Eagles Visit The Port City For Pair Of Weekend Games
The Cape Breton Eagles will look to bounce back as they head to Saint John to take on the Sea Dogs for a pair of games this weekend. It’s the first time the two teams have played in the regular season this year- although they split shootout victories in the the pre-season in Sydney.
The Eagles currently hold a record of 3-5, playing 1-2 on the road thus far. Saint John holds a record of 1-3-2, including 1-2 at home. Cape Breton is currently fourth in the Maritime Division, while Saint John is tied for fifth in the division. Last season the Eagles won five of seven meetings, with one of Saint John’s wins coming in extra time.
Rookie goaltender Nicolas Ruccia will be given the ball this weekend for the Eagles, as William Grimard did not make the trip after sustaining an injury in Saturday’s 10-2 loss to the Halifax Mooseheads. The Eagles first round draft pick has posted a 1-2 record thus far in the early going of his 16 year old season. Jack Cashen has been recalled from the Sydney Rush to serve as the backup.
Another Eagles 16 year old, Lucas Canning, did produce a piece of good news in the loss against Halifax when he scored his first QMJHL goal. Last season Canning was tied for the lead in goals scored in the Nova Scotia major midget (now U18) league with 30. On the opposite end of the age spectrum, Eagles captain Shawn Element recorded an assist in the Halifax game and has a point in each game this season.
Saint John has been lead in scoring thus far this season by Joshua Roy, the top pick in the 2019 draft, who has picked up where he left off from a strong second half of last season with six points in six games. There are some key new faces in Saint John as well, starting behind the bench.
Greg Gilbert was hired in the off-season. The former NHL forward is a three time Stanley Cup champion as a player and won coach of the year honours in the first of six seasons behind the bench with the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit.
A pair of highly touted 17 year old forwards, Peter Reynolds and Cam MacDonald, both decommitted from NCAA programs and are rookies in the Port City this year (although MacDonald suffered a lower body injury last weekend) On the backend, former Rimouski first round pick Chris Innis brings a more defensive approach to the blueline unit. 20 year old netminder Creed Jones has been alternating games with 18 year old Noah Patneaude, who has posted a 921 save percentage thus far.
Puck drop tonight is at 7 PM. The game will be streamed online available for purchase at qmjhl.neulion.com/qmjhl. You can also hear all the action beginning with the pre-game show with Patrick McNeil at 6:30 PM on 1270 AM CJCB or online at www.cjcbradio.com
