The Saint John Sea Dogs looked to continue a strong stretch of play as Maxim Massé and the Chicoutimi Sagueneens visited TD Station for the first time this season on Sunday, Dec. 3. The teams first met on Nov. 11, in Chicoutimi, with the Sea Dogs coming out on top of that contest in overtime. That win was the first win in a series of good games that have seen the Sea Dogs collect points in six of their past seven, with the only regulation loss coming against the deadly Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.
The Sagueneens managed to get some revenge and beat the Sea Dogs 2-1 in overtime in a very tight and chippy contest that was highlighted by strong performances from Eriks Mateiko and Justin Robinson. While the Sea Dogs — despite the loss — have been doing much better lately and have started to regain some footing in the standings, the lack of attendance despite a very event-filled weekend is concerning.
Hard Hitting, Tight Defense Contest
An early, scary injury to Benjamin Amyot gave the game a very chippy, aggressive feel. Both sides had their fair share of post-play rough stuff, finishing hits a little late, getting gloves to each others’ faces, and even dishing out couple massive clean hits that just aren’t usually seen in today’s game. While the fighting ban has its purposes, there are times like these when you have to wonder if a fight early on might have erased most of that animosity before it built up and turned into players taking extra shots.
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Aside from the rough stuff, the game was a defensive battle that featured two locked-in goaltenders on the few occasions where the offense was able to break through. Justin Robinson continues to be a bright spot in the Sea Dogs season as his 25-save performance has increased his season statistics to an impressive .906 save percentage (SV%) and 2.99 goals against average (GAA). He is top ten in the league in both categories, and the only rookie with better numbers is Jakub Milota, a Czechian import of the Cape Breton Eagles. The 17-year-old Robinson could be exactly what they need in net moving forward as they attempt to restock their roster with some skilled young talent.
Mateiko Making Some Noise
With points in six of their past seven games, the Sea Dogs have quietly crept back into relevance in the Maritimes Division. They are now even with the fourth-place Acadie-Bathurst Titan at 26 points and have the best record in the division over the last 10 games at 6-3-1. A massive component of that rise is 2024 draft-eligible Eriks Mateiko who extended his goal streak to four games by breaking the deadlock with less than four minutes to play in the second, sending the teddy bears flying onto the ice.
When I asked about Matieko and the upcoming World Junior Championship, Steven Ellis, a prospect analyst for Daily Faceoff, had the following to say about the young Latvian:
“He’s a lock, no doubt. I have him as a second-liner. This Latvian team is one that could make a bit of noise. Perhaps the best top six they’ve had in a while.”
Steven Ellis
When looking at the upcoming draft class at the beginning of the season, you could hear whispers of Mateiko if you looked hard enough, but NHL teams love their big prospects and the 6-foot-4 winger has drastically improved his offensive output. He has 18 points (10 goals, eight assists) in 14 games since the start of November and was held off the scoresheet just twice in that span. Don’t be surprised to see his name climbing into the second round if he continues this pace.
Disappointing Attendance Becoming a Trend
The Sea Dogs are capable of drawing massive numbers of fans — and they’ve done it this season with their opening night drawing almost 5000 people into TD Station — but this weekend was definitely a disappointment considering the Dec. 2 game was against a divisional rival and had a live performance while the Dec. 3 matinee game was the annual teddy bear toss, also had a live performance, and highly touted prospect Maxim Massé was making his only visit to TD Station this season. Both games had fewer than 2,200 fans show up, making for a noticeably empty arena.
Related: Culture Change: QMJHL Starts Trend of Fighting Ban
If it wasn’t for the intense rivalry between the Sea Dogs and the Moncton Wildcats, plus a visit from a Taylor Swift impersonator, the average attendance numbers at TD Station this season would be scarily low. Even with those few games bumping the numbers up, it is likely the team will see a significant drop from even last season where they averaged just shy of 3,000 fans per game.
Christmas Break Closing In
With just two home games left before the Christmas holidays, the Sea Dogs are going to have to really grind it out if they want to continue collecting points as they will face the current top team in the Division, the Halifax Mooseheads, three times in seven days. A couple of wins, or even just a couple of points in those games, could go a long way in helping them take another step towards relevance for the second part of the season.
