GAME RECAP: Rozzi scores twice, Meloche stands tall as Sea Dogs win season opener
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – The Saint John Sea Dogs opened the 2026-27 season with a 4-2 victory over the Newfoundland Regiment on Friday night at the Mary Brown’s Centre.
Dylan Rozzi opened the scoring 6:21 into the first period, converting on the power play to give the Sea Dogs an early 1-0 lead. Rozzi struck again on the man advantage at 14:26, scoring his second of the night to double Saint John’s lead.
The Sea Dogs carried the 2-0 advantage into the first intermission after outshooting Newfoundland 16-5 through the opening 20 minutes.
Saint John continued to build on its lead in the second period. Ryan Howard found the back of the net at 6:27 to make it 3-0 with his first goal of the season. The power play connected for a third time at 15:52 when Alex Donovan scored to extend the lead to 4-0 heading into the second intermission.
Newfoundland finally solved Samuel Meloche at 13:43 of the third period when Matthew Frost scored to cut the Sea Dogs’ lead to 4-1. The Regiment added another with just 22 seconds remaining, but it was too little, too late as Saint John closed out a 4-2 win to begin the campaign.
Meloche turned aside 25 of the 27 shots he faced earning second star honours in the win, while the Sea Dogs outshot the Regiment 39-27. Rozzi was named the game’s second star.
STATISTICS
SOG: SNB – 39 | NFL – 27
PP: SNB – 3/5 | NFL – 0/4
Faceoffs: SNB – 32 | NFL – 32
3 STARS
1st: SNB – Dylan Rozzi (2G)
2nd: SNB – Samuel Meloche (25 SV)
3rd: NFL – Matthew Frost
—
Season Ticket Memberships, No Frills Season Value Passes, and 32-Game Flex Packs are on sale NOW for the 2026-27 season. Visit tickets.sjseadogs.com or email [email protected] to secure your seats today.
—
For the latest Sea Dogs news, follow the team on Facebook (Facebook.com/sjseadogs), Twitter (@SJSeaDogs), and Instagram (@SJSeaDogs).
