Post by dogcatcher on Jan 1, 2008 8:11:43 GMT -4
Sea Dogs' secret is about to be told
PETER MCGUIRE
GAME ON
Published Tuesday January 1st, 2008
Appeared on page B8
Have you caught a glimpse of major junior hockey's best kept secret lately?
If not, you're about to learn a little more when the Canadian Hockey League rankings are released on Wednesday.
The Saint John Sea Dogs continue to open eyes as the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's best young team with three wins in less than three nights over the weekend. And they should, for the first time in franchise history, find themselves occupying a spot in the lofty CHL rankings when they're released on Wednesday. Saint John leads the Eastern Division with a record of 25 wins, 10 losses, one overtime loss and two shootout losses. That's good enough for 53 points and a tie for third overall in the 18-team circuit with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. The Sea Dogs trail the league-leading Gatineau Olympiques by three points but have four games in hand and they hold two games in hand on the second-place Baie-Comeau Drakkar and are only a point behind them.
Even more impressive is Saint John's league-leading winning percentage of .658, which should put them over the top as far as vaulting into the top 10.
The Huskies were the top-ranked QMJHL team when the CHL last issued its rankings on Dec. 19, sitting at sixth while Gatineau was eighth and the Halifax Mooseheads were 10th. Halifax has since slipped to third in the East and sixth overall.
The numbers don't lie. With the league's leading scorer in Chris Di Domenico (29 goals, 33 assists for 62 points), the hottest player in the Q in Ryan Sparling with a 14-game point streak, the best defence corps led by the tireless team captain Alex Grant (he played more than 33 minutes in Sunday's 4-2 win over Moncton) and team toughness throughout, the Sea Dogs are steadily gaining momentum.
Now the big question: Should coach and general manager Jacques Beaulieu reconsider his plan to stand pat and not load up during the trade period, which ends a week from today? Or should he sell off some young assets in an attempt to make this the Sea Dogs' year?
"The temptation is always there," Beaulieu said. "But it's the position we're in as an organization. We're trying to be very patient and we don't want to be stupid and make a move that will hurt us down the road. We have to remember that we have 19 of our 22 players coming back next year."
Which brings us to a key element of this team - its 20-year-olds. Each team is permitted to carry three 20s, or overagers as they're known.
The Sea Dogs' elder statesmen - Alexandre Picard, Scott Howes and goaltender Travis Fullerton - appear to be among the cream of that crop. Picard was named the league's offensive player of the week on Monday after recording 11 points (four goals and seven assists) in three games.
If Beaulieu and the Sea Dogs feel next season is when they'll really take a run at the title, they don't need to be reminded that they won't have that trio in the lineup. This success is still a little mind-boggling for a team that missed the playoffs in its first two seasons - only two teams miss the playoffs in this league - but had its fortunes totally turn when Beaulieu took the reins.
Like those reins, this team's future is totally in the hands of the bench boss.
Observation #1: Trailing 2-1 to the Lewiston Maineiaces in the second period on Saturday night, Saint John's Payton Liske was blindsided by Stefano Giliati, who was assessed a charging penalty. Liske's helmet went flying as Giliati left his feet to make the hit in front of the net. Now, there are good penalties and bad penalties. Giliati's was a bad penalty and a roughing minor that followed by Saint John team captain Alex Grant was a good penalty. Grant took exception to the hit and came roaring in from the blue-line to Liske's defence to get a piece of Giliati. Yes, his actions evened things up and wiped out a power-play opportunity but sometimes these penalties are necessary, especially when you're talking about the team captain.
Observation #2: With 3.9 seconds left in the second period of Saturday's game against the Maineiacs and the faceoff deep in Saint John's zone with the Sea Dogs leading 3-2, Beaulieu sent out the fourth line of Brett Gallant, Mike Thomas and Matt Stoddard. Known more for their rough housing than goal scoring, the invitations went out but there were no takers, especially for Gallant, who dropped the gloves earlier in the game and recorded yet another victory. For opponents, fighting Gallant must feel like sticking your finger into a high-speed fan. You just can't win.
PETER MCGUIRE
GAME ON
Published Tuesday January 1st, 2008
Appeared on page B8
Have you caught a glimpse of major junior hockey's best kept secret lately?
If not, you're about to learn a little more when the Canadian Hockey League rankings are released on Wednesday.
The Saint John Sea Dogs continue to open eyes as the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's best young team with three wins in less than three nights over the weekend. And they should, for the first time in franchise history, find themselves occupying a spot in the lofty CHL rankings when they're released on Wednesday. Saint John leads the Eastern Division with a record of 25 wins, 10 losses, one overtime loss and two shootout losses. That's good enough for 53 points and a tie for third overall in the 18-team circuit with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. The Sea Dogs trail the league-leading Gatineau Olympiques by three points but have four games in hand and they hold two games in hand on the second-place Baie-Comeau Drakkar and are only a point behind them.
Even more impressive is Saint John's league-leading winning percentage of .658, which should put them over the top as far as vaulting into the top 10.
The Huskies were the top-ranked QMJHL team when the CHL last issued its rankings on Dec. 19, sitting at sixth while Gatineau was eighth and the Halifax Mooseheads were 10th. Halifax has since slipped to third in the East and sixth overall.
The numbers don't lie. With the league's leading scorer in Chris Di Domenico (29 goals, 33 assists for 62 points), the hottest player in the Q in Ryan Sparling with a 14-game point streak, the best defence corps led by the tireless team captain Alex Grant (he played more than 33 minutes in Sunday's 4-2 win over Moncton) and team toughness throughout, the Sea Dogs are steadily gaining momentum.
Now the big question: Should coach and general manager Jacques Beaulieu reconsider his plan to stand pat and not load up during the trade period, which ends a week from today? Or should he sell off some young assets in an attempt to make this the Sea Dogs' year?
"The temptation is always there," Beaulieu said. "But it's the position we're in as an organization. We're trying to be very patient and we don't want to be stupid and make a move that will hurt us down the road. We have to remember that we have 19 of our 22 players coming back next year."
Which brings us to a key element of this team - its 20-year-olds. Each team is permitted to carry three 20s, or overagers as they're known.
The Sea Dogs' elder statesmen - Alexandre Picard, Scott Howes and goaltender Travis Fullerton - appear to be among the cream of that crop. Picard was named the league's offensive player of the week on Monday after recording 11 points (four goals and seven assists) in three games.
If Beaulieu and the Sea Dogs feel next season is when they'll really take a run at the title, they don't need to be reminded that they won't have that trio in the lineup. This success is still a little mind-boggling for a team that missed the playoffs in its first two seasons - only two teams miss the playoffs in this league - but had its fortunes totally turn when Beaulieu took the reins.
Like those reins, this team's future is totally in the hands of the bench boss.
Observation #1: Trailing 2-1 to the Lewiston Maineiaces in the second period on Saturday night, Saint John's Payton Liske was blindsided by Stefano Giliati, who was assessed a charging penalty. Liske's helmet went flying as Giliati left his feet to make the hit in front of the net. Now, there are good penalties and bad penalties. Giliati's was a bad penalty and a roughing minor that followed by Saint John team captain Alex Grant was a good penalty. Grant took exception to the hit and came roaring in from the blue-line to Liske's defence to get a piece of Giliati. Yes, his actions evened things up and wiped out a power-play opportunity but sometimes these penalties are necessary, especially when you're talking about the team captain.
Observation #2: With 3.9 seconds left in the second period of Saturday's game against the Maineiacs and the faceoff deep in Saint John's zone with the Sea Dogs leading 3-2, Beaulieu sent out the fourth line of Brett Gallant, Mike Thomas and Matt Stoddard. Known more for their rough housing than goal scoring, the invitations went out but there were no takers, especially for Gallant, who dropped the gloves earlier in the game and recorded yet another victory. For opponents, fighting Gallant must feel like sticking your finger into a high-speed fan. You just can't win.
