGGEST JOKE AWARD
The makers of the CHL Network – the fact that you can’t even look up stats from last season makes the makers of the new Canadian Hockey League Online Network the winners of the biggest joke award.
WEIRDEST NEWS EVENT
The Yann Sauve Files – the fact that Sauve was hit by a car in Vancouver is strange enough, but the aftermath has been even more bizarre. Odd story all around.
Photo Credits: Marc Henwood, Marc Henwood, Sea Dogs website
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