POSTSCRIPT: Sea Dogs 3, Titan 2 (OT)

By Station Nation Staff

FULL RECAP

DOGS DOWN TITAN IN OT
BATHURST - The Saint John Sea Dogs pulled off another close win last night in Bathurst, defeating the Titan 3-2 in overtime in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action at the KC Irving Regional Centre.

"I thought we played a hard game,'' Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant said to the Telegraph-Journal. "I was a little nervous before the game started with our energy level. It was a long day of traveling, but I thought we battled hard and competed hard. Overall, we played a good, smart game.''

For the second straight game, Jonathan Huberdeau scored the winner. The sniper registered his 40th marker of the season 23 seconds into overtime to give Saint John the extra point. Thursday in Rimouski, Huberdeau netted the shootout winner to give the Dogs a 3-2 road victory.

The first period was scoreless despite there being plenty of shots. Saint John held a 15-12 shots on goal edge after 20 minutes but both goaltenders, Mathieu Corbeil and Olivier Roy, played very well in net.

All the regulation time scoring came in the middle frame. The Titan struck first at 4:34 as Jeremie Malouin scored his eighth of the season. But the Sea Dogs would respond at 7:37 as Steven Anthony stripped Garrett Clarke of the disc and then beat Roy to make it a 1-1 affair.

Bathurst took the lead again at 11:07 on the power play as Zack O’Brien scored to give the home side a 2-1 edge. But once again, the Sea Dogs would respond thanks to some stick work by Zack Phillips on the power play, tying the match at 2-2 heading into the third period.

Saint John would have the better of the chances in the third stanza, outshooting the Titan 13-4. But despite the one-sided shots-on-goal total, the game remained tied and required overtime.

On the first shift of the extra session, Gabriel Bourret sent a long pass ahead to Huberdeau. The 17-year old patiently waited for a Titan defender to go down before snipping one top shelf blocker side on Roy to give the Dogs a 3-2 win.

THE NUMBERS

Saint John, Sea Dogs 3 (OT) at Acadie-Bathurst, Titan 2 - Status Final OT1
Friday, March 11, 2011 - Centre régional K.C. Irving

Saint John 0 2 0 1 - 3
Acadie-Bathurst 0 2 0 0 - 2

1st Game Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Clarke Bat (cross-checking), 2:39; Payette Bat (tripping), 7:13.

2nd Game Period-1, Acadie-Bathurst, Malouin 8 (Arseneau, Losier), 4:34. 2, Saint John, Anthony 22 7:37. 3, Acadie-Bathurst, O'Brien 26 (Lévesque, Lessard), 11:07 (pp). 4, Saint John, Phillips 38 (Després, Beaulieu), 12:16 (pp). Penalties-Hotte Bat (tripping), 1:33; Huberdeau Snb (slashing), 10:30; Arseneau Bat (roughing), 11:53; Losier Bat (tripping), 13:04; Gauthier Snb (cross-checking), 16:23; Tesink Snb (cross-checking), 16:23; Clarke Bat (unsportmanlike conduct), 16:23; Gagné Snb (tripping), 17:02.

3rd Game Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Murray Bat (interference of a player or a goaltender), 2:56; Tanel Bat (slashing), 6:10.

1st OT Game Period-5, Saint John, Huberdeau 40 (Bourret, Gélinas), 0:23. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Saint John 39. Acadie-Bathurst 24.
Power Play Opportunities-Saint John 1 of 7; Acadie-Bathurst 1 of 3.
Goalies-Saint John, Corbeil-Thériault 18-16-1-1 (24 shots-22 saves). Acadie-Bathurst, Roy 27-13-2-0 (39 shots-36 saves).
A-2,802
Referees-Jeff Hopkins (20), Devin Piccott (53).
Linesmen-Josh DeYoung (52), John MacDonnell (76).

SAINT JOHN SCRATCHES
Forwards Aidan Kelly and Scott Oke along with defenseman Jason Seed were all healthy scratches.

HUBERDEAU GETTING CLOSER
Jonathan Huberdeau continues to get closer and closer to reaching the century mark for points in a season. After a goal and an assist performance Thursday in Rimouski, Huberdeau added a goal Friday in Bathurst to give him 99 total points on the year.

With four games left – including two against the woeful Cape Breton Screaming Eagles – Huberdeau has the time and resources to become the first Sea Dog to ever record 100 points in a season.

The Sea Dogs’ leading scorer is a long shot to win the QMJHL scoring title this season. Gatineau's Philip-Michael Devos now has 108 points and Bathurst's Gabriel Levesque, with an assist last night, has 101 points.

SMALL CLUB
Jonathan Huberdeau became just the third Sea Dog in franchise history to record 40 goals in one season.

Scott Howes recorded 42 markers during the 2007-08 season while Mike Hoffman holds the team record with 46 goals scored last year.

GETTING IT DONE
This game wrapped up the season series between the Sea Dogs and Titan. With two wins over Saint John, it is safe to say that Bathurst has given the Sea Dogs the most trouble this season – especially among divisional opponents.

The Sea Dogs won the season series by winning six of the eight games. Both loses were at the KC Irving Regional Centre.

The matchup could make for an interesting playoff series.

IN THE BOX
Bathurst showed why they are the second most penalized team in the QMJHL last night. The Titan gave the Sea Dogs seven power play opportunities but, fortunately for the home team, Saint John could only connect on one of those chances.

It doesn’t help the Titan when two of their players, Garrett Clarke and Vincent Arseneau, are one and two in the league in taking minor penalties. Clarke has taken a league high 50 minor penalties this season which includes two he took last night. Arseneau has now taken 48 after serving a roughing penalty last evening.

IN THE NETS
Mathieu Corbeil made his second straight start in the Sea Dogs goal with Jacob DeSerres still sick. DeSerres did serve as Corbeil’s backup, however.

It was another strong game for Corbeil who made 22 stops for the win. He was solid Thursday in Rimouski, too. Since arriving in Saint John, the Columbus Blue Jackets prospect has continued to gradually improve with every start.

At the other end, all-star goaltender Olivier Roy was excellent in goal, making some terrific stops in the loss. He made 36 saves on the night.

GOOD CROWD
Well would you look at that, there was actually a decent crowd at the KC Irving Regional Centre for once.

2,802 was the official attendance. Only the home opener for the Titan has drawn a larger crowd. It was also only the ninth time this year that the team has had over 2,000 fans in the building. The last three games at the KCI Centre have all had over 2,000 (announced) fans.

Despite the small spike, the Titan still sit last in league attendance with an average of 1,602 fans per game.

OUT OF TOWN
Moncton 4 at Cape Breton 2
Halifax 4 at PEI 2
Victoriaville 5 at Québec 1
Drummondville 3 at Montréal 2 (OT)
Val-d'Or 3 at Chicoutimi 2 (SO)
Gatineau 6 at Lewiston 3

QUICK HITS
Saint John is now 5-1 in overtime this season. They have gone to extra time 13 times with six games being decided in OT and the other seven in a shootout… it was the Titan’s second overtime loss of the season and third extra time loss… Zack Phillips led the way in shots with seven for Saint John… Vincent Arseneau had a team high six shots for Bathurst… Alexandre Beauregard and Simon Despres each had two hits for Saint John… Arseneau had four hits for Bathurst… Huberdeau has now scored in four straight games… Despres returned to action after he was given Thursday’s game off. News 88.9 reported that it wasn’t clear if he would play or not even though he took warm-up… to relive the match, check out the SN Live Blog Replay.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

• The Titan website is a joke.
• Playoffs start in less than two weeks.

NEXT GAME
The Sea Dogs are in Sydney to face the Screaming Eagles tomorrow afternoon. Note that the start time is 2:00 pm.

Photo Credits: Gatineau Olympiques Facebook page, David Connell Web Album

HUBERDEAU NETS WINNER FOR DOGS

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

BATHURST – Another game, another extra-time 3-2 win for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The Sea Dogs needed a shootout Thursday night to defeat the Rimouski Oceanic. But on Friday, overtime proved to be enough as Jonathan Huberdeau scored 23 seconds into the extra session to give the visitors a 3-2 win over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

Steven Anthony and Zack Phillips scored in regulation for Saint John. Mathieu Corbeil, making back-to-back starts, was solid again in goal and made 22 saves to earn the victory.

It was a hard fought contest as most of the Sea Dogs – Titan battles have been this season. All four regulation goals were scored in the second period but both squads had some good scoring opportunities throughout.

Like Thursday in Rimouski, the Sea Dogs found a way to win in a close game. Saint John never led at any point until Huberdeau scored the game winner.

Jeremie Malouin and Zack O’Brien each scored in regulation for Bathurst. All-star goaltender Olivier Roy was terrific in net, making 36 stops en route to first star honours.

It was the final meeting of the regular season between the two teams. Saint John took the season series with a 6-2-0-0 record.

FIRST PERIOD
Eric Gelinas created the first solid scoring chance as he was stopped by Titan netminder Olivier Roy but the rebound went to Alexandre Beauregard who was then also stopped.

Saint John went to the power play as very-often-penalized Garrett Clarke was sent to the box for cross checking at 2:39. The Sea Dogs had a few good shots and applied some pressure but could not open the scoring.

With the penalty over, Steven Anthony let a big shot go that missed the net and sailed high and wide. Then, Tomas Jurco and Anthony were in close but were both stopped by Roy.

The Sea Dogs went to another man advantage at 7:13 but once again could not score nor could they apply the same pressure they did in the first one.

Bathurst started to then turn things on with the penalties over. Yoan Pinette was down low with the puck but couldn’t get a shot to go on net. Sebastien Payette had another good opportunity for the Titan but could not beat Saint John netminder Mathieu Corbeil.

After the Sea Dogs’ Michael Kirkpatrick was stopped by Roy in the crease area, Gabriel Levesque and the Titan entered the zone on a two-on-one. Levesque made a nice toe drag to centre himself in front of the net but sent a weak dribbler just wide of the net.

Jonathan Lessard had another great chance for the Titan moments later but was stopped nicely by Corbeil. After Kirkpatrick was denied again on another good chance, Lessard tried to jam the disc past Corbeil but couldn’t.

Shots in the first period were 15-12 Saint John.

SECOND PERIOD
The puck was centered for Stanislav Galiev early in the frame but he couldn’t get a shot off despite being in a ready-to-fire stance.

The Sea Dogs went back to the power play again at 1:33 as Olivier Hotte was called for hooking. But like the first two, Saint John could not score on the man advantage.

Bathurst opened the scoring at 4:34. Corbeil made a big stop on Vincent Arseneau but he could not stop Jeremie Malouin on the doorstep as he scored to give the Titan a 1-0 lead.

Shortly after at 7:37, the Dogs tied the match up. Anthony stripped Clarke of the puck and made a deke to the backhand and beat Roy to make it a 1-1 match.

Saint John turned on the pressure after the goal. Soon after Danick Gauthier was denied, Ryan Tesink was robbed by Roy. Roy then made a few big chances as the Dogs were held at bay.

The Titan went to their first power play at 10:30 as Jonathan Huberdeau was called for tripping. On the man advantage at 11:07, senior rookie Zack O’Brien found the back of the cage to give Bathurst a 2-1 lead.

At 11:53, the Dogs went back to the man advantage as Arseneau headed off. On the power play at 12:16, Phillips was at the faceoff dot and made some nice moves to get around a defenseman and then faked out Roy to make it a 2-2 tilt.

After Saint John couldn’t score on another man advantage, Losier was hauled down on a partial breakaway but no penalty was given out. At 16:23, some rough stuff broke out which gave the Titan a power play. Then, Kevin Gagne was called for tripping at 17:02 to give the Titan an even bigger power play chance. But the Dogs would hold things together and produced a good penalty kill to keep the match tied.

In the final minute and the penalties expired, Saint John had a flurry of chances but could not break the deadlock.

Shots in the middle stanza were 10-8 Saint John.

THIRD PERIOD
Nathan Beaulieu let a blast go early in the frame that missed the net. Then Bathurst had a decent chance as Jordan Murray picked up a turnover but fired wide.

The Sea Dogs went back to the man advantage at 2:56. Beaulieu was in close but sent the puck just off the glove of Roy. Saint John had some great pressure but just could not find the back of the cage.

At 6:10, Galiev was sprung on a break but as he was going towards the net he had his stick chopped out of his hands by Daniel Tanel to give the Dogs yet another power play. After Sebastien Trudeau couldn’t connect on a shorthanded chance, Phillips centered the puck for Huberdeau but was robbed again by Roy.

With the penalty over, Huberdeau was stopped again in close. As the period continued to tick down, Stephen MacAulay centered the puck from behind the net to a wide open Jason Cameron but was stopped by an alert Roy.

Saint John called a late time-out but it amounted to nothing.

Shots in the third period were 13-4 Sea Dogs.

OVERTIME
23 seconds into the extra session, Huberdeau made some toe drag move around a Titan defenseman and had Phillips on the open side waiting for a pass. But Huberdeau kept the puck and snipped one over the blocker of Roy to give Saint John the extra point.

Huberdeau’s goal was the only shot in overtime.

NOTES: See Sea Dogs Postscript tomorrow on SN.

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs are in Cape Breton Sunday to take on the Screaming Eagles at 2:00 pm.

PRE-GAME: at Acadie-Bathurst

GAME DAY

Saint John Sea Dogs vs Acadie-Bathurst Titan

Tonight, March 11, 2011 at 7:30 pm

KC Irving Regional Centre

PREVIEW
BATHURST – If there is any team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League that knows how to defeat the mighty Saint John Sea Dogs, it is the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

The Titan have beaten the top-ranked team in the Canadian Hockey League twice in regulation this season, accounting for 1/3 of the Sea Dogs’ six regulation loses. Overall, Saint John is 5-2-0-0 against Bathurst this year as the season series comes to a close this evening at 7:30 pm at the KC Irving Regional Centre.

Both of the Sea Dogs’ loses against the Titan have come in Bathurst. One was a 5-1 loss against the Titan on October 22 and the other was 5-4 loss on December 30. Neither game was particularly pretty from a Saint John perspective.

The Titan enter play tonight with a record of 41-21-1-1 which sits them second in the Maritimes Division behind Saint John. Bathurst is 7-3-0-0 in their last 10 games and are coming off a loss. They sit sixth overall in the QMJHL standings and are just two points back of the Gatineau Olympiques for the fifth overall spot.

If the post-season started today, the Titan would take on the Prince Edward Island Rocket.

The Sea Dogs are coming off a thrilling 3-2 shootout win in Rimouski last night. The win gave Saint John a franchise record 54 wins and a 111 points on the season.

These two teams could very well meet in the playoffs, and with two wins against Saint John already this year, the Titan could have plenty of confidence entering that potential playoff series if they can pull off a big game tonight.

THE NUMBERS

	Saint John	Acadie-Bathurst
Record	54-6-1-2 (1st Maritimes)	41-21-1-1 (2nd Maritimes)
Home Record	- - -	17-14-0-1
Road Record	24-6-0-1	- - -
Streak	4-0-0-0	0-1-0-0
Last 10	9-1-0-0	7-3-0-0
Goals For	300	243
Goals Against	154	190
Overall PP	24.6% (5th)	25.4% (4th)
Home PP	- - -	27.2% (3rd)
Road PP	26.5% (4th)	- - -
Overall PK	83.3% (1st)	81.8% (4th)
Home PK	- - -	81.0% (8th)
Road PK	79.8% (6th)	- - -
PIM/GAME	13.1 (13th)	17.1 (2nd)

VISITING TEAM: Saint John Sea Dogs

NOTES: The Sea Dogs are led offensively by Jonathan Huberdeau who, with a goal and an assist last night, is just two points away from becoming the first Sea Dog to reach 100 points in a single season… Huberdeau continues to lead his team goals as well with 39 on the year. His linemate Zack Phillips is second on the team with 37… Huberdeau also leads the club in helpers this year with 59… Zack Phillips is fifth in the league in power play goals with 14… Mike Thomas is seventh in the league in shorthanded goals with three… Tomas Jurco, Stanislav Galiev, and Phillips are all tied for third in game winning goals with seven… Phillips is ninth in the league in first goals with seven… Jurco is tied for the league lead in insurance goals with seven… Huberdeau is a league best plus-57… Simon Despres is ninth in shorthanded assists with two… Michael Kirkpatrick is second in the QMJHL in dangerous shots taken with 178… Kirkpatrick is fifth in total shots taken with 228… 38-2-0-1 when scoring first… 32-3-0-0 against the Maritimes Division this season… 5-2-0-0 against Bathurst this season… averaging 4.76 goals per game… averaging 2.44 goals against per game… averaging 36.63 shots per game… averaging 27.08 shots against per game… Jonathan Huberdeau has recorded an assist in four straight games… Michael Kirkpatrick is on an eight-game point scoring streak… Kirkpatrick has recorded a point in 10 straight road games.

PROBABLE STARTER: Jacob DeSerres would be expected to start this game but News 88.9 reported last night that the 20-year old is battling sickness and may not play. DeSerres has a record of 26-2-0-0, a goals against average of 2.20, and a save percentage of 0.917. If he is unable to play, Mathieu Corbeil will get the call between the pipes. The Columbus Blue Jackets prospect has a record of 17-16-1-1, a GAA of 3.23, and a SV% of 0.878.

LAST GAME: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 3-2 shootout win last night in Rimouski. Zack Phillips and Jonathan Huberdeau scored in regulation while Tomas Jurco and Huberdeau won the match in the breakaway contest. Mathieu Corbeil was solid in net and picked up the victory.

HOME TEAM: Acadie-Bathurst Titan

NOTES: The Titan are led offensively by Gabriel Levesque who has 100 points in 64 games. He is second in league scoring and sits seven points back of Gatineau’s Philip-Michael Devos… Jonathan Lessard leads the team in goals this year with 37 in 58 games… Levesque leads the squad in assists with 66. The total is almost double the next closest amount on the team… Levesque is a team best plus-28… Lessard is second in the league on power play goals with 17… Levesque leads the league in power play assists with 35… Lessard is second in game winning goals with eight… Lessard is seventh in first goals with seven… Sebastien Trudeau is eighth in insurance goals with six… Vincent Arseneau is third in penalty minutes with 149 minutes served… Zack O’Brien is the rookie leader in points with 60 in 54 games… Twitter favourite Garrett Clarke leads the league in minor penalties taken with 48. Arseneau is second with 47… Levesque leads the league in power play points with 46… goaltender Olivier Roy is fourth in wins with 27… Roy is fifth in saves made this season with 1144… O’Brien leads all rookies in power play goals with 10 and power play points with 21… 27-8-1-1 when scoring first… 22-12-1-1 against their own division this season… averaging 3.80 goals per game… averaging 2.97 goals against per game… averaging 29.73 shots per game… averaging 31.33 shots against per game.

PROBABLE STARTER: Team Canada goaltender Olivier Roy will likely get the call in net for Bathurst. Roy has a record of 27-13-1-0, a goals against average of 2.85, and a save percentage of 0.909.

LAST GAME: The Titan are coming off a 5-2 loss against the Moncton Wildcats last Saturday. Christophe Losier and Jonathan Lessard scored for Bathurst but Monctom scored five straight goals to win the match. Olivier Roy made 32 saves in net.

Best Titan Video We Could Find: This is still one of the most entertaining Sea Dogs playoff games ever played. In game six of the 2008 quarter-finals against the Titan, Payton Liske scored in overtime to send the Sea Dogs into the semi-finals.



WHAT THEY ALL TALKING ABOUT
With the talk of the NHL world focusing on Zdeno Chara, the talk of the QMJHL world has been on Bathurst’s Christophe Losier for his hit last Saturday against Moncton’s Ted Stephens.



Stephens is out with a concussion while Losier, like Chara, got away without any kind of suspension.

ON THE SEA DOGS
Titan head coach Real Paiement on playing the Sea Dogs in today’s Telegraph-Journal:

"(Saint John) is really rolling and they are a good team," said Paiement.

"Even though we respect them very much, we feel good about how we've played against them in the past so we are looking forward to, and are excited, about (tonight's) game."

OTHER GAMES TODAY
Moncton at Cape Breton - 7:00 PM AST
Halifax at PEI - 7:00 PM AST
Victoriaville at Québec - 7:00 PM EST
Drummondville at Montréal - 7:05 PM EST
Val-d'Or at Chicoutimi - 7:30 PM EST
Gatineau at Lewiston - 7:30 PM EST

THE RINK
Venue: KC Irving Regional Centre
Capacity: 3,524
Average Attendance: 1,565
QMJHL Arena Guide

MEDIA GUIDE
Radio (Sea Dogs): News 88.9 FM
Live Web Feed: Telus
Television: None
Post-Game Coverage: Station Nation, Telegraph-Journal
Live Coverage: Follow Station Nation on Twitter (www.twitter.com/station_nation) for live in game coverage. All tweets will also appear in the SN Live Blog that is posted on this site.

AFTER THE BUZZER
The Sea Dogs travel to Cape Breton Sunday to face the Screaming Eagles at 2:00 pm.

Photo Credits: Marc Henwood/Station Nation, David Connell Web Album, Google

DOGS BEAT DOWN TITAN

SN RECAP
FINAL: Titan 2, Sea Dogs 7

SAINT JOHN – A second period outburst was enough to propel the Saint John Sea Dogs to a 7-2 victory over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan Wednesday night at Harbour Station in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

As a blizzard wrecked havoc outside the building, Tomas Jurco scored a pair of goals for the second consecutive game while Jonathan Huberdeau also scored two. Singles came courtesy of Stephen MacAulay, Michael Kirkpatrick, and Steven Anthony. Goaltender Jacob DeSerres wasn’t too busy in net, only facing 16 shots in the win.

The Titan had a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes but the Sea Dogs turned on the jets in the second period, scoring early and often to allow them to cruise to victory.

Bathurst, battling some injury issues going into the match, just didn’t look good at all after the opening frame. Two penalties on the same play by Garrett Clarke gave the Sea Dogs a four-minute power play and they would cash in twice during the span. It was meltdown mode for the Titan after that.

Jordan Murray and Sebastien Trudeau scored the lone goals for the visitors. Bathurst backup Robert Steeves played the full 60 minutes, allowing seven goals on 43 shots.

Saint John also played a lot more disciplined than they had over the past few games, giving the Titan only one power play opportunity.

FIRST PERIOD
Bathurst opened the scoring at 1:41 as Jordan Murray broke loose on an odd man rush. Murray split through the Sea Dogs defense and, while partially falling down, was able to put enough on a shot to sneek the disc under Sea Dogs goaltender Jacob DeSerres to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

Saint John went to the power play at 2:44 but couldn’t get much of anything going during the span.

Back at even strength, Alexandre Beauregard let a wrist shot go in the slot but just sent the disc wide of the goal. Then, Stephen MacAulay was in front but was denied by Titan netminder Robert Steeves. Soon after Beauregard sent a nice cross crease pass to Danick Gauthier at the other side of the crease but was robbed by Steeves’ pad.

A little later, Zack O’Brien sent a dangerous looking backhand shot on goal but was denied. Back the other way, Stanislav Galiev was on an odd man rush but sent a spin pass to the open lane where no Sea Dog stood.

The Sea Dogs went back to the power play at 19:40 but could not connect as the frame came to a close.

Shots in the opening frame were 12-3 Sea Dogs.

SECOND PERIOD
The Sea Dogs came flying out of the gate to start the second period. On the power play that carried over, an Eric Gelinas shot was stopped but Michael Kirkpatrick was able to bang home the rebound to tie the match at 1-1 at 0:58.

Not long after at 2:14, a Steven Anthony wrist shot from the slot beat Steeves low to stun the Titan and give the Dogs a quick 2-1 advantage.

Jeremie Blain went to the box at 2:56 to give Saint John yet another man advantage opportunity. But while shorthanded, the Titan had a few good chances as Lessard sent a shot off the net and Garrett Clarke was denied in close by DeSerres.

With the man advantage over, the Sea Dogs really started to carry the play. Scott Oke sent a nice pass to Mike Thomas who sent a shot high. Then, Vincent Arseneau had a good chance at the other end as he came streaking into the zone but was denied by DeSerres.

At 10:17, Clarke took a kneeing penalty and then took another penalty for slashing DeSerres, giving the Sea Dog a long power play. Phillips had the first good chance as he was stopped by the blocker of Steeves and then Gelinas was stopped on the rebound.

The Sea Dogs made it a 3-1 game as Tomas Jurco went in alone, beating Steeves with a backhand roof job to extend Saint John’s lead.

Still on the power play at 12:24, Jurco scored his second straight goal by banging in a rebound, giving the Dogs a sudden 4-1 lead. They wouldn’t stop there, either, as Jonathan Huberdeau sent a shot through traffic at 14:17, appearing to hit something on the way by, and getting past the Titan netminder to make it a 5-1 match.

Simon Despres and Malouin dropped the gloves in a brief and uneventful fight at 14:17 as the Titan tried to get energized again. They seemed to get sparked a little bit by the tilt as Sebastien Trudeau broke loose on a partial break and beat DeSerres five-hole to make it a 5-2 game.

Saint John had a late flurry of shots but Steeves was dialed in and kept the Titan within three going into the intermission.

Shots in the second stanza were 18-9 Saint John.

THIRD PERIOD
DeSerres came up big early in the frame as he made a nice cross-crease pad stop to keep momentum going in Saint John’s favour.

The Sea Dogs were forced to kill a penalty at 2:49 as Gabriel Bourret headed off. Just after the penalty ended, Huberdeau beat Steeves from along the goal line at an impossible angle to give the Dogs a 6-2 lead. Then at 5:31, MacAulay picked up his own rebound and managed to beat Steeves on his second try to give Saint John a 7-2 lead.

Bathurst continued to take penalties as Olivier Houle was called for delay of game at 11:18. Beaulieu and Jurco broke in on a two-on-none which featured Steeves stopping Beaulieu’s shot. Then a few moments later, Sea Dogs netminder Jacob DeSerres came way out of the net to get the puck away from a Bathurst player.

Back at even strength, Trudeau had a decent opportunity for the Titan as he deked to the backhand but couldn’t keep the puck on his stick to finish it off.

On yet another man advantage late in the game, Beaulieu ripped a shot off the crossbar. With the power play over, Ryan Tesink had the last glorious scoring chance as he sent the disc through the blue paint.

Shots in the third were 13-4 Sea Dogs.

Saint John went a solid 3-for-8 on the man advantage while Bathurst went 0-for-1.

NEXT GAME
The Sea Dogs travel to Moncton on Friday to face the Wildcats at 7:30pm.

LIVE BLOG: Titan vs Sea Dogs

PRE-GAME: Acadie-Bathurst Titan vs Saint John Sea Dogs

By Station Nation Staff

GAME DAY

WHO: Acadie-Bathurst Titan vs Saint John Sea Dogs
WHEN: Tonight, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Harbour Station

VISITING TEAM: Acadie-Bathurst Titan
Record: 33-16-0-1 (2nd in Maritime Division)
Last Game: 8-1 loss at Drummondville Saturday
Leading Scorer: Gabriel Levesque (50GP-28G-45A-73Pts)
Notes: The Acadie-Bathurst Titan enter action today with a record of 33-16-0-1 which is good for second in the Maritimes Division and sixth overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Titan face a stiff test if they want to finish atop the division as the Saint John Sea Dogs have an 18-point lead. Bathurst has 18 games remaining on their schedule… the Titan are coming off an 8-1 loss in Drummondville Saturday against the Voltigeurs. Gabriel Levesque scored Bathurst’s lone goal late in the third period in the blowout loss. Sean Couturier torched the Titan with two goals and three assists. Olivier Roy allowed four goals on 16 shots while Robert Steeves let in four on 31 shots… Bathurst is currently on a two-game losing skid after a hot stretch. They are 8-2-0-0 in their last 10 games… on the road this season, the Titan are 14-10-0-1 and have outscored their opposition 79-73 in the 25 outings. They have earned 29 points on the road compared to the 38 they have gotten at the KC Irving Regional Centre… the Titan’s power play comes in ranked eighth in the league with a rating of 23.3%. On the road, they are operating at 20.4%... Bathurst’s penalty kill is something to watch for this evening. The Titan enter tonight’s game with a rating of 83.2%, good for second in the league. On the road, the squad is running at 85.6%, giving them the best road penalty kill in the QMJHL… Bathurst is averaging the third most penalty minutes per game with an average of 17… Gabriel Levesque is playing quite well this season. The centre leads the Titan in scoring and is tied for second in league scoring with 73 points… Levesque also leads the club in both goals with 28 and assists with 45… Vincent Arseneau leads the club in penalty minutes with 113… Levesque sits third among QMJHL assist leaders with 45 on the year… Jonathan Lessard has scored the fifth most power play goals in the league this year with 11… Levesque sits second in power play assists with 22… Lessard is tied with Saint John’s Zack Phillips for second in the league in game winning goals with seven… Sebastien Trudeau is tied for the league lead in first goals with seven… Zack O’Brien is technically a rookie this season. He leads the league in rookie scoring with 45 goals in 45 games… Olivier Roy will likely start in net for the Titan. The world junior silver medalist has a record of 19-11-0-0, a goals against average of 3.03, and a save percentage of 0.903… Roy is third in the league in shootout wins with three… 20-5-0-1 when scoring first… Trudeau is on an 11-game scoring streak… Levesque is on an eight game scoring streak… Garrett Clarke has taken at least a penalty minute in nine straight game.

HOME TEAM: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 41-5-1-2 (1st in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 5-2 win vs Baie-Comeau Sunday
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Huberdeau (48GP-29G-44A-73Pts)
Notes: The Saint John Sea Dogs come into tonight’s contest with a record of 41-5-1-2 which is good for first place in the Maritimes Division and first in the entire Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Saint John has an 18-point lead in the division over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan and an eight-point lead over the Montreal Junior for top spot overall… in last week’s BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings, the Sea Dogs were ranked first… the Dogs are coming off a 5-2 victory over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar Sunday afternoon at Harbour Station. Despite some nervous moments in the second period, the Sea Dogs played fairly well against one of the worst teams in the league. Tomas Jurco scored a pair while Nathan Beaulieu, Michael Kirkpatrick, and Danick Gauthier added singles…. The Sea Dogs have been hot of late, winning six straight and earning at least a point in their last 13 games. They are 9-0-1-0 in their last 10 games… Saint John continues to amaze at home as they are now 23-0-1-1 at Harbour Station this year. They have outscored their opponents by the wide margin of 125-53. They are an averaging an unreal five goals per home game… the Sea Dogs’ power play is ranked seventh in the league with a rating of 24.1%. At home, they are running at 20.7%... on the penalty kill side of things, the Dogs are ranked sixth in the QMJHL with a rating of 81.1%. At home, the team is operating at 85%, good for third among home team’s penalty kills… Saint John has been struggling with discipline over the past few games. The team has risen to 13th in the league in average penalty minutes per game with 13… Jonathan Huberdeau continues to light the league up. He now has 73 points in 48 games which ties him for second overall in league scoring… Huberdeau and Zack Phillips are tied for the team high in goals with 29 on the year… Huberdeau leads the squad in assists with 44… Alexandre Beauregard leads the team in penalty minutes with 104 on the year. Since joining Saint John, he has 24 in 13 games… Phillips sits second in power play goals scored in the league this year with 13… Phillips is also tied for second in game winning goals this season with seven… Steven Anthony is tied for second in insurance goals with five… Huberdeau is a league best +41… Michael Kirkpatrick has taken the second most dangerous shots this year with 137… goaltender Jacob DeSerres will likely get the start in net tonight. He has a record of 19-2-0-0, a goals against average of 2.23, and a save percentage of 0.918. The 20-year old has the second best GAA and save percentage in the league.

SNOW SUCKS
It’s snowing a lot in Saint John but the game will be played. That is all you need to know.

RALLY
A reminder that the 2012 Memorial Cup Bidding Rally will be held tonight at Centre Court at Brunswick Square beginning at 5:30pm. Fans attending are asked to wear Sea Dogs gear or blue.

TITAN HURTING
The Acadie-Bathurst Titan have been hit hard with injuries recently. From today’s Telegraph-Journal:

No fewer than seven players are battling injuries. Forwards David Gilbert and Christophe Losier are at least two weeks away from returning to action with upper-body injuries, while defenceman Mario Kuralli won't be back until the start of the playoffs after having surgery to repair a broken wrist last Friday.

Defenceman Jeremie Fraser is sidelined with a nagging upper-body injury that will see him off the ice for at least another week, while forwards Zach O'Brien and Vincent Arseneau along with defenceman Garrett Clarke will all be game time decisions tonight as Acadie-Bathurst travels to Saint John to face the Sea Dogs at 7 p.m.

QUICK HITS

• Saint John has not lost a regulation game in the New Year. The Sea Dogs’ last regulation loss was January 30 in Bathurst against the Titan.
• For the final time this season, upper bowl tickets are available for just $6. This is the Sea Dogs’ last Wednesday home game of the year.

OTHER GAMES TODAY
Drummondville at Halifax - 7:00 PM AST
Québec at Victoriaville - 7:00 PM EST
Rimouski at Chicoutimi - 7:30 PM EST

ARENA INFO
Venue: Harbour Station
Seating Capacity: 6,297
Average Attendance: 4,094
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

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 Moncton to face the Wildcats on Friday at 7:30pm.

BIG STORM ROLLING IN

For the second time in less than a week, weather appears to be putting a Saint John Sea Dogs game in jeopardy.

The Sea Dogs are scheduled to host the Acadie-Bathurst Titan tomorrow night at Harbour Station but there is expected to be 10-15 cm of snow following in the afternoon and carrying into the evening.

Saint John had their contest in Moncton against the Wildcats last Thursday pushed back a day due to inclement weather. If Wednesday’s match is postponed, it could be a bit more challenging to reschedule with the Saint John Mill Rats invading Harbour Station Thursday and the Sea Dogs hitting the road Friday and Saturday.

Weather has been a quite a story this season as this could potentially be the fourth postponement for the Dogs this season. It would be the first home match to fall victim to weather.

But, nothing is official as of yet and probably won’t be until tomorrow afternoon. The Sea Dogs posted this on their Twitter page earlier today:

Also taking place tomorrow evening is the 2012 Memorial Cup Bidding Rally which is scheduled to take place at the Centre Court at Brunswick Square at 5:30pm. The rally is being filmed and will later be shown to the Memorial Cup selection committee.

A Sea Dogs press release states that “in the case of extreme weather conditions forcing Brunswick Square to close, the rally would be postponed to a later date.”

Of course, if you choose the fourth option in the Sea Dogs’ online poll, getting to Brunswick Square tomorrow shouldn’t be an issue.

SEA DOGS DOWN TITAN IN SHOOTOUT

SN RECAP
FINAL(SO): Titan 3, Sea Dogs 4

SAINT JOHN – It wasn’t the prettiest victory for the Saint John Sea Dogs on Tuesday night.

Trailing until the third period and not showing much life, the Sea Dogs stormed back to defeat the Acadie-Bathurst Titan 4-3 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action at Harbour Station.

Mike Thomas tied the game early in third before Alexandre Beauregard gave the team the lead, igniting the Sea Dogs. Although David Gilbert tied the game again soon after, the two quick markers seemed to give the squad the boost they needed to win the game.

Jonathan Huberdeau also scored in regulation while Nathan Beaulieu and Steven Anthony scored in the breakaway contest. Jacob DeSerres made 20 saves in net.

Gilbert, Zach O’Brien, and Jeremie Malouin each scored for the Titan. Robert Steeves played very well in net, stopping 34 shots on the night.

FIRST PERIOD
Call-up Spencer MacDonald got some physicality going early when he rocked Yoan Pinette along the boards.

After a few minutes of nothing, Saint John started to get some offensive pressure going. Nathan Beaulieu was at the point and set a bullet pass down low for a Sea Dog who deflected it wide of the cage. Then Beaulieu had the disc at the line again but fired it high of the cage.

Zach O’Brien made it a 1-0 Titan game following a Sea Dogs turnover at the blue line. O’Brien broke in alone and fired a wrist shot through the legs of Saint John netminder Jacob DeSerres to give the visitors the lead at 11:07.

At 15:21, Stephen MacAulay departed on a partial breakaway but was held up on the play, giving the Sea Dogs a power play. Their man advantage was not good at all, failing to get any good pressure going.

At 18:02, the Sea Dogs went back to the power play, and this time, Saint John was able to get some decent scoring chances. A shot from the side of the net ringed off the post which ended up being their best scoring chance.

Late in the period, MacAulay sent a short pass ahead to a streaking Alexandre Beauregard who just couldn’t get a stick on it to go in alone of Bathurst backstop Robert Steeves.

Saint John held a 7-5 shots advantage after one.

SECOND PERIOD
A turnover at the circle in the Bathurst zone allowed Jonathan Huberdeau to have a decent chance in front but he couldn’t get a shot off.

The Sea Dogs had another power play chance at 3:46 when Jordan Murray was called for tripping. It was the Titan with the most dangerous opportunity however as Gabriel Levesque found the loose puck in the Sea Dogs zone and tried to cut into the crease but was cut off by Michael Kirkpatrick.

Saint John tied the match on the same man advantage at 5:25. Beaulieu let a point shot go that went wide, allowing Huberdeau to bank the puck off Steeves and in to make it a 1-1 affair.

But Bathurst pulled ahead again at 7:20 when Jeremie Malouin came down the wing and beat DeSerres shortside to make it 2-1 Titan.

The Sea Dogs had a good scoring chance moments later when the puck was centered and tipped just high of the Titan cage.

After Saint John killed off a penalty, Stanislav Galiev had a solid opportunity in front but could not beat the Titan’ tender. On the play though, Bathurst drew a penalty at 13:37 when Marc-Olivier Mimar was called for hooking. The Sea Dogs produced some good pressure and were buzzing in the Titan zone but had difficulty getting any decent shots on goal.

Shots in the middle stanza were 11-5 Saint John.

THIRD PERIOD
At 3:17 of the third, Sea Dogs captain Mike Thomas made a stunning move to get around a defenseman in the offensive zone. He then put a nice deke on Steeves while falling down to finish off the beautiful goal and tie the affair at 2-2.

Sebastien Payette and Danick Gauthier dropped the gloves at 4:11. The two both landed some good shots before crashing to the ice.

Saint John took their first lead of the game at 4:56 when Galiev sent a perfect pass to Beauregard in front who made no mistake, giving the Sea Dogs a 3-2 lead.

But less than a minute later at 5:41, DeSerres was caught at the other side of the net while David Gilbert came out from behind the goal. DeSerres scrambled to get over but Gilbert beat the Sea Dogs ‘tender to tie the match at 3-3.

Later in the period, Thomas had another good chance when he entered the zone and hammered a shot on goal, forcing Steeves to make a nice pad stop. Moments later, Levesque had a chance for the Titan and hit the bottom of the post.

Daniel Tanel leveled Huberdeau from behind at 12:25, giving the Sea Dogs a five minute power play and giving Tanel a game misconduct. On the man advantage, Huberdeau had some room in front and fed Zach Phillips at the side of the net who shot wide. Then, MacAulay broke free of the Titan defense and made a great move on Steeves who stayed right with him to make the pad stop.

Shots in the third period were 16-8 Saint John.

OVERTIME
In overtime, Beaulieu had a great chance to end the game but the puck skimmed high. Bathurst also had a good chance as O’Brien fed Gilbert from behind the net but he ripped it high and wide. To close things out, Galiev was denied by Steeves who made a chest stop.

Shots in the extra session were 5-3 Titan.

SHOOTOUT
Beaulieu gave Saint John a 1-0 lead in the fourth round with a wrist shot that beat Steeves high glove side. Levesque then tied it by going around DeSerres’ poke check and going upstairs. After Jonathan Lessard and Galiev were stopped, Steven Anthony gave Saint John the lead. DeSerres then stopped Mimar to give the Sea Dogs the extra point.

NOTES: See Sea Dogs Postscript tomorrow.

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs travel to Halifax to face the Mooseheads on Saturday night.

LIVE BLOG: Titan vs Sea Dogs

PRE-GAME: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Acadie-Bathurst Titan

By Station Nation Staff

GAME DAY
WHO: Acadie-Bathurst Titan vs Saint John Sea Dogs
WHEN: Tonight, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Harbour Station

VISITING TEAM: Acadie-Bathurst Titan
Record: 24-14-0-0 (2nd in Maritime Division)
Last Game: 5-4 win vs Saint John Thursday
Leading Scorer: Gabriel Levesque (38GP-17G-36A-53Pts)
Notes: The Acadie-Bathurst Titan come into tonight’s match with a record of 24-14-0-0 which places them second in the Maritimes Division and 16 points back of the first place Saint John Sea Dogs. The Titan currently sit seventh overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League… Bathurst has not played since last Thursday when they downed the Sea Dogs 5-4 at the KC Irving Regional Centre. The Titan came back from a two-goal deficit to defeat the Dogs. Gabriel Levesque, Jonathan Lessard, Jeremie Blain, David Gilbert, and Jeremie Malouin all scored for the home team. Robert Steeves was solid in net, making 32 saves on the night… 6-4-0-0 in their last 10 games and are coming off a win… 11-8-0-0 on the road this season and have outscored their opposition 56-47 in their 19 contests… Bathurst has the seventh best power play in the league with a rating of 23%. On the road, their power play improves to 23.8%... the Titan continue to be great on the penalty kill. They are ranked second in the league with a rating of 82.7%. On the road, their kill off percentage improves to an impressive 87.5%, which is the best road penalty kill in the QMJHL… Bathurst is averaging the sixth most penalty minutes per game with 15.6 minutes… Gabriel Levesque still leads the Titan in scoring by a wide margin with 53 points in 38 games. He is 20 points ahead of the next closest team scorer… Levesque, Sebastien Trudeau, and Jonathan Lessard are all tied for the team high in goals with 17… Levesque leads the squad in assists with 36 in 38 matches… pest Vincent Arseneau leads Bathurst in penalty minutes with 94 served in 37 games… goaltender Robert Steeves will likely get the start in net with Olivier Roy still away with Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships. Steeves has some impressive numbers with a record of 8-2-0-0, a goals against average of 1.96, and a save percentage of 0.933. He has not played enough minutes to be considered in the leagues statistical categories… Levesque’s 36 helpers on the year is good for a tie for second in the league. 19 of them have come on the man advantage… Lessard is tied with Saint John’s Zack Phillips for second overall in the QMJHL with six game winning goals… Zach O’Brien is technically a rookie and sits fifth overall in first year player scoring with 29 points. O’Brien leads all rookies in shots on goal with 68… 14-5-0-0 when scoring first… Bathurst is allowing the fourth fewest goals against per game with an average of 2.79.

HOME TEAM: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 31-5-0-2 (1st in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 3-2 overtime at Moncton Sunday
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Huberdeau (38GP-25G-34A-59Pts)
Notes: The Saint John Sea Dogs enter action tonight with a record of 31-5-0-2 which places them first in the Maritimes Division and first overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Sea Dogs sit 16 points ahead in the division and are one point up on the Quebec Remparts for tops in the league. They have played two fewer games than the Remparts… in the last BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings, Saint John was placed in the No. 1 spot… the Sea Dogs are coming off an okay performance against the Moncton Wildcats on Sunday at the Coliseum. The Sea Dogs defeated the ‘Cats, who had a depleted lineup, 3-2 in overtime. Steven Anthony and Michael Kirkpatrick scored for the Sea Dogs in regulation while Stephen MacAulay scored the overtime winner following a faceoff win. Goaltender Frederic Piche had to make some solid and timely saves to pick up the victory… 8-2-0-0 in their last 10 games and have won two straight – both against the Wildcats. Their last loss was Thursday in Bathurst against the Titan… Saint John looks to continue their phenomenal home ice dominance with a win against the Titan tonight. They are 18-0-0-1 at Harbour Station this year and have outscored their opposition 98-38 in the 19 contests. Their winning percentage at home (0.974) is 0.069 better than the Quebec Remparts, who have the second best home winning percentage. With two goals, Saint John can get reach the 100 goal mark at home this season… the Sea Dogs have the sixth best power play in the QMJHL with a rating of 24.1%. At home, their power play is running at 23.2%... the Dogs' penalty kill is operating at 81.5%. At home, the team is running their penalty kill at 84.6%... Jonathan Huberdeau leads the team in points with 59. He also leads Saint John in assists with 34 and is a league best +35… Zach Phillips is first on the team in goals with 26. Huberdeau is a close second with 25… if the goaltending rotation holds true, Jacob DeSerres will get the start in goal. DeSerres has a record of 13-2-0-0, a goals against average of 2.20, and a save percentage of 0.922. His GAA is second overall in the QMJHL and his save percentage is also second… Phillips sits third in the league in goals scored with 26. The Fredericton native is tied for the league high in power play goals with 12. He is also tied for league high in first goals.

LINEUP NOTES
Defenseman Simon Despres and forward Tomas Jurco are still away representing their countries at the World Junior Hockey Championships in Buffalo.

Defenseman Kevin Gagne missed Saint John’s last game with an upper body injury. Spencer MacDonald was recalled from junior ‘A’ Summerside for the match.

Saint John also made a trade yesterday, acquiring defenseman Jason Seed from the Gatineau Olympiques. The Sea Dogs’ website said he will be in town for tomorrow’s practice.

QUICK HITS

• This is the Titan’s first game of the New Year. This will be Saint John’s first home game of 2011.
• Two of Saint John’s five regulation loses have been against Bathurst. Both were at the KC Irving Regional Centre.
• All 18 QMJHL teams play tonight.
• This is the final game for both teams prior to the holiday trade deadline, which is on Thursday.

ARENA INFO
Venue: Harbour Station
Seating Capacity: 6,297
Average Attendance: 3,990
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, L’Acadie Nouvelle

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 Halifax to face the Mooseheads on Saturday night.

Photo Credits: Marc Henwood/Station Nation, Harbour Station

TITAN CLIMB BACK TO DROP SEA DOGS

SN POST-GAME
FINAL: Sea Dogs 4, Titan 5

BATHURST – It wasn’t the way the Saint John Sea Dogs wanted to open up the second half of their Quebec Major Junior Hockey League season.

The Sea Dogs blew a 2-0 first period lead as the Acadie-Bathurst Titan battled back to win 5-4 Thursday night at the KC Irving Regional Centre.

Bathurst scored three straight goals after falling behind 2-0 early. The Titan would fight all game despite the Sea Dogs tying the match up twice. A late third period goal by Jeremie Malouin iced the game for the home team who were also playing their first match of the second half.

Gabriel Levesque, Jonathan Lessard, Jeremie Blain, and Daivid Gilbert also scored for Bathurst. Robert Steeves made 32 saves in the win.

For Saint John, Kevin Gagne, Steven Anthony, Stanislav Galiev, and Scott Oke all scored. Frederic Piche was pulled in the second period after allowing four goals on 15 shots while Jacob DeSerres made 17 stops in relief.

FIRST PERIOD
Just a few minutes in, Tyrone Sock turned the puck over in front, giving Sebastien Trudeua a glorious chance. But Saint John goaltender Frederic Piche was able to dive and get a piece of it to keep it scoreless.

Not long after, Guillaume Cloutier fired a shot from the point that hit something on its way by and forced Titan netminder Robert Steeves to make a nice save. Then, Stephen MacAulay centered the puck for Mike Thomas at the top of crease but Steeves was there to keep it out with a nice pad stop.

Saint John opened the scoring at 7:28 when Kevin Gagne fired the puck from just above the faceoff circle and through a mild amount of traffic to make it 1-0 Sea Dogs.

Gabriel Levesque had a great opportunity for the Titan moments later when he was left alone in the slot. But a Saint John player got his stick in the way and deflected the shot high and wide of the cage.

After Danick Gauthier put a big hit on Jeremie Malouin at the blue line, the newly acquired Marc-Olivier Mimar had a solid chance for Bathurst but was robbed by the glove of Piche.

A questionable call against Ryan Tesink at 14:47 gave Bathurst a power play chance. With just a few seconds left in the man advantage, Jeremie Blain was called for hooking at 16:28 and put an end to the Titan’s power play.

On the man advantage at 17:16, Nathan Beaulieu fired the puck down low to Steven Anthony who stood along the goal line. Anthony walked out and fired a shot on Steeves who made the save, but the Vancouver Canucks prospect pounced on the rebound to make it a 2-0 Sea Dogs lead.

New Sea Dog Alexandre Beauregard collided with Daniel Tanel at 18:27, giving Bathurst a power play. Zach O’Brien had the puck along the goal line and walked out in front, feeding Levesque at the side of the net to make it a 2-1 affair heading into intermission.

Shots in the opening stanza were 14-6 in favour of the visitors.

SECOND PERIOD
The Sea Dogs went to the power play 16 seconds into the second period but could not connect. A few minutes later, Bathurst had a great chance to tie the match in front but was denied by the pad of Piche.

Sock was called for tripping at 4:13. On the man advantage, Jonathan Lessard let a point shot go that was stopped by Piche. A big rebound was produced and Lessard skated in and beat Piche with a shot that just barely rolled across the line to make it a 2-2 affair.

The goal seemed to lift Bathurst as they a several minutes of solid offensive pressure. Yoan Pinette centered the puck in front but the pass deflected off a skate and out of danger. Then David Gilbert tried to jam the disc past the pads of Piche but had no such luck.

Shortly after Trudeau missed a breakaway pass, the Titan would take the lead. Blain fired a point shot through traffic at 8:44 and skimmed past the glove of Piche to make it a 3-2 Titan game.

But Saint John would respond just over a minute later at 9:58. Beaulieu let a point shot go that was stopped by Steeves but he couldn’t handle the rebound. Stanislav Galiev pulled off a small deke to beat the Bathurst backstop and tie the match once again.

But the Titan would keep coming. At 12:07, Mimar sent a pass ahead to Gilbert who went in alone. The Chicago Blackhawks prospect made a move to the forehand to give Bathurst a 4-3 advantage. Piche would get the hook following the goal, giving way to Jacob DeSerres.

At 12:34, Zach Phillips was whistled for tripping. Lessard had the best power play chance for the Titan when he was robbed by the leather of DeSerres on a backhand shot.

Shots in the middle stanza were 13-7 Bathurst.

THIRD ROUND
Pinette had the best chance early in the third when he ripped a rebound shot just high and over the glove of DeSerres. Then a few moments later, a shot from below the circle caused a scramble in the crease. Zach Phillips found the loose puck and flipped out of danger. Unfortunately, the puck went up and over the glass and was given a penalty for his actions.

While shorthanded, Jonathan Huberdeau and Steven Anthony broke in on a two-on-one. But Huberdeau was taken down and couldn’t get a shot off. That would be the only decent scoring chance even though it was a Bathurst power play.

At 7:22, a Cloutier shot from inside the line was stopped by Steeves and the puck dribbled to the side of the net. Scott Oke poked the puck across the line to tie the match up once again, this time by score of 4-4.

After several minutes of back-and-forth junk, the Sea Dogs fourth line caused a solid scramble in the crease that forced Steeves to make a quick stop.

Disaster struck for Saint John at 17:01. Jordan Murray dished the puck out of a small scramble just below the dot. Murray sent a beautiful cross ice pass to Malouin who had an open cage to make it a 5-4 Titan lead.

The Sea Dogs pulled DeSerres in the final minute for the extra attacker. Despite having five forwards on the ice in the final minute, the Dogs couldn’t get a needed marker as the Titan went on to win 5-4.



Shots in the third period were 15-14 Saint John.

Bathurst went 2/5 on the power play while Saint John went 1/2.

SAINT JOHN SCRATCHES
Tomas Jurco is away with Team Slovakia and Simon Despres is away with Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships in Buffalo, making them unavailable for the Sea Dogs.

Forward Jason Cameron was the lone healthy scratch.

PRE-GAME STUFF
There was an unreal pre-game ceremony to honour “So You Think You Can Dance Canada” star and Bathurst native Janick Arseneau.

Arseneau was escorted onto the ice in a convertible. At center ice, a bunch of people stood on the carpet and did some kind of dance thing. It took forever; News 88.9 had about five minutes straight of commercials.

BEAUREGARD’S DEBUT
Alexandre Beauregard made his Sea Dogs debut Thursday after being acquired last week. He started the game on a line with Stanislav Galiev and Michael Kirkpatrick, filling the spot usually filled by Tomas Jurco.

Beauregard finished the game with one assist, a +1 rating, no shots, two penalty minutes, 3/4 on faceoffs, and had one shot.

The grinder wore Chris DiDomenico’s old No. 25.

NOTES
Frederic Piche allowed four goals on 15 shots before being pulled… decent crowd for a Thursday night game in Bathurst: 1,816… Michael Kirkpatrick had a team high seven shots. Three of them were considered dangerous… Stanislav Galiev was a team best +2… Danick Gauthier left in the second period and did not return... two of Saint John's five regulation loses have come in Bathurst... Jacob DeSerres was the News 88.9 Top Dog… to relive the match, check out the SN Live Blog Replay.

THE NUMBERS
Saint John, Sea Dogs 4 at Acadie-Bathurst, Titan 5 - Status Unofficial Final
Thursday, December 30, 2010 - Centre régional K.C. Irving

Saint John 2 1 1 - 4
Acadie-Bathurst 1 3 1 - 5

1st Game Period-1, Saint John, Gagné 5 (Anthony, Huberdeau), 7:28. 2, Saint John, Anthony 12 (Beaulieu, Huberdeau), 17:16 (pp). 3, Acadie-Bathurst, Lévesque 17 (O'Brien, Trudeau), 18:47 (pp). Penalties-Tesink Snb (tripping), 14:47; Blain Bat (hooking), 16:28; Beauregard Snb (tripping), 18:27.

2nd Game Period-4, Acadie-Bathurst, Lessard 17 (Blain, Lévesque), 4:39 (pp). 5, Acadie-Bathurst, Blain 1 (O'Brien), 8:44. 6, Saint John, Galiev 17 (Beaulieu, Beauregard), 9:48. 7, Acadie-Bathurst, Gilbert 14 (Lessard, Mimar), 12:07. Penalties-Murray Bat (charging), 0:16; Sock Snb (tripping), 4:13; Phillips Snb (tripping), 12:34.

3rd Game Period-8, Saint John, Oke 5 (Cloutier, Phillips), 7:22. 9, Acadie-Bathurst, Malouin 5 (Murray, Pinette), 17:01. Penalties-Phillips Snb (delay of game), 4:21.

Shots on Goal-Saint John 36. Acadie-Bathurst 33.
Power Play Opportunities-Saint John 1 of 2; Acadie-Bathurst 2 of 5.
Goalies-Saint John, Piché 13-2-0-2 (15 shots-11 saves); DeSerres 12-1-0-0 (18 shots-17 saves). Acadie-Bathurst, Steeves 7-2-0-0 (36 shots-32 saves).
A-1,816
Referees-Guy Pellerin (17), Jonathan Langille (12).
Linesmen-Ryan Burke (46), Christian Boudreau (48).

NEXT GAME
Game Three of the 2010-11 Brunswick News Rivalry Cup goes tomorrow at 7:30 pm at Harbour Station.

LIVE BLOG: Sea Dogs vs Titan

NOTE: The internet is being a joke tonight so no comments can be posted.

 

PRE-GAME: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Acadie-Bathurst Titan

By Station Nation Staff

GAME DAY
WHO: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Acadie-Bathurst Titan
WHEN: Tonight, 7:30 pm
WHERE: KC Irving Regional Centre

VISITING TEAM: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 29-4-0-2 (1st in Atlantic Division)
Last Game: 2-1 win at Cape Breton on December 18
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Huberdeau (35GP-24G-30A-54Pts)
Notes: The Saint John Sea Dogs enter action tonight with a record of 29-4-0-2 which is good for first in the Maritimes Division and a tie for second overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. They are a single point back of the league leading Quebec Remparts but have played four fewer games than Patrick Roy’s club… in the latest BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings, the Sea Dogs were placed as the No. 1 team in the Canadian Hockey League… the Sea Dogs have not played since December 18 when Stephen MacAulay scored with less than a second remaining in regulation to give Saint John a 2-1 victory over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles at Centre 200. Jacob DeSerres made 22 stops in the road win. Saint John was supposed to travel to Charlottetown on Tuesday to face the Rocket but couldn’t because of bad weather… Saint John has won three straight games going into tonight’s match and are 9-1-0-0 in their last 10 games. Their last loss came December 10 in Lewiston against the MAINEiacs… the Dogs continue to lead the QMJHL in goals scored this season with 168 in 35 games. They are averaging 4.8 goals per game… Saint John has also allowed the fewest goals against this year with 90 for an average of 2.6 goals against per game… 12-4-0-1 on the road and have outscored their opposition 74-52 along the way… Saint John has the sixth best power play in the league with a rating of 23.7%… the team's penalty kill is operating at 82.1%, good for fourth overall in the QMJHL. On the road however, their penalty kill slips to 78.6%... Jonathan Huberdeau leads the Dogs in points with 54 in 35 games this season. He also leads the team in assists with 30, is second in goals with 24, has a team high +34 rating, and is second only to the newly acquired Alexandre Beauregard in penalty minutes with 45… Zach Phillips leads the club in goals with 25 and sits just three points back of Huberdeau for the team lead in points… if the goaltending rotation carries over into the second half of the season, Frederic Piche should be getting the call in net. He has a record of 13-2-0-2, a goals against average of 2.45, and a save percentage of 0.915. He has not played since December 17 in Cape Breton, a 6-2 Saint John win… Phillips is second in the league with 11 power play goals… Phillips is tied for the league lead in first goals with seven… Stanislav Galiev, Tomas Jurco, and Huberdeau are tied for second in the league in insurance goals… Beauregard’s 80 penalty minutes place him fifth in the league in time spent in the box.

HOME TEAM: Acadie-Bathurst Titan
Record: 23-14-0-0 (2nd in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 5-4 loss at Halifax on December 18
Leading Scorer: Gabriel Levesque (37GP-16G-35A-51Pts)
Notes: The Acadie-Bathurst Titan enter play this evening with a record of 23-14-0-0 which places them second in the Maritimes Division and seventh overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Titan are currently 14-points back of the division leading Sea Dogs and have played two more games… like the Sea Dogs, the Titan have not played since December 18. Their last game was a 5-4 loss at the Halifax Metro Centre to the cellar dwelling Mooseheads. Vincent Arseneau, Gabriel Levesque with two, and David Gilbert all scored for Bathurst in the loss. Derek Tait allowed two goals on 15 shots while Robert Steeves allowed three of 12 shots. The offensively challenged Mooseheads outshot the Titan 27-25 in the match. Like Saint John, the Titan were scheduled to play on Tuesday but the match was postponed due to poor weather conditions… Bathurst’s power play is ranked eighth in the league with a rating of 22.5%. At home, their power play is operating at 21.3%... the Titan’s penalty kill has been solid this year and has been working at 83%, good for second in the league and only behind the Drummondville Voltigeurs. At home, their penalty kill slips all the way to 78.3%... At the KC Irving Regional Centre this season, the Titan are 12-6-0-0 and have outscored their opposition 68-55… 6-4-0-0 in their last 10-games and are coming off a loss… Gabriel Levesque leads the Titan in scoring with 51 points in 37 games this year. He also leads the team in assists by a large margin with 35… Sebastien Trudeau is the team’s goal scoring leader. He has 17 markers in 37 contests. Levesque and Jonathan Lessard are second on the team in goals with 16 each… Vincent Arseneau has been very involved in the past few Saint John – Bathurst meetings. He leads the club in penalty minutes with 94… Lessard is tied for second in the league in game winning goals with six… no Titan player is in the top-20 of the plus/minus category… Zach O’Brien is fifth in rookie scoring with 27 points… with No. 1 netminder Olivier Roy away with Team Canada at the world juniors, Robert Steeves and Derek Tait are sharing the goaltending duties. Steeves has a record of 7-2-0-0, a goals against average of 1.75, and a save percentage of 0.939. Tait has a record of 4-3-0-0, a GAA of 3.10, and a SV% of 0.894. Steeves has played more minutes than Tait.

AWAY AT THE WORLDS
Three players will be missing from this game due to duties at the World Junior Hockey Championships in Buffalo. Sea Dogs defenseman Simon Despres and the Titan’s No. 1 netminder, Olivier Roy, are currently teammates on Team Canada. Saint John forward Tomas Jurco is also away representing Slovakia.

Also missing from the Titan is forward Brent Turnbull who is playing for Team Atlantic at the World Under-17 Hockey Championships in Manitoba. Sea Dogs’ Hockey Administration Coordinator Greg Leland is the coach of Team Atlantic and Titan equipment manager Nathan Beliveau is also working for the team.

Titan defenseman Jeremie Fraser is also playing at the event with Team Quebec.

BEAUREGARD DEBUT
The newly acquired Alexandre Beauregard will likely make his debut for Saint John tonight in Bathurst. The Sea Dogs acquired the gritty forward from the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies last week in exchange for a first round draft pick in 2011.

With the last place Huskies this season, Beauregard has four goals and six assists in 35 games to go along with 80 penalty minutes.

It will be interesting to see if Beauregard simply replaces Tomas Jurco or if the lines will be juggled a bit.

NEW FACES
The Titan have been a bit busy during the holiday trading period. From yesterday’s Telegraph-Journal:

So far, Couturier has added forward Marc-Olivier Mimar in a deal with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in exchange for forward Danny Chiasson and a pair of draft picks (a second-round pick in 2011 and a fourth-round selection in 2012); sent forward Bryce Milson of Miramichi to Lewiston in exchange for a second-round pick in 2012; and acquired forward Yoan Pinette from Gatineau in exchange for a second-round pick in 2011.

SPECIAL GUEST
A very special guest will appear at tonight’s game at the KC Irving Regional Centre. From the Titan’s website:

The Titan organization will welcome Janick Arseneau during our December 30th game. She was a top 4 finalist on the show '' SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE CANADA''. Janick was a great ambassador for N.B and especially for the Chaleur region. We will be giving away a picture of Janick to the first 2000 fans coming to the game, there will also be an authograph session.

ARENA INFO
Venue: KC Irving Regional Centre
Seating Capacity: 3,542
Average Attendance: 1,578 (18th)
Year Built: 1996
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

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
Game Three of the 2010-11 Brunswick News Rivalry Cup goes tomorrow at Harbour Station as the Sea Dogs and Moncton Wildcats do battle. A limited number of standing room tickets remain for this 7:30 pm match.

POSTSCRIPT: Sea Dogs 7, Titan 2

By Station Nation Staff

SEA DOGS – TITAN GAME AT A GLANCE
Final Score: Saint John 7, Bathurst 2
Saint John Goals: Jonathan Huberdeau (17, 18, 19), Simon Despres (6), Zach Phillips (20), Steven Anthony (9), and Mike Thomas (6)
Bathurst Goals: Daniel Tanel (2) and Jonathan Lessard (11)
Winning Goaltender: SNB – Jacob DeSerres
Losing Goaltender: BAT – Olivier Roy

THE NUMBERS
Power Play: Titan: 0/3, Sea Dogs: 3/6
Shots on Goal: Titan: 11+10+13=34, Sea Dogs: 10+15+12=37
Length: 2:25
Attendance: 1,046

SCRATCHES
Sea Dogs 20-year old center Michael Kirkpatrick served the final game of his three-game suspension yesterday. Kirkpatrick earned the suspension after he hit Alex MacDonald of the Moncton Wildcats from behind.

Tyrone Sock was a healthy scratch.

ON A ROLL. SEA DOGS WIN 7-2.
Another offensive outburst led the Saint John Sea Dogs to a 7-2 win over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan Wednesday night at the KC Irving Regional Centre in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

Simon Despres made it a 1-0 game at 1:24 of the first period with a low wrist shot from the bottom of the circle. But Bathurst would tie the game at 6:12 after the puck fooled Jacob DeSerres in the crease, allowing Daniel Tanel to tie it at 1-1.

But Saint John would go into the intermission with the lead as Zach Phillips gave a cross crease pass to Jonathan Huberdeau on the power play to make it a 2-1 lead after two.

The Titan tied the game again at 4:02 of the second when a Jonathan Lessard shot went off the crossbar and in. But Saint John would take the lead and never look back at 4:47 when Huberdeau scored again on the power play. He completed the hat trick at 19:00 of the middle frame. Zach Phillips would close out the scoring in the period with 14 seconds remaining.

In the third, Steven Anthony made it a 6-2 game at 12:59 following a brutal turnover in the Titan zone. Mike Thomas closed out the scoring in the game with a backhand shot at 17:06 on the power play.

STREAKING
The Sea Dogs have now won six straight games and have not lost in regulation since October 22nd in Bathurst, a 5-1 defeat.

Saint John’s only blemish over the past 13 games was a 4-3 shootout loss to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. The team has collected 25 of a possible 26 points along the way.

THE PHILLIPS FACTOR
The Canadian Hockey League’s Player of the Week, Zach Phillips, continued his hot play on Wednesday night recording a goal and four assists for five points.

"I think that really lit a fire under him and he's played real well,” said Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant to the Telegraph-Journal. “He's burying his chances and making good plays. He's maturing and he's getting better in all zones and he's playing with some very good linemates (Jurco and Huberdeau), and they're feeding off each other."

The Fredericton native has been sensational in his last four games, recording seven goals and seven assists.

November 21 at Moncton: 2G-1A-3Pts
November 26 vs Bathurst: 2G-1A-3Pts
November 28 vs Halifax: 2G-1A-3Pts
December 1 at Bathurst: 1G-4A-5Pts

THE BIG LINE
Along with Zach Phillips’ five point night, his linemate Jonathan Huberdeau stood out as well.

Huberdeau recorded a hat trick along with an assist in the game. Two of his goals came on the man advantage. Tomas Jurco, the third man that makes up the Bachelor Line, added an assist.

The line combined for four goals and six assists.

DID THE TITAN REALLY SCORE?
If a team records a goal but nobody sees it, is it really a goal? Through the magic of video replay – it is.

Neither Titan marker was declared a goal immediately following. The red light never came on and the buzzer never sounded.

Their first goal came in the first period when a Zach O’Brien wrist shot seemed to fool Sea Dogs netminder Jacob DeSerres. The goaltender thought he had it but the puck was parked around the goal line before being cleared away. It would be reviewed a few moments later and declared a goal.

Then in the second period, Jonathan Lessard ripped a shot off the bar and play continued. The play would be reviewed again and called a goal.

TANEL AGAIN
After playing three years of QMJHL hockey without scoring a goal, Daniel Tanel now has two in 29 games this season with both goals having been scored againt Saint John.

The 20-year old record his first marker last Friday at Harbour Station and then added his second of his career yesterday in the first period.

ROY PULLED; DeSERRES SOLID
Olivier Roy did not play all that bad in the Bathurst goal but was pulled after 40 minutes. He allowed five goals on 25 shots. Roy was recently named to Canada’s camp roster for the upcoming world juniors but has had his struggles this season.

At the other end, Jacob DeSerres played very well and made some big saves to keep momentum going in Saint John’s favour. He made 32 saves on the night.

PLAYING SHORTHANDED
The Sea Dogs were forced to play two forwards short for half of the game after Danick Gauthier and Stephen MacAulay were both thrown out of the game at 9:59 of the second period.

It all started when Gabriel Bourret nailed Vincent Arseneau with a big hit along the boards. Rough stuff broke out in front of the Sea Dogs bench after that. In the end, Arseneau, Gauthier and MacAulay all received game misconducts.

MacAulay was given a misconduct for “Taking off one's own helmet or attempting to pull off an opponent's helmet, undo the chinstrap or his opponent's.”

Arseneau and Gauthier each received a misc. for “fighting after the original altercation.”

QUICK HITS
According to News 88.9, Jonathan Huberdeau recorded his third career hat trick and 27th in Sea Dogs franchise history… Saint John is now 1-1-0-0 at the KC Irving Regional Centre this season… the Sea Dogs have not in regulation since October 22 in Bathurst… both Ryan Tesink and Jason Cameron left for a few moments after taking sticks in the face. They both returned… Tim Roszell said during his broadcast that Sea Dogs associate coach and director of hockey operations Mike Kelly is in Montreal scouting this week… the crowd of 1,046 was the smallest of the season in Bathurst.

DOGS KEEP ON ROLLING

SN RECAP
FINAL: Sea Dogs 7, Titan 2

BATHURST – It’s been a good stretch for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

With a 7-2 win over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Wednesday night at the KC Irving Regional Centre, the Sea Dogs have won six straight games and have not lost in regulation over their past 13 contests.

The Sea Dogs’ 'Bachelor Line' was once again the story in this one. Jonathan Huberdeau scored a hat trick and added an assist while Zach Phillips continued his stunning play with a solo marker and four assists. Tomas Jurco also had a helper.

Simon Despres, Steven Anthony, and Mike Thomas were the other Saint John goal getters.

Jacob DeSerres, who played poorly the last time he visited Bathurst, played very well. He made 32 saves and was deserving of the victory.

On the other end, Edmonton Oilers draft pick Olivier Roy allowed five goals on 25 shots before getting the hook during the second intermission. Robert Steeves made 10 saves in relief.

The Titan had goals from Daniel Tanel and Jonathan Lessard.

Saint John has now shown that they are very capable of beating the Titan. The Dogs carried the flow for most of the game, especially in the second period where they scored two goals in the final minute.


FIRST PERIOD
On the first shot of the game, Simon Despres beat Olivier Roy with a low wrist shot from just below the circle that gave the Sea Dogs an early 1-0 lead.

Brent Turnbull placed a good hit on Kevin Gagne behind the Sea Dogs net following the goal. Moments later, Mike Thomas entered the offensive zone but couldn’t get a shot on goal. The puck bounced to Stephen MacAulay in the slot but Roy was there to make a nice pad stop.

The Titan tied the game at 6:12 on a strange play. Zach O’Brien came down the wing and simply fired the puck glove side of Sea Dogs goaltender Jacob DeSerres. The Saint John netminder thought he had it but it become loose in the crease. The puck was cleared down the ice quickly but the officials went upstairs on the play. After a review, it was a goal, with credit given to the rarely dangerous Daniel Tanel.

The Sea Dogs went to the power play at 7:51 with Vincent Arseneau heading off. The Bachelor Line did their best to try and tie the game with Tomas Jurco hitting the side of the net following a nice pass from Zach Phillips.

At 9:26, Phillips tried a similar pass – this time to Jonathan Huberdeau – and it worked. Huberdeau had an open cage and made no mistake, making it a 2-1 Saint John lead.

After Turnbull had a good scoring chance for the Titan, Jeremie Malouin put a big hit on Jason Cameron in the corner at 11:41, giving the Dogs another power play. Saint John had some good pressure during the span but could not score.

With the penalty over, Huberdeau fed Phillips with a great pass and was all alone. Roy was there though, making a nice pad stop. In the dying seconds of the frame, Arseneau unleashed a one-timer that just went wide of the Sea Dogs cage.

Shots in the opening 20 minutes were 11-10 in favour of the Titan.

SECOND PERIOD
MacAulay had a good chance early on with Roy flopping around in his crease. Somehow, the all-star netminder got a pad on it. Then on a two-on-one, Stanislav Galiev fed Steven Anthony but missed wide.

The play then came down to the other end where Jonathan Lessard hit the crossbar. Play continued and Lessard gave Ryan Tesink a high stick, giving Saint John a power play. But Lessard’s shot was reviewed and was awarded a good goal, tying the game at 2-2.

But the penalty would stand, and on the power play at 4:12, Despres sent a shot on net and Huberdeau was parked in front to grab the rebound and make it a 3-2 Sea Dogs lead.

Gabriel Levesque had a great chance in front of DeSerres but spun his shot wide of the net. Soon after, Nathan Beaulieu ripped a point shot and forced Roy to make a nice save through traffic.

The rough stuff began at 9:59. After Gabriel Bourret put a huge hit on Arseneau, MacAulay and Jeremie Fraser dropped the gloves in a spirited tilt that saw both players land good punches. MacAulay, Danick Gauthier, and Arseneau all got tossed from the game for their display of rough stuff during the same sequence.

Out of all of this, Bourret’s initial penalty stood giving the Titan their first power play of the match. Saint John had a good shorthanded chance when Huberdeau performed a wraparound but was stopped. Then a two-on-one play was finished off by Despres but stopped by Roy. Bathurst didn’t do much of anything offensively.

Mike Thomas and Malouin received matching roughing calls at 17:18. During the four-on-four at 19:00, Phillips made some fantastic moves along the wing to keep the puck. He then fed Huberdeau with a perfect pass who embarrassed Roy with an unreal move around him to make it a 4-2 Sea Dogs lead. The goal gave Huberdeau a hat trick.

Saint John wasn’t done there. On a partial break and a Titan practically on his back, Phillips beat Roy upstairs to make it 5-2 for the visitors going into intermission.

Shots in the frame were 14-10 Saint John.

THIRD PERIOD
Robert Steeves replaced world junior hopeful Olivier Roy in net to start the third. Bathurst showed some life early on when Sebastien Trudeau was parked in front but couldn’t grab a rebound.

At 4:49, Gabriel Bourret was called for hooking. While shorthanded, Phillips and Huberdeau were back at it on an odd-man rush but couldn’t get a shot on net. The Titan power play went to work after that as Christophe Losier had a good chance but sent it wide.

With the penalty over, Saint John went to the power play at 7:33 but couldn’t get anything going. At 10:33, the Sea Dogs had yet another man advantage. This time they would cash in as a brutal turnover by the Titan defense was finished off by Steven Anthony to make it a 6-2 game.

Bathurst had another man-up chance at 14:32. Trudeau had a great opportunity on a one-time shot but DeSerres came out to challenge him nicely. Then Levesque was absolutely stoned by the Dogs netminder on a cross crease pad save.

Saint John had another power play at 16:59. On the man advantage, Thomas let a shot go in front but was stopped by Steeves. But the Sea Dogs captain found the puck again and backhanded it past the Titan backup to make it an 8-2 final.

Shots in the third were 13-12 Bathurst.

The Sea Dogs went an impressive 3/6 on the power play while the Titan went 0/3.

NOTES: See Sea Dogs Postscript tomorrow.

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs host the #10 team in Canada/Northern United States, the Lewiston MAINEiacs, Friday at 7:30 pm.