'CATS SWEPT AWAY

SN POST-GAME
FINAL (OT): Wildcats 4, Sea Dogs 5

SAINT JOHN – Bring out the brooms.

For the first time in team history, the Saint John Sea Dogs swept their season series with the Moncton Wildcats, winning all eight contests against their biggest rival. The latest came Friday night at Harbour Station as the Saint John downed Moncton 5-4 in overtime.

Stanislav Galiev scored 16 seconds into the extra frame to give the Dogs the extra point. Danick Gauthier, Michael Kirkpatrick, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Mike Thomas all scored in regulation. Mathieu Corbeil made 23 saves in goal.

It wasn’t a perfect game by any means for either team. Both clubs were sloppy at times and both were able to capitalize off some of those errors. Saint John never fell behind at any point, but the Wildcats kept battling and were able to stick around with the Sea Dogs once again.

In the season series, three of the eight games went into extra time.

The Wildcats had a pair of goals from Ted Stephens while Cole MacMillan and Marek Hrivik also scored. Goaltnder Brandon Thibeau made 31 stops in net.

FIRST PERIOD
Danick Gauthier had the first opportunity of the match as he went in alone but was stopped by the shoulder of Moncton Wildcats netminder Brandon Thibeau.

Saint John made it a 1-0 game at 2:06. Ryan Tesink was behind the goal and threw the puck in front. Danick Gauthier was able to bang the puck in in the crease to give the Dogs an early lead.

A few moments later, Alex Saulnier came down the win and sent a hard shot on net but was gloved by Saint John goaltender Mathieu Corbeil. Then, the Sea Dogs had a decent chance as Zack Phillips fired a innocent looking shot on net that hit the mask of Thibeau but stayed out.

Moncton tied the match up at 4:12. Ted Stephens let a shot on goal that produced a big rebound, allowing Cole MacMillan to score on an empty cage.

The Sea Dogs went to the power play at 7:32 as Brandon Gormley headed off for slashing. On the man advantage, Nathan Beaulieu fired a shot from between the circles that was stopped. But the rebound was grabbed by Michael Kirkpatrick who went up high on Thibeau to make it a 2-1 game.

With the power play over, Phillips sent a beautiful cross crease pass from the corner to Stanislav Galiev in front but was unable to get a stick on it.

Moncton went to the power play at 11:43 and they tie the affair up again. At 11:51, Marek Hrivik had several opportunities in close and finally got one under Corbeil to make it 2-2.

But Saint John would have another power play soon after. On that man advantage at 14:21, Beaulieu sent an unreal pass from the point down low to Jonathan Huberdeau who scored on the open cage to make it a 3-2 Sea Dogs lead.

The penalties didn’t end there as some rough stuff at 14:49 gave Moncton a man advantage. Their best chance came when Gormley sent a point shot on net through some traffic but Corbeil was there to make the save.

Soon after, Phillips had another good chance on a wraparound but hit the side of the cage.

Shots in the first period were 14-12 Saint John.

SECOND PERIOD
The Sea Dogs started the second period on a power play that carried over from the first. But Saint John couldn’t get things rolling on the fresh ice and failed to extend their lead,

Ted Stephens then had a good chance in front for the Wildcats as he let loose a one-time wrist shot that was stopped by a stretched out Corbeil. After the stop, Saint John came back the other way with Galiev leading the charge. He gave a nice saucer pass to an open Tomas Jurco but he bobbled the puck and couldn’t get a great shot off.

Saint John went back to the man advantage at 7:38. Jurco had a break early on but sent the shot wide of the cage. That would prove to be the best chance of the man advantage.

Moncton had a power play of their own at 10:31. The Wildcats would make the Sea Dogs pay for their error as Stephens tied the match at 3-3 at 12:06. Stephens came across the blue line and sniped the disc up and over the shoulder of Corbeil.

On yet another man advantage at 12:11, one of the Saulnier’s sent a backhand shot from the goal line that was sent in the crease and was eventually cleared out of danger. But the danger did not end as Jonathan Huberdeau was sent to the box at 12:59, giving the ‘Cats a two man power play. But, Saint John would kill all of the penalties off.

With the Wildcats man advantage just over, Mike Thomas was given a gift following a brutal turnover by Daniel Milan. Thomas picked up the puck and sniped one past Thibeau to make it a 4-3 Sea Dogs game.

Late in the period after Saint John couldn’t score on yet another power play, Ryan Tesink tipped a shot on Thibeau who sticked the disc away.

Shots in the middle frame were 11-9 Sea Dogs.

THIRD PERIOD
In the third, Simon Jodoin walked into the zone and made some moves to get around the traffic in front. He managed to get a solid shot off that produced a big rebound but was taken and carried out of the danger zone by a Saint John defenseman.

Scott Oke then had a good scoring opportunity for Saint John by cutting out in front and whistling a backhand shot just wide of the net. A few minutes later, the Dogs went to the power play but couldn’t get anything generated, causing some unrest among the Sea Dogs faithful at Harbour Station.

Soon after, Huberdeau sent a crisp cross crease pass to Galiev but the Russian was unable to get a shot off.

The Wildcats finally tied the match at 15:37. Moncton had a short two-on-one with Stephens keeping the puck and walking around the Saint John defense, followed by patiently outwaiting Corbeil and dishing the disc into the empty net to make it a 4-4 game.

Nothing happened after that.

Shots in the third were 9-6 Saint John.

OVERTIME
Saint John meant business in overtime. Just 16 seconds in, Simon Despres sent the original shot on goal and Galiev picked up the garbage to give the Dogs a 5-4 win.

Shots on the extra frame were 2-0 Sea Dogs.

Moncton went 2-for-5 on the man advantage while Saint John went 2-for-6.

SAINT JOHN SCRATCHES
The Sea Dogs were a bit short on the backend as Kevin Gagne was out with the flu and Eric Gelinas was out with a charley horse. Defenseman Tyrone Sock was called up to help fill the void.

Forwards Jason Cameron and Aidan Kelly were also out.

NEXT GAME
The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles are in town tomorrow evening at 7:00 pm at Harbour Station.

PRE-GAME: Video Game Challenge

SAINT JOHN – Tonight at Boston Pizza, an epic battle between Sea Dog Danick Gauthier and Wildcat Scott Trask will be played in the world of EA Sports’ NHL 11. The video game features Canadian Hockey League clubs for this time in this year's version.

The event is part of the Brunswick News Rivalry Cup, which Saint John already won for having a sell-out crowd on hand for Sunday’s match at Harbour Station.

From the Sea Dogs website last Friday:

The Saint John Sea Dogs and Moncton Wildcats have agreed on the format for the newest component of the Cup: the EA Sports NHL 11 Video Game Challenge. The latest version of this video game includes teams from the Canadian Hockey League.

The challenge has been set for Tuesday, Feb. 15, as Boston Pizza in Saint John and Moncton will link up for the head-to-head online challenge. Danick Gauthier of the Sea Dogs and Scott Trask of the Wildcats will battle for three Rivalry Cup points in one winner-take-all game. Meanwhile, two lucky fans will compete on behalf of their teams in a best-of-three series, with the winner taking five points in the Cup.

Fans in both cities will have the opportunity to watch the competitions by attending the event. In Saint John, there will be giveaways courtesy of the Sea Dogs, Moosehead Breweries, Boston Pizza and EB Games. The fun begins at 6 p.m., with the puck set to drop on Game 1 of the fan challenge at 6:30 p.m.

The fun begins at Moncton’s Boston Pizza at the same time.

POSTSCRIPT: Wildcats 2, Sea Dogs 3 (SO)

By Station Nation Staff

SEA DOGS – WILDCATS GAME AT A GLANCE
Final Score (SO): Moncton 2, Saint John 3
Saint John Goals: Tomas Jurco (26) and Stanislav Galiev (25)
Moncton Goals: James Melindy (3) and Marek Hrivik
Winning Goaltender: SNB – Jacob DeSerres
Losing Goaltender: MON – Steve Gleeson
News 88.9 Top Dog: Eric Gelinas

THE NUMBERS
Power Play: Wildcats: 1/7, Sea Dogs: 0/5
Shots on Goal: Wildcats: 8+8+6+3=25, Sea Dogs: 9+15+12+3=39
Length: 2:39
Attendance: 6,488

SAINT JOHN SCRATCHES
Defenseman Kevin Gagne was injured in the first period of Friday’s win in Charlottetown after being checked into the boards by Philippe Paradis. Gagne missed yesterday’s game with an upper body injury.

Forward Alexandre Beauregard missed his fourth straight game with a lower body injury. Lastly, forward Scott Oke was a healthy scratch.

DOGS BEAT ‘CATS 3-2
The Saint John Sea Dogs were able to climb back on Sunday afternoon at Harbour Station and defeat the Moncton Wildcats 3-2 in a shootout.

The Wildcats held a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League contest and were playing solid. But Saint John turned it up a notch in the final frame and tied the match and eventually took it to a shootout.

"Moncton came in here and played their typical game,” said Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant to the Times &Transcript. “They dumped pucks in, they forechecked hard and they put a lot of pressure on us. They didn't let us move the puck the way we're capable of moving it. Give credit to them. They came in here and played a heckuva game.

"I would say we were off our game some, but I thought Moncton competed hard and played a real solid game. I knew they would. They didn't want to get embarrassed again. I thought Gleeson was outstanding and made a lot of big saves."

The Wildcats opened the scoring at 12:05 of the opening period when James Melindy sent a shot from the point on goal and went upstairs on Sea Dogs goaltender Jacob DeSerres.

Moncton opened up a two-goal lead at 15:39 of the second period on a power play. DeSerres was able to stop Brandon Gormley’s point shot but Marek Hrivik was parked in front and sailed the disc over the arm of the goaltender to make it a 2-0 lead in favour of the visitors.

Finally, at 2:08 of the third, Tomas Jurco got Saint John on the board. A shot from the point hit something in front, allowing Jurco to slid the disc into the Wildcats’ cage. The Sea Dogs didn’t stop there as Stanislav Galiev tied the match with a snip at 4:21.

"It was a lucky bounce, right on my stick,'' Galiev said to the Telegraph-Journal. "This year I'm trying to shoot more and it's working.''

Overtime was useless so to a shootout the game went. The Saulnier’s were both stopped and Jurco and Jonathan Huberdeau connected to give the Dogs the extra point.

SAINT JOHN WINS RIVALRY CUP
With a sellout crowd on hand, Saint John officially won this year’s edition of the Brunswick News Rivalry Cup. With the video game challenge and one game still left to go, the Dogs have a 27-10 lead.

The Sea Dogs picked up five points yesterday for winning the match in a shootout and for a crowd of over 6,000 on hand. The Wildcats earned a point for the shootout loss.

Some inspiring words from Sea Dogs president Wayne Long in the T&T:

"There's no question we're focused on one thing and that's trying to compete for the holy grail of junior hockey, the Memorial Cup. Hopefully, the Rivalry Cup is one of a few Cups that we're fortunate enough to win this season."

The video game challenge is Tuesday evening at Boston Pizza.

STILL STREAKING
With the victory, Saint John has won a season high 11 straight games. The club, along with the Lewiston Maineiacs and Quebec Remparts, had won 10 consecutive games previously this season.

Even more impressive than their winning streak is that the Sea Dogs have managed to pickup at least a point in every game over their last 18 contests. They are 17-0-1-0 in that span.

JURCO STILL ROLLING
Tomas Jurco continued his hot pace of late with a regulation goal and a shootout marker. In his past seven games, the Slovakian sniper has eight goals and seven assists for 15 points.

With his 26th goal of the season yesterday, Jurco tied his goal total from last season. He needs just two assists to tie his career high in helpers.

In the shootout, Jurco pulled off an identical move as the one he scored earlier this season in Drummondville.



ROUGH STUFF; TURK UPSET
A lot of times, these Saint John – Moncton rivalry games don’t seem to get all that feisty. But this contest had both teams on a bit of an edge and featured lots of scrums and stuff. The two teams combined for 20 penalties and 12 power plays. Eight of those penalties were for roughing.

Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant wasn’t a big fan of some of the penalties being called and showed his displeasure towards the officials.

All of the penalties seemed to take the Dogs off their game a bit. All but one of the calls were made in the first two periods, Saint John’s worst frames of the game.

GLEESON REBOUNDS
Solid game for Wildcats goaltender Steve Gleeson yesterday, making 37 saves in the loss. Gleeson was in net for 10 of Saint John’s goals on February 4 when the Sea Dogs destroyed the Wildcats 11-2 at the Moncton Coliseum.

Gleeson made one of the best saves of the year on the second period, getting his glove arm across the crease in time to rob Zack Phillips.

"I just wanted to have some fun," Gleeson said. "I wanted to see how good I could be against the best team in the country. This game was a good test for myself and the team. I felt good out there and my teammates deserve lots of credit.

QUICK HITS
Jonathan Huberdeau was named the Sea Dogs’ scholastic player of the month for January prior to the match… Michael Kirkpatrick was named Saint John’s player of the month for January… it was the second sellout of the year at Harbour Station… defenseman Eric Gelinas had two assists and led Saint John in shots with six… Marek Hrivik, who is always a beast when playing the Dogs, had a team high seven shots for the ‘Cats… after not being able to beat Moncton in regulation time during the regular season last year, the Sea Dogs are 7-0-0-0 against the Wildcats so far this year… this was the first game of a four-game homestand for the Sea Dogs… there was a whole pile of groups at the game… to relive the game, check out the SN Live Blog Replay... Marc Henwood's photos from the game can be seen here.

HIGHLIGHTS
Courtesy of SeaDogsTV:



RANDOM THOUGHTS

• Surprised to see the Kiss Cam used just once in a game labeled ‘Valentine’s Day Spectacular.’
• Sun Life Financial makes awful commercials.
• Zack Phillips could have easily had a couple of goals in this game.

NEXT GAME
The Sea Dogs host the Val-d’Or Foreurs on Friday night at 7:30 pm at Harbour Station. The game is the annual ‘Hockey Night in Saint John’ game.

Photo Credits: Marc Henwood/Station Nation, Marc Henwood/Station Nation, SeaDogsTV

LIVE BLOG: Wildcats vs Sea Dogs

PRE-GAME: Rivalry Cup Game 7 - Moncton Wildcats vs Saint John Sea Dogs

By Station Nation Staff

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

VISITING TEAM: Moncton Wildcats
Record: 27-20-2-4 (3rd in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 3-2 win at Cape Breton Wednesday
Leading Scorer: Alex Saulnier (53GP-21G-46A-67Pts)
Notes: The Moncton Wildcats enter Harbour Station this afternoon with a record of 27-20-2-4 which is good for third in the Maritimes Division and tenth overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Wildcats are just barely hanging on to the third spot in the division as the PEI Rocket have closed the gap to just three points… the Wildcats are coming off a 3-2 victory in Cape Breton over the Screaming Eagles on Wednesday. Daniel Pettersson, Simon Jodoin, and Thomas Flynn each scored for the winners who were outshot 30-24 by the Eagles. Steve Gleeson made 28 stops for the win… 5-5-0-0 in their last 10 games and are coming off a win… 15-9-0-1 on the road this season and have been outscored 85-82 by the opposition. They have earned 31 of their 60 points on the road this season and have the divisions second best winning percentage away from home at 0.620… 6-3-0-1 in their last 10 games away from the Moncton Coliseum… Moncton enters action today with the fourth best power play in the league with a rating of 26%. On the road they are running at 25.5% which is also good for fourth in the league… on the penalty kill side, the Wildcats are ranked tenth with a rating of 78.8%. On the road they are operating at 80.4%, good for third overall in the QMJHL amongst road teams… Moncton is currently averaging 14.6 penalty minutes per game which places them eighth overall in the league… Alex Saulnier leads the Wildcats in scoring this season with 67 points in 53 games. He has taken a seven-point lead over his twin brother, Allain, who sits second in team scoring… Allain Saulnier leads the club in goals on the year with 25 in 53 games… Alex Saulnier leads the club in helpers with 46 on the year… rookie defenseman Daniel Milan is a team worst -23 this year… Daniel Pettersson and Alex Saulnier are a team best +2… Allain Saulnier is second in the league in power play goals with 14… Alex Saulnier is third in power play assists with 24 this season… Steve Gleeson will likely start in goal today. The goaltender has a record of 12-5-2-1, a goals against average of 3.55, and a save percentage of 0.888… it is worth noting that backup netminder Jordan Kennedy has some brutally awful numbers. Kennedy has a record of 0-1-0-0, a goals against average of 13.11, and a save percentage of 0.692… Moncton is allowing the most shots against per game with an average of 33.74… 21-5-0-1 when scoring first… Marek Hrivik has gotten an assist in nine straight games. He is on a 10 game point scoring streak… Olivier Daoust has taken a penalty in five straight road games.

HOME TEAM: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 45-5-1-2 (1st in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 4-1 win at PEI Friday
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Huberdeau (52GP-35G-46A-81Pts)
Notes: The Saint John Sea Dogs enter play today with a record of 45-5-1-2 which is good for first in the Maritimes Division and first overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Sea Dogs have a 21-point lead for top spot in the division over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan and a nine-point lead over the Montreal Juniors for first overall in the league. The Sea Dogs have played two fewer games than the Juniors and three fewer than the Titan… in this week’s BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings, Saint John was ranked No. 1 for a ninth consecutive week… the Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-1 win in Charlottetown over the Prince Edward Island Rocket on Friday night. Jason Cameron, Steven Anthony, Michael Kirkpatrick, and Jonathan Huberdeau each scored for the Dogs. Tomas Jurco added three assists. Goaltender Mathieu Corbeil made 20 saves in the win… Saint John enters today’s game on a 10-game winning streak. A win will give them the longest winning streak in the QMJHL so far this season. The Sea Dogs won 10 straight earlier this season as did Quebec and Lewiston… 10-0-0-0 in their last 10 games and are on a stunning run of 16-0-1-0. They have not lost a regulation game in the new year… with eight home games remaining, the Dogs are still unbeaten in regulation at Harbour Station. They now have a record of 24-0-1-1 on home ice and have outscored their opposition 132-55… 9-0-1-0 in their last 10 home games… the Sea Dogs’ power play comes into today’s game ranked seventh in the league with a rating of 24.6. At home they are running at 21.7%... on the penalty kill, the Dogs are ranked fourth overall in the QMJHL with a rating of 81.1%. At home they are operating at 85.1%, which is good for second in the league amongst home teams… the Sea Dogs are averaging 13 penalty minutes per game which places them 13th in the league… Jonathan Huberdeau leads the Dogs in scoring with 81 points in 52 games. He is now 10 points back of league point leader Philip-Michael Devos… Huberdeau leads the team in goals with 35 this season. Zack Phillips is second on the team with 30… Huberdeau and Phillips are tied for the team lead in assists with 46 each. Michael Kirkpatrick sits third on the team with 41… Jacob DeSerres will likely get the start in goal this afternoon. The 20-year old has a record of 21-2-0-0, a goals against average of 2.21, and a save percentage of 0.918… Kirkpatrick is on a five-game goal scoring streak. He has gotten a point in nine straight… Huberdeau is on a four-game goal scoring streak… Phillips is on a four-game assist scoring streak.

NO MORE SEATS
Today’s match at Harbour Station has been sold out since Friday afternoon but a limited number of standing room tickets still remained at last check.

This will be the Sea Dogs second packed house of the season. The New Year’s Eve game, which also featured the Wildcats, had 6,488 fans attend.

RIVALRY CUP STANDINGS
Today is the seventh installment of the 2010-11 Brunswick News Rivalry Cup. With a sellout crowd on hand today at Harbour Station, the Sea Dogs will clinch their first Rivalry Cup.

Here is this year’s point system:

(1) Head-to-head on-ice results: Three (3) points awarded to a team for a regulation win, two (2) points awarded for an overtime/shootout victory, and one (1) point awarded for an overtime/shootout loss.

(2) Head-to-head attendance figure (per game): Three (3) points awarded for 6,000 fans, two (2) points for 5,000 fans, and one (1) point for 4,000 fans.

(3) EA Sports NHL 11 Fan/Player Video Game Challenge: Saint John and Moncton will each select one fan to participate in an online video game series (best two-out-of-three) using the virtual versions of the Sea Dogs and Wildcats. The winning fan will collect five (5) points for his team/city. In addition, the Sea Dogs and Wildcats will select one player from their current roster to compete in a single-game competition, with the winner set to earn three (3) points for his side. More details regarding this portion of the challenge will be announced at a later date.

Saint John currently leads the challenge 22-9.

ON PLAYING SAINT JOHN
Moncton defenseman Brandon Gormley on playing the Sea Dogs:

"It's a great rivalry," said Wildcats defenceman Brandon Gormley. "They kind of rubbed it in our face the last time, but the boys remember that and we'll be ready go to on Sunday.

"They've got a great team with four solid lines, but we've played some close games against them this season. We've shown that when we play our type of game we're capable of competing with them." [Times & Transcript]

NOTES

• Today is the Sea Dogs’ 400th regular season game in the QMJHL.
• Saint John is a perfect 6-0-0-0 against Moncton this season and are 2-0-0-0 against the Wildcats at Harbour Station.
• This is the first game of a four-game homestand for the Dogs.
• The last time these two teams met, Saint John destroyed the Wildcats by score of 11-2.
• This is the second-to-last meeting between these two rivals. The last meeting is Friday, March 4 at Harbour Station.
• Kevin Gagne left Friday’s game with an injury in the first period and never returned. Alexandre Beauregard has missed the past few games with a knee injury.

ARENA INFO
Venue: Harbour Station
Seating Capacity: 6,297
Average Attendance: 4,052
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, Times & Transcript, L’Acadie Nouvelle

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

AFTER THE BUZZER
The Sea Dogs host the Val-d’Or Foreurs on Friday at 7:30 pm at Harbour Station.

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

SUNDAY'S GAME SOLD OUT; DOGS CLINCH RIVALRY CUP

SAINT JOHN –Tomorrow’s Saint John Sea Dogs – Moncton Wildcats game at Harbour Station has been sold out as of yesterday afternoon. A limited number of standing room tickets have been released for the match.

With a crowd of over 6,000 on hand for Game Seven of the Brunswick New Rivalry Cup Challenge tomorrow, the Sea Dogs earn three points which will give them a 25-9 lead. Even if Moncton takes all of the points from the video game challenge and the two remaining Quebec Major Junior Hockey League games, it will only cut the Sea Dogs’ lead to 25-23. Therefore, Saint John has clinched the 2010-11 edition of the Rivalry Cup.

This is the Sea Dogs’ first Rivalry Cup victory.

The challenge began in the latter half of the 2008-09 season with the Wildcats coming out on top. Moncton then won last year’s challenge en route to a President’s Cup Championship.

The last game of the Rovalry Cup is Friday, March 4 in Saint John.

Details on the video game challenge portion on this year’s Rivalry Cup were released yesterday.

VIDEO GAME CHALLENGE DETAILS ANNOUNCED

Details about the EA Sports NHL 11 Video Game Challenge portion of the Brunswick News Rivalry Cup were released today.

The event will take place this Tuesday at both the Moncton and Saint John Boston Pizza locations. The event starts at 6:00 pm and will feature Danick Gauthier of the Saint John Sea Dogs taking on Scott Trask of the Moncton Wildcats at 6:30 pm in the online virtual world of NHL ’11.

More details on the Saint John part of the event from the Sea Dogs’ website:

The challenge has been set for Tuesday, Feb. 15, as Boston Pizza in Saint John and Moncton will link up for the head-to-head online challenge. Danick Gauthier of the Sea Dogs and Scott Trask of the Wildcats will battle for three Rivalry Cup points in one winner-take-all game. Meanwhile, two lucky fans will compete on behalf of their teams in a best-of-three series, with the winner taking five points in the Cup.

Fans in both cities will have the opportunity to watch the competitions by attending the event. In Saint John, there will be giveaways courtesy of the Sea Dogs, Moosehead Breweries, Boston Pizza and EB Games. The fun begins at 6 p.m., with the puck set to drop on Game 1 of the fan challenge at 6:30 p.m.

Info on the Moncton part of the event from the Wildcats’ website:

Another eight points will be on the line Tuesday as the two teams will put their gaming skills on the line as they participate in the EA Sports NHL 11 Video Game Challenge. All the details have been ironed out and the Boston Pizza in Moncton will hook up online to the Boston Pizza in Saint John so both cities can enjoy the event. Moncton Wildcat Scott Trask will battle Sea Dog player Danick Gauthier in a single elimination game. The winner will gain three points for his team in the Rivalry Cup. Also one lucky Wildcat fan will battle a Sea Dog fan in a best of three with the winner gaining five points.

Fans in both cities will have the opportunity to watch the competitions by attending the event. In Moncton, there will be giveaways courtesy of the Wildcats, Molson, and Boston Pizza. The fun begins at 6 p.m., with the puck set to drop on Game 1 of the fan challenge at 6:30 p.m.

The Sea Dogs need just two-points to clinch their first Rivalry Cup.

Here are some unreal highlights from the Sea Dog playing in Halifax earlier this virtual season:

VIDEO: Jurco's diving goal in Moncton

Tomas Jurco was at it again on Friday night at the Moncton Coliseum, scoring three goals as the Saint John Sea Dogs threw the hammer down on the Moncton Wildcats. His final marker was quite impressive as he dove to get the puck before a Wildcat defender followed by somehow getting enough mustard on a shot to get the disc over goaltender Steve Gleeson.

Here is the video courtesy of our boy Jerome from NHL Draft Video:



Hat trick goals in an 11-2 blowout victory don’t get much better than this.

The goal capped off an impressive streak for Jurco who had scored seven goals in three goals before going goalless Saturday in Halifax.

The Slovakian now has 25 goals and 20 assists in 44 games. He needs just one goal and five helpers to tie his marks from last season.

TICKETS GOING FAST FOR SUNDAY'S GAME

Tickets for the Saint John Sea Dogs’ next home contest are going fast.

The Harbour Station website has listed ticket availability for this coming Sunday’s game against the Moncton Wildcats as “limited” for several days now and appears to be destined for a sell-out.

Tickets are still available at the moment and can be purchased at the Harbour Station box office, online, or by telephone.

The match will be Game Seven of the 2010-11 Brunswick News Rivalry Cup Challenge. Saint John has dominated the series this season and currently leads 22-9 with two games to go. Moncton is a long shot to win this year’s Cup with no more games being played at the Coliseum this season, meaning they can no longer earn attendance points.

The Sea Dogs, currently on one of their hottest stretches of the season, destroyed the Wildcats 11-2 on Friday in Moncton.

Sunday’s game at the Station has been labeled as the “Valentine's Day Spectacular.” There will be special promotions including free flowers for the first 400 women in attendance.

Of note, Saint John’s February 18 and 19 games at Harbour Station have already gone from “excellent” to “good.”

MONCTON MASSACRE

SN RECAP
FINAL: Sea Dogs 11, Wildcats 2

MONCTON – You know the home team is having a rough night when an entire section of fans is turned away from the play in the third period and yelling at Frosted Flakes mascot "Tony the Tiger" to throw something at them.

Following the Moncton Wildcats' performance Friday night against the Saint John Sea Dogs, Tony the Tiger may have gotten first line minutes on the home squad.

The Sea Dogs dominated the Wildcats from top-to-bottom, scoring early and scoring often en route to an 11-2 win in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action at the Moncton Coliseum. After years of pain and suffering at the Coliseum, this was surely one of the most satisfying wins in the Sea Dogs – Wildcats rivalry. With the blowout victory, Saint John won all four contests in enemy territory this season.

At times in this game, it looked as though Saint John was on a constant power play. The Sea Dogs got goals from all kinds of role players who scored from all different angles on the ice. It was just a brilliant showing from the Dogs, probably one of their best played games of the year.

Tomas Jurco scored a hat trick while Jonathan Huberdeau had two goals. Stephan MacAulay, Aidan Kelly, Gabriel Bourret, Jason Cameron, Michael Kirkpatrick, and Stanislav Galiev scored singles. Zack Phillips and Steven Anthony each registered three assists in the lopsided win. Despite facing 30 shots, goaltender Jacob DeSerres was not greatly tested to earn the victory.

On the other side, the Wildcats had goals from Alex Saulnir and Simon Jodoin. Steve Gleeson allowed 10 goals on 39 shots while Jordan Kennedy allowed one on six shots.

Moncton was just a mess Friday night. The ‘Cats played the Sea Dogs tough in their two outings previous to this one, but that kind of play was nowhere to be seen on in this match.

The onslaught allowed Saint John to continue streaking. The Sea Dogs have now won eight straight and are on a 14-0-1-0 run.

FIRST PERIOD
The Wildcats’ Daniel Milan had the first chance of the hockey game as he fired a point shot that caused a rebound with Scott Trask at the side of the goal. Sea Dogs’ goaltender Jacob DeSerres went down but Trask couldn’t get the puck up.

Saint John’s Zack Phillips then let a long range wrist go on ‘Cats ‘tender Steve Gleeson who made the arm stop. Then, Allain Saulnier fired a shot from the boards that caught DeSerres in the arm and deflected away.

The Sea Dogs made it 1-0 at 5:41 as Michael Kirkpatrick found the puck and beat Gleeson down low to give the visitors an early lead. Saint John wasn’t down there by any means as Nathan Beaulieu fired a point shot that was deflected nicely by Aidan Kelly in front to make a 2-0 Sea Dogs lead.

Soon after following a turnover, Trask picked up the puck and had a short breakaway but was denied by DeSerres.

At 7:57, Gabriel Bourret let a point shot go that beat Gleeson low to give Saint John a 3-0 lead and control of the match early on. The goal chased the Wildcats goaltender from the match, forcing Jordan Kennedy to take over in net.

Lance Pridham went to the box at 11:25 as he flipped the puck out of play. On the power play at 12:37, Tomas Jurco scored his first marker of the game as he poked it past Gleeson to give the Dogs a 4-0 advantage. The goal put Gleeson back in the Wildcats’ crease.

Ted Stephens had a great chance for the Wildcats moments later, sending a cross crease pass to a streaking player who couldn’t get his stick on the disc.

Moncton got on the board at 18:34 as Alex Saulnier jammed the puck past a fallen DeSerres to give some small momentum to the Wildcats as the period ticked down. But all of that momentum was quickly gone as Jonathan Huberdeau was sprung on a breakaway, pulling off his trademark backhand-forehand deke to give Saint John a 5-1 lead after 20 minutes.

Shots in the opening frame were 20-10 in favour of Saint John.

SECOND PERIOD
Stanislav Galiev had the first scoring opportunity of the frame as he skated down the wing and shot the puck off the far post.

The Sea Dogs got their scoring rolling again in the second period at 1:09. A short pass found Galiev and wired snap shot from between the circles and surprised Gleeson, making it 6-1 Saint John.

Kevin Gagne then came down the wing for the Sea Dogs and threw a backhander on net, forcing Gleeson to make a tricky stop. Then Huberdeau stickhandled around the entire Moncton team to enter the zone and then danced into the crease only to have the puck roll off the bottom of the post.

Moncton went to the power play at 10:05 as Gagne was called for tripping. But despite some decent puck moving, the Wildcats couldn’t get anything past DeSerres and the Sea Dogs’ defense during the two-minute span.

Just after Jason Cameron fired a shot that allowed Stephen MacAulay to just miss a goal on Gleeson, MacAulay had the puck along the boards and sent a perfect cross ice pass to Cameron who tipped the puck into the yawning cage to give the Dogs a 7-1 lead.

At 16:02, Huberdeau went in on another breakaway. While falling, the magic-man somehow chipped the puck up-and-over a stunned Gleeson to complete the beautiful play and extended his team’s lead.

The Sea Dogs closed out their second period scoring at 19:16. A point shot was stopped by Gleeson but MacAulay was right there on the doorstep to slide the puck behind Gleeson and give Saint John a 9-1 lead after 40-minutes.

Shots in the second stanza were 16-8 Sea Dogs.

THIRD PERIOD
The Sea Dogs went to the power play at 2:08. Saint John iced their fourth line for much of the man advantage and even had some decent pressure but little scoring opportunities.

With the power play, Kirkpatrick stole the puck in the slot area and fired a backhand shot on net in close but was denied by Gleeson.

Saint John got things rolling again at 10:06. Jurco stood between the circles and simply fired a wrist shot that beat Gleeson low glove side to get the Dogs into the double-digits.

At 13:00, Jurco was at it again as he completed the hat trick. The ‘Slovakian Showstopper’ went in on a partial break and, while falling, flipped the puck past Gleeson to give Saint John an 11-1 lead and kickoff the parade to the parking lot at the Moncton Coliseum.

Jurco wasn’t done there, feeding Kirkpatrick with a perfect cross ice pass but nailed the post.

Steven Anthony was called for slashing at 18:05. On the power play, Simon Jodoin was able to beat DeSerres in front to cut the lead to nine. But Saint John would not allow nine goals in the final 90 seconds, picking up the victory.

Shots in the third session of play were 12-9 in favour of the home side.

Both teams went 1-for-2 on the man advantage.

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs travel to Halifax Saturday for a 7pm contest against the Mooseheads.

Photo Credit: Marc Grandmaison

LIVE BLOG: Sea Dogs vs Wildcats

PRE-GAME: Rivalry Cup Game 6 - Saint John Sea Dogs vs Moncton Wildcats

By Station Nation Staff

GAME DAY
WHO: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Moncton Wildcats
WHEN: Tonight, 7:30 pm
WHERE: Moncton Coliseum

VISITING TEAM: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 42-5-1-2 (1st in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 7-2 win vs Bathurst Wednesday
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Huberdeau (49GP-31G-44A-75Pts)
Notes: The Saint John Sea Dogs enter play tonight with a record of 42-5-1-2 which is good for first place in the Maritimes Division and first overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Sea Dogs are separating themselves from the pack as they now have a 19-point lead over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the division and a 10-point lead over the Montreal Juniors and Quebec Remparts for top spot in the league… Saint John is the nationally top-ranked team 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 solid 7-2 victory over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan Wednesday night at Harbour Station. Tomas Jurco and Jonathan Huberdeau each scored a pair of goals while Michael Kirkpatrick, Steven Anthony, and Stephan MacAulay scored singles. The Dogs simply outplayed the struggling Titan on Wednesday, especially in the special teams department as they went 3-for-8 on the power play. Before that match, Saint John was getting into penalty trouble but that seemed to change as the Titan only had one power play the entire game. Goaltender Jacob DeSerres made 14 saves in the win… the Sea Dogs have been cruising over the past few weeks. The club is 13-0-1-0 in their last 14 games and has not lost in regulation since December 30 in Bathurst. The Dogs are 9-0-1-0 in their last 10 games… 18-5-0-1 on the road this season and have outscored their opposition 105-71 over that span. They are averaging 4.4 goals per road game… the squad is 8-2-0-0 in their last 10 road games… Saint John has the seventh best power play in the QMJHL at the moment with a rating of 24.6%. On the road, they are running at 28.4% which is the second best road power play in the league… the Sea Dogs have the sixth best penalty kill in the league with a rating of 81.2%. On the road, the team is operating at 76.1%... Saint John averages the 13th most penalty minutes per game with an average of 12.9 per contest… Jonathan Huberdeau is still a monster and leads the Sea Dogs in scoring with 75 points in 49 games… Huberdeau also leads the team in goals with 31 on the year. He is now three ahead of linemate Zack Phillips for the team lead… Huberdeau leads the club in assists with 44 on the year. Phillips is a close second with 41 while Michael Kirkpatrick has 39… Phillips is second in the league in power play goals with 13… Phillips is tied for second in game winning goals with seven… Tomas Jurco and Steven Anthony are tied for second in insurance goals with five… Huberdeau is a league best +43… Ryan Tesink is 11th in rookie scoring with 26… Mathieu Corbeil will likely start in goals for Saint John this evening. The 19-year old Columbus Blue Jackets prospect 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, he has a record of 4-0-1-0, a GAA of 2.52, and a 0.893 save percentage… Kirkpatrick is on a six-game point scoring streak… Phillips has gotten an assist in seven straight road games… Phillips is a seven-game road scoring streak while Huberdeau is on a six-game road streak.

HOME TEAM: Moncton Wildcats
Record: 26-18-2-4 (3rd in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 5-4 win at PEI Sunday
Leading Scorer: Alex Saulnier (50GP-20G-44A-64Pts)
Notes: The Moncton Wildcats enter action tonight with a record of 26-18-2-4 which places them third in the Maritimes Division and 10th overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. It will be difficult for the Wildcats to catch the second place Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the division as they have a 10-point lead… the Wildcats are coming off a 4-3 win over the Halifax Mooseheads on Saturday night at the Moncton Coliseum. The Mooseheads battled hard, outshooting the ‘Cats 30-26, but could not get the victory. Thomas Flynn and Daniel Milan each scored for Moncton while Ted Stephens scored a pair – including the game winner with just under two minutes to play. Steve Gleeson made 27 saves in net for the win… 6-3-0-1 in their last 10 games and are coming off a win… Moncton is 12-9-2-3 at the Coliseum this season and have been outscored 92-90 in the 26 games played at the venue. They are averaging 3.46 goals per home game… 6-3-0-1 in their last 10 home games… Moncton’s power play is ranked fourth in the QMJHL with a rating of 25.9%. At home, they are operating at 25.9% as well… the Wildcats have the ninth best penalty kill in the league with a rating of 79.2%. At home, they are running at 78.3%... the ‘Cats average the eighth most penalty minutes per game with an average of 14.6 minutes per contest… Alex Saulnier has pulled ahead of his twin brother Allain in the team scoring race. Alex now leads the club with 64 points in 50 games… Allain Saulnier leads the team in goals this season with 24. Marek Hrivik is a close second with 22… Alex Saulnier leads the team in assists with 44 on the year… Tyler Howe has a team high 84 penalty minutes this season… Steve Gleeson will likely start in net for Moncton this evening. He has a record of 11-3-2-1, a goals against average of 3.18, and a save percentage of 0.898. Gleeson is one of five goaltenders to have see time in the Wildcats’ crease this season… Hrivik is on a six-game assist scoring streak. He is also on a seven-game point scoring streak… Daniel Milan has scored the fourth most goals among defenseman this season with 13… Brandon Gormley is second among defenseman in power play scoring with 21 points… Moncton is allowing the second most shots per game in the league with an average of 33.58.

RIVALRY CUP
This is Game Six of the 2010-11 Brunswick News Rivalry Cup. Saint John has a commanding 19-6 lead in the season long series.

Here is this year’s point system:

(1)Head-to-head on-ice results: Three (3) points awarded to a team for a regulation win, two (2) points awarded for an overtime/shootout victory, and one (1) point awarded for an overtime/shootout loss.

(2) Head-to-head attendance figure (per game): Three (3) points awarded for 6,000 fans, two (2) points for 5,000 fans, and one (1) point for 4,000 fans.

(3) EA Sports NHL 11 Fan/Player Video Game Challenge: Saint John and Moncton will each select one fan to participate in an online video game series (best two-out-of-three) using the virtual versions of the Sea Dogs and Wildcats. The winning fan will collect five (5) points for his team/city. In addition, the Sea Dogs and Wildcats will select one player from their current roster to compete in a single-game competition, with the winner set to earn three (3) points for his side. More details regarding this portion of the challenge will be announced at a later date.

Wildcats general manager Wayne MacDonald spoke to the Times & Transcript about their point deficit yesterday.

"Although Saint John has been fortunate to win the games so far, we always say it's never over until it's over," he said. "We do have the opportunity to make it quite interesting coming down the stretch."

ON PLAYING SAINT JOHN
Moncton associate coach Fabian Joseph in today’s Times & Transcript:

"I think we feel confident that we can play with that team," he said. "They're No. 1 in this league and they've been ranked the top team in the country for most of the season. They've got a lot of offensive players so we've got to play an air-tight game in terms of our team defence.

"We can't give them many outnumbered attacks. We've got to take care of our own zone and if we do that we're going to get some opportunities offensively. We've got to make sure we're strong on special teams and play as much five-on-five as we can."

LAST FRIDAY
Tomas Jurco was tossed from the game following a blindside hit on Scott Trask. Trask then went on to fight Danick Gauthier.



NOTES

• This is the Sea Dogs’ final regular season game in Moncton this season. They are 3-0-0-0 so far.
• The Wildcats will unveil their No. 8 all-time fan favourite player tonight.
• Wildcats head coach Danny Flynn is not expected to be in the house tonight as he is on a scouting trip.
• These two-teams played each other a week ago tonight as well at the Moncton Coliseum. Saint John won the match 4-3.
• Moncton has a lifetime record of 29-12-3-6 against Saint John in the regular season and playoffs combined.

OTHER GAMES TODAY
Drummondville at PEI - 7:00 PM AST
Montréal at Québec - 7:00 PM EST
Rouyn-Noranda at Baie-Comeau - 7:30 PM EST
Gatineau at Shawinigan - 7:30 PM EST
Rimouski at Val-d'Or - 7:30 PM EST
Cape Breton at Victoriaville - 8:00 PM EST

ARENA INFO
Venue: Moncton Coliseum
Seating Capacity: 6,803
Average Attendance: 4,389
Year Built: 1973
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, L’Acadie Nouvelle, Times & Transcript, Telegraph-Journal

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

AFTER THE BUZZER
The Sea Dogs travel to Halifax tomorrow for a 7pm tilt against the Mooseheads.

Photo Credits: Marc Grandmaison, Times & Transcript, Google

DOGS CONTINUE TO ROLL

SN POST-GAME
FINAL: Sea Dogs 4, Wildcats 3

MONCTON – Despite some nervous moments in the third, the Saint John Sea Dogs managed to pull off their fourth consecutive victory with a 4-3 win over the Moncton Wildcats on Friday night in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

Leading 4-2 at the time, Saint John took three straight penalties in the final frame. But despite all the man advantages and the Wildcats scoring with their goaltender pulled, the Sea Dogs were able to hang on in the final minutes to insure a victory.

Jonathan Huberdeau, wearing a full face shield after taking a stick in the face on Sunday in Quebec City, scored a pair of first period goals while Zack Phillips and Nathan Beaulieu added singles.

Moncton had goals from Simon Jodoin, Marek Hrivik, and Ted Stephens.

It was a pretty good game for Saint John who were playing their fourth straight road game. Their penalty killers came through in a big way at times, not only stopping the ‘Cats in the third period, but also by only giving up one goal on Tomas Jurco’s five-minute major penalty in the first period.

Goaltender Mathieu Corbeil picked up his first regulation win as a Sea Dog, making 26 saves in the victory. Wildcats netminder Steve Gleeson allowed four goals on 32 shots in the loss.

FIRST PERIOD
Zack Phillips created the first scoring chance as he centered the puck for Jonathan Huberdeau but the disc went wide of the goal. At the other, Mathieu Corbeil was caught out of position a bit in net and had to scramble back to his crease quickly to stop a Wildcat shot.

Moncton went to the power play at 5:40 as Ryan Tesink headed off. The Wildcats had some good pressure going as Marek Hrivik cut into the crease from the corner but sent a shot wide. Then a wrister from the dot beat Corbeil through the legs but was cleared away in the blue paint before it crossed the line.

The Sea Dogs had a power play of their own at 7:58. Phillips almost had a breakaway but Brandon Gormley was able to swipe the puck off his stick. After a mad scramble in the crease, the puck came loose for Huberdeau who beat a fallen Steve Gleeson at 8:53 to open the scoring.

Ted Stephens had a good chance for the ‘Cats a few minutes later but was denied by the glove of Corbeil. At 10:10, Tomas Jurco ran into Scott Trask at the blue line and sent the Wildcat flying. Trask immediately threw the gloves down, forcing Danick Gauthier to come in and take on Trask in an evenly played fight.

Jurco was given a game misconduct and five minute major for the hit to the head, giving the home team a lengthy man advantage. Moncton would tie the match on that power play at 11:06 as a Gormley point shot was stopped but Simon Jodoin beat Corbeil on the rebound to tie the match at 1-1.

With Jurco’s penalty still on the board, Ryan Tesink and Huberdeau broke in on a shorthanded two-on-one. Tesink centered the puck beautifully for Huberdeau who had a yawning cage to make it a 2-1 Sea Dogs lead at 14:50.

Saint John put forth a decent penalty kill, only giving up a goal during the five minute span.

Shots in the opening frame were 11-9 Moncton.

SECOND PERIOD
In the second, Alexandre Beauregard chipped the puck ahead to Tesink who was in the slot but Gleeson got enough of it to deflect the disc away from danger.

The Sea Dogs went back to the power play at 2:53. Saint John couldn’t get much of anything going over the time span and even gave up a decent two-on-one chance to the Saulnier twins.

With the penalty over, Scott Oke had the Sea Dogs buzzing as he fired the puck through the blue paint and missed the empty net. The near goal capped off a few moments a great pressure by the visitors. Huberdeau then created a decent opportunity, splitting through the defense in the offensive zone and getting a shot on net that was padded away by Gleeson.

At 9:56, Marek Hrivik tied the match for the Wildcats, making it a 2-2 affair. But not long after, Phillips broke in and made a beautiful deke, making Gleeson look silly while doing so. The Fredericton native found the back-of-the-net to give Saint John a 3-2 advantage.

A few minutes after the goal, Gauthier fired a shot that created a big rebound but Tesink just couldn’t get a stick on it. Soon after at the other end, Devon MacAusland had a few whacks at the puck but couldn’t jam it past Corbeil’s pad.

After Steven Anthony fired wide on a two-on-one opportunity, the Sea Dogs went back to the man advantage at 16:16. On the ensuing power play, Saint John worked the puck around tremendously and created quite a few quality scoring opportunites. Finally, at 17:42, Beaulieu was parked inside the line a blasted the puck past Gleeson to give the Sea Dogs a 4-2 lead after 40 minutes.

Shots in the middle stanza were 15-8 Saint John.

THIRD PERIOD
Not a whole lot happened in the third period other than players parading to the box. A late Moncton penalty in the second period gave the Dogs an early power play opportunity but they could not get things rolling.

At 3:24, a heavyweight bout between Mike Thomas and Tyler Howe took place. It was a bit of a disappointing fight as there weren’t a whole lot of punches thrown. The officials eventually broke up the lengthy scrap. Thomas picked up the extra penalty for “taking off one's own helmet or attempting to pull off an opponent's helmet, undo the chinstrap or his opponent's.”

After Saint John killed a Stanislav Galiev penalty, Kevin Gagne headed to the box at 11:02. The ‘Cats came close as Hrivik wired a shot off the crossbar.

Not long after 14:41, Gabriel Bourret was flagged for interference but Moncton could not cut the lead. on the power play The Wildcats pulled Gleeson from the net with well over two minutes remaining and it paid off as Ted Stephens scored at 18:15 to make it a 4-3 game. It appeared as though Corbeil covered the puck long enough for a whistle, but after a brief review and some yelling from the Sea Dogs bench, it was still ruled a good goal.

With the ‘Cats appearing to be gaining some momentum in the final minute, Trask ended hopes of a Moncton comeback by taking an undsiciplned holding penalty at 19:11. Saint John would cruise the rest of the way to a 4-3 win.

Shots in the third stanza were 10-8 Moncton.

The Sea Dogs went 2-for-6 on the man advantage while the Wildcats went 1-for-6.

SAINT JOHN SCRATCHES
Saint John sported the same lineup as they did in their 4-2 road win in Quebec City on Sunday. Forwards Jason Cameron and Aidan Kelly along with defenseman Jason Seed were all healthy scratches.

QUICK HITS
The Sea Dogs are now 5-0 against Moncton this year… Saint John now leads the all-important Rivalry Cup Challenge 19-6… Mathieu Corbeil sported his new mask. He played well for most of the night but let out some big rebounds… this was the first game of a three-in-three for Saint John. They play the next two games at home against the Baie-Comeau Drakkar... Jonathan Huberdeau was the News 88.9 Top Dog… Saint John, who entered the game with the league’s best road power play, went 2-for-6 on the man advantage… Eric Gelinas had a team high five shots for the Dogs… Marek Hrivik, who has been dominating the Sea Dogs for years now, led the way for the Wildcats with seven shots… Brandon Gormley was a -2. He was average at best… Huberdeau and Zach Phillips are now tied for the team lead in goals once again with 29.

THE HIT
As for the hit Tomas Jurco put on Scott Trask in the first period, the Slovakian could see himself suspended as it was a bit of a blindside hit. Trask was okay, obviously, as he threw his gloves off to fight before even standing up straight again.

NEXT GAME
The Sea Dogs host Hugo Laporte and the Baie-Comeau Drakkar tomorrow night at 7pm at Harbour Station.

Photo Credit: Marc Grandmaison

PRE-GAME: Rivalry Cup Game 5 - Saint John Sea Dogs vs Moncton Wildcats

By Station Nation Staff

GAME DAY
WHO: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Moncton Wildcats
WHEN: Tonight, 7:00 pm
WHERE: Moncton Coliseum

VISITING TEAM: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 38-5-1-2 (1st in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 4-2 win at Quebec Sunday
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Huberdeau (45GP-27G-42A-69Pts)
Notes: The Saint John Sea Dogs come into this evening’s game with a record of 38-5-1-2 which is good for first place in the Maritimes Division and top spot in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Sea Dogs have 12-point lead for first in the division over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan while the Montreal Juniors sit four-points behind Saint John in the overall standings… in this week’s BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings, the Sea Dogs were ranked as the top team in the nation for the seventh straight week… Saint John is coming off a 4-2 road victory in Quebec City on Sunday afternoon. Stanislav Galiev, Michael Kirkpatrick, Zack Phillips, and Alexandre Beauregard all scored for the winners who were closing out a three-in-three Quebec road swing. Goaltender Jacob DeSerres made 21 saves in the win over the Remparts… 9-0-1-0 in their last 10-games and have gotten at least a point in 10 straight. They have won three straight – all road victories… for the Sea Dogs, this will be their fourth straight road match. The team opened a three-in-three road trip on Friday in Baie-Comeau, played Chicoutimi on Saturday, and then visited the Remparts on Sunday… Saint John is 17-5-0-1 on the road this season with all of their regulation loses coming on the road. They have outscored their opposition 101-68 away from Harbour Station. They are the only team in the league to have scored over 100 goals on the road this season… the Sea Dogs’ power play is ranked eighth in the league with a rating of 24%. On the road, the team is operating at a league best 28.1%... on the penalty kill, Saint John is ranked sixth with a rating of 80.2%. On the road, the squad is running at 75.6% which is ranked 14th among road team’s penalty kill… the Sea Dogs are averaging the fourth fewest penalty minutes per game in the QMJHL with an average of 12.4… Jonathan Huberdeau continues to lead the Sea Dogs in scoring with 69 points in 45 games this year. His linemate Zack Phillips is a close second with 67 points in 46 games… Phillips leads the team in the goal department with 28 on the year. Huberdeau is second on the team with 27… Huberdeau leads the club in assists with 42 on the year… Phillips is second in the league in power play goals with 13… Mike Thomas is fifth in the league in shorthanded goals with three. 25% on his goals scored this season have been while shorthanded… Phillips is second in the league with seven game winning goals. He scored the winner Sunday against the Remparts… Steven Anthony is tied for the league lead in insurance goals with five… Phillips has gotten an assist in five straight road games while Huberdeau has gotten at least one in five straight… Saint John has won five straight road games.

HOME TEAM: Moncton Wildcats
Record: 25-16-2-4 (3rd in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 5-4 win at PEI Sunday
Leading Scorer: Alex Saulnier (48GP-20G-40A-60Pts)
Notes: The Moncton Wildcats enter action tonight with a record of 25-16-2-4 which is good for third overall in the Maritimes Division and 10th in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Wildcats find themselves basically locked in the third spot in the division as they have a seven-point lead over the fourth place Prince Edward Island Rocket and are 11 points back of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan for the second spot in the Maritime grouping… Moncton is coming off a bizarre 5-4 road victory in Charlottetown against the Rocket on Sunday afternoon. The Wildcats had a 2-0 lead before the Rocket stormed back to take a 4-2 advantage. But the Wildcats would score three straight third period goals to earn the road win. Allain Saulnier scored a hat trick while singles came from Alex Saulnier and Devon MacAusland. Steve Gleeson made 36 saves in net for the win… 5-3-1-1 in their last 10 games and have won two straight… the Wildcats are 11-7-2-3 at home this year and have been outscored 85-83 on their home ice… Moncton has the sixth best power play in the league with a rating of 25.8%. At the Moncton Coliseum, they are operating at the same 25.8%... on the penalty kill side, Moncton is running at 79.9%. At home, their PK is working a percentage of 79.4%... the ‘Cats are averaging the eighth most penalty minutes per game with an average of 15… Alex Saulnier continues to lead Moncton in the points department with 60 in 48 games. His twin brother Allain is a close second with 57 points… Allain Saulnier leads the Wildcats in goals with 24 on the year… Alex Saulnier leads the club in assists with 40 this season… Alex Saulnier is also a team best +6 on the year… Tyler Howe has a team high 79 penalty minutes in 36 games played… goaltender Shane Owen was released by the team a few weeks ago, handing the ranks over to Steve Gleeson. Gleeson has a record of 10-2-2-1, a goals against average of 3.14, and a save percentage of 0.899… Alex Saulnier sits fifth in the league in power play assists with 19. Marek Hrivik is sixth with 18 man advantage helpers… Allain Saulnier is tied with Saint John’s Zack Phillips for second place in the league in power play goals with 13 on the year… Brandon Gormley is tied for the league lead in shootout winning goals scored by a defenseman with one… 21-5-0-1 when scoring the opening goal… Moncton allows the most shots against per game with an average of 33.69 against.

RIVALRY CUP
This is Game Five of the 2010-11 Brunswick News Rivalry Cup. Saint John has a commanding 16-5 lead in the season long series.

Here is this year’s point system:

(1) Head-to-head on-ice results: Three (3) points awarded to a team for a regulation win, two (2) points awarded for an overtime/shootout victory, and one (1) point awarded for an overtime/shootout loss.

(2) Head-to-head attendance figure (per game): Three (3) points awarded for 6,000 fans, two (2) points for 5,000 fans, and one (1) point for 4,000 fans.

(3) EA Sports NHL 11 Fan/Player Video Game Challenge: Saint John and Moncton will each select one fan to participate in an online video game series (best two-out-of-three) using the virtual versions of the Sea Dogs and Wildcats. The winning fan will collect five (5) points for his team/city. In addition, the Sea Dogs and Wildcats will select one player from their current roster to compete in a single-game competition, with the winner set to earn three (3) points for his side. More details regarding this portion of the challenge will be announced at a later date.

Promotions tonight:

• A special for tonight’s game allows adults to buy two tickets and get two student's or children's (12 and under) tickets free of charge.
• The Wildcats will also honour their 2001-02 team and introduce their 10th all-time fan favourite player.
• You could win free pizza for a year from Pizza Delight. Unreal.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
They're the No. 1 ranked team in the country and they have been in first place (in the QMJHL) virtually since the first week. They have a lot of skill and a lot of depth, so we have to play a sound two-way game against them," Wildcats head coach Danny Flynn said of the Sea Dogs to the Times &Transcript today yesterday.

"We've played well in spurts against them, but we have to play well for a full 60 minutes. They're very dangerous offensively and they have good depth, so we need a full 60 minutes and we need everybody going."

NOTES

• According to yesterday's Times & Transcript, Forward Olivier D'Aoust (broken hand) is questionable for tonight while forward Daniel Pettersson (broken wrist) remains out of the lineup.
• This game was scheduled to be played yesterday but was postponed due to snow or whatever.
• The Sea Dogs have won all four meetings between these two teams so far this season including both games at the Moncton Coliseum.
• After this game, the Dogs do not play on the road again until February 4 when, once again, they travel to Moncton for what will be the last meeting between the two at the Coliseum in the regular season.

ARENA INFO
Venue: Moncton Coliseum
Seating Capacity: 6,803
Average Attendance: 4,391
Year Built: 1973
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, L’Acadie Nouvelle, Times & Transcript, 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 Baie-Comeau Drakkar in the first part of a doubleheader tomorrow night at 7:00 pm at Harbour Station.

DOGS - 'CATS GAME POSTPONED; WILL BE PLAYED TOMORROW

Tonight’s Saint John Sea Dogs road contest in Moncton has been postponed due to inclement weather conditions around the southern New Brunswick area. The game has been moved to tomorrow night at the Moncton Coliseum. Game time is 7:00 pm.

The Saint John and Moncton areas are both expected to be hit with roughly 10 cm of snow today. Schools in the Saint John and Moncton region were all closed due to the impending storm.

This is the third Sea Dogs road game to be postponed this season. Treks to Bathurst and Prince Edward Island have both been called off previously.

The reschedule creates a second consecutive three-in-three weekend for the Sea Dogs. Saint John played in Baie-Comeau, Chicoutimi, and Quebec City last weekend. Now, they travel to Moncton tomorrow and host the Baie-Comeau Drakkar on Saturday and Sunday at Harbour Station.

As for the Wildcats, they host the Halifax Mooseheads on Saturday.

The move should also give the ‘Cats a boost in attendance, earning them some extra points in the all-important Brunswick News Rivalry Cup Challenge. Saint John currently leads the challenge 16-5.

DOGS BEAT 'CATS IN OVERTIME

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

MONCTON – It wasn’t expected to be like this.

The Moncton Wildcats, missing several members of their roster due to injuries and international events, hung in with the heavyweight Saint John Sea Dogs all the way into overtime.

Michael Kirkpatrick, Steven Anthony, and Stephen MacAulay all score for the Sea Dogs who defeated the Wildcats 3-2. MacAulay scored the overtime winner following a faceoff in the offensive zone. Goaltender Frederic Piche faced some tough shots, stopping 24 pucks in the win.

Saint John was not their usual dominant self, not playing the game that has made them successful this season. The Sea Dogs blew a two-goal led for the second time in their past three games.

Scott Trask and Cole MacMillan scored for the ‘Cats. Steve Gleeson was solid in the Moncton net, stopping 36 shots on the night.

Tyler Howe was called for checking from behind at 14:39. On the power play, Zack Phillips fed Kirkpatrick in front from a pass from the icing line. Kirkpatrick had an open net and one-timed it past Gleeson to make it a 1-0 game.

The period was fairly even between the two teams with Moncton having the more dangerous of the scoring opportunities. Shots in the opening frame were 12-8 Wildcats.

In the second and on another power play, Phillips was in the high slot and fed Anthony who sat at the faceoff dot. He slapped the disc into the high corner of the Wildcats’ net to make it 2-0 Saint John at 8:16.

At 8:38, Howe absolutely steamrolled recalled Saint John defenseman Spencer MacDonald behind the net. MacDonald was crunched against the boards so hard that his body went horizontal with his skates coming up above his head. On the man advantage, Saint John could not score.

Guillaume Cloutier took a hooking penalty at 12:42. On the power play, the Wildcats got on the board at 13:44. A point shot caused a scramble and Trask was able to find a hole on the fallen Piche to make it a 2-1 game.

Kirkpatrick was given a game misconduct when he nearly destroyed Daniel Milan at 14:04. Kirkpatrick ran into the Wildcats defenseman against the penalty box glass with Milan’s head hitting the top part of the boards. The Sea Dogs were given a five-minute major penalty for the hit, but the Wildcats couldn’t generate a whole lot of offense on the play.

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

In the third period, Saint John thought they scored but it was immediately waved off as it was ruled the whistle went before the puck was jammed in.

At 15:55, a shot from the top of the circle hit some objects in front and fooled Piche to tie the match at 2-2. Credit for the marker was given to MacMillan.

Shots in the third were 19-6 Sea Dogs.

Overtime was uneventful with the exception of both teams giving up offensive chances on defensive miscues. At 3:08 on a faceoff, MacAulay beat Gleeson to stun the Wildcats by winning 3-2.

Shots in the extra session were 2-0 Saint John.

The Sea Dogs went 2/7 on the power play while Moncton went 1/5.

NOTES: See Sea Dogs Postscript tomorrow.

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs host the Acadie-Bathurst Titan Tuesday night at Harbour Station at 7:00 pm.

LIVE BLOG: Sea Dogs vs Wildcats

VIDEO: Huberdeau's Beauty vs Moncton

Jonathan Huberdeau scored another beautiful goal Friday night in a 4-0 Saint John Sea Dogs victory over the Moncton Wildcats.

As described by Neil Hodge of the Times & Transcript, “the highly skilled centre went one-on-one against Wildcats defenceman Alex MacDonald, turned him inside out with some nifty moves and then unleashed a hard close-range shot for his 25th goal.”



Huberdeau now sits tied for second in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League scoring race with 58 points in 38 games. He is tied for fourth in goals scored in the league with 25 and sits second on the Sea Dogs behind Zack Phillips’ 26.

This goal is just one of many eye catching goals the draft eligible forward as scored in his one-and-a-half year QMJHL career.

- Video Courtesy of NHL Draft Video

PRE-GAME: Rivalry Cup Game 4 - Saint John Sea Dogs vs Moncton Wildcats

By Station Nation Staff

GAME DAY
WHO: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Moncton Wildcats
WHEN: Today, 2:00 pm
WHERE: Moncton Coliseum

VISITING TEAM: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 30-5-0-2 (1st in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 4-0 win vs Moncton Friday
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Huberdeau (37GP-25G-33A-58Pts)
Notes: The Saint John Sea Dogs enter play this evening with a record of 30-5-0-2 which is good for first in the Maritimes Division and second overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. They are one point back of the Quebec Remparts for first overall in the league and have three games in hand over Patrick Roy’s club… in the last BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings, the Sea Dogs were ranked first… Saint John is coming off a 4-0 win over the Moncton Wildcats on Friday night at Harbour Station. Jonathan Huberdeau, Steven Anthony, Zack Phillips, and Kevin Gagne all scored for the winners who remain undefeated in regulation on home ice. Jacob DeSerres picked up his third shutout of the season with the victory… 8-2-0-0 in their last 10 games and are coming off a win… 12-5-0-1 on the road this season with their last road loss coming on Thursday night in Bathurst. They have outscored their opposition 78-57 on the road this season… the Sea Dogs enter tonight’s tilt with the sixth best power play in the QMJHL with a rating of 23.9%. On the road, they are operating at 25%... Saint John’s penalty kill enters action today with a rating of 81.6% which places them fourth overall in the league. On the road, their penalty kill is running at just 77%... Jonathan Huberdeau leads the Sea Dogs in points this season with 58 in 37 games. He is second on the team in goals with 25, leads the team in assists with 33, and is a league best +35… Zack Phillips leads Saint John in goals with 26 on the season, his latest coming in Friday’s game against Moncton on a breakaway. He is third in league goal scoring… the newly acquired Alexandre Beauregard has a team high 87 penalty minutes between the Dogs and the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. So far, he has served a minor penalty and a five minute major for fighting with Saint John… Phillips is tied for the league lead in power play goals with 12… Phillips is tied for second in game winning goals with six. Huberdeau is a close third with five… Michael Kirkpatrick is second in the league in dangerous shots taken with 105. Huberdeau is third with 95… if the goaltending rotation stays true, Frederic Piche will get the start in net although it may be tempting to start Jacob DeSerres. DeSerres relieved Piche in the second period of Thursday’s game and then recorded a shutout against the Wildcats yesterday. Piche still has solid numbers with a record of 13-2-0-2, a goals against average of 2.60, and a save percentage of 0.909. Piche has the QMJHL’s sixth best save percentage and sixth best GAA… the Sea Dogs are 3-0-0-0 against the Moncton so far this season and 1-0-0-0 at the Coliseum. They have outscored the ‘Cats 19-9 during that stretch… Tomas Jurco and Simon Despres will both miss today’s game due to their duties at the World Junior Hockey Championships.

HOME TEAM: Moncton Wildcats
Record: 20-15-1-3 (3rd in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 4-0 loss at Saint John Friday
Leading Scorer: Alex Saulnier (39GP-17G-29A-46Pts)
Notes: The Moncton Wildcats come into this afternoon’s match with a record of 20-15-1-3 which places them third in the Maritimes Division and sit tenth overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Wildcats are 18 points back of the division leading Saint John Sea Dogs and four points back of the second place Acadie-Bathurst Titan… the Wildcats are coming off a 4-0 loss in Saint John on Friday night. The Sea Dogs were the better team for the majority of the match and Moncton had limited scoring chances. They were able to fire 28 shots on goal but could not beat Jacob DeSerres. Shane Owen suffered the loss in goal… 3-6-1-0 in their last 10 games… Moncton has hit a slide over the past couple of weeks. The ‘Cats have lost four straight games and have been shutout in two of them. They have been outscored 15-3 in those four loses… at the Moncton Coliseum this season, the defending QMJHL Champions are 9-6-1-2 and have outscored their opponents by the small margin of 65-61 along the way. 21 of the teams 44 points have come at the Coliseum… despite their lack of offense over the past few games, Moncton still has the league’s fifth best power play with a rating of 26.6%. At home, their man advantage percentage is 27.4… on the penalty kill side, the Wildcats are ranked eighth with a rating of 80.1%. At the Coliseum, they are killing off 79.2% of penalties… the Wildcats are averaging the eighth most penalty minutes per game with an average of 14.6… Allain Saulnier leads the Wildcats in scoring with 46 points on the year. His twin, Alex, is a close second with 45 points… Marek Hrivik is currently playing with Team Slovakia at the world juniors but still leads Moncton in goals scored with 18. Allain Saulnier and Daniel Pettersson are a close second with 17 markers each… Shane Owen will likely start in net for Moncton. This season, the former Ontario Hockey Leaguer has a record of 11-12-0-3, a save percentage of 0.911, and a save goals against average of 3.13… the Wildcats are 0-3-0-0 against the Sea Dogs this season… Milan leads all rookies in power play points with 14… Moncton is 16-4-0-1 when scoring first… Owen is third overall in the league in terms of saves with 829… the Wildcats are allowing a league high 33.77 shots per game.

RIVALRY CUP
This is Game Four of the 2010-11 Brunswick News Rivalry Cup. Saint John has a commanding 14-2 lead in the season long series.

Here is this years point system:

(1) Head-to-head on-ice results: Three (3) points awarded to a team for a regulation win, two (2) points awarded for an overtime/shootout victory, and one (1) point awarded for an overtime/shootout loss.

(2) Head-to-head attendance figure (per game): Three (3) points awarded for 6,000 fans, two (2) points for 5,000 fans, and one (1) point for 4,000 fans.

(3) EA Sports NHL 11 Fan/Player Video Game Challenge: Saint John and Moncton will each select one fan to participate in an online video game series (best two-out-of-three) using the virtual versions of the Sea Dogs and Wildcats. The winning fan will collect five (5) points for his team/city. In addition, the Sea Dogs and Wildcats will select one player from their current roster to compete in a single-game competition, with the winner set to earn three (3) points for his side. More details regarding this portion of the challenge will be announced at a later date.

According to yesterday’s Times & Transcript, over 4,500 tickets had been sold to this match as of Friday.

FLYING SOLO
The New Year’s Eve game between these two on Friday and today’s match are the only QMJHL games being played this weekend.

COMMENTS
Wildcats head coach Danny Flynn in Saturday’s Times & Transcript on today’s game:

"We have to work on our execution (when we play them tomorrow) and staying out of the penalty box.

"Our puck movement and our decisions with the puck are things that we have to strive to make improvements. We're playing hard and our guys care a lot. You can never question the work ethic of this team."

Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant:

"We know it's going to be a tough game in their building on Sunday.

"There's never an easy game against them.

"We've got a lot of guys back from our team that went to the league final last season. I'm expecting us to win most nights when we play the way we can."

SEASON ONE
As part of the Wildcats' 15th anniversary celebrations, a video tribute to their first season in Moncton was created:



ARENA INFO
Venue: Moncton Coliseum
Seating Capacity: 6,803
Average Attendance: 4,229
Year Built: 1973
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, L’Acadie Nouvelle, Tomes & Transcript, 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 Acadie-Bathurst Titan Tuesday night at Harbour Station.