SUBWAY Super Series kicks off on Monday
By Aaron Bell
When the 2010 edition of the SUBWAY Super Series opens on Monday in Saint John, New Brunswick, the host Sea Dogs are looking forward to kicking the series off on the right foot and are also hoping to prove that they are a community and franchise that are standout hosts for special league events.
The Sea Dogs hosted a game in the series in 2008 and filled the 6,000 seat Harbour Station. They approaching another sell out this time around and are anxious to use these events to showcase that Saint John for the MasterCard Memorial Cup.
The 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup will be hosted by the QMJHL and Saint John is one of four centres that have submitted a bid to host the tournament. The winning bid will be announced in April.
“We certainly want to show that we’re a Memorial Cup-style city and a city that can put 6,000-plus fans in the seats,” Sea Dogs’ President Wayne Long told the Saint John Telegraph-Journal this week. “We’re going to show them that.”
The Sea Dogs will be well represented on the ice as well in the opening game of the SUBWAY Super Series.
Forwards Jonathan Huberdeau and Zack Phillips and defencemen Nathan Beaulieu and Simon Despres will suit up for Team QMJHL in the series-opener while forward Stanislav Galiev will join his countrymen on the Russian squad.
“We’re thrilled that we have five players (selected) between the two teams,” Long said. “It makes a statement that the Saint John Sea Dogs are an organization with a lot of young talent.”
After advancing to the QMJHL’s championship series against the Moncton Wildcats last spring, the Sea Dogs have jumped out to another terrific start to this season. They are tied with the Quebec Remparts for first place in the QMJHL standings with a 15-3-0-1 record through 19 games.
“We’re quietly tied for most points in the league (with the Quebec Remparts) and really flying somewhat under the radar,” Long said. “It’s a young team but a confident team.”
The SUBWAY Super Series moves to Drummondville, QC on Wednesday before moving to Ontario for games in London on Thursday Nov. 11 and in Sudbury on Monday Nov. 15. The series concludes in the Western Hockey League with games in Kamloops, BC on Wednesday Nov. 17 and in Prince George, BC the following night.
Wildcats’ forward Alex Saulnier will get the chance to play in the SUBWAY Super Series after being named as an injury replacement for Louis-Marc Aubry of the Montreal Juniors.
Saulnier and his twin brother Allain are the top two scorers for the Wildcats this season and have been a major boost in the Wildcats 13-5-0-2 start to the season after winning the QMJHL championship last season.
“It’s pretty exciting to get selected for this,” Saulnier told the Moncton Times & Transcript.
Saulnier is sixth among QMJHL scorers with seven goals and 20 assists for 27 points in 20 games this season.
“It’s definitely a good feeling to know that people around the league have taken notice of me,” Saulnier said. “It’s definitely a confidence builder to be recognized in this way. A lot of the top players in the league are on (team QMJHL) so I’m looking forward to playing with them.”
