PREVIEW: Mooseheads @ Saint John Friday/Saturday
2024-03-20
Mooseheads-X (41-17-7-1) AT Sea Dogs (19-38-5-4) TD Station
Game 1 – Friday 7pm
Game 2 – Saturday 4pm
Halifax, 2nd in Eastern Conference | Saint John 9th in Eastern Conference |
Mooseheads Stats | Sea Dogs Stats |
Watch: CHL TV | Listen: CityNews 957 |
The final weekend of the regular season is upon us and your Mooseheads are set to close out the schedule on the road with back-to-back games in Saint John this Friday and Saturday. The Herd come into action with wins in seven of their last 10 outings and could max out at 43 wins on the season if they can come away with two more victories. The 41 currently under their belt is tied for 10th best in franchise history while their 21 road wins this season is already tied for fifth most in team history in a single season. Jake Furlong went down with an upper body injury in Moncton last Saturday and is not expected to play this weekend. Braeden MacPhee and David Moravec are also recovering from injuries while Logan Crosby is expected to return after missing one game with an illness.
If the Playoffs began today: The Mooseheads are locked into a first round matchup with the Acadie-Baturst Titan which will begin in Halifax. Game One and Two will be held at Scotiabank Centre on Friday, March 29th and Saturday, March 30th at 7pm both nights. General Public Tickets go on sale this Friday at 11am at Ticketmaster.ca
Season Series: Halifax has been in control of this matchup throughout the season with four wins, one regulation loss and one overtime loss.
Meet the Opponent – Saint John Sea Dogs
Head Coach – Travis Crickard (Second season)
Team Stats: Goals per Game – 2.67 (16th in QMJHL) | Goals Against per Game – 4.30 (17th in QMJHL) | PP – 17.5% (15th in QMJHL) | PK – 74.5% (15th in QMJHL)
Leaders: Goals – Brody Fournier (24) | Assists – Joseph Ianniello (27) | Points – Brody Fournier (47)
Head Coach Travis Crickard experienced a medical emergency during a game in Cape Breton on March 9th and was released the following morning and returned to the bench for the first time on Wednesday night at home in a 3-2 shootout loss to Moncton. Saint John finds themselves in a fight for the final playoff spot in the QMJHL and will be looking to scrounge up some points against the Mooseheads in order to squeak into the postseason. The Dogs are in a dead heat with the Remparts for the final playoff spot in the QMJHL. Both Saint John and Quebec dropped shootout decisions on Wednesday night which keeps Saint John slightly ahead of the Remparts on a tie-breaker. Both teams have 47 points through 66 games played. This weekend series is make-or-break for the Dogs while nothing will change for the Mooseheads no matter the results.
If the Playoffs began today: Saint John would have the unenviable task of crossing over to the Western Conference as the lowest seed and would take on the high powered Drummondville Voltigeurs in Round One.
Nova Scotians: There are three bluenosers on the Sea Dogs roster and they are all forwards – Tyler Peddle (Antigonish), Darien Reynolds (Sydney) and Coen Miller (Bedford).
3 STATS TO KNOW
1 – Mathis Rousseau is on the verge of setting single season Mooseheads records for goals against average (2.24) and save percentage (.925)
2 – Brody Fournier has scored 21 points (11 goals, 10 assists) in 32 games since being traded from Halifax to Saint John
3 – The Mooseheads finished the home schedule with an average attendance of 8,368 fans per game (Third highest in team history).