There is a special atmosphere that revolves around the home opener of a small-town team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) and it was on full display Sept 23 at TD Station in Saint John, New Brunswick. The local Sea Dogs lined up against their divisional rival Acadie-Bathurst Titan for the second night in a row as part of a home-and-home series to kick off the season. The two teams would end up spoiling each other’s home openers as they split the series.
Just one week ago most of the fans that filed into the arena were receiving the brunt of the effects of Hurricane Lee, wondering whether the powerful winds were going to cause irreparable damage to either their homes or their communities. That worry was washed away as they gathered for another season of cheering on their team through the rollercoaster of emotions that can come with a QMJHL season.
Welcome to the QMJHL Patrick Leaver
With a bargain entrance fee of just $7 and wrestling legend Brett “The Hitman” Hart dropping the puck for the opening faceoff, TD Station was buzzing when the lights went down to announce their roster for the upcoming season. It is no secret that this season’s team is likely going to be subject to some re-tooling pains after the Sea Dogs spent a bunch of capital on loading up for what turned into the 2022 Memorial Cup win, but it didn’t dissuade over 4,800 fans from supporting their team.
The recently signed overage goaltender Patrick Leaver played last season in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) splitting time between the Oshawa Generals and Guelph Storm with slightly less than average play. He was anything but average in the first of the two games, stopping 37 shots to help his team to a 6-4 win, but his next performance less than 24 hours later was an absolute showcase.
Leaver must have known that some fans doubted the team for bringing him in because he put his full talent on display for the hometown crowd. The first clue that he was dialed in was the athletic kick save that came as part of the 17 saves in the first period alone. The Titans’ offence was unrelenting for the entire 60 minutes but Leaver was up to the task and ended the night with 51 saves, earning him first star for the game and third star of the night for the entire Canadian Hockey League (CHL).
Fighting Ban Causes Messy Penalties
A big hit from Reid Calder on Blake Pilgram-Edwards brought about a good amount of rough stuff that most would classify as fighting, but the new controversial fighting regulations introduced this season led to some sticky penalty management instead. Calder was removed from the game for a hit to the head, but the remaining penalties were doled out as various amounts of unsportsmanlike conduct and roughing.
The rough play continued into the next sequence with some obvious on-ice chatter between the players, questionable late hits, and less-than-clean stick usage until finally Noah Reinhart and Alexandre Lallier dropped the gloves in a bout that even the referees couldn’t pass off as just roughing. Both players were therefore removed from the game as per the new rules, although at that point there were only around 13 minutes left in the game anyway.
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There is going to be a learning curve to the new regulations, but the real problems could occur in situations similar to this one where there was a poor decision by a player that resulted in a potential injury. The receiving team wants to stick up for the player and make a point, but now have to resort to aggressive and chippy play for the rest of the game which can result in even more injuries.
It can also be extremely difficult for the referees to find the line of what exactly constitutes a fight. If players punch each other with their gloves on, are they getting a two-minute minor or game misconduct with the potential for extra suspension? There is a very narrow and subjective margin between the calls that can result in drastic consequences for the players and teams.
Sea Dogs Keep Rolling
The result of the home opener past the rough third period was a disappointing shootout loss, but Leaver’s herculean effort to steal the Sea Dogs a point could be a sign of good things to come for a team that is perhaps not expected to have a strong season. A good defensive mix of veterans, including an injured Matteo Mann, and an offence currently boasting 13 players with points just two games into the season has all the makings of another Sea Dogs team that can overachieve against all expectations.
The Sea Dogs are back in action with a back-to-back against the Cape Breton Eagles on Sept. 29 and Sept. 30. The Eagles will be on the hunt for their first win of the season after being throttled by the Moncton Wildcats twice. It also marks the return of former Sea Dogs Cam MacDonald and Cole Burbidge.
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