MOOSE LOOKING TO AVOID DOGS

The Halifax Mooseheads are hoping to avoid playing the Saint John Sea Dogs in the opening round of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs.

With a 4-3 shootout loss against the Prince Edward Island Rocket last night, the Mooseheads moved three points up on the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles for the 15th spot in the QMJHL standings. Whoever finishes 16th overall will be forced to play the top-ranked team in the Canadian Hockey League - the Sea Dogs.

In today’s Metro Halifax, Mooseheads import defenseman Konrad Abeltshauser explains that his team would feel much more comfortable finishing 15th overall.

“We think we have the strength to upset Montreal,” said Mooseheads defenceman Konrad Abeltshauser, the second star with a goal and an assist.

“A team like Saint John, with offence like (theirs) and the (depth) of their roster, would make it really hard against them. We obviously (want to) try to avoid Saint John and pull off an upset against Montreal.”

The Montreal Juniors currently sit second in the league with 95 points but the Quebec Remparts are knocking on the door and sit just one point back of the Juniors. Montreal has a game-on-hand over the Remparts.

The Juniors have been struggling a bit of late and are 6-2-0-2 in their last 10 games and are winless in their past two games.

No matter who the Mooseheads play, an upset will be extremely difficult. The Sea Dogs, Juniors, and Remparts are all in the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings and all have an above .730 winning percentages.

Photo Credit: David Connell Web Album

POSTSCRIPT: Mooseheads 1, Sea Dogs 4

SEA DOGS – MOOSEHEADS GAME AT A GLANCE
Final Score: Halifax 1, Saint John 4
Saint John Goals: Michael Kirkpatrick (27), Tomas Jurco (28), Nathan Beaulieu (11), and Stanislav Galiev (28)
Halifax Goals: Matthew Boudreau (9)
Winning Goaltender: SNB – Mathieu Corbeil
Losing Goaltenders: HAL – Anthony Terenzio
News 88.9 Top Dog: Stanislav Galiev

THE NUMBERS
Power Play: Mooseheads: 0/5; Sea Dogs: 2/3
Shots on Goal: Mooseheads: 10+7+6=23; Sea Dogs: 12+14+10=36
Length: 2:08
Attendance: 3,685

SAINT JOHN SCRATCHES
Defenseman Gabriel Bourret and forwards Scott Oke and Ryan Tesink were all healthy scratches.

DOGS WIN AGAIN
The Saint John Sea Dogs continued their season long domination of the Halifax Mooseheads with a 4-1 victory at Harbour Station Tuesday night. It was the last meeting of the season between the two teams with Saint John winning all eight games.

After Halifax failed to score on three power play opportunities, Michael Kirkpatrick opened up the scoring at 14:51 of the first period. Kevin Gagne fired the puck on goal and produced a rebound that was picked up and dished in by Kirkpatrick to give the Dogs a 1-0 lead through 20 minutes.

In the second, Tomas Jurco scored on the power play with Kirkpatrick picking up the lone assist. Fast forward to 13:24 of the middle frame, Eric Gelinas put the puck on a tee for Nathan Beaulieu who one-timed a point shot through traffic and past Mooseheads netminder Anthony Terenzio to give Saint John a 3-0 edge after two.

Matthew Boudreau got the Herd on the board at 2:39 of the final frame. A point shot nailed Boudreau in front of the net but made the smart play of finding the puck and sliding it past Sea Dogs goaltender Mathieu Corbeil to make it a 3-1 affair.

But the Dogs would have the last laugh as Stanislav Galiev blasted home his 28th of the season at 11:12 to give the Dogs a 4-1 win over the lowly Mooseheads.

ROLLING ALONG
The victory gave the Sea Dogs their 14th consecutive victory. The win was also Saint John’s 21st straight game without a regulation loss. Over that 21-game span, the Dogs are 20-0-1-0 with the one loss coming at home against the Drummondville Voltigeurs.

The win also kept Saint John's season long home streak alive. They are now 28-0-1-1 at Harbour Station and still have not suffered a regulation loss at home with four matches remaining.

NO DICE
The Mooseheads' power play just didn’t come to play on Tuesday night. Their first man advantage was quite good but seemed to go downhill from there. They went 0-for-3 in the first period and 0-for-5 overall.

"Everybody has their hands full against these guys but we actually played a pretty good game," said Mooseheads head coach Bobby Smith to the Chronicle Herald. "We had a real good power-play early in the first and could’ve gotten the lead but we played a strong game. I don’t think the scoring chances were lopsided. They got a couple of power-play goals in the second but we did a lot of good things.”

The Sea Dogs went a solid 2-for-3 on the man advantage.

"Our special teams were really good,'' Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant said to the Telegraph-Journal. "That was the key to our game tonight. Sometimes you have those emotional victories, like on the weekend, and tonight was a mid-week game where the atmosphere wasn't there. But we found a way to win again and I thought Corbeil was outstanding.''

GOOD GOALTENDING
Both goaltenders were good in this match. Anthony Terenzio made some nice stops in the loss, making 32 saves in total.

"Anthony was quite solid," Smith said. "He played a good game and there were a couple of power-play goals in the second period where he couldn’t really do anything about it."

At the other end, former Mooseheads goaltender Mathieu Corbeil continues to show improvement as the season rolls along. Corbeil made 22 saves in the win, earning him third star honours. The victory also evened his record to 15-15-1-1 on the year.

One of his best stops came when he made a nice pad stop on a the voweless wonder Martin Frk in the third period.

GALIEV ON A STREAK
Stanislav Galiev is on a bit of a hot streak of late. The Washington Capitals prospect has now scored in four straight contests to go along with two assists over that time period.

He has been playing very well of late on the top line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Zack Phillips. The Russian hit a drought after Christmas but has since heated up. Since January 14, a span of 16 games, Galiev has 11 goals.

In total, Galiev has 28 goals and 25 assists this season. He had 15 goals and 45 assists last season while playing most of the year on the Dogs' top line with Mike Hoffman and Nick Petersen.

HUBERDEAU
He only had one assist in the match, but Jonathan Huberdeau was cruising around the ice last night. The 17-year old was doing all kinds of spins and stuff and the Mooseheads just could not contain him as he drove to the net.

Halifax play-by-play man John Moore made a video of Huberdeau’s moves:



HIGHLIGHTS



QUICK HITS
Zack Phillips led the way with five shots for Saint John… Carl Gelinas led the way for the Mooseheads, getting five pucks on net… Danick Gauthier, Jason Cameron, and Jonathan Huberdeau led the Sea Dogs in hits with three each… Brent Andrews had four hits for the Mooseheads… Pierre Durepos’ name was spelt wrong on the video board at Harbour Station. Happy early birthday to him… this was the last weekday home game of the season for the Dogs… this match ended the Sea Dogs’ four-game homestand… the two points give Saint John 101 total points on the year. They are the seventh team in QMJHL history to record back-to-back 100-point campaigns… according to Metro Halifax, the Sea Dogs have “beaten the Mooseheads in 12 straight dating back to last season and won 18 of the past 19 head-to-head matchups”… to relive the game, visit the SN Live Blog Replay.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

• Probably the last weekday game at Harbour Station for awhile. They won’t be missed.
• Big road trip coming up.

NEXT GAME
The Sea Dogs are in Gatineau Friday night to play the Olympiques at 8:30 pm. It is the first of a three-in-three Quebec road swing for the Dogs.

14 STRAIGHT

Michael Kirkpatrick scored for Saint John in the win.

SN RECAP
FINAL: Mooseheads 1, Sea Dogs 4

SAINT JOHN – For the second straight year, the Saint John Sea Dogs have hit the triple digits.

With a 4-1 victory over the Halifax Mooseheads on Tuesday night at Harbour Station, the Sea Dogs picked up two points to increase their point total to a whopping 101 on the year. The win also saw Saint John’s lead in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League standings increase to 11 points over the Montreal Juniors.

According to the Sea Dogs’ Twitter, the hockey club is only the seventh team in QMJHL history to have back-to-back 100 point seasons. The win was also the Dogs’ 14th straight. Finally, they have now gone an amazing 21 consecutive games without losing in regulation.

As for the game itself, the Sea Dogs played well and were able to stop any possibility of an upset happening. The team got into some penalty trouble in the first period but their defense and a strong goaltending performance from Mathieu Corbeil was enough to shutdown the Mooseheads.

Michael Kirkpatrick, Tomas Jurco, Nathan Beaulieu, and Stanislav Galiev all scored for winners. Corbeil made 22 stops in the win, putting his season record up to 15-15-1-1.

As for the Mooseheads, they played quite well and they certainly did not play as bad as they had in the past against Saint John this season. Matthew Boudreau scored the lone goal for the visitors while Anthony Terenzio made 32 saves in the loss.

FIRST PERIOD
Michael Kirkpatrick was called for holding at 1:20 of the first period. Halifax’s best chance came following a scramble. The puck came loose and was centered for Martin Frk who was stopped nicely by a sliding Mathieu Corbeil in the Sea Dogs crease. It was a pretty good power play for the Herd although they couldn’t score.

Saint John went to their first power play of the night at 4:45. Kirkpatrick sent a nice cross crease pass to Jonathan Huberdeau but he was unable to get the sailing disc on goal. It was an okay man advantage for the Dogs.

The penalties kept coming as the Moose went back to the man advantage at 6:59. But unlike the first, Halifax couldn’t get much of anything working.

When that penalty ended, the Herd went to yet another power play moments later as Kirkpatrick went off again at 9:47, this time for hooking. Halifax struggled to get things working again and failed to open the scoring. Out of the box, Kirkpatrick and Stephen MacAulay tried to break free but it resulted in a huge pile up in the Mooseheads crease.

The Dogs opened the scoring at 14:51. Kevin Gagne fired a shot following a faceoff win and was stopped by Halifax netminder Anthony Terenzio. But the rebound came right to Kirkpatrick who potted his 27th of the campaign to make it 1-0 Saint John.

The Herd had a decent chance later on in the frame as Carl Gelinas fired a shot on Corbeil that produced a rebound. The puck came right to a streaking Darcy Ashley who had a yawning cage but couldn’t even get a shot off.

Saint John outshot Halifax in the opening frame 12-10

SECOND PERIOD
Zack Phillips fed Stanislav Galiev for the first quality chance of the second period but he hit the side of the cage with a backhander.

At 1:26 of the frame, Ashley tripped Tomas Jurco to give the Dogs a power play. On the ensuing man advantage, Jurco would not be tripped as he banged the puck past Terenzio down low to give Saint John a 2-0 lead.

Just a few seconds following the maker, a great pass from along the boards found Alexandre Beauregard at the other side of the ice by the net. But Beauregard sent the disc off the side of the cage as Terenzio dove to get across. Soon after, Phillips cut through some traffic to get in close but failed to get a shot on goal.

Some rough stuff at 8:23 created some four-on-four action with Jason Cameron and Martin Frk heading to the sin bin. During the span, Eric Gelinas sent a beautiful pass down low to Jason Seed who walked in from the blue line. Seed tipped the puck on net but was robbed by the Moose netminder.

After a few minutes of solid Sea Dogs pressure, they went back to the man advantage at 12:03. Huberdeau was doing all kinds of spins and stuff but couldn’t get a marker out of it on the power play. Then, at 13:24, Gelinas sent a pass to Beaulieu who blasted a point shot that got through. Phillips was originally given the goal but it was later awarded to Beaulieu. Either way, it was 3-0 Saint John.

Danick Gauthier headed to the box at 15:06. On the man advantage, Gerrad Grant walked in front and tried to jam the puck in past the pads of Corbeil but couldn’t. Later on, the puck hit the post or something and stayed out.

Late in the period, Steven Anthony centered the puck for Kirkpatrick but he couldn’t get enough of it to get it on goal.

Shots on goal in the second stanza were 14-7 Saint John.

THIRD PERIOD
Halifax got on the board at 2:39 of the third period. Konrad Abeltshauser sent a shot towards the goal and Matthew Boudreau picked up the garbage to cut the Sea Dogs’ lead to two.

Saint John went back to work after that with Huberdeau buzzing around the net but was unable to get the marker back. Halifax then broke loose on a partial two-on-one with the original shot being stopped. Corbeil was way out of his net following the stop but was still in good positioned to stop Frk’s chance.

Kirkpatrick had another good chance later on but was stopped in close.

Saint John got their goal back at 11:12 as Galiev hammered the puck on goal that snuck past Terenzio along the side of the post to make it a 4-1 affair.

Moments later, Frk was sprung on a breakaway. The Czech forward made a move to his backhand but Corbeil stuck with him, making the arm/pad stop and keeping the Herd away from any comeback opportunities.

Saint John had some good pressure in the final five minutes of the game but couldn’t find the back of the cage.

Shots in the third period were 10-6 Saint John.

The Sea Dogs were great on the power play, going 2-for-3, while Halifax went a woeful 0-for-5.

NOTES: See Sea Dogs Postscript tomorrow.

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs travel to Gatineau on Friday for a 8:30 pm contest. It is the first of a three-in-three for the Sea Dogs.

LIVE BLOG: Mooseheads vs Sea Dogs

PRE-GAME: vs Halifax Mooseheads

GAME DAY

Halifax Mooseheads vs Saint John Sea Dogs

Tonight, February 22, 2011, 7:00 pm

Harbour Station

PREVIEW
SAINT JOHN – The Halifax Moosheads are still fighting for playoff positioning as they enter Harbour Station this evening to play the Saint John Sea Dogs for the final time this year. Game time is 7:00 pm.

The Mooseheads, who have not made the post-season since 2008, are currently ranked 15th overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with a record of 18-37-1-2. They scored a big win last Friday over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, moving them two-points up on the final playoff spot. The Eagles currently hold the last post-season seat, eight points up the 17th placed Baie-Comeau Drakkar.

The Herd have been struggling of late and have hot-and-cold all season long. They are 3-7-0-0 in their last 10 games and snapped a lengthy losing skid Friday at Centre 200.

If the Eagles pull off a late season surge and push Halifax into the No. 16 slot, they will likely play Saint John in the opening round.

The Sea Dogs enter play this evening with the QMJHL’s best record of 48-5-1-2 and own a nine-point lead with two games in hand over the Montreal Juniors for the league's top spot. A win this evening or an overtime or shootout loss will give Saint John their second straight 100-point campaign.

The Dogs, top-ranked in the country for several weeks now, have won a season high 13 straight games and have gone 20 games with earning at least a point. Safe to say they are on a bit of hot streak.

You know the Mooseheads will be bringing their ‘A’ game, so hopefully the Sea Dogs can much their intensity all game and play a complete 60 minutes.

THE NUMBERS

	Halifax	Saint John
Record	18-37-1-2 (5th Maritimes Division)	48-5-1-2 (1st Maritimes)
Home Record	- - -	27-0-1-1
Road Record	9-20-0-0	- - -
Streak	0-1-0-0	19-0-1-0
Last 10	3-7-0-0	10-0-0-0
Goals For	165	269
Goals Against	226	139
Overall PP	17.5% (13th)	24% (6th)
Home PP	- - -	20.9% (9th)
Road PP	17.3% (16th)	- - -
Overall PK	76.6% (16th)	82.4% (3rd)
Home PK	- - -	85.9% (2nd)
Road PK	75.6% (17th)	- - -
PIM/GAME	15.9 (7th)	13.3 (13th)

VISITING TEAM: Halifax Mooseheads

NOTES: The Moosheads are led offensively by Carl Gelinas who has 49 points on the season… Gelinas leads the team in goals with 25 on the year… Martin Frk leads the club in assists with 26 on the season. Gelinas is second with 24… defenseman Konrad Abeltshauser is a team worst minue-30 this year… Frk is third in the league in scoring first goals with seven… Swayer Hannay leads the entire QMJHL in penalty minutes served with 149… Matthew Boudreau is two-for-two in the shootout… Frk has slipped to fifth in rookie scoring with 42 points. He is 11 points back of rookie leader Charles Hudon… the Mooseheads have been outscored 111-79 in 29 road contests this year… 2-8-0-0 in their last 10 road games... 17-16-0-2 when scoring first… 10-19-1-1 against Maritime Division opponents… 0-6-0-1 against the Sea Dogs this season… averaging 2.84 goals per game… allowing 3.90 goals against per game, the second highest in the league… averaging 30.28 shots per game… allowing 28.76 shots against per game.

PROBABLE GOALTENDER: No clue. We’ll guess Frederic Piche for obvious reasons. Since being traded to Halifax, Piche has a record of 2-6-0-1, a goals against average of 3.17, and a save percentage of 0.887. In total, the 19-year old gas a record of 16-8-0-3, a GAA of 2.77, and a SV% of 0.902.

LAST GAME: The Mooseheads are coming off a 2-1 home loss against the Val-d’Or Foreurs on Saturday. Travis Randell scored the lone Halifax goal while Frederic Piche made 19 saves in the loss.

HOME TEAM: Saint John Sea Dogs

NOTES: The Sea Dogs are led in the goal department by Jonathan Huberdeau. The 17-year old scoring sensation has 86 points in 55 games this season. He is just eight points back of QMJHL point leader Philip-Michael Devos… Huberdeau leads the club in goals with 36. Zack Phillips is second with 32… Huberdeau also leads the club in helpers after a three assist effort Saturday against Shawinigan. Phillips is a close second with 49… Phillips is fourth in the league in power play goals with 13… Mike Thomas is sixth in shorthanded goals with three… Phillips is fourth in game winning goals with seven… Phillips is sixth in first goals with seven… Tomas Jurco leads the QMJHL in insurance goals with 7… Huberdeau is a league best plus-52… Ryan Tesink is 11th in rookie scoring with 28 points… Michael Kirkpatrick is second in the league in dangerous shots with 161… Saint John is still without a regulation home loss this season. They are outscoring their opposition 145-62 on Harbour Station ice this season… 9-0-1-0 in their last 10 home games… 33-2-0-1 when scoring first… 29-3-0-0 versus the Maritime Division. Two loses were against Bathurst and the other was against Cape Breton… the Dogs lead the league in goals per game with an average of 4.80… they are allowing the fewest goals against per game with an average of 2.48… averaging a league high 36.84 shots per game… allowing an average of 27.29 shots against per game, good for fifth lowest in the league… Stanislav Galiev has scored in three straight games… Zack Phillips has gotten an assist in seven straight contests… here is the stat of the day: Simon Despres has gotten a penalty minute in five straight games.

PROBABLE GOALTENDER: Mathieu Corbeil will likely get the start in net. The former Moosehead has a record of 14-15-1-1, a goals against average of 3.37, and a save percentage of 0.873. Since joining the Dogs he has a record of 7-0-1-0, a GAA of 2.33, and a SV% of 0.895. He has let in some soft goals since coming over to Saint John, something he needs to correct.

LAST GAME: Saint John is coming off a solid 7-3 home win over the Shawinigan Cataractes on Saturday night at Harbour Station. Zack Phillips scored twice while Michael Kirkpatrick, Stanislav Galiev, Jonathan Huberdeau, Gabriel Bourret, and Tomas Jurco added singles. Jacob DeSerres made 23 stops in net for the win.

JERSEY AUCTION
First game for yet another jersey auction. From the Sea Dogs website:

Saint John Sea Dogs fans will have an opportunity to own a piece of team history over the next month.

The No. 1 major junior hockey team in Canada will be auctioning off game-worn jerseys from the 2009-10 team that captured the Jean Rougeau Trophy as regular-season champions of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

These silent auctions will begin at Tuesday’s game, a 7 p.m. start against the Halifax Mooseheads. On tap for Tuesday’s auction are the blue jerseys worn by Jonathan Huberdeau, Stephen MacAulay, Scott Oke and Marc-Antoine Gelinas. Bid sheets will be situated at Sea Dogs Central and bidding will close at the end of the second period.

THE RINK
Venue: Harbour Station
Capacity: 6,297
Average Attendance: 4,259
QMJHL Arena Guide

MEDIA GUIDE
Radio (Sea Dogs): News 88.9 FM
Live Web Feed: Telus
Television: None
Post-Game Coverage: Station Nation, Telegraph-Jouranl, Metro Halifax, Chronicle Herald
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 Gatineau to play the Olympiques Friday night.

Photo Credit: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

SELECTION COMMITTEE BEGINS TOURING

The 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup Selection Committee begins their tour of the four bidding sites today in Halifax. The committee will then travel to Cape Breton tomorrow, Saint John Wednesday, and Shawinigan on Friday.

From the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles website:

The Selection Committee, made up of Chair, Gerald Janneteau, Michel Cote, Vincent Damphousse, Robert Basque and Bernard Valcourt, will be accompanied by Gilles Courteau, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Commissione. There is a specific evaluation grid the committee will follow that includes major areas such as hockey operations, facilities, ticket sales and community support. The visit will play a major part in the decision making process of which location will host in 2012.

The Mooseheads’ bid is a bit of a mystery. There has been no buzz at all compared to their Atlantic counterparts in Saint John and Sydney.

“2012 QMJHL Mem Cup bid selection committee visits Halifax today,” tweeted Moose play-by-play man John Moore earlier today. “Strength of bid will be arena , transportation, accommodation.”

Hosting the tournament in 2000, a rebuilding team this season, an inexperienced head coach, and a disgruntled fan base will not do Halifax’s bid any favours.

Mooseheads owner-turned-head-coach Bobby Smith shared his thoughts in the Telegraph-Journal today.

The host of the Canadian Hockey League's national championship will be announced in April.

POSTSCRIPT: Sea Dogs 4, Mooseheads 3

SEA DOGS – MOOSEHEADS GAME AT A GLANCE
Final Score: Saint John 4, Halifax 3
Saint John Goals: Jonathan Huberdeau (34), Michael Kirkpatrick (23, 24), and Zack Phillips (30)
Halifax Goals: Charles Bety (20, 21) and Gerrad Grant (6)
Winning Goaltender: SNB – Mathieu Corbeil
Losing Goaltenders: HAL – Anthony Terenzio
News 88.9 Top Dog: Mathieu Corbeil

THE NUMBERS
Power Play: Mooseheads: 0/4, Sea Dogs: 2/7
Shots on Goal: Mooseheads: 8+10+6=24, Sea Dogs: 11+13+6=30
Length: 2:32
Attendance: 6,779

SAINT JOHN SCRATCHES
For the second straight game, defenseman Simon Despres and forward Alexandre Beauregard were out of the lineup with “minor lower body injuries.” Forward Jason Cameron was a healthy scratch even after scoring in Friday’s game in Moncton.

DOGS DOWN MOOSE 4-3
The Halifax Mooseheads proved to be a stiff test for the Saint John Sea Dogs – but they weren’t good enough. A four-goal second period led the top-ranked team in the nation to a 4-3 victory over the Mooseheads Saturday night in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

The Mooseheads, who have given the Sea Dogs quite a bit of trouble over the past two seasons, got out to a quick start but couldn’t keep the momentum going. Saint John’s big guns took over the match in the second period which would prove to be all the Dogs would need to earn their ninth straight victory.

“We came out strong, the way we wanted to come out,” former Sea Dogs defenseman Pascal Amyot said of the Mooseheads performance to Metro Halifax. “They obviously adjusted in the second period and maybe the intensity dropped a little bit, but overall we can’t be disappointed because we played a solid game against a solid team.”

Charles Bety scored just 43 seconds in as he sniped a shot top corner on Saint John netminder Mathieu Corbeil to give the Herd an early 1-0 lead. At 13:52, Bety struck again as went around the net, walked out in front, and then sailed the disc over a down Corbeil to give Moose Country something to cheer about.

But in the second, the Sea Dogs offense awoke as Jonathan Huberdeau kicked things off by recording his 34th of the year just 27 seconds in on a power play to make it 2-1. Then, at 4:19 on another power play, Michael Kirkpatrick evened the affair at 2-2. Gerrad Grant gave the Moose a one-goal lead again at 7:55 but the Sea Dogs would respond with Zack Phillips scoring at 9:53 thanks to a great dish from Huberdeau. Kirkpatrick gave Saint John their first lead of the hockey game at 18:16 and would not look back as the Dogs skated on to victory.

“The good start was really important," said Mooseheads defenseman Anthony Goulet to the Chronicle Herald. "The coach (Bobby Smith) said we needed that and we got that. We were so close so we are (angry) right now.

"Yes, we feel good about the way we played but we are still mad because we know we could have won this game."

Halifax had their struggles in the third period trying to tie the match. They had difficulty getting the puck out of the zone for several minutes late in the affair and then took a deadly too many men call in the dying seconds.

CORBEIL RETURNS
Mathieu Corbeil got his first start against his old team last night at the Metro Centre. The sacred Sea Dogs goaltending rotation was broken on Friday, allowing the Columbus Blue Jackets prospect to get the start in the building he once called home.

Corbeil played okay. He wasn’t great, but wasn’t awful. He allowed a goal in the first minute which surly deflated the Sea Dogs in the early goings. The third goal against was a weak one as Gerrad Grant threw the puck on goal from the goal line and somehow snuck through Corbeil’s pads.

“We know Corbeil’s weaknesses … We know he gives up lots of rebounds, we know his high glove, he’s got to work on that a little bit,” Charles Bety, who scored twice, said to Metro Halifax. “We tried to shoot as many pucks as possible … but it wasn’t enough for a win.”

Corbeil did make some key stops though and was, obviously, good enough to get the win. His new blue equipment also made their first game appearance.

THE OFFICIALS
The officials had a bad night on Saturday. They called some borderline stuff against the Mooseheads and missed a few calls against Saint John. It just wasn’t your typical QMJHL called hockey game. It was weird.

At the end of the day, Saint John went 2-for-7 on the power play while Halifax went 0-for-4.

We are just happy there were no riots at the Metro Centre.

MOOSE MOVING IN RIGHT DIRECTION
They’ve had their struggles this year, but the Mooseheads have been playing much better of late. As evident in yesterday’s game, the Mooseheads didn’t play like the team that was blown-out 9-2 by Saint John earlier this year.

Halifax entered the game on a two-game winning streak which included a fairly large 5-2 upset win over the Drummondville Voltigeurs on Wednesday. The Herd have now won three of their past five games.

JERSEY FOUL
From our boy Justin Dickie on Twitter, a horrific jersey foul was spotted at the Metro Centre last night. Apparently, you don’t have to pass a spelling test to be a fan of Anthony Terenzio.

THOMAS VS HANNAY
Pretty good fight in the third period as Mike Thomas and Sawyer Hannay dropped the gloves.



Hannay was tossed for “taking off one's own helmet or attempting to pull off an opponent's helmet, undo the chinstrap or his opponent's.” For whatever reason, Thomas was not disciplined for his jersey almost completely coming off.

STILL ROLLING
With the win, the Sea Dogs have now won nine straight games. Saint John won 10 games earlier this season which ties them with Lewiston and Quebec for the season high in the QMJHL this year.

Saint John is currently on an impressive 15-0-1-0 run and are 9-0-1-0 in their past 10 games. They have yet to lose a game in regulation in the year 2011.

DYNAMIC DUO STRIKES AGAIN
Some unreal stats from Matthew Wuest at Metro Halifax:

Huberdeau (eight goals and 12 assists) and Phillips (eight goals and six assists) have sliced and diced the Herd’s defence for a combined 34 points in seven games this season.

QUICK HITS
This was the Sea Dogs’ final game in Halifax this season. They went 4-0 at the Metro Centre… the Sea Dogs Fan Bus made the trip to the game. It was a success… eight of the Mooseheads’ next nine games are on the road thanks in most part to the Metro Centre being used for the 2011 Canada Winter Games… defenseman Simon Desmarais and forward Alex Souligny were healthy scratches for the Mooseheads… Brent Andrews was the only Moosehead player with a minus rating… Jonathan Huberdeau had a team high five shots for Saint John… Charles Bety had a team high give shots for Halifax… Stanislav Galiev was a team worst -3 for the Dogs… Huberdeau, with 80 points, is now just seven points back of Philip-Michael Devos for the league scoring lead… to relive the game, check out the SN Live Blog Replay.

OUT OF TOWN
Rouyn-Noranda 0 at Baie-Comeau 4
Victoriaville 3 at Chicoutimi 5
Drummondville 1 at Acadie-Bathurst 5
PEI 5 at Moncton 2
Cape Breton 0 at Lewiston 6
Gatineau 3 at Québec 6
Rimouski 2 at Val-d'Or 3

There was a mascot fight in Lewiston:



NEXT GAME
The Sea Dogs travel to Prince Edward Island to face the Rocket on Friday at 7pm.

Photo Credits: Richard Lafortune, Richard Lafortune, Justin Dickie

FAN BUS TRIP A SUCCESS

The Saint John Sea Dogs Fan Bus Trip to Halifax yesterday was a success as 47 passengers watched the Dogs squeak out a 4-3 win over the Mooseheads.

Event organizer Paul Leger asked us to pass along the following message:

The Sea Dogs Fan Bus Trip to Halifax was a great success!! 47 very enthusiastic and awesome Sea Dogs fans braved the wintery conditions to see the Sea Dogs take another victory, this time from the Halifax Mooseheads!!

On behalf of myself and Angie, I would like to thank the following companies who donated items for the bus trip.

Moosehead for the t-shirts
Tim Horton's for the Timbits
Robin's Donuts for the coffee
Cora's for the gift certificates
Subway for the gift certificates
AVON for the AVON products
Saint John Sea Dogs for the t-shirts
Delta Hotel (Shuckers) for the Prime Rib Buffet Dinner For 2

I would also like to thank the Saint John Sea Dogs front office staff, for the support that they gave myself and Angie in helping to advertise the trip last weekend at the games. Kyle and Jennifer, you rock!! Thank you Shanna for getting the tickets for us! It was very much appreciated.

To Tim Roszell of News 889 and Stage Lachance of CHQC Radio. Thank you for advertising the bus trip!!

To our bus driver Ken Churchill of Areroshuttle Charters. Thank you for getting us back to Saint John safely, in the horrible driving conditions.

Finally, I wanted to thank the great fans who came with us to Halifax!! Without you, there wouldn't of been a bus trip!

See you on the next trip!!

Paul Leger & Angie Scribner

CORBEIL, DOGS EDGE MOOSEHEADS

SN RECAP
FINAL: Sea Dogs 4, Mooseheads 3

HALIFAX, NS – Mathieu Corbeil got what he wanted.

The current Saint John Sea Dogs goaltender got the start against his old team that he wanted – and he delivered. Corbeil made 21 saves as the Sea Dogs battled back to defeat the Halifax Mooseheads 4-3 on Saturday night at the Metro Centre in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

Michael Kirkpatrick had two goals while Zack Phillips and Jonathan Huberdeau each added singles. Huberdeau also had two assists.

Corbeil played okay against his former team but had a few shaky moments. The 19-year old Columbus Blue Jackets prospect allowed a goal in the first minute of play and the let in a very weak Gerrad Grant shot in the second period. But in the end, it was good enough to pick up two-points for Saint John.

The Mooseheads came to play in this one. Halifax had a 2-0 lead after one but then started to get into penalty troubles thanks to some very borderline calls by the officials. The Herd blew their lead but were able to get it back once more before bowing out to the powerful Sea Dogs.

It was the second period that did the Mooseheads in as Saint John scored four in the frame en route to an eventual win. Overall, it was a solid game by the Herd against the top-ranked team in the land. Halifax has been playing better of late and it certainly showed in this one.

Halifax had two markers from Charles Bety and a solo goal from Grant. Goaltender Anthony Terenzio made 26 saves in the loss.

FIRST PERIOD
Charles Bety gave the Mooseheads an early lead as he made it 1-0 just 43 seconds into the game. Bety came down the wing and then centered himself before sniping a shot into the corner past Sea Dogs goaltender Mathieu Corbeil.

Tomas Jurco then had a good chance for Saint John down low but was denied by the pad of Moose ‘tender Anthony Terenzio. But the Herd would get the better of the chances after that. Carl Gelinas had a partial break but had sent a shot wide and then Corbeil robbed Darcy Ashley on a rebound opportunity.

Corbeil’s best save of the period came when Martin Frk cut in front and got a backhand shot off but the Sea Dogs netminder was able to get the pad out and make the stop. Then, after Sawyer Hannay ran into a linesman, Michael Kirkpatrick shot the puck on a two-on-one but was stopped. Jurco picked up the rebound in front but was denied by Terenzio as well.

Halifax scored again at 13:52. Following a scramble in front, Bety picked the disc up and went around the net. With Corbeil down, Bety went up high to give the home side a 2-0 lead.

The Sea Dogs started to get some good chances following the goal. Eric Gelinas let a point shot go through a heavy amount of traffic but Terenzio made the glove stop.

After Nathan Beaulieu nailed Brent Andrews along the boards, Andrews took a hooking call at 15:55. On the power play, the Sea Dogs had some decent pressure going but could not beat Terenzio in the Halifax net.

Bety took a goaltender interference call at 19:04 after tripping up Corbeil. Ryan Tesink had a great chance in front as the period winded down but was unable to beat the Terenzio.

Shots in the opening period were 11-8 Saint John.

SECOND PERIOD
The Sea Dogs got on the board on the power play just 27 seconds into the second period. The puck came loose in front and Huberdeau was left all alone, shooting the puck five-hole on Terenzio to cut the Mooseheads’ lead to one.

Soon after Carl Gelinas was sprung on a break but shot wide, Danick Gauthier was called for charging at 2:06. But at 3:31, things evened up as Konrad Abeltshauser headed to the box. During the four-on-four span, Kirkpatrick let a shot go that produced a rebound. Phillips backhanded the puck on goal from the goal line and beat Terenzio to tie the match at 2-2. The goal was later rewarded to Kirkpatrick.

The Mooseheads’ penalty woes continued at 4:58 as Luca Ciampini was called for tripping. During the man advantage, Stanislav Galiev cut through the defense and broke in but was stopped by the pad of the Halifax goaltender. Then, Phillips was wide open at the side but couldn’t get his stick on the puck.

Halifax got their lead back at 7:55 as Gerrad Grant came down the wing and sent a shot on goal from a sharp angle. The disc somehow slipped through the pads of Corbeil to give the Herd a 3-2 lead.

Penalties to Jason Seed and Martin Frk at 8:49 created some more four-on-four action. During that span at 9:53, Huberdeau was in the offensive zone and skated between the circles. He then sent a perfect pass to Phillips at the side of goal who wired one up high on Terenzio to give the Dogs a 3-3 tie.

Corbeil stood tall soon after in the Saint John crease as he stoned Frk with a huge glove stop. Then, Huberdeau deflected a shot on goal that created a huge rebound but nobody was there to gobble it up.

Eric Gelinas took a hooking penalty at 14:11, giving the Moose another power play. But the Herd couldn’t get anything set up and failed to retake the lead.

Saint John finally jumped in front at 18:16 as Kirkpatrick had the puck below the goal line. After some nice spin work to keep control of the puck, he cut in front and jammed a shot under Terenzio to give the Dogs a 4-3 lead.

Shots in the second session of play were 13-10 in favour of the visitors.

THIRD PERIOD
Halifax went to the power play just three seconds into the frame as Kirkpatrick was called for cross checking. The Mooseheads had an okay man advantage but could not score. Shortly after, they nearly tied the affair but Nathan Beaulieu made a terrific play to rob Ashley of a sure goal.

The gloves came off a 4:10 as Mike Thomas and Hannay went at it. The two put in a pretty solid tilt in what could be ruled as a draw. Hannay picked a game misconduct and likely a one-game suspension for “taking off one's own helmet or attempting to pull off an opponent's helmet, undo the chinstrap or his opponent's.”

After the Sea Dogs killed off an Aidan Kelly penalty, they had a lengthy five-on-three power play opportunity at 8:04. Huberdeau had the best chance of the man advantage but was stopped by Terenzio. The Mooseheads put together a solid penalty kill and were able to come out of it still down just a goal.

As play started to slow down, Phillips tried jam the puck past Terenzio but couldn’t. The puck then rebounded to Galiev who was also stopped. The flurry of chances kicked off a few moments of good Saint John offensive pressure as the Moose had a hard time trying to get the puck out of the zone let alone trying to tie the match.

In the final minute, Halifax just couldn’t things organized to try and even the game up. With three seconds left, the Mooseheads took a too many men call which would force the faceoff to be taken in the Halifax zone and guarantee a Saint John win.

Shots in the final frame were six apiece.

Saint John went 2-for-7 on the power play while Halifax went 0-for-4.

NOTES: See Sea Dogs Postscript tomorrow.

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs travel to Charlottetown on Friday to face the Rocket.

Photo Credit: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

LIVE BLOG: Sea Dogs vs Mooseheads

PRE-GAME: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Halifax Mooseheads

By Station Nation Staff

GAME DAY
WHO: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Halifax Mooseheads
WHEN: Tonight, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Halifax Metro Centre

VISITING TEAM: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 43-5-1-2 (1st in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 11-2 win at Moncton yesterday
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Huberdeau (50GP-33G-44A-77Pts)
Notes: The Saint John Sea Dogs enter play tonight with a record of 43-5-1-2 which is good for first place in the Maritimes Division and first overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. With a win last night, the Sea Dogs now have a 21-point lead over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan for the top spot in the division. They own a 10-point lead over the Montreal Juniors for first in the QMJHL standings… Saint John is the nationally top-ranked in the country according to the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings. They have now been ranked first for eight straight weeks… the Sea Dogs are coming off a blowout win in Moncton last night against the Wildcats. Saint John found the net 11 times in the 11-2 rout over the ‘Cats. Saint John had a hat trick from Tomas Jurco, two goals from Jonathan Huberdeau, and single markers from Stephan MacAulay, Aidan Kelly, Gabriel Bourret, Jason Cameron, Michael Kirkpatrick, and Stanislav Galiev. Jacob DeSerres was not tested too much, making 28 saves in the victory. It was complete domination and one of the best Sea Dogs road games of the year… Saint John has now won eight straight games and are on a 14-0-1-0 run. In their last 10 games, the club is 9-0-1-0… they are 19-5-0-1 on the road this season and have outscored their opposition 116-73. They are one of only two clubs in the QMJHL to have scored over 100 goals on the road this season. All five of Saint John’s regulation loses have come on the road… 9-1-0-0 in their last 10 road games… the team has yet to lose in the regulation in the year 2011. Their last loss was on January 30 in Bathurst… Saint John has the seventh best power play in the QMJHL at the moment with a rating of 24.8%. On the road, they are running at 28.9% which is the third best road power play in the league… the Sea Dogs have the seventh best penalty kill in the league with a rating of 80.9%. On the road, the team is operating at 75.6%... yesterday in Moncton, Saint John went 1-for-2 on the power play while they allowed one power play goal on two chances… the Sea Dogs are serving the 14th most penalty minutes per game with an average of 12.7… Jonathan Huberdeau is still leading the Sea Dogs in scoring with 77 points in 50 games. Zack Phillips sits second with 73 points… Huberdeau leads the club in goals with 33 on the year. He had two last night… Phillips and Huberdeau are tied for the team lead in assists with 44 each. Phillips and Steven Anthony each had thee helpers last night… former Mooseheads goaltender Mathieu Corbeil is expected to get his first start against his former team tonight. Corbeil has a record of 11-15-1-1, a goals against average of 3.52, and a save percentage of 0.871. Since joining the Sea Dogs, Corbeil is 4-0-1-0 with a 2.52 GAA and save percentage of 0.893... Michael Kirkpatrick and Tomas Jurco are on three game goal scoring streaks. Jurco has scored seven goals in his past three games… Kirkpatrick is on a seven game point scoring streak… Zack Phillips is on an eight game road assist scoring streak.

HOME TEAM: Halifax Mooseheads
Record: 17-31-1-2 (5th in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 5-2 win vs Drummondville Wednesday
Leading Scorer: Carl Gelinas (51GP-23G-23G-46Pts)
Notes: The Halifax Mooseheads enter action this evening with a record of 17-31-1-2 which places them fifth in the Maritimes Division and 15th overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. They have gained a bit of ground on the 16th placed Cape Breton Screaming Eagles as they have a three point lead and two games in hand. It will take quite a collapse for the Moose to miss the playoffs as the Baie-Comeau Drakkar are 12 points back of the Herd… it was the game that nobody saw on Wednesday night at the Halifax Metro Centre. With a winter storm wrecking havoc, the Mooseheads pulled off a huge upset win by beating the Drummondville Voltigeurs 5-2. Gerrad Grant, Trey Lewis, Darcy Ashley, and Carl Gelinas (2) scored for the Herd. Former Sea Dogs goaltender Frederic Piche made 22 saves in the win… 3-6-0-1 in their last 10 games and have won two straight. Over their past two games, the Moose have outscored their opposition 10-6… 9-15-1-2 at the Metro Centre this season and have been outscored 109-82. They have picked up 21 points at home this season compared to 16 on the road… in their last 10 home matches, the Mooseheads are 3-5-1-1… Halifax’s penalty kill isn’t the greatest story of the season. Their PK comes in ranked 16th in the league with a rating of 74.3%. At home, the team is running at 77.3%... the Mooseheads’ power play is ranked 13th in the league with a rating of 19%. At home, the team is operating at 19.2%, good for 11th among home teams in the league… Halifax is currently serving the fifth most penalty minutes per game with an average of 16.1 per game… Carl Gelinas currently leads the team in scoring with 46 points in 51 games. Import star Maryin Frk is second on the team in points with 39… Gelinas leads the club in goals with 23 on the year. Charles Bety is second with 19… Frk leads the team in assists with 25 this season. Gelinas is a close second with 23 on the year… Anthony Terenzio is expected to get the start in goal this evening. The American has a record of 9-11-1-0, a goals against average of 3.80, and a save percentage of 0.872… Frk is 11th in the league in first goals with five… Sawyer Hannay leads the league in penalty minutes with 126 minutes served in 42 games. He is averaging three penalty minutes per game… Matthew Boudreau is 2-for-2 in the shootout… Frk is fourth in rookie scoring with 39 points while Ashley is fifth with 36 points… Gelinas has taken the fifth most dangerous shots in the league this season with 115… Gelinas is on a four-game goals scoring streak.

HOCKEY DAY IN MOOSE COUNTRY
Today is Hockey Day in Moose Country. From the Mooseheads website:

The Mooseheads will be hosting 16 Atom and PeeWee House League teams from across the Province who will be playing games all day at the Metro Centre as part of the festivities. The Mooseheads will also introduce the Halifax Hawks PeeWee AAA team representing the Mooseheads at the Quebec International PeeWee Tournament next week in Quebec City. Fans going to the game are encouraged to wear their favourite hockey jersey for a chance to win great prizes.

The Mooseheads will also recognize 13-year old Michael Rumsby, the Captain of the Bantam AA Cole Harbour Wings, who will perform the official puck drop for the event. Rumsby, recently featured on CBC during the NHL Winter Classic, is battling brain cancer.

NOTES

• Frédéric Piché earned his first victory with the Mooseheads Wednesday night vs. Drummondville.
• From the Mooseheads Twitter: Crazy stat of the day: If Corbeil starts tonite for SJ, it'll be the 2nd home game in a row where AT faces a goalie 1ft taller than him.
• This is the Sea Dogs’ last game in Halifax this season.
• Should be interesting to see how the Mooseheads play against Mathieu Corbeil tonight.

ARENA INFO
Venue: Halifax Metro Centre
Seating Capacity: 10,500
Average Attendance: 5,170
Year Built: 1978
QMJHL Arena Guide

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

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

AFTER THE BUZZER
Saint John travels to Charlottetown to face the PEI Rocket on Friday night at 7pm.

Photo Credits: Mooseheads website, Moose Maniac, Drummondville radio

POSTSCRIPT: Sea Dogs 9, Mooseheads 2

By Station Nation Staff

SEA DOGS – MOOSEHEADS GAME AT A GLANCE
Final Score: Saint John 9, Halifax 2
Saint John Goals: Jonathan Huberdeau (27), Nathan Beaulieu (7, 8), Steven Anthony (15, 16), Zach Phillips (27), Mike Thomas (11), and Michael Kirkpatrick (13, 14)
Halifax Goals: Charles Bety (13), Brent Andrews (10)
Winning Goaltender: SNB – Jacob DeSerres
Losing Goaltenders: HAL – Frederic Piche and Anthony Terenzio
News 88.9 Top Dog: Eric Gelinas

THE NUMBERS
Power Play: Mooseheads: 2/6, Sea Dogs: 4/6
Shots on Goal: Mooseheads: 13+15+11=39, Sea Dogs: 14+13+9=36
Length: 2:13
Attendance: 5,513

SAINT JOHN SCRATCHES
Defenseman Simon Despres and forward Tomas Jurco were given the night off after returning from the World Junior Hockey Championships earlier this week.

Defenseman Kevin Gagne missed his third straight game with what the Sea Dogs are calling an “upper body injury.” Defenseman Spencer MacDonald, who was recalled from junior ‘A’ last week, is no longer with the big club. Forward Scott Oke was a healthy scratch.

BLOWOUT CITY
The Saint John Sea Dogs put the hammer down on Saturday night at the Halifax Metro Centre, blowing out the hometown Mooseheads 9-2 in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

The Sea Dogs scored early and often against the Mooseheads, beating former Saint John goaltender Frederic Piche on their first shot of the game just 39 seconds into the opening period.

"It was just one of those nights," said Mooseheads captain Travis Randell to the Chronicle Herald. "All the bounces went their way and nothing went right for us. They’re a highly skilled team, the best team in the country, and they’re going to score if you give them any chances."

Jonathan Huberdeau was the goal getter on the early marker, walking around former Sea Dog Pascal Amyot and then going high glove on Piche. The Mooseheads tied the game on a power play 5:01 thanks to a Charles Bety tip – but that would be as close as the Herd would get on this night.

Nathan Beaulieu gave the Sea Dogs their lead back at 11:16 with a power play goal. Then Steven Anthony scored two straight to send Saint John to the dressing room with a 4-1 lead.

Rookie Anthony Terenzio replaced Piche in goal to start the second frame. Things didn’t go much better for him in net as the Sea Dogs were able to add four more to their lead. Zach Phillips scored just 16 seconds in followed by a Mike Thomas shorthanded goal at 7:02. Michael Kirkpatrick then made his presence known, scoring twice to give Saint John a 8-1 lead after 40 minutes.

In the third and Piche back in net, Beaulieu scored his second of the game at 15:54. The man advantage goal came with Saint John mostly using their third and fourth lines as the power play unit. Brent Andrews scored late in period but it didn’t mean much as the Dogs cruised to a 9-2 victory.

The Mooseheads, a rebuilding club, have been in blowouts before. But there was something about this game that really made it feel as though the Mooseheads were never in it after the puck dropped.

"Even if you had a three-goal lead going into the third period against a team like that it wouldn’t be safe," Randell said. "They’re a dangerous team no matter what the score is and it’s even tougher to come back against them because they’ve got so many good players."

NOT PICHE’S NIGHT
It certainly was a night to forget for Frederic Piche. After being traded to the Mooseheads on Thursday, the goaltender was given the start against his old team who just so happen to be the most offensively dangerous club in the QMJHL.

Piche got lit up in the first period, allowing four goals on 14 shots. After backup Anthony Terenzio allowed four goals of his own in the middle frame, Piche relieved him at 13:35. The 19-year let in a Nathan Beaulieu laser in the third period, his only goal against on nine shots.

The Mooseheads’ defense didn’t help him a lot, either, allowing shooters to walk straight past them on some occasions. Was it the right move for the Moose to start Piche against his former team in his Halifax debut? That is definitely a debatable question.

The player the Sea Dogs got in return for Piche, goaltender Mathieu Corbeil, spent the night on the bench backing-up Jacob DeSerres.

STREAKING
The Sea Dogs improved to 6-0-0-0 against the Mooseheads this season and have now outscored the club 35-14. Saint John has now won four straight contests and lost only once in the unofficial second half of the season.

The Mooseheads on the other hand have lost two straight. Metro Halifax tweeted that the Herd have “lost by seven or more goals just seven times in 528 games over the past eight seasons.”

GELINAS, SEED MAKE DEBUTS
Two newly acquired defenseman made their Sea Dogs debut last night. Eric Gelinas, acquired on Wednesday in exchange for Guillaume Cloutier, got lots of ice time. He created a solid scoring chance early in the first period after unleashing a point shot. He assisted on two goals, was a +4, recorded two shots, and had a team high four shots.

Jason Seed also made his Sea Dogs debut on the backend. He was a +1 and had one shot on goal in the game.

DeSERRES PLAYS WELL IN WIN
Despite the lopsided score, Sea Dogs goaltender Jacob DeSerres made some big saves in the game. He made a few highlight cross crease stops that, although the game was already out of reach for the Mooseheads, kept the momentum going in Saint John’s favour.

In total, DeSerres made 37 saves on 39 shots as Halifax outshot the Sea Dogs, 39-36.

Also of note, this was the first time DeSerres has started back-to-back games this season. He started in Tuesday’s shootout win over Bathurst.

THE BIG LINE
The big line of Steven Anthony, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Zach Phillips had yet another big night for the Sea Dogs.

Anthony recorded two goals and one assist, Huberdeau one goal and four assists, and Phillips one goal and two assists. In total, the trio combined for four goals and seven helpers. Since the three have been put together, they have been one of the hottest lines in the QMJHL.

QUICK HITS
Four of Saint John’s seven penalties in the game were hooking calls… Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant was not on the bench for the second half of the game, reported News 88.9. It’s unknown where he was… Michael Kirkpatrick is now three points back of tying Ryan Sparling’s franchise record for career points as a Sea Dog… Saint John went a solid 4/6 on the power play… the Silvervision feed at the Metro Centre kept showing the same people: a group of young ladies, some guy in a green jacket, and occasionally a body suit man… the first shot in the first and second periods both went in… the Sea Dogs tied their season high for goals in a game. They recorded nine in that insane game in Moncton earlier this season… Stephen MacAulay and Pierre Durepos were the only Saint John players without a shot on goal… Steven Anthony had a team high six shots… Carl Gelinas led the Mooseheads in shots with six… Mike Thomas is now fourth overall in the QMJHL in shorthanded goals with three… to relive the match, check out the SN Live Blog replay.

NEXT GAME
The Sea Dogs host the PEI Rocket at 7:00 pm on Tuesday at Harbour Station.

Photo Credits: RicLaf Flickr, RicLaf Flickr, Moose Maniac

VIDEO: Corbeil on being traded

Halifax Mooseheads play-by-play man John Moore posted a solid video about the Mathieu Corbeil trade this morning.

Corbeil is asked just about everything, including his initial thoughts on the goaltending rotation between him and Jacob DeSerres.

ROUGH NIGHT FOR FORMER SEA DOG

HALIFAX - Still wearing his Saint John Sea Dogs pads and mask, Frederic Piche fell victim to his former team’s dynamic offense on Saturday night at the Halifax Metro Centre.

In his first start as Halifax Moosehead since being traded from Saint John on Thursday in exchange for goaltender Mathieu Corbeil, Piche allowed five goals on 24 shots with four of those coming in the first period. Safe to say it wasn’t the first impression Piche wanted to give his new team.

The Sea Dogs scored early and often en route to a 9-2 blowout win over the Mooseheads. But to be fair to the Mooseheads and Piche, the Herd’s young and developing defense could only do so much to stop the nation’s top ranked team who are averaging an insane 4.8 goals per game.

"There wasn’t much any goalie could’ve done on a lot of those goals," Moosehead Travis Randell said the Chronicle Herald. "They have a lot of NHL-projected guys for the first couple rounds of the draft. There are a lot of high-calibre players on that team with NHL-calibre shots. There’s only so much (the goalies) could do."

According to Metro Halifax, it was “the Herd’s worst home loss since a 10-1 shellacking at the hands of the Moncton Wildcats on Dec. 27, 2009.”

Just 39 seconds into the match, Jonathan Huberdeau began his terrific night by dancing around former Sea Dog Pascal Amyot and then firing a wrist shot over the glove of the former Sea Dogs goaltender. It was apparent that the Sea Dogs knew Piche’s weaknesses after practicing with the netminder all season as high-to-the-glove-side began to become a popular destination for pucks hitting the back of the cage.

With the score 4-1, rookie Anthony Terenzio replaced Piche in net to start the second period. He didn’t fare much better, allowing four goals just under-14 minutes of action. While Piche sat on the bench, the Metro Centre’s video feed showed the interesting picture of him, wearing a Mooseheads jersey, sitting beside Corbeil, wearing a Sea Dogs sweater, separated by nothing more than a sheet of glass.

The 19-year old would allow just one more goal on the night which came from a Nathan Beaulieu power play blast in the third period. One can only imagine what kind of thoughts were going through Piche’s head as the match came to a close.

The Sea Dogs are now 6-0-0-0 against the Moose this season. Their next meeting is February 5 in Halifax and their final meeting of the year goes on February 22 at Harbour Station.

Photo Credits: QMJHL, John Moore

DOGS WRECK MOOSEHEADS

SN RECAP
FINAL: Sea Dogs 9, Mooseheads 2

HALIFAX – It was an old fashioned blowout at the Halifax Metro Centre on Saturday night.

The Saint John Sea Dogs held period leads of 4-1 and 8-1 en route to a 9-2 victory over the Halifax Mooseheads in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Jonathan Huberdeau scored just 39 seconds into the game, and despite the Mooseheads tying the match a few minutes later, the game was never really in doubt for Saint John.

Huberdeau had an amazing night, recording a goal and four assists. His linemates also had strong performances with Zach Phillips getting a goal and two assists and Steven Anthony registering two goals and an assist. The trio has been, without question, one of the hottest lines in the country over the past few weeks.

Michael Kirkpatrick also scored a pair of goals and added two assists. Nathan Beaulieu also had a pair while Mike Thomas added a single marker. In net, Jacob DeSerres made some quality saves as the Mooseheads somehow outshot Saint John 39-36.

Over the past two seasons, there have been games where Halifax gave Saint John fits. But on this night, the Mooseheads were dominated by Saint John.

Charles Bety and Brent Andrews had the goals for the Mooseheads.

Poor Frederic Piche had to face his old mates in just his second game with his new club. The goaltender allowed five goals on 24 shots while Anthony Terenzio gave up four on just 12 shots.

FIRST PERIOD
The first shot of the game managed to find its way past Mooseheads goaltender Frederic Piche. Jonathan Huberdeau danced around Pascal Amyot and blasted a wrist shot high glove to give Saint John a 1-0 lead at 0:39.

The newly acquired Eric Gelinas then created a solid scoring chance, blasting a point shot that made its way to the crease but nobody could bang it home.

Gabriel Bourret was called for hooking at 3:26. On the power play, the Mooseheads tied the affair at 5:01. Amyot let a point shot go followed by Charles Bety tipping the puck past Jacob DeSerres to make it a 1-1 game.

At 6:51, Bourret was once again called for hooking. The best Halifax opportunity came after a dump in took a strange bounce off the glass and landed in front, fortunately with no Moose players buzzing around.

Back at even strength, Ryan Tesink performed a wraparound but was stopped by his old teammate. Then at 10:46, a scrum in the Halifax crease gave Saint John a five-on-three power play chance. They made no mistake as Michael Kirkpatrick gave a cross ice pass to Nathan Beaulieu who slappen one past Piche to give the Dogs a 2-1 lead.

With the penalties just about to end, Huberdeau sent a perfect pass to Kirkpatrick in the slot who ripped the disc just wide. At the other end shortly after, Alex Souligny had a great chance at the side of the crease but was robbed by the pad of DeSerres.

Saint John took a 3-1 lead at 11:16 when Steven Anthony entered the zone and ripped a shot by the glove of Piche.

With Martin Frk in the box for Halifax, the puck was centered from along the boards to Anthony in front. The Halifax native tipped the puck past Piche to make it a 4-1 game. The goal went under review to see if it crossed the line, and it did.

Shots in the first period were 14-13 Saint John.

SECOND PERIOD
Just 16 seconds into the second period, Zach Phillips ripped a shot between Anthony Terenzio – who started the second - and the post to give Saint John a 5-1 lead. It was the first shot on goal in the period.

Beaulieu then let a shot go on net that was nicely stopped by the arm of the Mooseheads goaltender. Soon after, Anthony tried to jam the puck in against the post and the pad but couldn’t. Then, a loose puck in the neutral zone was picked up by Stanislav Galiev who fired a shot that was blockered away by Terenzio.

Stephen MacAulay was called for hooking at 6:44. But while shorthanded at 7:04, Huberdeau and Mike Thomas entered the zone on a two-on-one. Huberdeau sent the puck over to Thomas who simply tapped the disc home to make it a 6-1 game.

After the penalty expired, Kirkpatrick found the score sheet at 9:47 to make it a 7-1 game. Gelinas let a point shot go and Kirkpatrick put the finish on the puck to give Saint John a six goal lead halfway through the game.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Anthony had a chance for the hat trick shortly after but struck iron. The Sea Dogs went back to the power play at 12:55, and on the man advantage, Galiev sat at the icing line and fed Kirkpatrick in front to make it an 8-1 game.

Piche returned the match following the marker. Huberdeau went to the box at 15:26 and then the Dogs took a too many men penalty at 17:51. On the man advantage, Martin Frk had a great chance on the doorstep but was stoned by the blocker of DeSerres in the Sea Dogs crease. Then, Gelinas put a nice move on DeSerres but he was able to stretch out and make the pad stop.

Shots in the second stanza were, somehow, 15-13 Halifax.

THIRD PERIOD
Things slowed down in the opening parts of the final frame. Galiev made a nice move to get around Trey Lewis but couldn’t get a great shot on goal.

Soon after, the Mooseheads started to gain some momentum despite already being blown out of the water. Luca Ciampini started it off by making a nice move in front but was stopped rather easily by DeSerres. Then, Andrew Ryan sent a short pass to Soulingny in front but was denied by the Sea Dogs goaltender once again. Travis Randell had the last good chance in the sequence, sending the puck high over the net with DeSerres down.

The Sea Dogs had another five-on-three power play at 15:32 with Darcy Ashley and Steve Gillard both in the box. The Sea Dogs, despite having their third and fourth lines out for most of the man advantage, found the back of the cage at 15:54. Alexandre Beauregard sat on the icing line and fed Beaulieu who ripped the puck past Piche to make it a 9-1 game.

Beaulieu tripped Francis Turbide at 16:27, giving the Herd a late man advantage. Brent Andrews showed some displays of skill, making some room for himself in front prior to roofing a wrist shot over the glove of DeSerres to make it a 9-2 affair.

Late in the period, the Mooseheads kept coming as Randell had a wide open cage but was robbed once again by a stretched out DeSerres.

Shots in the final frame were 11-9 Halifax.

Saint John went a stunning four-for-six on the power play while Halifax went two-for-six.

NOTES: See Sea Dogs Postscript tomorrow.

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs host the PEI Rocket Tuesday night at 7:00 pm at Harbour Station.

LIVE BLOG: Sea Dogs vs Mooseheads

PICHE STARTING IN NET FOR HERD

Goaltender Frederic Piche is expected to make his Halifax Mooseheads debut tonight against his former club, reports the team’s official Twitter account.

The Saint John Sea Dogs traded the 19-year old netminder to the Mooseheads on Thursday in exchange for fellow 19-year old ‘tender Mathieu Corbeil. It isn’t known if Corbeil will start tonight against his old club when the two teams do battle at the Metro Centre at 7:00 pm.

With Saint John this season, Piche had a record of 14-2-0-2, a goals against average of 2.56, and a save percentage of 0.910. His GAA is good for fourth overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League while his save percentage is ranked sixth.

“The telltale for goaltenders isn’t so much goals-against average, it’s save percentage,” said Halifax general manager Cam Russell about Piche in a trade perioid Q&A with Metro Halifax earlier this week. “It doesn’t matter who you’re playing against or for, save percentage tells it all. He’s above .900, we know him from the league the past couple of years and he’s just a good solid goaltender. Corbeil was just at a point where it wasn’t working out at all for him here in Halifax and he had to go … for his benefit.”

If Hollywood had control of this game, Piche, traded from the best team in the QMJHL to the fourth worst, would play the game of his life and pull off the upset win. Fortunately for the Sea Dogs they don’t – but the team has been put in this situation before.

Last season, the Sea Dogs dealt Marc-Antoine Gelinas to the Shawinigan Cataractes, choosing to go with experienced goaltender Marco Cousineau for the stretch run despite Gelinas having some of the best numbers in the league. The decision is still debated to this day.

In his return to Saint John, Gelinas played very well as the Cataractes defeated the No. 1 team in the Canada 3-1. The game will be remembered mostly for the bag skate the Sea Dogs were forced to do following the match.

Also last season, former Sea Dogs owned goaltenders Simon Giroux and Nathan Dunnett put on clinics against Saint John.

Will we see another great display of goaltending this evening? We shall see.

Photo Credit: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

PRE-GAME: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Halifax Mooseheads

By Station Nation Staff

GAME DAY
WHO: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Halifax Mooseheads
WHEN: Tonight, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Halifax Metro Centre

VISITING TEAM: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 32-5-0-2 (1st in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 4-3 shootout win vs Bathurst Tuesday
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Huberdeau (39GP-25G-34A-60Pts)
Notes: The Saint John Sea Dogs travel to Halifax today with a record of 32-5-0-2 which is good for first place in the Maritimes Division and sit first overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with 66 points. Saint John has a 17-point lead in the division and a single point lead over the Quebec Rempaprts for first in the QMJHL. Quebec has played three more games than Saint John… the Sea Dogs are the No. 1 team in the country again this week according to the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings… the Sea Dogs are coming off a not-so-great effort against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Tuesday night at Harbour Station. Despite that, the Sea Dogs were able to pull off a come-from-behind shootout victory. Mike Thomas, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Alexandre Beauregard scored for the Sea Dogs in regulation. Saint John just didn’t have a whole lot of their usual offensive dominance on the night. Goaltender Jacob DeSerres made 20 saves in the win… 8-2-0-0 in their last 10 games and have won three straight contests. Two of their past three wins have come in overtime or shootout… Saint John is 13-5-0-1 on the road this season, earning 27 of their 66 points away from Harbour Station. They are tied with four other teams with 19 road games played, the second fewest in the QMJHL. The Dogs have outscored their opposition 81-59 in enemy territory… Saint John has the league’s sixth best power play with a 24% rating. On the road, they are running at 25.3%, good for fourth in the QMJHL… the Sea Dogs have the fifth best penalty kill with a rating of 81.6%. On the road, the penalty kill falls all the way down to 77.3%... Jonathan Huberdeau leads the club in points with 60 in 39 games played this season… Zach Phillips and Huberdeau are tied for the team lead in goals with 26 each… Huberdeau leads the Sea Dogs in assists with 34. Michael Kirkpatrick led the team in helpers for much of the first half but sits third behind Huberdeau and Phillips… Huberdeau also leads the squad and sits second in the QMJHL with a +33 rating… Phillips and Huberdeau are tied for fifth in the QMHJL in goals with 26… Phillips sits second in the league in power play goals with 12… Phillips is tied for second in the league in game winning goals with six… Alexandre Beauregard is fifth in the league among penalty minutes leaders… Kirkpatrick is second in the league in dangerous shots taken with 108… it isn’t clear if 20-year old Jacob DeSerres or newly acquired 19-year old Mathieu Corbeil will get the start in goal tonight. If the season long goaltending rotation holds true tonight, it would be Corbeil getting the call in net. DeSerres has a record of 14-2-0-0, a goals against average of 2.24, and a save percentage of 0.919. Former Halifax Mooseheads goaltender Mathieu Corbeil has a record of 7-15-0-1, a SV% of 0.867, and a GAA of 3.76… Saint John is 5-0-0-0 against Halifax this season.

HOME TEAM: Halifax Mooseheads
Record: 14-25-1-1 (5th in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 5-1 loss vs Moncton last night
Leading Scorer: Carl Gelinas (41GP-17G-17A-34Pts)
Notes: The Halifax Mooseheads enter action today with a record of 14-25-1-1 which is good for fifth place in the six-team Maritimes Division and 15th overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Herd have only a three point lead over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in the battle of the basement in the division. Only nine points separate the Mooseheads from the Baie-Comeau Drakkar who are currently out of the playoff picture… Halifax is coming off a 5-1 loss to the Moncton Wildcats last night at the Metro Centre. Matthew Boudreau scored the lone goal for the Mooseheads in the second period. Rookie netminder Anthony Terenzio played well in net but still allowed five goals on 37 shots. The game also saw the return of star rookie Martin Frk who has been away at the World Junior Hockey Championships representing the Czech Republic. He had an assist in the game… 4-5-1-0 in their last 10 games and are coming off a loss… the Moose are 7-13-1-1 at the Halifax Metro Centre this season and have been outscored on home ice 85-67 along the way. 16 of their 30 points have been earned at home… Carl Gelinas leads the Mooseheads in points with 34 in 41 games played… Gelinas also leads the team in goals with 17… Martin Frk leads the club in assists with 21 on the year. He sat first in team scoring prior to leaving for the world juniors. He currently sits third on the team… Frk is tied with teammate Darcy Ashley for third overall in league rookie scoring with 32 points… Gelinas is tied for fourth in the league with five first goals… Sawyer Hannay of the Mooseheads is tied with Rouyn-Noranda Husky Jason Kelly for the league lead in penalty minutes with 103… former Saint John Sea Dogs netminder Frederic Piche is expected to make his debut this evening against his old club. Piche has a record of 14-2-0-2, a goals against average of 2.56, and a save percentage of 0.910. Piche has the league’s fourth best GAA and sixth best save percentage. He is also tied with his former teammate, Jacob DeSerres, for seventh in the league in the wins department… the Mooseheads have yet to beat the Sea Dogs in five trys this season but have given the top team in the country some troubles.

SAINT JOHN DEBUTS AND RETURNS
Some new faces are expected to be inserted into the Sea Dogs lineup this evening. Defenseman Eric Gelinas is likely to make his debut while fellow defenseman Jason Seed could as well. It is not known at this time if former Mooseheads netminder Mathieu Corbeil will get the start in goal for Saint John.

Simon Despres, fresh off the heartbreaking collapse with Team Canada at the world juniors, could get the night off. The Mooseheads website says “Saint John is expected to be without star defenceman Simon Despres who was representing Canada at the World Juniors.”

Tomas Jurco was the other Sea Dog playing at the world junior tournament in Buffalo. Also, Kevin Gagne has missed the last two games with an upper body injury but could return tonight.

MOOSEHEADS AD
This epic Mooseheads commercial that has been playing all over the place.



ON PLAYING THE DOGS
“We can’t let up one shift against Saint John,” Steve Gillard said to Metro Halifax yesterday about playing Saint John. “They’re the top team in Canada and we have to hit ’em, get our forecheck going and limit as many chances for them to score as possible.

“We know what we did wrong (against Moncton) and we have to come out better tomorrow.”

NOTES

• The first 2,000 fans at this game will receive a free Home Depot tuque.
• The Mooseheads parted ways with Alex Lemieux, Jamie Bishop, and Mathieu Corbeil during the holiday trading period. They brought in Anthony Goulet and Frederic Piche.
• This is a rarity, but Saint John only plays one game this weekend.
• Saint John leads season series 5-0. The Sea Dogs have won by scores of 5-2, 5-3, 7-1, 4-3 and 5-3.

ARENA INFO
Venue: Halifax Metro Centre
Seating Capacity: 10,500
Average Attendance: 5,133
Year Built: 1978
QMJHL Arena Guide

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

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

AFTER THE BUZZER
The Sea Dogs host the PEI Rocket Tuesday night at Harbour Station at 7:00 pm.