GDT: Sea Dogs vs Fog Devils - October 27, 2007

[qmjhlfan]

Gallant-Unit Dale Fry said the same thing on the Fog Devils broadcast.

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

ya. i dont know what happened.

[leahb]

Thats the Thing Nothing happened to create a Penalty shot IMO.
That ref was not the greatest too quick with the whistle at times.
Grant game tying goal was truly amazing!
Hope Stich is alright

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

Stich is hurt? lol what happened

[Hockey4Life]

elementz said:

WTF is a Skate off

Skate-off would be the winning goal in a shootout. Like the when the shootout is best of 3 and the team scores a goal on there last shot making the other team loose making it the skateoff goal as it is the team both teams skate off too.. ?¿?

[leahb]

Hey Tcats, whatever happened with you creating highlights of the game and throwing it up on youtube. How come you stopped? Those were awesome.

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

what happened to Stich?

[hockeyaddict]

I don't know. All I saw was him skating to the bench hunched over, he sat on the bench for a few and then they helped him towards the back. Once he got a little way in they brought out a stretcher or wheelchair for him. It looked to be his back

[J4M13]

Did anyone else notice that the turning point for the offense seemed to be when JB put 5 forwards out on the PP?

[demeter]

quimper said:

Did anyone else notice that the turning point for the offense seemed to be when JB put 5 forwards out on the PP?

I did...Dido and Leduc's goals were both PP goals, and there 5 forwards on the ice for both!

[elementz]

Even though they scored 2 pp goals, I still don't like the idea of 5 forwards on the PP. Almost cost us a goal.

[habh8er]

What an amazing hockey game last night, after going down by 4 goals the writing seemed to be on the wall.... the Seadogs pulled of one of the most exciting comebacks I've seen at a game in my years.

The boys just seemed to be off somehow in the first half, the bounces were all going the other way it seemed...and what was it, about 3 goalposts in one shift...must have been at least 5 posts on the night, then the tide started to turn and it seemed almost like it was pre-determined that we would tie it up... and when we did the place went nuts. But could it have gotten any better than when Alex Grant was going in on the west net in the shootout to win the game "again". Seemed like a re-run of a game late in the season last year,where Dido had just scored, Fullerton made the save and it came down to Alex shooting into the same net as last night to win the game.......Deja Vu or what... that was a really awesome time at the old station, and the place can actually come alive...I was starting to wonder if we still had it in us.

Mayer had a strange game last night...made some saves...like that one where he came diving across the crease to grab the puck out of the air ...and had a couple of gaffs in the crease and out of it, that boy scares me when he starts to play like a third d...but I'm sure as the season goes on either he will get a better feel for what he's trying to do, or I will get used to it and learn to close my eyes when he starts to roam. Fullerton proved his being on the team is a good thing last night in my eyes..not only did he come in to the game in relief of Mayer but was poised enough to help his team stay in the game when they were way down(on the scoreboard and emotionally) and ended up winning it in the end...not so sure Passingham or Dopud for that matter would have gotten the same result.

As far as the idea of using 5 forwards on the powerplay, hey 4 weren't working so why not try it...I wouldn't use it as my bread and butter or anything, but maybe it was enough to get the monkey off their back and get the PP clicking..sometimes these things are as much of a mental thing as a physical one...maybe the powerplay has turned a page and will start to produce now...at least we can hope so.

Awesone game guys...see ya all on Tuesday night and bring on the MAINEiacs... GO DOGS GO!!

[dogcatcher]

Dogs look to lose 'puck eyes'
QMJHL: Despite coming back from 5-1 deficit, players know they'll have to play hard the full 60 minutes to win consistently

Andrew Mcgilligan
Telegraph-Journal
Published Monday October 29th, 2007
Appeared on page B5

SAINT JOHN - For the past two games, the Saint John Sea Dogs (10-4-0-1) have played about 60 minutes of solid hockey.

In their last two Quebec Major Junior Hockey League contests - a 6-3 loss to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan Friday and a five-goal comeback 6-5 shootout victory over the St. John's Fog Devils Saturday - the Sea Dogs have been lacking in a couple areas.

The first is in the effort department. While coming back from a 5-1 deficit against the Fog Devils showed a lot of determination, the players know they can't continue to play half a game.

"You have to play a full 60 minutes in this league if you want to compete night in and night out," said Sea Dogs leading scorer Chris Di Domenico.

Captain Alex Grant said the players will talk about the lapses in play in an effort to correct it before Tuesday's home game against the Lewiston Maineiacs at 7 p.m.

"There will be a talk for sure," Grant said. "The only time we haven't given 60 minute efforts was really early in the year and the last two games.

"Hopefully there won't be anymore of those and we give a full, honest effort from here on in."

The second area the Sea Dogs need to address is their defensive zone coverage. Saint John head coach and general manager Jacques Beaulieu had mixed feelings about Saturday night.

"The guys showed a lot of character, but that's not the right way to play the game," he said.

"Our defensive zone coverage is not where it needs to be right now and we've got to straighten that out this week."

The head coach said the team is suffering from a hockey condition called puck eyes.

"They're staring at the puck and not finding their guys. They should be looking for someone to check."

The numbers in the past two contests reflect Beaulieu's concern. The Sea Dogs have allowed 11 goals and 82 shots against the Titan and Fog Devils.

"We've allowed 11 goals in the last two games and that's almost half of what we allowed in the first 13 games," the bench boss said.

One bright spot from the past two contests has been the power play. Saint John struck for three man-advantage markers in 11 chances. That means the power play is functioning around 27 per cent, much higher than their average this season.

The Sea Dogs have switched up their approach using five forwards on the special teams unit. The idea came from Beaulieu's days in the Ontario Hockey League.

"It's something we used to do in London," he said of his time as assistant coach with the Knights. "It's maybe something we adapt here."

The team is also hopeful forward Ryan Sparling will be in the lineup this week against the Maineiacs or on the weekend in Newfoundland against the Fog Devils. Sparling has missed the last seven games due to a shoulder injury he suffered Oct. 6 against the Quebec Remparts.

No matter who's in the lineup, Di Domenico knows the team will need a better effort this week if they want to continue their winning ways.

"We've got to play three solid games and not take any shifts off," the Woodbridge, Ont. native said. "Every team is solid this year and everyone is battling. It's a really tight division now and everyone wants their points."

The Sea Dogs are third in the Eastern division with 21 points. Only 12 points separate the first-place Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and the eighth-place Prince Edward Island Rocket.

[J4M13]

elementz said:

Even though they scored 2 pp goals, I still don't like the idea of 5 forwards on the PP. Almost cost us a goal.

I agree, I hate it. But I also hate my alarm clock going off.

Wake up calls often suck.

Still no word on Stich? Obviously, I'm hoping for the best, not just for the team, but David as well.

[Judas In My Mind]

Stich hurt his back. From what I hear he could hardly move after the game and on Sunday. Who knows how long that means he'll be out given the tricky nature of back injuries.