GDT: Sea Dogs vs Drakkar - November 23, 2007

[dogcatcher]

The Saint John Sea Dogs will play host to the Baie-Comeau Drakkar on Friday night at Harbour Station in the second and final game between these two teams this season.

This past Saturday, Baie-Comeau held serve versus Saint John, defeating the Sea Dogs by a score of 5-3 at the Henry-Leonard Centre. Port City’s major junior squad will be looking to return the favour on Friday night, when they hit the ice in a 7:30pm contest versus the Drakkar.

Former Drakkar forward Alexandre Picard-Hooper registered two assists in his return to Baie-Comeau. The 20-year old native of Montreal, QC was subsequently named the QMJHL Offensive Player of the Week for the week of November 12-19.

The Sea Dogs are currently ranked fourth in the QMJHL East with a record of 14-7-1-2. Meanwhile, the Drakker occupy the third position in the Telus Division with a mark of 17-6-0-2.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Baie-Comeau winger Francois Bouchard, 19, was a second round draft pick of the NHL’s Washington Capitals in 2006. The 6’1”, 188 lb. native of Sherbrooke, QC finished first in the QMJHL with 125 points (45G-80A) last season.

SPECIAL NOTES: Friday night’s game will feature a special pre-game ceremony featuring the Salvation Army, who will be officially launching their Christmas Kettle Campaign. For more information on this noble endeavour, be sure to visit the Salvation Army Homepage at www.salvationarmy.ca.

The ceremonial puck drop on Friday night will be performed by Dr. Keith Wilson, a physician and New Brunswick Lung Association Board Member, as well as eight-year-old Wesley Wall who has suffered from asthma since infancy. The Canadian Hockey League and the Lung Association have recently partnered on a special project called ‘Holiday Ice’. Information on this project can be found at www.holidayice.ca/.

The second Fundy Honda Shoot-To-Win promotion will be staged during the first intermission on Friday as well, with a lucky fan being afforded the opportunity to win a 2008 Honda Civic.

Fans can catch the action live by logging onto News 88.9 FM at www.news889.com/, the official QMJHL webcast at qmjhl.mytelus.com/, or by watching the game on Rogers Television Cable 10 in New Brunswick. Tickets are available by calling the Harbour Station Box Office at [phone].

[dogcatcher]

Dogs win 5-2....Goals by Dido (2), Grant (2), & Picard Hooper

[canucklehead]

Well my wife is Black Friday shopping so here I sit!

Great game to watch from here though Scott Howes did the Color commentary tonight and actually did an awesome job sounded like he's done it before!

His injury looks like it will only be a game or 2 at the most by the sounds of the way they were talking but I don't they ever did say what happened though.

[dogbert]

canucklehead said:

Great game to watch from here though Scott Howes did the Color commentary tonight and actually did an awesome job sounded like he's done it before!

No doubt your hitting the American suds

Great game by Mayer. Those two BC goals were very good plays. Man can he stretch!

[Gallant-Unit(14-0-3)]

Ledud did awesome. best game of the year for him. go dogs go lets get the foggies

[elementz]

Let's get the Eagles first

Good game, thought we got outplayed but we stuck with them

[Gallant-Unit(14-0-3)]

i ment home games. i dont like playing the eagles.

[briansjnb]

That was one heck of a game!

[Judas In My Mind]

Great game to watch. Mayer is almost impossible to beat along the ice. Nice to see him have an amazing game after struggling in his last few appearances.

Now...I hate to complain after a great game and a Sea Dogs win but...

It was charity night as I call it. We had the turkey drive thing and the lung association thing going on. It's a Friday night so you can expect a lot of families with little kids to show up...what's up with walking up to the doors and hearing a song going with a chorus of "All day long I think about sex"? I'm sorry but that was playing outside the rink, greeting you as you arrived. If you're toting a bunch of young children with you I doubt you're too impressed.

Other major error on this night? What genius decided to allow handing out free whistles when you entered the rink. FREE WHISTLES? Hello! You can't take a horn inside other than in 2 sections but let's hand out whistles to everyone. Oh yeah what does the referee use again? Can't that lead to the home team getting a penalty if the fans blows whistles because aren't they not allowed in any rink? Fucking braindead.

[Gallant-Unit(14-0-3)]

congrats to mr.marsh on winning a game no one ever loses. i wonder why that is.

[dogcatcher]

SEA DOGS DOWN DRAKKAR

Saint John Earns 3-2 Shootout Win In Front of 4,160 Fans at Harbour Station

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Friday, November 23, 2007

SAINT JOHN, NB --- On the strength of a 29-save performance from rookie net minder Robert Mayer, the Saint John Sea Dogs earned a 3-2 shootout win over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar on Friday net, improving their 07-08 record to 15-7-1-2 in the process.

After a highly competitive sixty minutes of play had produced a 2-2 deadlock, extra time was needed to determine a winner in the match. Neither team managed to produce a goal in the five-minute OT period, meaning that things would need to be settled in a shootout.

Star Sea Dogs forward Chris DiDomenico scored the only goal in the breakaway contest, as Mayer stopped all three shooters he faced to propel Saint John to victory.

“This was definitely a big win for our team,” said Assistant Coach Jim Midgley following the exciting home victory. “These two points mean a lot, and we’re thrilled to have earned them in front of our home fans.”

Regulation markers for Saint John were tallied by Francois Gauthier and Alex Grant on Friday night, while Samuel Morneau and Gabriel Bourque scored goals for Baie-Comeau. Goaltender Marco Cousineau made 24 saves in a losing effort for the Drakkar.

Baie-Comeau got on the scoreboard early on Friday, with Gabriel Bourque beating Mayer on the power play to establish a 1-0 lead for the visitors just 2:21 into the first period.

Saint John responded on a power play of their own near the midway mark of the opening frame, with Alex Grant wiring a one-timer to the back of the Drakkar net on a dynamic set-up from Ryan Sparling.

The tremendous back-and-forth action continued, with Robert Mayer keeping the score tied 1-1 a moment later with a quick right pad save off of a Benjamin Breault shot from close range.

Mayer finished the opening twenty with six stops (including another big save off of Breault in the dying seconds of the frame) to send the match into the first intermission with the score knotted at one apiece.

The Drakkar took a 2-1 lead 3:59 into the second period when Samuel Morneau beat Mayer with a high shot to the glove side after being hit with a pass by Marc-Andre Dorion on the fly.

The home team then re-tied the match 5:55 later when Alexandre Leduc and Francois Gauthier broke in on a shorthanded 2-on-1 rush, with Gauthier finishing off the play with a tap-in tally to earn his third goal of the season with Leduc drawing the lone assist after setting his team mate up perfectly with a nifty cross-ice backhand pass.

The third period saw both teams registering several chances throughout, but both Cousineau and Mayer stood their ground between the pipes for their respective teams, turning aside shot after shot as the score remained tied 2-2 as the game reached the sixty minute mark, extra time resultantly required to determine a victor on Friday.

Overtime saw a continuation of the goaltending dual, with Mayer stoning Breault yet again from close range in the final minute of the extra frame, sending the game to a deciding shootout in doing so.

After neither team scored in the first round of the breakaway contest, Mayer stopped Washington Capitals prospect Francois Bouchard in round number two prior to Chris DiDomenico scoring on his now-trademarked top-right corner snap shot move to put the home team up 1-0. In the third round of the shootout, Saint John’s import goalie stoned Mathieu Tousignant to send the Sea Dogs faithful home happy, having witnessed their home team earn an impressive victory over one of the top teams from the TELUS Division.

Up next for the Sea Dogs is a Sunday afternoon road contest versus the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. Saint John next plays at Harbour Station on Tuesday, November 27 when they host the St. John’s Fog Devils in a 7:00pm contest.

[dogcatcher]

Mayer wins goaltending duel
QMJHL: Saint John edges Baie Comeau with another tense win in a shootout

Andrew McGilligan
Telegraph-Journal
Published Saturday November 24th, 2007
Appeared on page C10

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs were in familiar territory Friday versus the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.

For their league-leading sixth time this season the Sea Dogs went to a shootout and came out with a 3-2 victory in front 4,160 fans at Harbour Station.

Chris Di Domenico scored the shootout winner while starting goaltender Robert Mayer made 29 regulation saves and stoned all three Baie-Comeau shooters in the breakaway duel. Alex Grant and Francois Gauthier had regulation markers. Gabriel Bourque and Samuel Morneau countered for Baie-Comeau.

The game's second star, Alexandre Leduc, said it was important for the Sea Dogs to show they were better than their 5-3 loss to the Drakkar last week.

"It's pretty big, it's two pretty equal teams, but I think we played better defensively and (Mayer) came up big for us," Leduc said.

The Drakkar struck first, early and on the power play. With Sea Dogs defenceman David Stich in the box for holding, Bourque took a pass in the slot from Marc-Andre Doiron and ripped it by Mayer for a 1-0 lead at 2:21 of the first period.

The Sea Dogs tied the game 1-1 on a man advantage of their own. Grant let a slap shot go from the point that squeezed through the pads of Drakkar starter Marco Cousineau. Ryan Sparling and Alexandre Picard picked up assists to extend their point streaks to six and eight games, respectively.

The second period got underway with Baie-Comeau's second goal of the contest. A bouncing puck eventually ended up on the stick of Morneau who fired it by the glove of Mayer for a 2-1 lead at 3:59.

The special teams tied the game again for the Sea Dogs, but this time it was the penalty kill. Leduc broke in on a short-handed two-on-one with Gauthier just past the midway point of the second. Leduc slid a pass past a sprawled Drakkar defender and onto the tape of Gauthier who one-timed it by Cousineau.

The second was a defensive struggle with both teams blocking several shots and keeping scoring chances at a minimum. The period ended in a 2-2 tie.

Leduc continued his strong penalty kill play by almost notching a short-handed goal early in the third with Keven Charland in the box for tripping. Baie-Comeau had a great chance to take the lead at the end of the power play, but Mayer stoned Bourque who was all alone in the slot.

Shortly after that, Cousineau came up big stopping a one-time shot from Matthew Stoddard on an odd man rush with Steven Anthony.

Determined not to be out done, Mayer made a sprawling pad save on Bejamin Breault who came out from the corner untouched and tried to outwait the Sea Dogs netminder.

The goaltending battle continued for the rest of the period with neither netminder giving an inch forcing the game into overtime.

Despite playing a man down in the extra frame, the Sea Dogs hung on with solid defence to force a shootout.

Mayer was brilliant in the shootout making three saves, two of the spectacular variety on Morneau and Francois Bouchard. Di Domenico had the lone goal in the skills contests roofing a wrist shot over Cousineau's glove.

Mayer said Saint John showed a lot of heart in the win.

"It was an important game for us and we were down but came back twice," he said.

As for his first shootout performance, he's happy with the result.

"I wasn't doing well in practice with it, but I made the saves tonight so I'm happy."

INJURY: Sea Dogs forward Scott Howes was scratched from the lineup on Friday against the Drakkar. The 20-year-old is recovering from a knee injury suffered in Chicoutimi on Nov. 18. It's doubtful he'll be ready to go for Sunday's contest in Cape Breton against the Screaming Eagles.

The Toronto native was on a seven-game point streak before going down with the injury. Howes absence meant Qusipamsis native Andrew Langan got his second start of the season.

[elementz]

Our good friend Melinda wasn't there.

[dogcatcher]

jrsuperstar said:

Great game to watch. Mayer is almost impossible to beat along the ice. Nice to see him have an amazing game after struggling in his last few appearances.

Now...I hate to complain after a great game and a Sea Dogs win but...

It was charity night as I call it. We had the turkey drive thing and the lung association thing going on. It's a Friday night so you can expect a lot of families with little kids to show up...what's up with walking up to the doors and hearing a song going with a chorus of "All day long I think about sex"? I'm sorry but that was playing outside the rink, greeting you as you arrived. If you're toting a bunch of young children with you I doubt you're too impressed.

Other major error on this night? What genius decided to allow handing out free whistles when you entered the rink. FREE WHISTLES? Hello! You can't take a horn inside other than in 2 sections but let's hand out whistles to everyone. Oh yeah what does the referee use again? Can't that lead to the home team getting a penalty if the fans blows whistles because aren't they not allowed in any rink? Fucking braindead.

I did talk to Mark Gamble this morning, about those issues that you mentioned. Apparently it was the sponsor from last night's game that was giving them out....they were told politely to stop giving them out. As for the music, Mark wasn't aware of it last night, but he is now, and he'll look after it.

Melinda was sick last night at the last minute, and they had no one else to do the announcing in the stands, so Christina filled in.

[mvp]

i thought she did a fine job puck bunny or not i dont know but i thought she did a fine job with the mic