POSTSCRIPT: Drakkar 2, Sea Dogs 5

By Station Nation Staff

SEA DOGS – DRAKKAR GAME AT A GLANCE
Final Score: Baie-Comeau 2, Saint John 5
Saint John Goals: Nathan Beaulieu (10), Danick Gauthier (9), Tomas Jurco (19, 20), and Michael Kirkpatrick (20)
Baie-Comeau Goals: Alexandre Durette (14, 15)
Winning Goaltender: SNB – Mathieu Corbeil
Losing Goaltender: BC – Jason Missiaen
News 88.9 Top Dog: Kevin Gagne

THE NUMBERS
Power Play: Drakkar: 1/6, Sea Dogs: 1/7
Shots on Goal: Drakkar: 3+12+4=19, Sea Dogs: 12+1+25=47
Length: 2:18
Attendance: 4,817

SAINT JOHN SCRATCHES
Zach Phillips finally got his day off yesterday afternoon. The other three Sea Dogs who took part in the CHL Top Prospects Game all got a day off last weekend with the exception being Phillips. Forwards Stephen MacAulay and Jason Cameron were also scratched.

With three forwards out of the lineup, defenseman Kevin Gagne once again took some shifts as a forward.

SCARY MOMENTS, BUT DOGS GET IT DONE
The Saint John Sea Dogs took down the Baie-Comeau Drakkar 5-2 on Sunday afternoon at Harbour Station in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Despite sitting on the opposite ends of the standings, the Drakkar gave the Sea Dogs a minor scare by taking a 2-1 lead into the third period.

Baie-Comeau dominated the first-half of the second period, keeping Saint John’s offense at bay. Although shots ended up being only 12-10 in favour of the visitors, the Drakkar were immensely outshooting the Sea Dogs at one point. If not for a late surge from Saint John, it could have been worse.

But the Dogs would take over the third period, rallying to score four answered goals and winning their sixth straight contest.

Nathan Beaulieu scored the lone first period goal on a wrist shot that went high on Drakkar netminder Jason Missiaen. The goal came during a power play and while a delayed penalty was being called against Baie-Comeau, allowing Saint John to ice six players.

In the second period, Alexandre Durette scored his first of two goals to tie the match at 1-1 at 9:11. Then on the power play at 13:44, Durette found the loose puck and went around Sea Dogs goaltender Mathieu Corbeil to give the visiting squad a surprising 2-1 advantage heading into the dressing room.

But the Sea Dogs would be the Sea Dogs in the third period. Danick Gauthier tied the match at 6:05 and then Tomas Jurco put the Dogs back in front at 10:01. A little over two-minutes later, Michael Kirkpatrick gave the Dogs a two-goal lead. Jurco would close the match out by scoring his second of the match at 15:27 to ensure a Saint John victory.

The Sea Dogs outshot Baie-Comeau 25-4 in the final frame.

HEATING UP
The Sea Dogs continued their hot play with the win. The top-ranked junior team in Canada has now won six straight games and are on a 12-0-1-0 run. The victory also extended Saint John’s point lead in the overall standings over the Montreal Juniors to eight points.

The Dogs were named the hottest team in the QMJHL today by Rogers Sportsnet today.

Although the Shawinigan Cataractes’ winning-streak is longer, the Sea Dogs claim the top spot with a 12-0-1-0 record and a six-game streak. Saint John’s last regulation loss was before the calendar turned in a 5-4 decision to Acadie-Bathurst on Dec. 30. The Sea Dogs opened up an eight point gap on Montreal for first overall in league standings.

Also, the Sea Dogs remain undefeated on home ice in regulation time this season.

THREE-IN-THREE
For the second straight week, the Sea Dogs were forced to play a three-in-three. Last weekend, the team swept their way through Quebec by beating Baie-Comeau, Chicoutimi, and Quebec. This week, the Dogs travelled to Moncton Friday and then hosted the Drakkar on Saturday and Sunday.

Just like last weekend, the Sea Dogs were able to sweep their opponents away. They outscored their opposition 15-6.

PEACE OUT LAPORTE
It’s been fun, Hugo Laporte.

Laporte had one of his most eventful games against Saint John yesterday by recording two penalty minutes and assisting on the Drakkar’s second goal. He got booed quite a bit as usual and even drew a penalty after taking a Jonathan Huberdeau stick in the face.

Pending a near miracle and the Drakkar make the post-season, this was Laporte’s final skate against the Sea Dogs. It’s been almost a year since his dive in the second round of last season’s playoffs, but Sea Dogs fans certainly never forget him.

We leave you with this picture from Doug McLean, who came through in the clutch by posting it on the SN Facebook page:

ROUGH ROAD TRIP
The Sea Dogs may be rolling but the Drakkar are sputtering after a four game road road trip through Atlantic Canada saw them lose all four matches.

Baie-Comeau has now lost six straight and are only 1-9-0-0 in their last 10 games. More importantly, they now sit 10 points back of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles for the final playoff spot with 15 games to play.

OPEN NET
Stanislav Galiev may want this shot back after firing wide of the cage.

SOLID CROWDS
No offense to the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, but they aren’t exactly the Moncton Wildcats when it comes to generating excitement in the Port City. But this weekend’s crowds were pretty solid with 4,652 watching on Saturday night and 4,817 entering the building on Sunday afternoon. Sunday’s match drew more than November’s home game against Quebec.

Crowds are usually higher in the second half, but we imagine the Sea Dogs having a pretty good season for the second straight year may have something to do with it also. In total, Saint John is averaging a crowd of 4,094 at Harbour Station this year.

QUICK HITS
It was the annual ‘Francofans Day’ game at Harbour Station. There was music, mascots, and lots of French. It was unreal… four Sea Dogs had five shots on goal… Alexandre Durette led the way for the Drakkar in the shots department by registering four… both Tomas Jurco and Michael Kirkpatrick record their 20th goals of the season. Saint John now has five 20-goal scorers… Saint John matched their win total (41) from the 2007-08 season with the victory… the lines were all over the map again with Zack Phillips and Stephen MacAulay sitting out… if you can believe it, there are only nine home games remaining for the Dogs… following Wednesday’s game against Bathurst at the Station, the Sea Dogs hit the road for three straight... Jonathan Huberdeau played the first two period with the full cage on his helmet but came out to start the third with just a visor on… the Sea Dogs may have outshot the Drakkar 25-4 in the third, but the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors outshot Troy Passingham and the Sarnia Sting 36-5 in the first period yesterday… to relive the game, check out the SN Live Blog Replay.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

• The ice cream at Harbour Station is very underrated. It almost makes up for the lack of poutine.
• Nice to Tomas Jurco light the lamp. He hadn’t scored since January 11.
• Jason Missiaen is tall.

HIGHLIGHTS



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

NEXT GAME
The Acadie-Bathurst Titan are in town on Wednesday night at 7pm to face the Sea Dogs.

Photo Credits: David Connell Web Album, some toaster website, Doug McLean, SeaDogsTV

DOGS DOWN DRAKKAR

SN RECAP
FINAL: Drakkar 2, Sea Dogs 5

SAINT JOHN – If a hockey game could be a sandwich, the stats sheet from Sunday afternoon’s tilt at Harbour Station would be pictured on the wrapper.

On the ends, the Saint John Sea Dogs played smoothly and dominated most of the first and the third periods. But on the inside, it was a bit of a mess. The end result – a 5-2 Sea Dogs win over the lowly Baie-Comeau Drakkar in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

The Sea Dogs played well in the opening 20-minutes, carrying a 1-0 lead and outshooting the Drakkar 12-3. But in the second, Baie-Comeau took the game over, jumping out to a 2-1 lead and outshooting Saint John 9-0 at one point. It was a stunning sight, one the quickly evaporated in the later stages of the second period as the Drakkar only outshot the Dogs 12-10 in the frame. Then in the third, the Sea Dogs dominated and rallied to score four goals on 25 shots. It was definitely a strange one at the Station.

Tomas Jurco scored a pair and added two assists while Nathan Beaulieu, Danick Gauthier, and Michael Kirkpatrick also scored. Goaltender Mathieu Corbeil made 17 saves in the win.

The Drakkar had a two goals come from Alexandre Durette. 6’08” goaltender Jason Missiaen allowed five goals on 47 shots.

The win was Saint John’s sixth straight and they have also picked up at least a point in their last 13 contests.

FIRST PERIOD
Stanislav Galiev had the first chance early in the frame as he tipped a shot on net that was stopped by Drakkar goaltender Jason Missiaen. Shortly after at 5:30, the Sea Dogs went to the power play. While a delayed penalty was being called against the Drakkar, Nathan Beaulieu fired a wrist shot from the wing that went up and over the glove of Missiaen to give Saint John a 1-0 lead.

That delayed penalty call gave the Sea Dogs another power play opportunity immediately following Beaulieu’s marker. Eric Gelinas let a point shot go that was denied by the pad of the Drakkar netminder. Then, Beaulieu let another blast go with Steven Anthony picking up the rebound but was denied by the overly large Baie-Comeau backstop.

The Drakkar had a man advantage chance at 9:29 as Galiev headed off but the Sea Dogs would kill it.

Back at even strength, Kevin Gagne, playing as a forward, had a wraparound chance but wasn’t quick enough to beat Missiaen. Then, Galiev let a one-timer go from the slot but whistled it wide.

After Alexandre Chenevert took a cross checking call at 18:25, Jonathan Huberdeau was called for high sticking at 19:43 to even things back up. Huberdeau high sticked the disliked Hugo Laporte, causing a ruckus from the Harbour Station faithful.

Shots in the first period were 12-3 Saint John.

SECOND PERIOD
During the four-on-four play that carried over into the second period, Mathieu Corbeil had to make three consecutive stops to keep Saint John in the lead.

Things didn’t get any better for the Sea Dogs as the Drakkar went to five-on-three power play at 3:54. Baie-Comeau, who has the worst man advantage in the QMJHL, had some great pressure going during the span but could not score.

It was all Baie-Comeau as the period continued on as the Sea Dogs couldn’t get anything offensively going. Alexandre Durette had a great chance for the Drakkar to tie the match down low but was robbed by the leg of Corbeil. Shots at the halfway point of the period were 9-0 in favour of the visitors.

Baie-Comeau would tie the match at 9:11. Durette came down the wing and went up high glove side on Corbeil to tie the match up at 1-1.

Anthony was called for holding at 13:39, giving the Drakkar yet another power play. This time however, they would connect. Laporte riffled a shot from the point, hitting something on its way to the net. Durette found the disc and had an open cage to get his second of the game and give Baie-Comeau a 2-1 lead.

The Sea Dogs had a four-on-three man advantage at 15:04 as a scrum at the line between the two teams and a Felix Girard holding call created the P.P. opportunity. Michael Kirkpatrick fed Beaulieu at the dot but fanned on the shot after a huge windup. Then Beaulieu continued the pressure with a shot from the slot that was stopped by Missiaen.

Despite the power play being over, it seemed to spark the Dogs enough to finally get some things rolling in the period. After Tomas Jurco hit the outside of the post, Laporte took another penalty at 19:27. Despite some terrific pressure by Saint John late in the frame, they could not score.

Shots in the second period were 12-10 Baie-Comeau.

THIRD PERIOD
Saint John opened the period on the man advantage, but despite some decent shots on net, the Drakkar still carried a 2-1 lead. The Sea Dogs continued to carry the play early in the third as Gauthier fired a shot off the post.

The Sea Dogs finally tied the game at 6:05 of the third when Gauthier beat Missiaen with a wrist shot through a screen to make it a 2-2 hockey game.

Jean-Philippe Caron had one of the few scoring chances for the Drakkar in the period a few minutes later as he cut in front but couldn’t get the puck on goal. Then at the other end, the puck was centered beautifully to Ryan Tesink in front but he was taken out of the play by a Baie-Comeau defender.

The Sea Dogs took the lead at 10:01 as Jurco put in his 19th marker of the season on a nice pass from Kirkpatrick. Shortly after Galiev somehow missed a wide open net, Huberdeau fed Kirkpatrick down low who beat Missiaen to give the Dogs a 4-2 advantage.

After both teams exchange penalties, Jurco was sprung on a breakaway at 15:27 during the four-on-four play. The Slovakian was stopped on his first attempt but picked up his own rebound to give Saint John a commanding three-goal lead.

Not long after, Scott Oke broke loose on a breakaway but was stopped on his backhand move by the Drakkar netminder.

Saint John had one last power play at 16:48. Their best chance came when a shot from the point beat Missiaen and sat in the crease before being taken away.

Shots in the final stanza were 25-4 in favour of the Sea Dogs.

Saint John went 1-for-7 on the man advantage while Baie-Comeau went 1-for-6.

NOTES: See Sea Dogs Postscript tomorrow.

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs host the Acadie-Bathurst Titan Wednesday at 7pm at Harbour Station.

LIVE BLOG: Drakkar vs Sea Dogs

PRE-GAME: Baie-Comeau Drakkar vs Saint John Sea Dogs

By Station Nation Staff

GAME DAY
WHO: Baie-Comeau Drakkar vs Saint John Sea Dogs
WHEN: Today, 4:00 pm
WHERE: Harbour Station

VISITING TEAM: Baie-Comeau Drakkar
Record: 7-36-5-4 (6th in Telus East Division)
Last Game: 6-1 loss at Saint John yesterday
Leading Scorer: Lukas Cingel (52GP-15G-20A-35Pts); Raphael Bussieres (51GP-14G-21A-35Pts)
Notes: The Baie-Comeau Drakkar enter action today with a record of 7-36-5-4 which places them last in the six-team Telus East Division and 17th overall in the 18-team Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Drakkar join the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies as teams currently on the outside of the playoff picture. They are 10-points behind the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles for the final playoff spot… the Drakkar are coming off a tough 6-1 loss last night in Saint John against the Sea Dogs. Baie-Comeau got off to a pretty good start, scoring the first goal and keeping up with the top-ranked Sea Dogs. Lukas Cingel scored the lone goal for the visitors while Simon Giroux made 28 saves in net. They went a dreadful 0-for-7 on the power play… 1-9-0-0 in their last 10 games and are currently on a five-game losing skid. They have been outscored 21-9 over those five matches… Baie-Comeau is 4-19-3-2 away from the Henry Leonard Centre this season. They have picked up three more points and one more win on the road than at home this season. They have been outscored 115-59 on the road in 28 contests… the Drakkar have the worst power play in the QMJHL with a rating of just 10.6%. On the road, they are an awful 9.4% on the man advantage… on the penalty kill, Baie-Comeau sits 11th with a rating of 78.2%. On the road, the team is operating at 77%... the Drakkar are averaging the fourth most penalty minutes per game with a an average of 16.4… if it wasn’t for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, the Drakkar would be the league’s worst goal scoring team. Baie-Comeau has scored 115 goals compared to the Huskies who have scored a league low 108… the Drakkar and Huskies are the only teams in the QMJHL to have allowed over 200 goals against this season… Lukas Cingel and Raphael Bussieres are tied for the team lead in points this season with 35 each… after scoring last night, Cingel now leads the Drakkar in goals this year with 15 in 52 games… Bussieres has a team high 21 assists on the year. Defenseman Hugo Laporte is a close second with 20 on the year while Cingel has 20 helpers as well… Maxim Lamarche is a team worst -35 this season… Ontario native Jason Missiaen will likely get the start in goal today. The 6’08” netminder has a record of 6-25-4-3 with a 0.891 save percentage and a 3.34 goals against average. He is second in the league in saves made this season with 1137, nearly 100 saves behind PEI’s Evan Mosher for the league high… 5-10-2-2 when scoring the first goal… Baie-Comeau averages the fewest shots per game in the league with an average of 23.81… have lost three straight on the road.

HOME TEAM: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 40-5-1-2 (1st in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 6-1 win vs Baie-Comeau yesterday
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Huberdeau (47GP-29G-42A-71Pts)
Notes: The Saint John Sea Dogs come into today’s match with a record of 40-5-1-2 which is good for first place in the Maritimes Division and top spot in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The team has a 16-point lead over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan for first place in the division and are eight-points up on the Quebec Remparts and Montreal Juniors for the No. 1 position in the QMJHL… in the latest edition of the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings, the Sea Dogs were ranked No. 1 for a seventh straight week… the Sea Dogs are coming off a 6-1 win against the Baie-Comeau Drakkar last night at Harbour Station. Danick Gauthier and Simon Despres scored twice while Steven Anthony and Eric Gelinas added singles. Jacob DeSerres made 17 saves for the win in net. The Sea Dogs played fairly well for most of the night but got into some penalty trouble throughout the contest, something they will look to correct this afternoon… Saint John has been red hot of late as they have won five straight games, picked up at least a point in their past 12, and are 9-0-1-0 in their last 10 games. Their last regulation loss came on January 30, 2010 in Bathurst… they have yet to lose in regulation at Harbour Station this season, sporting a record of 22-0-1-1 and have earned 46 points. They have outscored their opposition 120-51 at home this year. They are one goal back of the Quebec Remparts for most goals at home this year… the Sea Dogs’ power play comes in ranked seventh on the league with a rating of 24.4%. At home, their man advantage is running at 21.1%... on the penalty kill side of things, Saint John is ranked sixth with a rating of 81%. At home, the clubs penalty kill is operating at 85%... Jonathan Huberdeau, despite going pointless yesterday, still leads the Sea Dogs in points this season with 71 in 47 games… Huberdeau and Zack Phillips are tied for the team lead in goals with 29 apiece… Huberdeau leads the team in assists with 42… Mathieu Corbeil will likely get the start in net for the Sea Dogs this afternoon. The Columbus Blue Jackets prospect has a record of 10-15-1-1, a goals against average of 3.58, and a save percentage of 0.871. With Saint John, he has a record of 3-0-1-0, a 2.65 GAA, and a 0.892 SV%. Corbeil’s last start was Friday in Moncton… Saint John is now averaging 4.69 goals per game. At home, they are averaging an insane five goals per game.

FRANCOFANS DAY
Today is the annual Francofans Day game where the Sea Dogs game day experience is converted into the French language. Live music from Tradition is beginning at 3 p.m., and 4-for-$44 ticket packages are available.

LAPORTE IS BACK
Hugo Laporte returns to Saint John for the third time this season. If you are tweeting from the game today, please use the hashtag #BooLaporte.

QUICK HITS

• Jonathan Huberdeau wore a full cage on his helmet for the second straight game last night.
• This is the final game of a three-in-three weekend for the Sea Dogs.
• This is the final game of a four-game Maritime road swing for the Drakkar. They are 0-3-0-0 so far.
• Today’s game will close out the January schedule for the Sea Dogs. It has been a good month.
• The Sea Dogs became the first QMJHL team to reach the 40-win mark last night.

OTHER GAMES TODAY
Halifax at PEI - 3:00 PM AST
Montréal at Cape Breton - 4:00 PM AST
Victoriaville at Québec - 3:00 PM EST
Shawinigan at Drummondville - 4:00 PM EST
Chicoutimi at Lewiston - 4:00 PM EST
Gatineau at Val-d'Or - 4:00 PM EST

ARENA INFO
Venue: Harbour Station
Seating Capacity: 6,297
Average Attendance: 4,063
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 host the second best team in the Maritimes Division – the Acadie-Bathurst Titan – Wednesday night at 7pm at Harbour Station.

Photo Credits: Google, David Connell Web Album, Saint John Sea Dogs

VIDEO: Beauregard fights twice in win

SAINT JOHN – With captain Mike Thomas out of the lineup for the Saint John Sea Dogs, Alexandre Beauregard responded in a big way by dropping the gloves twice in Saturday’s 6-1 home victory over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar.

The first came at 2:59 of the opening period when Beauregard and Samuel Noreau got into a tussle.



Then at 13:03 of the third period, Beauregard and Maxime Lamarche took part in a round of fisticuffs following a big hit at the Baie-Comeau bench.



The Sea Dogs forward was given a game misconduct following the tilt for fighting twice in the same match. Beauregard now has four fights since joining Saint John during the holiday trade deadline.

Props to our boy Chris Phillips of HockeyFights.com for making the videos.

SEA DOGS SINK DRAKKAR

SN POST-GAME
FINAL: Drakkar 1, Sea Dogs 6

SAINT JOHN – The Baie-Comeau Drakkar struck first, but it was the Saint John Sea Dogs getting the last laugh in a 6-1 win over the Drakkar on Saturday night at Harbour Station in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

Saint John’s hot play continued with the win as they have now won five straight and have earned at least a point in their past 12 contests.

Lukas Cingel opened the scoring at 4:20 of the opening frame to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. The puck came loose from Saint John goaltender Jacob DeSerres, allowing Cingel to backhand the puck into the open cage.

Although Baie-Comeau was playing well, they just couldn’t escape the period with a lead as the Simon Despres show began. The Pittsburgh Penguins prospect scored his first at 14:30 and his second at 17:28 to give the Sea Dogs a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes.

On a power play in the second period, a short pass ahead found Danick Gauthier just inside the line. Gauthier skated in on a partial break and unleashed a shot that went off the far post and in to give Saint John a two-goal advantage.

The Sea Dogs headed to the dressing rooms for the second intermission up 4-1 as a last minute goal by Steven Anthony gave the Dogs a commanding lead. The play started with Despres throwing the puck in front where Anthony banged at the disc twice before hammering it home.

In the final stanza, Gauthier scored his second of the match at 5:07 while shorthanded. The third-liner found himself on a partial break again but was hooked up a bit this time, still managing to swipe the puck under the pads on Baie-Comeau netminder Simon Giroux to give the Dogs a 5-1 lead.

Saint John ended the scoring parade at 14:30 as Kevin Gagne put the puck on a tee for Eric Gelinas. The New Jersey Devils prospect fired a blast from the point that beat Giroux low blocker side to make it a 6-1 final.

While it was a convincing score for the Sea Dogs, the Drakkar played well in spurts and certainly were not awful in this game. Baie-Comeau had their opportunities with Saint John taking seven penalties in the game - none of which the Drakkar could connect on.

DeSerres made 17 saves in the win while Giroux allowed six goals on 34 shots in the loss.

SAINT JOHN SCRATCHES
Sea Dogs captain Mike Thomas served an automatic one-game suspension after “taking off one's own helmet or attempting to pull off an opponent's helmet, undo the chinstrap or his opponent's” in Friday’s win over the Moncton Wildcats.

Ryan Tesink and Gabriel Bourret were the other scratches.

QUICK HITS
Saint John reaches the 40-win mark for the third time in four years with the win… Hugo Laporte was booed every time he touched the puck. He was a -3 and served an interference penalty in the first period… this is the second game of a three-in-three weekend for the Sea Dogs… the Baie-Comeau Drakkar have now lost five straight games… Jonathan Huberdeau continued to wear the full cage on his helmet… Alexandre Durette had a team high four shots for the Drakkar… Zack Phillips had a team high six shots for the Sea Dogs… Pierre Durepos was an impressive +4… Alexandre Beauregard, with two fights, was the News 88.9 Top Dog… to relive the game, check out the SN Live Blog Replay.

NEXT GAME
The Sea Dogs and Drakkar do battle again this afternoon at 4pm at Harbour Station on ‘Francofan Day.’

Photo Credit: KJ McLean

LIVE BLOG: Drakkar vs Sea Dogs

PRE-GAME: Baie-Comeau Drakkar vs Saint John Sea Dogs

By Station Nation Staff

GAME DAY
WHO: Baie-Comeau Drakkar vs Saint John Sea Dogs
WHEN: Tonight, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Harbour Station

VISITING TEAM: Baie-Comeau Drakkar
Record: 7-35-5-4 (6th in Telus East Division)
Last Game: 2-1 loss at Halifax yesterday
Leading Scorer: Raphael Bussieres (50GP-14G-21A-35Pts)
Notes: The Baie-Comeau Drakkar enter action this evening with a record of 7-35-5-4 which places them last in the six-team Telus East Division and 17th overall in the 18-team Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Drakkar join the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies as teams currently on the outside of the playoff picture. They are eight points behind the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles for the final playoff spot… the Drakkar are coming off a 2-1 loss against another cellar dwelling team in the Halifax Mooseheads. At the Halifax Metro Centre last night, Alexandre Durette scored the lone Drakkar goal in the loss. The visitors were able to fire only 16 shots on goal. Jason Missiaen and his large frame took the loss in goal by allowing two goals on 28 shots… 1-9-0-0 in their last 10 games and are currently on a four-game losing skid. They have been outscored 15-8 over those four matches… Baie-Comeau is 4-18-3-2 away from the Henry Leonard Centre this season. They have picked up three more points and one more win on the road than at home this season. They have been outscored 109-58 on the road in 27 contests… the Drakkar have the worst power play in the QMJHL with a rating of just 11%. On the road, they are an awful 10% on the man advantage… on the penalty kill, Baie-Comeau sits 11th with a rating of 78.4%. On the road, the team is operating at 77.3%... the Drakkar are averaging the fifth most penalty minutes per game with a an average if 16.4… if it wasn’t for the dreadful Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, the Drakkar would be the league’s worst goal scoring team. Baie-Comeau has scored 114 goals compared to the Huskies’ league low 104… the Drakkar and Huskies are the only teams in the QMJHL to have allowed over 200 goals against this season… Raphael Bussieres leads Baie-Comeau in point scoring with 35 points in 50 games. Teammate Lukas Cingel is a close second in team scoring with 34 points in 51 games. Cingel is an assist away from matching Bussieres’ totals… Bussieres and Cingel are tied for the team lead in goals with 14 each on the year… Bussieres leads the team in assists with 21 this season. Cingel and Hugo Laporte are second in helpers with 21 apiece… two of the Drakkar’s top-four scorers are defenseman… Jean Philippe-Caron is a team worst -35 this season… Jason Missiaen has played the most minutes in goal this season but he has started the last two games on this road trip, meaning we may see Simon Giroux instead. Missiaen, an Ontario Hockey League castoff, is 6-25-4-3 with a goals against average of 3.34 and a save percentage of 0.891. Giroux, a former Sea Dogs goaltending prospect, has a record of 0-3-0-0, a goals against average of 5.39, and a save percentage of 0.826… this is the third game of a Maritime road swing for the Drakkar. They fell 4-1 in Cape Breton on Wednesday night, lost a close 2-1 game against Halifax last night, and now play two straight in Saint John.

HOME TEAM: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 39-5-1-2 (1st in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 4-3 win at Moncton yesterday
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Huberdeau (46GP-29G-42A-71Pts)
Notes: The Saint John Sea Dogs come into tonight’s match with a record of 39-5-1-2 which is good for first place in the Maritimes Division and top spot in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The team has a 14-point lead over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan for first place in the division and are six-points up on the Quebec Remparts and Montreal Juniors for the No. 1 position in the QMJHL. The team has also played two fewer games than the Remparts and Juniors… in the latest edition of the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings, the Sea Dogs were ranked No. 1 for a seventh straight week… the Sea Dogs are coming off a hard fought 4-3 road win in Moncton last night. Jonathan Huberdeau, sporting a full cage on his helmet, scored two goals while Zack Phillips and Nathan Beaulieu added single markers. Goaltender Mathieu Corbeil made 26 saves in the win, his first in regulation since joining the Sea Dogs. It was a pretty good game for Saint John who were able to kill off some key penalties to earn the victory… Saint John is coming in hot. Winners of four straight, the club is on a 10-0-1-0 stretch that has seen the team pick up at least a point in their last 11 games. Their last regulation loss came on January 30, 2010 in Bathurst. The Sea Dogs are also 9-0-1-0 in their last 10 games… the Dogs are kinda good on home ice. They have yet to lose in regulation at Harbour Station, sporting a record of 21-0-1-1 and have earned 44 points. They have outscored their opposition 114-50 at home this season. They are seven goals back of the Quebec Remparts for most goals at home this year… the Sea Dogs’ power play comes in ranked seventh on the league with a rating of 24.3%. At home, their man advantage is running at 20.7%... on the penalty kill side of things, Saint John is ranked sixth with a rating of 80.3%. At home, the clubs penalty kill is operating at 84%... Jonathan Huberdeau leads the team in points this season with 71 in 46 games… Huberdeau and Zack Phillips are tied for the team lead in goals with 29. They each scored in last night’s win in Moncton… Huberdeau leads the club in assists with 42 on the year… 20-year old Jacob DeSerres will likely start in net tonight for the Sea Dogs. The Western Hockey League castoff has a record of 18-2-0-0, a goals against average of 2.30, and a save percentage of 0.917. DeSerres has won six straight games and has not lost since January 30 in Bathurst. He owns the second best GAA and save percentage in the league…. Phillips is second in the league in power play goals scored with 13… Huberdeau is a league best +40… Phillips has recorded an assist in four straight games… Saint John is still averaging the most goals per game with an average of 4.66. They are also allowing the fewest goals per game with an average of 2.57… 29-2-0-1 when scoring the opening goal.

LAST MEETING
Despite these two teams being on the opposite end of the standings, the Drakkar gave the Sea Dogs a run for their money last weekend in Baie-Comeau. The Drakkar had a 2-1 lead in the second period before Danick Gauthier tied the match in the final minute of the frame. Steven Anthony scored the winner for Saint John at 16:39 of the third stanza.

Saint John outshot the Drakkar 32-23 in a game that saw only three penalties be called over the 60 minutes.

WHAT ABOUT JURCO
There is still no word on whether or not Tomas Jurco will be suspended for tonight’s game. Jurco gave Scott Trask a hit to the head while travelling across the blue line last night. Trask was okay.

Jurco was given a game misconduct and five-minute major for the hit.

LAPORTE IS BACK
Hugo Laporte returns to Saint John for the second time this season. If you are tweeting from the game tonight, please the hashtag #BooLaporte.

QUICK HITS

• Baie-Comeau goaltender Jason Missiaen is listed as 6’08” and 220 lbs.
• This is the second game of a three-in-three for Saint John, their second straight weekend in playing three straight in as many days.
• The Sea Dogs’ last home game was on January 15 where the club lost in overtime against the Drummondville Voltigeurs.
• Sea Dogs leading scorer Jonathan Huberdeau is expected to wear the full cage all weekend. He took a stick in the face in Saint John’s 4-2 win in Quebec City on Sunday.
• Saint John had the same lineup last night as they did in their game against Quebec. Jason Cameron, Aidan Kelly, and Jason Seed were the scratches.

OTHER GAMES TODAY
Montréal at Cape Breton - 7:00 PM AST
Halifax at Moncton - 7:00 PM AST
Acadie-Bathurst at Drummondville - 7:00 PM EST
Gatineau at Rouyn-Noranda - 7:30 PM EST

ARENA INFO
Venue: Harbour Station
Seating Capacity: 6,297
Average Attendance: 4,038
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 host the same Baie-Comeau Drakkar tomorrow afternoon at 4pm at Harbour Station. It’s ‘Francofan Day.’

Photo Credits: Marc Henwood/Station Nation, Mill Rats

LAPORTE, DRAKKAR IN TOWN FOR WEEKEND DOUBLEHEADER

SAINT JOHN – An unfamiliar team but a familiar foe make their way to Harbour Station for a doubleheader this weekend.

The Baie-Comeau Drakkar, who sit in 17th place in the 18-team Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, roll into town for a pair of games beginning tonight at 7pm and the other going down at 4pm on Sunday. The Drakkar are currently on a Maritime road trip as they played in Cape Breton Wednesday, Halifax Friday, and now are in Saint John for a pair of games against the top-ranked team in Canada.

The Drakkar, 7-35-5-4, are still looking for their first win of the trip - and wins have not come easy for Baie-Comeau this season. This is a team that lost 25 consecutive games earlier in the year and has won only seven of their 51 games this season.

This weekend’s doubleheader certainly seems like a "David vs Goliath" matchup. But you have to give the Drakkar some credit going in as they gave the Sea Dogs a bit of a scare last Friday at the Henry Leonard Centre, a game that saw Saint John squeak out a 3-2 win.

"You have to give them credit,'' said Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant about the Drakkar in yesterday’s Telegraph-Journal. "They worked very hard and they're a lot different team than they were 20 games ago. They've played against some tough teams and they've battled.”

Baie-Comeau is led offensively by Raphael Bussieres who has 14 goals and 21 assists in 50 games this season. Lukas Cingel is a close second with 34 points on the year, sitting just an assist back of matching Bussieres’ totals.

Those names may not be well known to Saint John fans, but defenseman Hugo Laporte’s name is quite well known by the Harbour Station faithful. Laporte has been the subject of many boos over the past year following his acting display against Saint John in 2010 President’s Cup quarter-finals. Laporte has been booed heavily ever since the incident.

The overage defenseman has made an appearance already this season at Harbour Station, but thanks to the Gatineau Olympiques shipping him to Baie-Comeau in a transaction during the holiday trading period, he is expected to play twice more in southwestern New Brunswick this season.

The Sea Dogs, 39-5-1-2, will enter play this weekend looking to capture their 40th win of the season and keep their undefeated-in-regulation-at-home record intact.

SEA DOGS RALLY TO DEFEAT DRAKKAR

SN POST-GAME
FINAL: Sea Dogs 3, Drakkar 2

BAIE-COMEAU, Que. – Another year, another close game in Baie-Comeau.

With last season’s miraculous comeback still fresh in everyone’s memory, it looked as though the Saint John Sea Dogs and Baie-Comeau Drakkar were heading down the same road again. But the Sea Dogs proved to be that little bit better this season, besting the Drakkar 3-2 at the Henry Leonard Centre on Friday night in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

Last season, it was Michael Kirkpatrick who tied the game with just seconds remaining in the third period. Saint John would go on to ultimately win a shootout. This season, Steven Anthony scored with a little bit more time remaining as he netted the winner at 16:39 of the third.

The Sea Dogs played a pretty solid first period but just couldn’t find their grove in the middle frame. The Drakkar were all over the Dogs, taking a 2-1 lead at one point before Danick Gauthier tied the affair in the final minute of the period. Mike Thomas had the other Saint John goal.

Raphael Bussieres and Jean-Philippe Caron scored for Baie-Comeau. Drakkar netminder Jason Missiaen was excellent in goal, making 29 saves and joining the list of opposing goaltenders who have nearly stalled Saint John’s high octane offense over the past few weeks.

At the other end, 20-year old Jacob DeSerres also had a strong game. He made 21 stops on the night. The stats don’t do DeSerres much justice, however, as some of his saves were crucial to keep Saint John in the game at times. He was stellar in the third period, making a few huge stops.

FIRST PERIOD
After a dull first few moments of action, Danick Gauthier was called for hooking at 2:27. The Drakkar, sporting the worst power play in the QMJHL, had some puck possession but created very few scoring chances.

Saint John opened the scoring at 6:34. Steven Anthony was just inside the line and sent the puck down to Zack Phillips. The Fredericton native sent a cross ice pass to New Maryland native Mike Thomas who popped one past the Baie-Comeau goaltender to give the Sea Dogs a 1-0 lead.

A few moments later, Phillips came across the line and let loose a solid shot but was gloved away by Drakkar netminder Jason Massiaen. Shortly after, defenseman Eric Gelinas fired a point shot that produced a rebound but it was fired wide.

The Dogs had a power play of their own at 14:47 as Danny Chaiasson was called for tripping. During that span, the puck sat in the crease area for a few moments and created some buzzing but Thomas was unable to get a shot off before it was covered.

At the other end and the penalty over, the Drakkar had a decent chance as they tried the jam the puck past Jacob DeSerres. But the puck was quickly recovered by the Dogs and carried it up ice.

Shots in the opening frame were 11-4 Saint John.

SECOND PERIOD
In the middle frame, the Drakkar came flying out of the gates and put the pedal to the ground. Early on, Maxime Gravel had a great chance in close following a turnover, forcing DeSerres to make a nice stop in the Sea Dogs crease.

Saint John defenseman Jason Seed had a decent opportunity just prior to Gelinas tossing the puck out of play, giving Baie-Comeau their second man advantage of the night. After some nice passing and what not, the Sea Dogs were unable to get the puck out as the Drakkar kept pressing. The puck found its way to the crease where Raphael Bussieres somehow put it in to tie the match at 1-1.

On the next shift, Alexandre Durette tested DeSerres, making him make a big time glove save on a quick shot.

As the period grew on, the Sea Dogs finally started to get some momentum going their way. Stanislav Galiev had the puck in front but just sent the disc wide. After a fancy spin by Simon Despres, the puck then found Ryan Tesink who had a good shooting lane but a Baie-Comeau defender got his stick in the way and deflected it out of danger.

The Drakkar took their first lead of the game at 12:25 as Jean-Philippe Caron appeared to defect the shot up and over DeSerres to make it 2-1 for the home side. The officials would go upstairs, and after a short delay, it was ruled a good goal.

The score seemed to spark the Sea Dogs a little bit as they started to dictate the play later in the frame. At 19:06, Tesink shot the puck on goal and Missiaen couldn’t handle the rebound. The large goaltender wasn’t big enough to stop Gauthier’s rebound attempt who scored to tie the game up at 2-2 going into the second intermission.

Shots were 11-8 Baie-Comeau in the second period.

THIRD PERIOD
In the final session, Saint John stormed back with some great chances. The first came when a Simon Despres shot was deflected on goal, forcing the Drakkar ‘tender to make a nice stop. After Eliezer Sherbatov couldn’t jam the puck past DeSerres, the Sea Dogs started to get a flurry of scoring opportunities.

Thomas had another solid chance in close but was denied once again by Missiaen. After Tesink was stopped on a break, Michael Kirkpatrick sent a shot on net that was stopped as well as Galiev’s rebound attempt. Phillips then sent a nice pass down low to Anthony who unleashed a backhander that was also stopped by a zoned in Missiaen.

Baie-Comeau had a two-on-one after Saint John had a few moments of offensive pressure. Sherbatov got a shot off but was stoned by a dialed in DeSerres. Shortly after, the Drakkar could smell a goal but Lukas Cingel sent the puck through the blue paint, keeping the affair tied at 2-2.

Alexandre Beauregard then had a great opportunity to give Saint John the lead, but Missiaen made one of his best saves of the night by the getting the glove on it to keep it out.

The Drakkar netminder couldn’t stop Anthony at 16:39, however. The Vancouver Canucks prospect stripped Bussieres of the puck and sniped one past Missiaen to give the Sea Dogs their second lead of the game.

Baie-Comeau pulled Missiaen in the final minute in favour of the extra attacker. Despite some somewhat close calls, Saint John would hang on for the 3-2 victory.

Shots in the final 20-minutes were 13-8 Sea Dogs.

Saint John went 0-for-1 on the power play while Baie-Comeau went 1-for-2.

SAINT JOHN SCRATCHES
After spending most of the week at the 2011 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects, defenseman Nathan Beaulieu and forwards Jonathan Huberdeau and Tomas Jurco were all healthy scratches.

Forward Zack Phillips also participated in the event but he did suit up for the Dogs. News 88.9 hinted that he may be given tomorrow’s game in Chicoutimi off.

QUICK HITS
The lines were all over the map again tonight with Huberdeau and Jurco getting the night off. Captain Mike Thomas jumped up to fill Huberdeau’s spot on a line with Zack Phillips and Steven Anthony while Stephen MacAulay replaced Jurco and played alongside Michael Kirkpatrick and Stanislav Galiev… only three penalties were called in the game… Baie-Comeau has the worst power play in the league but were still able to find the back-of-the-net on a man advantage in the second period… our pal Hugo Laporte had no points and was a -2 on the night… only 1,428 at the game but they were loud and boisterous as they watched their Drakkar go toe-to-toe with Canada’s top-ranked team… the Sea Dogs have now earned at least a point in their last eight games. They are 7-0-1-0 during that stretch… rant: Bell internet can be a real joke some times… to relive the game, check out the SN Live Blog Replay.

NEXT GAME
The Sea Dogs are in Chicoutimi Saturday to play the Sagueneens at 5:00 pm.

Photo Credit: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

LIVE BLOG: Sea Dogs vs Drakkar

PRE-GAME: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Baie-Comeau Drakkar

 By Station Nation Staff

GAME DAY
WHO: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Baie-Comeau Drakkar
WHEN: Tonight, 8:30 pm
WHERE: Henry Leonard Centre

VISITING TEAM: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 35-5-1-2 (1st in Atlantic Division)
Last Game: 3-2 overtime loss vs Drummondville Saturday
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Huberdeau (43GP-27G-40A-67Pts)
Notes: The Saint John Sea Dogs enter Baie-Comeau tonight with a record of 35-5-1-2 which is good for top spot on the Maritimes Division and first overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Sea Dogs hold the division lead with comfort as they have a 10-point lead over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Saint John is two points up on the Quebec Remparts for the overall lead in the QMJHL… in the latest edition of the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings, the Sea Dogs were ranked first… Saint John is coming off a 3-2 overtime loss against the Drummondville Voltigeurs on Saturday night at Harbour Station. The Sea Dogs didn’t play a bad game, but didn’t play the kind of game that they are fully capable of. Stanislav Galiev had both goals for the Dogs while Mathieu Corbeil made 27 saves in goal. Notably, Saint John went 0-for-6 on the man advantage… the Sea Dogs are 14-5-0-1 away from home this season with all of their regulation loses coming while being on the road. They have earned 29-of-a-possible-40 points away from Harbour Station. The Dogs have outscored their opposition 90-61 on the road this season… the Sea Dogs have the seventh best power play in the league with a rating of 24%. On the road, they are operating at 28.4%, which is the second best road power play in the league… on the penalty kill, Saint John is ranked sixth with a rating of 80.8%. On the road, they are running at 76.4%... Jonathan Huberdeau leads the Sea Dogs in points this season with 67 in 43 games… Zack Phillips and Huberdeau sit tied for the team high in goals with 27 on the year… Huberdeau leads the club in assists with 40 while Phillips is second with 35 and Michael Kirkpatrick is third with 32… Phillips is second in the league in power play goals with 12… Mike Thomas is fourth in the league in shorthanded goals with three… Phillips is third in the QMJHL in game winning goals with six… Steven Anthony is tied for top spot in the league in terms of insurance goals with five… Huberdeau is a league best +39… Kirkpatrick has taken the second most dangerous shots of any player in the league with 124… goaltender Jacob DeSerres will likely get the start in net tonight. He has a record of 16-2-0-0, a goals against average of 2.33, and a save percentage of 0.918. DeSerres has the second best GAA in the league, is second in save percentage, and eighth in wins… Saint John is averaging a league high 4.74 goals per game. They are also allowing the fewest goals per game with an average of 2.58… the Sea Dogs are averaging a league high 36.65 shots per game… Simon Despres is on a four game road point scoring streak… 8-1-1-0 in their last 10 games and have gotten at least a point in their last seven contests.

HOME TEAM: Baie-Comeau Drakkar
Record: 7-31-5-4 (6th in Telus East Division)
Last Game: 5-2 win at Rimouski Saturday
Leading Scorer: Lukas Cingel (47GP-14G-20A-34Pts)
Notes: The Baie-Comeau Drakkar enter action this evening with a record of 7-31-5-4 which places them last in the Telus East Division and second last in the entire Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. They currently join the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies as the only teams who would miss the playoffs. With 21 games remaining on their schedule, they sit six points back of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles for the final playoff spot… the Drakkar are coming off one of their seven wins of the season with a 5-2 victory in Rimouski last Saturday. Hugo Laporte, Felix Girard, Lukas Cingel, Alexandre Durette, and Alexandre Larouche all scored for the Drakkar in the road win. Goaltender Jason Missiaen made 28 stops in the win. Baie-Comeau went two-for-five on the power play… the Drakkar are 3-15-2-2 at the Henry Leonard Centre this season, earning 10 of their total 23 points at home. They have been outscored 83-50 at home this season… the Drakkar have the worst power play in the league with a rating of just 10.6%. At home, they are operating at 10.5%... Baie-Comeau’s penalty kill is decent and sits ninth in the league with a rating of 78.5%. At home, they are running at 79.1%... rookie Lukas Cingel leads the Drakkar in scoring this season with 34 points in 47 games played… Cingel also leads the team in goals with 14 on the year while Raphael Bussieres sits a close second with 13… a Saint John favourite, Hugo Laporte, leads the team in assists with 19 on the year. Since being traded to Baie-Comeau, Laporte has two goals and two assists in five games… Gabriel Verpaelst is tied for third in league penalty minutes with 104 in 45 games… with 34 points, Cingel sits sixth in rookie scoring… Laporte sits second in the QMJHL in minor penalty minutes served with 34… goaltender Jason Missiaen has played the most minutes in goal for the Drakkar this season. He has a record of 6-21-4-3, a goals against average of 3.29, and a save percentage of 0.893. He is tied for the league lead in loses with 21… the Drakkar are 5-9-2-2 when scoring first… Baie-Comeau is averaging the second fewest goals per game with an average of 2.26… the Drakkar are allowing the fifth most goals per game with an average of 3.96… 3-6-1-0 in their last 10 games and are coming off a win.

BEWARE OF THE DRAKKR
Last season, the Baie-Comeau Drakkar gave the Sea Dogs fits in their two meetings. An unreal Drakkar goaltending performance and Michael Kirkpatrick’s legendary miracle goal did, however, get Saint John two wins over Baie-Comeau last year.

Here is a recap of last season’s action from a previous SN post:

On Saint John’s 22-game streak of pure awesomeness, the Drakkar gave the Sea Dogs not one, but two scares.

The first was on October 30, 2009 when Michael Kirkpatrick’s miracle goal off a faceoff at 19:58 of the third period at the Henry Leonard Centre tied the match. Kirkpatrick would then win the game in a shootout to give Saint John an unlikely 3-2 victory.

Move ahead a couple weeks to November 12, 2009, former Sea Dogs goaltending prospect Simon Giroux put on one of the sickest goaltending performances of the year. Giroux allowed just three goals on 54 shots in the loss. His Drakkar team would fire just 19 shots – six of them being considered dangerous – on Sea Dogs netminder Karel St. Laurent.

Giroux’s performance saw him plastered in the Telegraph-Journal the next day sitting next to a trash can (which can be seen above).

Pierre Durepos scored his first career goal in the second period which would prove to be the winner as Saint John went on to win their 12th straight match 4-2. The crowd of 2,671 was, and still is, one of the lowest in franchise history.

AN OLD FRIEND
An old friend of Sea Dogs fans, Hugo Laporte, was swapped to Baie-Comeau during the holiday trading period. Laprte has two goals and two assists in five games with Baie-Comeau this season.

The full story of #BooLaporte can be found HERE.

NOTES

• This will be the first game back for the four Sea Dogs who took part in the Top Prospects Game in Toronto this past week.
• This is the first game of a three-in-three Quebec road swing for the Dogs. They play in Chicoutimi tomorrow and in Quebec City on Sunday.
• The Drakkar lost 25 consecutive games earlier this season. The streak stretched from September 17 to November 21.
• GoDrakkarGo.com is a great site to get your Drakkar fix.
• Baie-Comeau travels to Saint John next weekend for a pair of games.

AT THE BIG SHOW
Look what was spotted at Boston Bruins game earlier this season:

ARENA INFO
Venue: Centre Henry Leonard
Seating Capacity: 3,042
Average Attendance: 1,652 (16th)
Year Built: 1997
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, SaintJohnSeaDogs.com

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 Chicoutimi tomorrow to play Guillaume Cloutier and the Sagueneens at 5:00 pm.

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: The Drakkar

The Baie-Comeau Drakkar are really, really bad.

After losing their first game of the year, the Drakkar pulled off a 3-1 victory over the Shawinigan Cataractes on September 12.

They haven’t won since.

Baie-Comeau has now lost an unreal 21 straight games. They are the owners of a 1-17-2-3 record which places them last in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League standings and seven points out of a tie for the last playoff spot.

The Drakkar return to the ice this Saturday in Lewiston where they could lose their 22nd second straight game – the same amount of games the Saint John Sea Dogs won consecutively last season. Just imagine going two months without winning a game.

On Saint John’s 22-game streak of pure awesomeness, the Drakkar gave the Sea Dogs not one, but two scares.

The first was on October 30, 2009 when Michael Kirkpatrick’s miracle goal off a faceoff with 3.6 seconds left at the Henry Leonard Centre tied the match. Kirkpatrick would then win the game in a shootout to give Saint John an unlikely 3-2 victory.

Move ahead a couple weeks to November 12, 2009, which is one year ago today (and the only reason this post makes any sense at all with regards to Flashback Friday), former Sea Dogs goaltending prospect Simon Giroux put on one of the sickest goaltending performances of the year.

Giroux, who was acquired by Saint John from the Drummondville Voltigeurs during the 2009 holiday trading period, allowed just three goals on 54 shots in the loss. His Drakkar team would fire just 19 shots – six of them being considered dangerous – on Sea Dogs netminder Karel St. Laurent.

Giroux’s performance saw him plastered in the Telegraph-Journal the next day sitting next to a trash can (which can be seen above).

Pierre Durepos scored his first career goal in the second period which would prove to be the winner as Saint John went on to win their 12th straight match 4-2. The crowd of 2,671 was, and still is, one of the lowest in franchise history.

Baie-Comeau would finish the 2009-10 season with a 21-40-4-3 record.

But despite all this, Sarah Connors spotted a Drakkar fan who was brave enough to wear his teams jersey to the Boston Bruins game last night.

Photo Credits: Telegraph-Journal, Sarah Connors