FORMER DOG TRADED TO VOLTS

Former Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman Robert McEwan was traded this morning from the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies to the Drummondville Voltigeurs in exchange for Antoine Nadeau.

McEwan has appeared in 20-games with the last place Huskies this season, recording one goal and three assists to go along with 12 penalty minutes and a -11 rating.

The Mississauga, Ontario native joined the Sea Dogs as a free agent in August of 2008. He played in just 32 games as a rookie in 2008-09 and saw limited ice time. He recorded two assists, 27 penalty minutes, and a -2 rating in his appearances with Saint John.

In five games with the Sea Dogs last season, he recorded no points, four penalty minutes, and a +4 rating. McEwan was designated for assignment in October and released from the team in January.

After a stint in the Ontario junior ‘A’ ranks last year, McEwan joined the Huskies this past August.

The Voltigeurs host the Rimouski Oceanic tonight.

In another move today, the Gatineau Olympiques traded right-winger Yoan Pinette to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan for a second pick in 2011.

- Photo Credit: David Connell Photography

SEA DOGS ACQUIRE BEAUREGARD

The Saint John Sea Dogs have made a trade.

The Sea Dogs acquired 19-year old Alexandre Beauregard from the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in exchange for a first round draft pick in the 2011 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft.

This season with the cellar dwelling Huskies, Beauregard has four goals and six assists in 35 contests to go along with 80 penalty minutes and a -22 rating.

Drafted by Rouyn-Noranda in the sixth round of the 2008 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft, the forward recorded three goals and two assists in 48 games as a rookie. In 2009-10, Beauregard recorded a career high eight goals and 16 assists in 65 matches. He added another two goals and two assists in the Huskies’ 11 playoff games last season.

Beauregard is certainly not known for his skill. He will provide some much needed toughness and grit to the Saint John lineup that has been missed on some occasions. Going into the trade period, it was assumed that the Sea Dogs would go after a player like Beauregard.

"He's the type of player that we were looking for: A player with a big, physical presence, who can play all three forward positions," said Sea Dogs director of hockey operations Mike Kelly in a release.

"This is the type of player that you need heading into the playoffs," Kelly said. "He can move up into the lineup, he can kill penalties, and he gives us an option as an overage player next year."

Beauregard also isn’t afraid to drop the gloves. He has been in eight fights this season which places him in a tie for sixth in the QMJHL.

POSTSCRIPT: Sea Dogs 7, Huskies 0

By Station Nation Staff

SEA DOGS – HUSKIES GAME AT A GLANCE
Final Score: Saint John 7, Rouyn-Noranda 0
Saint John Goals: Stanislav Galiev (8, 9), Gabriel Bourret (3), Danick Gauthier (3), Mike Thomas (2), and Michael Kirkpatrick (5, 6)
Rouyn-Noranda Goals: None
Winning Goaltender: SJ – Frederic Piche
Losing Goaltender: RN – Mickael Audette
News 88.9 Top Dog: Mike Thomas

THE NUMBERS
Power Play: Huskies 0/5, Sea Dogs: 1/7
Shots on Goal: Huskies: 4+17+7=28, Sea Dogs: 13+18+13=44
Length: 2:21
Attendance: 1,614

SAINT JOHN SCRATCHES
Aidan Kelly was a healthy scratch while, according to News 88.9, Tyrone Sock was out with the flu.

One notable scratch for Rouyn-Noranda saw former Sea Dogs defenseman Robert McEwan sit out after a fairly solid game on Saturday against Saint John.

BLOWOUT IN ROUYN
In one of their best games of the season, the Saint John Sea Dogs walked over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, blowing them out 7-0 on Sunday afternoon at Iamgold Arena.

"It was a total team effort,'' Saint John head coach Gerard Gallant said after Sunday's victory to the Telegraph-Journal. "There was no selfish play. It was all team play and that's how you're successful.''

It was a dominant game by Saint John from start to finish, outshooting the Huskies 44-28 en route to their 15th win of the season.

In the first, Stanislav Galiev opened the scoring at 10:56 with he ripped a shot over the glove of Mickael Audette in the Rouyn-Noranda crease. Just over five minutes later Gabriel Bourret accepted a Mike Thomas pass and scored to give Saint John a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes.

Despite the Sea Dogs holding just a single shot lead - 18-17 – the Sea Dogs dominated the middle frame.

Danick Gauthier scored just 11 seconds in to give the Dogs a 3-0 lead. Then, at 11:50 with Nathan Beaulieu in the box, a Stephen MacAulay shot rebound to captain Thomas who slid the puck in to make it a 4-0 game. Just under 40 seconds later Galiev chipped the puck ahead to Michael Kirkpatrick who beat Audette with a low laser to extend the visitors lead to five.

With Jeffery Noonan now in net for Rouyn-Noranda, Galiev didn’t care about a change in netminders and made it a 6-0 game on a shot that took place just a few moments after a faceoff in the offensive zone.

In a penalty filled third period, neither team looked to eager to do much defensively. With Audette back in goal, Kirkpatrick was sprung on a breakaway and walked around the diving goaltender to put the Sea Dogs ahead by a touchdown.

The rough stuff continued deep into the game, but nothing came out of it as Saint John cruised to an easy victory.

WHAT A ROAD TRIP
The Abitibi-Témiscamingue region was good to the Sea Dogs this season. Probably one of Saint John’s toughest road trips of the year, the Sea Dogs picked up all eight points on the four game road trip through Val-d’Or and Rouyn-Noranda.

Saint John started the trip with Wednesday's 5-4 win in Val-d'Or, followed by Friday's 7-3 win over the same Foreurs team. They then took on the Huskies Saturday and were victorious with a 3-2 overtime win against the cellar dwelling squad. They wrapped up the road trip with yesterday’s 7-0 romp.

Going 3-0 on any Quebec road swing is tough enough, but to go 4-0 against these two teams is very impressive.

The Sea Dogs have played their last six games on the road, going 5-1-0-0 during the span with their only loss coming in Bathurst.

THE AUDETTE SHOW
Huskies goaltender Mickael Audette put on quite the performance in the third period of Sunday’s game, taking three roughing penalties. It was worthy of a separate post which can be read HERE.

Just how bizare was it? He picked up the dishonourable mention award over at Yahoo!’s Buzzing The Net:

Audette kind of lost his mind in the latter half of the Huskies' 7-0 home loss to Saint John. The goaltender, who allowed six goals on 35 shots in the shellacking, also took three roughing penalties. Some cheap advice is he should try to spend more time playing goal and a little less trying to invent an agitator role, mmm-kay?

KIRKPATRICK TIES SPARLING
With two goals in the game, Michael Kirkpatrick tied Ryan Sparling’s franchise record for career goals as a Sea Dog with 83. He’ll have a chance to break the record against his hometown Cape Breton Screaming Eagles Friday.

As this un-updated chart shows, Kirkpatrick could break a few more records this season:

BIG NIGHT FOR THE THIRD LINE
The third line of Mike Thomas, Stephen MacAulay, and Danick Gauthier had a big night for Saint John. The three combined to score two goals and five assists with goals coming from Gauthier and Thomas. MacAulay and Thomas both had two assists.

The line started the game up front for Saint John and slowly began to get their offense rolling.

The 2011 line featuring Zach Phillips, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Tomas Jurco was held pointless.

NO MORE ROUYN
This was the final meeting between the two teams for likely a good year or so. The Huskies will have quite a battle to make if they wish to make the playoffs.

The Sea Dogs outscored Rouyn-Noranda 12-4 in three games and shut them out two times – each with a different goaltender in net.

NEWS 88.9 ISSUES
Just before Stanislav Galiev scored the first goal of the game, Tim Roszell and News 88.9 went dark due to technical issues. Roszell came back after a brief absence just in time to call Galiev’s goal on what sounded like a mid-1990’s cell phone.

The issues were quickly resolved.

It was a bad luck weekend for the radio broadcast as they missed a goal in Saturday’s game while on commercial break.

IT WAS HALLOWEEN
It was the first game in Sea Dogs franchise history to be played on Halloween. There didn’t seem to be a whole lot of costumes at Iamgold Arena on Sunday, but a mascot could be seen skating around wearing a cape. Not sure if that is normal or not.

LOTS OF PENALTIES
Referees Frédéric Leblanc and Eric Charron and linesmen Serge Carpentier and Yannick Massé were the officials for the past three Sea Dogs games. There was only one fight, but there were a ridiculus amount of roughing penalties called on Sunday:

IT’S OVER
Tomas Jurco took his first penalty of the season yesterday, a roughing penalty at 8:57 of the second period. Jurco had played in all previous 18 Sea Dogs games and had not served time in the box.

QUICK HITS
News 88.9 reported that former Sea Dogs head coach Jacques Beaulieu was in the building last night, no doubt getting a look at his son Nathan and the team that his fingerprints all over it… second straight game that Sock missed because of the flu… obviously, it was the last game for Saint John in the month of October. The Sea Dogs do not leave the province in November… Rouyn-Noranda lost their eighth straight game… Saint John won their fifth straight game… the game ended with 1.6 seconds left in the third period after rough stuff was beginning to take over the game… Kevin Gagne was a team high +4… Huskies forward Jonathan Bonneau had eight shots… all four games on the Sea Dogs’ Quebec road trip had less than 2,000 fans at the game... to relive the game, check out the SN Live Blog Replay.

NEXT GAME
The Sea Dogs finally return home on Friday night at 7:30 pm to face the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.

Photo/Image Credits: Huskies website, Google, EliteProspects.com, Sea Dogs website, QMJHL website

AUDETTE GETS ANGRY IN BIG LOSS

Angelo Esposito, Hugo Laporte, and now Mickael Audette. These here names are not the most loved among Saint John Sea Dogs fans.

Esposito was booed every time he touched the puck at Harbour Station after all the commotion at the 2005 QMJHL Entry Draft. Hugo Laporte for his academy award winning diving performance in the 2010 quarter-finals. And now Mickael Audette, the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies goaltender who lost his cool in a 7-0 blowout loss versus Saint John yesterday at Iamgold Arena.

Okay, so maybe putting Audette in the same category as ‘Espo’ and Laporte is a bit harsh, but it’s a good way to start this post. Plus, unless the Huskies pull off a miracle and somehow make the playoffs and meet the Sea Dogs in the first round, Audette will not be playing at Harbour Station any time soon.

But Audette’s antics in the third period certainly raised an eyebrow among Sea Dogs fans – and probably some Huskies faithfull as well.

After allowing five goals, the Huskies netminder was pulled in favour of Jeffery Noonan at 12:28 of the second period. Noonan allowed one goal on nine shots, and was replaced by Audette to start the third.

But instead of trying to salvage what was left of a 6-0 game at that point, Audette had other plans. It started at 4:06 when he was called for roughing after going to the side of his crease and giving Sea Dogs forward Stephen MacAulay a face-wash with his hand.

Then at 16:19, Audette left his net entirely to go into the trapezoid area and try to get a MacAulay once again. It looked like a fight was going to break loose for a few minutes involving the goaltender, but things would simmer down. Audette was given another roughing penalty on the play.

Later on in the period and things continuing to get chippy, Michael Kirkpatrick was sprung on a long breakaway. Instead of staying in his crease, Audette came way out to challenge Kirkpatrick or something and missed him completely. No idea what he was doing there as it cost his team yet another goal. He was called for roughing again.

Late in the game, Audette lost his stick and didn’t seem too keen on getting a new one and played without for a short period. With 1.6 seconds left, everyone grabbed a dance partner in the corner and an official was forced to keep Audette away from the play, pushing him way back almost to the blue line.

What his problem was isn’t clear. It’s one thing to get frustrated when you allow six goals on 35 shots but it’s another to take three rouging penalties in the third period. The weirdest thing of it all was his hate for MacAulay, who didn’t do any obvious damage to Audette throughout the game.

According to his stats page at HockeyDB.com, this was the first time the 19-year old had ever taken any penalties in his career in the QMJHL.

Perhaps instead of agitating the opposing team, Audette should try and keep some pucks out of his net.

DOGS COMPLETE ROAD SWEEP

SN RECAP
FINAL: Sea Dogs 7, Huskies 0

ROUYN-NORANDA, Que. – It was the perfect ending to an unreal road trip.

Playing their fourth game in five days in northern Quebec, the Saint John Sea Dogs showed no signs of fatigue BY trouncing the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 7-0 at the Iamgold Arena in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action Sunday evening.

With the victory, Saint John swept their four game road trip against the Val-d’Or Foreurs and the Huskies. Sweeping three games in Quebec is tough enough, but winning four games in the two northwestern communities is almost unheard of.

Stanislav Galiev and Michael Kirkpatrick led the way for Saint John producing two goals apiece. Gabriel Bourret, Mike Thomas, and Danick Gauthier also added goals. Steven Anthony and Stephen MacAulay both had two assists. Goaltender Frederic Piche was not tested too much, stopping 28 shots for the shutout victory.

Saint John simply dominated this game from the beginning to the end. Even in the third period when things got a little wild, the team kept their cool and cruised to victory.

Mickael Audette, who took three roughing penalties in the third period, made 29 saves and allowed six goals on the night. Backup Jeffery Noonan stopped eight-of-nine shots when he came in as relief in the second period.

FIRST PERIOD
Saint John dominated the first period. Their first good opportunity came when a Jonathan Huberdeau shot hit something in front, bouncing to Tomas Jurco. Jurco worked his way to the side of the goal with Mickael Audette down but defenseman Gabriel O’Conner dove to keep the puck out.

Zach Phillips then a sent a great pass to Kevin Gagne from the icing line. Gagne shot the puck from just above the dot but sent a low wrister wide of the goal. Then Stephen MacAulay fed a streaking Danick Gauthier but he couldn’t get a shot off.

While News 88.9 was experiencing some technical issues, Steven Anthony just missed a one time shot at the side of the net following a faceoff to the opposite side of Audette.

Saint John made it 1-0 at 10:56 when Michael Kirkpatrick centered the puck for Stanislav Galiev. Galiev wired the disc into the corner of the net to give Saint John the lead.

After Huberdeau was denied on a solid wraparound chance, Jurco cut through the defense but could not get a shot off before ramming into Audette in the Rouyn-Noranda crease.

The Sea Dogs doubled their at 16:23 when Mike Thomas fed Gabriel Bourret. The Saint John defenseman one-timed the puck with nobody around him to give his team a 2-0 lead going into intermission.

The Sea Dogs outshot the Huskies 13-4 in the period.

SECOND PERIOD
Just 11 seconds into the period, MacAulay sent a pass ahead to Danick Gauther as the two crossed the line. Gauthier fired the puck high glove side and beat Audette to make it a 3-0 game.

Maxim Kazakov actually had a good scoring chance following the goal, forcing Bourret to take a hooking penalty at 2:00. After the Huskies failed to get anything going on the power play, Jason Kelly was called for high sticking at 4:04. Despite Nathan Beaulieu firing a couple of good point shots, they could not get anything by Audette on the man advantage.

Following the power play, Ryan Tesink had a partial break but sent the puck wide. Then at 7:11 Jason Cameron and Kelly dropped the gloves in a rather uneventful fight.

The penalties began to come fast and furious following a Saint John power play. Jurco and Sean Girard were called for roughing at 8:57 and then Mike Thomas and Robbie DeFulviis headed off for roughing as well at 9:34.

During the four-on-four span, Scott Oke had a partial break but ripped a long shot wide.

With Beaulieu in the box for Saint John at 11:50, the Sea Dogs went back to their offensive penalty killing style. MacAulay entered the zone and fired a shot on Audette, producing a big rebound. Thomas was right there to sweep it in and make it a 4-0 game.

The Huskies had a decent scoring chance at the other end as Frederic Piche was forced to stop Jerome Raymond with the leather in front.

The Sea Dogs made it 5-0 at 12:28. Galiev chipped the puck ahead to Kirkpatrick who entered the zone down the wing at top speed. Audette did not even move before Kirkpatrick fired a wrist shot that beat the goaltender wide to extend Saint John’s lead. Jeffery Noonan replaced Audette following the goal.

Galiev made it 6-0 at 15:46 immediately following a faceoff, beating Audette down low to officially make it a blowout.

Huberdeau was sent to the box at 17:04 for tripping. A big scrum was produced in front of Piche during the power play, but the goaltender stood his ground and made a few nice stops.

Rouyn-Noranda, despite allowing four goals, kept pace with Saint John as the two fired 17 points each.

THIRD PERIOD
The Sea Dogs went to an early two man advantage at 1:54 with Andrew Roski and Raymond in the box. Huberdeau and Jurco both had decent chances but could not score.

Audette came back into the Huskies crease to open the third, but he was called for roughing after he went after MacAulay and washed his face with his glove for some unknown reason. On the power play, Gauthier made a nice move to get around his man but was stopped in the crease. That would prove to be the best opportunity.

At the other end, Roski had a good chance down low but Piche came up big with the glove. After that, Steven Anthony had a short breakaway but couldn’t get a good shot off after his stick busted. Then Oke was alone at the side but couldn’t get the disc on his stick.

The Sea Dogs had yet another power play after Audette took yet another roughing call for going after MacAulay and Alexandre Beauregard picked up a double minor on the play at 16:19. Bourret also went off on the same play for Saint John.

On the power play, Kirkpatrick tied Ryan Sparling’s franchise goal record at 18:31, scoring the 83rd marker of his career. The 20-year old made a deke on a diving Audette and went in alone to make it 7-0. Audette, of course, picked up a roughing penalty on the play.

In the dying seconds of the game, things got a little wild in the Rouyn-Noranda zone involving everyone. The officials had to hold Audette back. Despite there being 1.6 seconds remaining on the clock, the officials decided to end the match.

Shots in the final frame were 13-7 Saint John.

The Sea Dogs were 1/7 on the power play while the Huskies went 0/5

NOTES: See Sea Dogs Postscript tomorrow afternoon.

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs return home to host the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on Friday at 7:30 pm at Harbour Station.

LIVE BLOG: Sea Dogs vs Huskies

PRE-GAME: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Rouyn-Noranda Huskies

GAME DAY

WHO: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
WHEN: Tonight, 5:00 pm
WHERE: Iamgold Arena

VISITING TEAM: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 14-3-0-1 (1st in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 3-2 overtime win vs Rouyn-Noranda yesterday
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Huberdeau (18GP-13G-11A-24Pts)
Notes: The Saint John Sea Dogs come into today’s game with a 14-3-0-1 record which is good for first in the Maritimes and are tied with the Quebec Remparts for first overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with 29 points. The Remparts have, however, played two fewer games. Saint John was an honourable mention in the BMO CHL Top 10 Rankings this past week… the Sea Dogs are coming off a 3-2 overtime win against these very same Rouyn-Noranda Huskies last night at Iamgold Arena. Jonathan Huberdeau set up Zach Phillips in the first period, scored a shorthanded goal in the third, and then assisted on Simon Depres’ game winner in overtime. Jacob DeSerres stopped 30 pucks to pick up his second straight win… Saint John has now won four straight games – all on the road. They have wins against Halifax, two in Val-d’Or, and one in Rouyn-Noranda… 9-1-0-0 in their last 10 games. Their only loss was a 5-1 defeat in Bathurst… after struggling on the road earlier this season, the Sea Dogs have finally found a winning formula. They are currently 6-3-0-1 away from Harbour Station and have outscored their opponents 38-33 along the way… the Sea Dogs have served the third fewest amount of penalty minutes this season. They have served 207 for an average of 11.5 per game… Jonathan Huberdeau leads the Sea Dogs in points with 24 after a big three point night yesterday. He also leads the team in goals with 13, plus/minus with a +22 rating, and in penalty minutes with 25… Michael Kirkpatrick leads Saint John in assists with 16… Frederic Piche will probably start in net today as the Sea Dogs’ goaltending rotation continues. The 19-year old has a 7-1-0-1 record to go along with a goals against average of 2.53 and save percentage of 0.906%. His GAA places him eighth in the league while his SV% places him eighth as well. He has the seventh most wins in the league… Huberdeau’s +22 rating puts him first in the league in the plus/minus category… Ryan Tesink was a healthy scratch last night but still sits third overall in rookie scoring with 14 points in 16 games… Tyrone Sock did not play yesterday due to the flu.

HOME TEAM: Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
Record: 4-12-1-1 (6th in Telus West Division)
Last Game: 3-2 overtime loss vs Saint John yesterday
Leading Scorer: Robbie DeFulviis (16GP-6G-5A-11Pts)
Notes: The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies enter today’s action with a 4-12-1-1 record which is good for last in the Telus West Division and 17th overall in the 18-team Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. If the playoffs started today, the Huskies and Baie-Comeau Drakkar would be the two teams absent… the Huskies are coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to the Saint John Sea Dogs yesterday at the Iamgold Arena. Jean-Francois Grenier and former PEI Rocket Jonathan Bonneau each scored for Rouyn-Noranda. Mickael Audette made 29 saves in the loss. The Huskies were able to slow down Saint John’s offensive production, something they will have to do once again today in order to earn a victory… the Huskies have scored the fewest amount of goals this year and have allowed the most against… R-N has lost seven straight matches and have earned a point in only two of them. They are 1-7-1-1 in their last 10 games… 2-6-1-0 at home this season. They are 2-6-0-1 on the road… rookie Robbie DeFulviis had a strong game last night. He continues to lead the Huskies in scoring with 11 points… Jessyko Bernard leads the Huskies in goals with seven… Jerome Raymond and Gabriel O’Conner have a team best six assists… O’Conner is a team worst -19… Mickael Audette has played in the Huskies crease the most of any netminder this season. He is 4-8-1-1 with a 4.10 goals against average and a 0.856 save percentage… Rouyn-Noranda is the 11th youngest team in the QMJHL with an average age of 17.89 years… the club has an average height of 181.52 cm which places them 15th in the league… the Huskies are the 10th heaviest club with an average weight of 80.78 kg… Jason Kelly leads the Huskies in fights with five this season. The team has 18 fights overall this year compared to the Sea Dogs’ seven – the second lowest in the league.

THE FIRST MEETING
From the Sea Dogs’ website:

Saint John defeated Rouyn-Noranda earlier this season, with overage goaltender Jacob DeSerres having blanked the Huskies 2-0 in his QMJHL debut back on October 16. Vancouver Canucks prospect Steven Anthony and Washington Capitals prospect Stanislav Galiev both found the back of the net for the home team in that match, while Team Captain Mike Thomas led all Sea Dogs skaters with three hits on the night.

Saint John is 2-0-0-0 versus the Huskies this season and have outscored them 5-2. Today is the final meeting between the two.

KIRKPATRICK LOOKING TO MAKE HISTORY
Veteran centre Michael Kirkpatrick has accumulated 20 points this season on four goals and 16 assists. Kirkpatrick enters today's action needing two goals to tie fellow Cape Bretoner Ryan Sparling for the all-time Sea Dogs record with 83 career markers.

AROUND THE TOWN
From Wikipedia:

The city of Rouyn (named for Jean-Baptiste Rouyn, a captain in the Royal-Roussillon regiment of Montcalm)appeared after copper was discovered in 1917. Noranda (a contraction of "North Canada") was created later around the Horne mine and foundry. Both were officially constituted as cities in 1926, then merged in 1986.

Since 1966, Rouyn and Noranda constitute the capital of the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region. It is also the seat of public university UQAT since 1983.

As of 2006, the population was 39,924.

Judging by this video, it looks like an exciting place.



THE COACH
Huskies head coach Andre Tourigny will an assistant for Team Canada at the world juniors. He will also be the head coach for Team QMJHL at the Subway Super Series.

Gerard Gallant, the man facing him today behind the Sea Dogs bench, will be his assistant in the November 8th Super Series game at Harbour Station.

IT’S HALLOWEEN
In partnership with Old Dutch chips, fans attending today’s game are encouraged to wear a costume.

ARENA INFO
Venue: Iamgold Arena (formerly known as Dave Keon Arena)
Seating Capacity: 2,850 (2,150 seated)
Year Built: 1951
Ice Dimensions: 190’ X 85’
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, Le Citoyen

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
After two weeks away from home, the Sea Dogs return to Harbour Station Friday night against the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.

SEA DOGS WIN IT IN OT

SN POST-GAME
FINAL (OT): Sea Dogs 3, Huskies 2

ROUYN-NORANDA, Que. – Jonathan Huberdeau is proving to be the go to guy on offense this season.

A goal and two assists by Huberdeau helped guide the Saint John Sea Dogs to a 3-2 overtime win in Rouyn-Noranda Saturday evening against the Huskies in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

Huberdeau assisted on Zach Phillips’ opening goal, scored a shorthanded marker in the third, and then setup Simon Despres’ game winning goal in the extra session.

It wasn’t a game that will be remembered for its offense. For much of the affair, the two teams just went back-and-forth and had no real momentum or any kind of offensive pressure. But it got the job for the Sea Dogs who will look to sweep their Quebec road swing with a win tomorrow.

Jacob DeSerres played very in net, making some big stops. He made 30 saves to pick up the victory.

The Huskies did all that they could against Saint John with a penalty in overtime being their ultimate demise. Jean-Francois Grenier and Jonathan Bonneau scored for the home team who have know lost seven straight games.

Mickael Audette made 29 saves in goal in the loss.

FIRST PERIOD
After a slow start for both teams, Rouyn-Noranda began to put some pressure on. Jessyko Bernard walked out from the corner and entered the crease area but was stopped by Jacob DeSerres in the Sea Dogs goal. Not long after, a Jason Kelly shot produced a rebound that went to Robbie DeFulviis at the side of the net but he couldn’t get a shot off.

Stanislav Galiev made a nice play at the other end to put some pressure on the Huskies. He spun around and threw the puck in the crease but no Sea Dog was in position to get a stick on it.

Zach Phillips made it 1-0 Saint John at 8:29, beating Mickael Audette with a low wrist shot from the faceoff circle to open the scoring.

Not long after, a turnover in the Huskies zone allowed for Jonathan Huberdeau to walk into the crease area but was stopped. Then, Galiev came down the wing and centered for a streaking Steven Anthony but was tied up at the last minute.

DeSerres made a nice stop on a Vincent Bernier shot later on in the frame. That was followed by Tomas Jurco sending a pass from behind the goal line at the other end to Huberdeau in front but Audette was there to make the stop.

DeSerres was tested again on a Robert McEwan point shot, making a great glove save through a high level of traffic. In the dying seconds of the period, Mike Thomas sent the puck just wide of the goal on a wrist shot down low.

Shots in the opening period were 13-9 Rouyn-Noranda.

SECOND PERIOD
The Sea Dogs had the best scoring opportunities early on. Scott Oke came down the wing and had a step on the Rouyn-Noranda defense but was stopped. Then a lead pass was grabbed by Stephen MacAulay, but a nice defensive play by the Huskies backend forced him away from the net.

Alexandre Beauregard made a great move on DeSerres not long after. The left winger cut through the crease and went to his backhand but was denied by the Sea Dogs stopper.

DeFulviss headed to box at 9:24 for slashing and gave Saint John their first penalty of the game. On the man advantage, Simon Despres ripped a shot off the crossbar. Then a pass from the point found Anthony down low but could not jam it in.

With the penalty over, DeFulviis wired the puck off the far post on a sharp angle shot but stayed out.

Mike Thomas was called for cross checking at 14:28 and it would be costly. The Sea Dogs tried to clear the puck but it was stopped at the point by Jean-Francois Grenier. He walked across the line and fired a shot through traffic that beat DeSerres to tie the match at 1-1 at 16:05.

The Huskies kept their offensive pressure going when a loose puck was picked up by Alexandre Leclerc and quickly fired a shot off the crossbar.

At the other end, Anthony had a great chance in front but was robbed by the pad of Audette in close. Then DeSerres showed off his skills by making a huge stop on a DeFulviis one timer in the crease.

Shots in the second stanza were 11-8 for the visitors.

THIRD PERIOD
With every other game in the QMJHL having been completed by this point, the Sea Dogs went to the penalty kill at 2:19 to open up the third period. MacAulay had a shorthanded breakaway during the span but sent his shot wide. That would be the most dangerous chance for either team on the Huskies power play chance.

DeSerres made a huge kick save later on on Jeremi Janneteau in close. Then at the other end, Huberdeau a good chance in the crease once again but could not score.

At 9:07, MacAulay was called for slashing. But while shorthanded, Michael Kirkpatrick sent Huberdeau in alone. The 2011 top prospect pulled of his trademark backhand-to-forehand move to give Saint John a 2-1 lead.

But the Huskies would not go away despite wasting a power play opportunity. The team had some traffic around the net and were beginning to get some shots off.

After a Bernard hit the post, a mad scramble went down in the Saint John crease. With DeSerres down, Bonneau found the loose puck and deposited it into the empty net at 17:05 to tie the match at 2-2 and force it to overtime.

Shots in the third were 10-9 Saint John.

OVERTIME
The Huskies made a costly error at 1:47 when Grenier cross checked Jurco along the boards.

After a time-out, the Sea Dogs went to work on the power play. Huberdeau tried to rip a one timer on net from the circle but couldn’t get all of it. Fortunatly, Despres was on the doorstep to tip it home and give Saint John a 3-2 win.

Shots in the extra frame were two apiece.

The Sea Dogs were one-for-two on the power play while the Huskies were one-for-three.

SAINT JOHN SCRATCHES
Ryan Tesink was a healthy scratch for Saint John while Tyrone Sock – as reported by News 88.9 – had the flu.

On another health note, News 88.9 reported that Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant did make it to the game last night after it was initially thought he was staying behind at the hotel due to sickness.

NOTES
Sea Dogs goaltender Jacob DeSerres had his shutout streak versus Rouyn-Noranda snapped at 96 minutes and five seconds. He recorded a 2-0 shutout against the Huskies at Harbour Station on October 16… it was the same officiating crew as Friday’s game in Val-d’Or… Jonathan Huberdeau was the News 88.9 Top Dog… Simon Despres had an unreal seven shots on goal to lead Saint John… the Sea Dogs scored a shorthanded goal, a power play, and an even strength goal.. with a Moncton loss versus Halifax tonight, the Sea Dogs now sit first in the Maritimes Division.

NEXT GAME
The Sea Dogs wrap-up their Quebec road trip with a 5:00 pm game against the Huskies Sunday.

LIVE BLOG: Sea Dogs vs Huskies

PRE-GAME: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Rouyn-Noranda Huskies

GAME DAY

WHO: Saint John Sea Dogs vs Rouyn-Noranda
WHEN: Tonight, 8:30 pm
WHERE: Iamgold Arena

VISITING TEAM: Saint John Sea Dogs
Record: 13-3-0-1 (2nd in Maritimes Division)
Last Game: 7-3 win at Val-d’Or yesterday
Leading Scorer: Jonathan Huberdeau (17GP-12G-9A-21Pts)
Notes: The Saint John Sea Dogs come into today’s game with a 13-3-0-1 record which places them second in the Maritimes Division and third overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. They sit behind the second place Moncton Wildcats by a single point – but the ‘Cats have played two more games than Saint John. The Sea Dogs were an honourable mention in the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings this week… the Sea Dogs are coming off a dominating performance against the Foreurs in Val-d’Or last night, winning the match 7-3 to make it a two straight wins in Val-d’Or for the club. Stanislav Galiev had a pair of goals while single markers were recorded by Gabriel Bourett, Zach Phillips, Jonathan Huberdeau, Mike Thomas and Simon Despres. Frederic Piche faced just 16 shots on the night… a couple of things to note from last night’s win on the health front. Simon Despres has had a bit of nagging lower body injury but played both Wednesday and Friday night. He was hit hard in the first period last night and was seen gripping his shoulder but stayed in the game. Aidan Kelly also left the game for a brief period after taking a big hit and Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant was not behind the bench because he was feeling under the weather… Saint John is 8-2-0-0 in their last 10 games and won three straight – all on the road. Their three consecutive victories came last Saturday in Halifax, Wednesday in Val-d’Or, and last night’s match… 5-3-0-1 on the road this season. They have now outscored their opponents 35-31 along the way… this is the third game of a massive four game road trip through northern Quebec and the sixth straight game away from Harbour Station… Jonathan Huberdeau leads Saint John in points with 21 this season, goals with 12, penalty minutes with 23, and is a team best +20… Michael Kirkpatrick sits second in team scoring and has a team best 15 assists… Tomas Jurco has still not taken a penalty this season after 17 games played… Jacob DeSerres will likely get the call between the pipes this evening. He played his first career QMJHL game against the Huskies back at Harbour Station two weeks ago today, shutting them out 2-0. He has a 3.00 goals against average, a 0.889 save percentage, and a 2-1-0-0 record. His last game was on Wednesday in a 5-4 win over the Foreurs.

EARLIER THIS SEASON
From the Sea Dogs’ website:

Saint John defeated Rouyn-Noranda earlier this season, with overage goaltender Jacob DeSerres having blanked the Huskies 2-0 in his QMJHL debut back on October 16. Vancouver Canucks prospect Steven Anthony and Washington Capitals prospect Stanislav Galiev both found the back of the net for the home team in that match, while Team Captain Mike Thomas led all Sea Dogs skaters with three hits on the night.

KIRKPATRICK LOOKING TO MAKE HISTORY
Veteran centre Michael Kirkpatrick has accumulated 19 points this season on four goals and 15 assists. Kirkpatrick enters this weekend's action needing two goals to tie fellow Cape Bretoner Ryan Sparling for the all-time Sea Dogs record with 83 career markers.

HOME TEAM: Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
Record: 4-12-0-1 (6th in Telus West Division)
Last Game: 9-4 loss vs Val-d’Or Saturday
Leading Scorer: Robbie DeFulviis (15GP-6G-5A-11Pts)
Notes: The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies enter tonight’s affair with a 4-12-0-1 record which places them last in the Telus West Division and 17th overall in the 18-team Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. They sit four points ahead of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar for last place and are two points behind the 16th ranked Halifax Mooseheads. They are the definition of a rebuilding team… the Huskies are coming off a 9-4 home loss against the Val-d’Or Foreurs last Saturday. Jessyko Bernard had two goals while Jason Houde and Maxim Kazakov added singles. Goaltenders Mickael Audette and Jeffery Noonan combined to allow nine goals on 34 shots. The Huskies actually outshot the Foreurs 40-34 in the game… 1-8-0-1 in their last 10 games and have lost six straight games, picking up a point in just one of them… they are 2-6-0-0 at home this season and have been outscored 44-19 along the way… the Huskies have the 16th best power play with a rating of 0.123%... owners of the 14th best penalty kill with a rating of 0.756%... Robbie DeFulviis leads the Huskies in scoring with 11 points in 15 games… Jessyko Bernard leads the team in goals with seven… Jerome Raymond has a team high six assists… former Sea Dogs defenseman Robert McEwan has two assists, four penalty minutes, and a -9 rating in nine games with Rouyn-Noranda… Rouyn-Noranda is the 11th youngest team in the QMJHL with an average age of 17.89 years… the club has an average height of 181.52 cm which places them 15th in the league… the Huskies are the 10th heaviest club with an average weight of 80.78 kg… this is the 501st home game for the Huskies franchise. They celebrated their 500th home game last Saturday… Jason Kelly leads the Huskies in fights with five this season. The team has 18 fights overall this year compared to the Sea Dogs’ seven – the second lowest in the league.

ARENA INFO
Venue: Iamgold Arena (formerly known as Dave Keon Arena)
Seating Capacity: 2,850 (2,150 seated)
Year Built: 1951
Ice Dimensions: 190’ X 85’
QMJHL Arena Guide

A video tour of the facility:



GOAL HORN
This is the best video we could find, featuring the start of warm-up from the Sea Dogs - Huskies 2008 playoff series. For some reason it can't be embeded

MEDIA GUIDE
Radio (Sea Dogs): News 88.9 FM
Live Web Feed: Telus
Television: None
Live Blog: Station Nation
Post-Game Coverage: Station Nation, Le Citoyen

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 end their road trip tomorrow at 5:00 pm in Rouyn-Noranda.

Photo Credits: Marc Henwood photography, QMJHL Arena Guide

EPIC ROAD TRIP BEGINS TOMORROW

This one is a doozy.

The Saint John Sea Dogs begin their longest Quebec road swing of the season tomorrow night when they visit the Val-d’Or Foreurs at 8:30 pm. The team then plays the Foreurs again on Friday night prior to making the trek to Rouyn-Noranda on Saturday for a pair games on the weekend versus the Huskies.

After coming off two road games last weekend, these four games will make it six straight away from home – Saint John’s longest trip of the season.

The Sea Dogs will be looking to improve some of their road woes over next quartet of matches. At 3-3-0-1 on the road, all of Saint John’s loses have come on the road this season. They have been outscored 24-23 along the way.

In most of the Sea Dogs road games, including the loses, they dominated at some point of the game or at least played at par with the opposing team for part of it. It is that kind of inconsistency that the Sea Dogs need to change.

Head coach Gerard Gallant has showed his frustration in the Telegraph-Journal over the past few weeks, but things continue to stay the same on the road.

"We had another great, dominant first period and then we went to sleep again,'' Gallant said after the Sea Dogs’ last road game – a 5-3 win – in Halifax on Saturday. "It's the same old thing with these guys - they cheat.

"All they want is their points. They're cheaters. They won 5-3, but they shouldn't be happy with the way they played. I'm fed up with it.''

Gallant appeared to start sending a stronger message on Saturday, making second year defenseman Gabriel Bourret a healthy scratch. Rookies Tyrone Sock and Guillaume Cloutier both appeared in the line-up instead.

The Sea Dogs’ perfect record on home ice can only last so long, so starting to click on the road is a must.

When Atlantic based teams go this far into Quebec, it basically allows for any kind of craziness to become accepted. Even though Rouyn-Noranda will sit in the bottom five of the standings at the end of the season, games in the city are never easy.

According to DistanceCalculater.com, the road between Saint John and Val-d’Or stretches somewhere between 1091.18 km to 1186.06 km. The distance between Val-d’Or and Rouyn-Noranda is roughly 108 km.

Every game can be heard on News 88.9 and we will have your pre-game and live blog posted on this very site.