INSIDE HOCKEY

Paquette and Grant are Players of the Week

Lewiston MAINEiacs forward Danick Paquette and Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman Alex Grant are the offensive and defensive players for the week ending February 3rd. Paquette had 11 shots that resulted in four goals, added one assist, and was a +5 over a two game period. Wednesday night was his best game as he scored three goals when Lewiston beat Drummondville 8-3; he was also the first star of that game. Paquette netted the first goal of the game in Lewiston’s 3-1 win over Saint John. The sophomore forward now has 26 goals and 10 assists in 49 games. Also receiving nominations were Saint John’s Alexandre Picard-Hooper (5G, 2A), Baie-Comeau’s François Bouchard (3G, 3A), and Rouyn-Noranda’s Michael Dubuc (5G).

In a four game span, Alex Grant scored once, assisted on three others, and was a +6. Sunday was his best game as he added three assists as Saint John beat their provincial rivals Moncton 6-5. The 2007 fourth round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins now has 13 goals and 22 assists in 52 games. Baie-Comeau defenseman Pierre-Luc Lessard (3A and a +4 rating), Halifax blueliner Andrew Bodnarchuk (3A and a +3 rating), and Acadie-Bathurst goalie Nicolas Champion (2-0, 120 MIN, 2.00 GAA, 0.926 SAV %) of Acadie-Bathurst were also up for the award.

Voracek, Bourdon and Deschamps are Players of the Month

On Friday, the league announced that Halifax Mooseheads forward Jakub Voracek, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies rearguard Marc-Andre Bourdon, and Chicoutimi Sagueneens forward Nicolas Deschamps are the QMJHL offensive, defensive, and rookie players for January.
Voracek, a 2007 first round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets, scored an average of 2.1 points per game in January. Over the course of nine games, he had six goals and 13 assists with at least one point coming in each game. He also had two shootout goals with one of them being a game-winner. During that period he also finished a +8. Also receiving consideration were Rouyn-Noranda center Michael Dubuc, Lewiston left winger Stefano Giliati, and Cape Breton center Jordan Clendenning.

Over an 11 game span, Bourdon had 20 points and was a +14. He began 2008 with five assists as the Huskies beat Victoriaville 9-5 on the road. Among defensemen, he ranks second in scoring and first in the plus/minus with a +30 rating. Baie-Comeau netminder Marco Cousineau, Halifax puck-stopper Pier-Olivier Pelletier, and Saint John defenseman Alex Grant of Saint John also received nominations.

This is Deschamps second rookie of the month win. In January he scored six times, two of which were game-winners, and assisted on eight others. He also finished a +4 over 11 games. Among rookies, he is second overall in points with 47 and first in game winners with six. Lewiston rearguard Denis Reul, Val-d’Or right winger Jonathan Hazen, and Cape Breton netminder Olivier Roy of Cape Breton were also nominated.

Morrison is CHL’s Best This Week

On Wednesday, the Canadian Hockey League named Rouyn-Noranda center Brett Morrison the CHL Player for the week ending January 27th. Over that period, Morrison found the back of the net three times and assisted on six others over a two game period. He began the week by scoring two goals, adding three assists, and finished a +7 as the Huskies beat Halifax 11-6 on Friday, January 25th. Another goal and three more helpers came on Saturday as Rouyn-Noranda beat the Gatineau Olympiques 6-5 in overtime on Saturday, January 26th with one of the assists coming Michael Dubuc’s game-winner. He was named the first star of both games. Morrison, who was drafted in the fifth round, 151st overall by Anaheim in 2007, is third in league scoring with 33 goals and 37 assists over 40 games.

Six Groups Intend to Bid on 2010 and 2012 WJC Championships

On Friday, Hockey Canada announced that groups from Calgary/Edmonton, Halifax, London/Windsor, Saskatoon, Toronto, and Winnipeg have submitted letters of intent to bid to host the 2010 and/or 2012 World Junior Championships.

Bid Group and Bid Years

Calgary/Edmonton, AB - 2012
Halifax, NS - 2010, 2012
London/Windsor, ON - 2012
Saskatoon, SK - 2010, 2012
Toronto, ON - 2012
Winnipeg, MB - 2010, 2012

Bids must be submitted by April 1st, 2008 for both years. The letters will then be reviewed by the site selection committee and short-list a number of groups to visit this coming spring. After the visits, the selection committee will submit their recommendations to the Hockey Canada Board of Directors and will wind up the bid process in the summer.

The bid process started on October 15th, 2007 which at that point, the bid guidelines were made available. The IIHF awarded Hockey Canada the 2012 WJC in May 2005 and the 2010 tournament in May 2007 at their Annual Congress.

Selection Committee: Bob Nicholson (President, Hockey Canada), Dr. Allan Morris (Chair of the Board of Directors, Hockey Canada), David Branch (President, CHL), Scott Smith (COO, Hockey Canada) and supported by a resource person, Scott Farley (Director of Marketing Services and Events, Hockey Canada).

Tourigny Wins 200th League Game

On Saturday night, Rouyn-Noranda head coach André Tourigny won his 200th game as a QMJHL head coach in the team’s 4-2 win over Shawinigan. He became the Huskies head coach in the 2004-04 season and has a 127-77-20-7-4 record since that time.

Howes Receives Three Game Suspension

On Tuesday, Saint John Sea Dogs forward Scott Howes received a three game suspension from the league disciplinary committee for his slash to the face of St. John’s Fog Devils Samuel Grenache. The incident happened five minutes into the third period, and Howes received a five minute major and a game misconduct penalty. He missed Tuesday’s game versus the Rocket, Thursday’s tilt versus Victoriaville, and Friday’s match in Lewiston.

Huskies, Drakkar, and Sea Dogs Make CHL Top 10

When the CHL rankings were announced last Wednesday, Rouyn-Noranda, Baie-Comeau, and Saint John all made the CHL Top 10. The Huskies moved one spot from fourth to fifth, the Drakkar moved up five from tenth to fifth, and the Sea Dogs dropped one spot from eighth to ninth.

The weekly rankings of the CHL's top 10 teams are selected by a panel of NHL scouts.

Top 10 Rankings – Week 18

1. Kitchener Rangers - (39-6-1-2)
2. Spokane Chiefs - (37-10-1-3)
3. Calgary Hitmen - (36-13-1-3)
4. Rouyn-Noranda Huskies - (35-14-2-1)
5. Baie-Comeau Drakkar - (36-13-1-4)
6. Vancouver Giants - (32-12-1-5)
7. Tri-City Americans - (35-12-1-2)
8. Belleville Bulls - (33-10-3-2)
9. Saint John Sea Dogs - (32-13-1-3)
10. Sault Ste-Marie Greyhounds - (32-13-1-3)

Memorial Cup Selection Committee

Following the departure of Michel Cote, who is overseas for professional reasons, Selection Committee President Me Bernard Lord announced on Saturday that the committee now has four members. They are Jacques Gauthier, Me Bernard Lord, Stéphane Quintal and Camille Thériault.

Due to his professional commitments, Cote would not be able to take part in the league’s visit to Lewiston and Halifax. He is President of the QMJHL Hall of Fame selection committee and the President of Groupe Vision d’affaires.

Bernard Becomes Latest Coaching Casualty

After Friday’s 7-3 loss to PEI, the Victoriaville Tigres fired head coach Martin Bernard on Saturday. The team currently has a 22-27-2-2 record, losing three straight, and six of their last seven games. They currently occupy eighth place in the ten team Telus Division standings.

Bernard came to the Tigres as an assistant coach for the 2001-02 season and was named head coach in May of 2006 succeeding former Montreal Canadiens' Stephan Lebeau. Under his guidance, the team went 38-25-3-4 in the 2006-07 season but lost to Baie-Comeau in the first round of the playoffs. Victoriaville won the President’s Cup in 2002.

Games This Week

Five games on Tuesday night kicked off action this week as Halifax demolished St. John’s, Saint John skated to a 5-3 win over PEI, Quebec edged Rimouski 4-3, Baie-Comeau doubled Moncton 4-2, as did Val-d’Or with Gatineau by the same score.

Lewiston skated all over Drummondville 8-3, and Chicoutimi blasted Moncton 7-0 on Wednesday. On Thursday night, the two games ended in a 4-3 score with Moncton needing a shootout to beat Quebec, and Saint John getting past Victoriaville in regulation.

Eight games started the month of February on Friday night with St. John’s gaining revenge for their 7-2 loss in Halifax Tuesday night with a 3-1 win over the Mooseheads at Mile One Centre, Lewiston beating Saint John 3-1 in Lewiston, PEI laying a 7-3 thrashing on visiting Victoriaville, Acadie-Bathurst nipping Cape Breton 3-2 at home, Shawinigan hosting Drummondville and finishing with a 4-1 victory, Rimouski getting by Gatineau 3-1 in Rimouski, Baie-Comeau welcoming Rouyn-Noranda and letting them come away with a 8-4 win, and Val-d’Or making their way out of Chicoutimi by edging the Sagueneens 3-2.

Saturday night’s action featured Chicoutimi beating Rouyn-Noranda 4-1, Acadie-Bathurst skating to a 4-2 win over Cape Breton, Quebec nipping Gatineau 4-3 in overtime, Halifax getting by St. John’s 3-2, and Baie-Comeau doubling Val-d’Or 6-3.

The Leader Board

Baie-Comeau sits atop both the Telus Division and overall standings with their 37-14-1-4 record and 79 points, while Rouyn-Noranda is a close second as they are 37-15-2-1 with 77 points. Saint John leads the Eastern Division and is third overall with 34 wins, 14 losses, 4 overtime losses, and one shootout loss.

Saint John center Christopher DiDomenico returns to the top spot among skaters as he has 34 goals and 43 assists over 52 games played with last week’s leader Baie-Comeau right winger Francois Bouchard coming second with 29 goals and 47 assists in 54 games. Cape Breton center Dean Ouellet rounds out the top three with 34 goals and 41 assists in 54 games.

Among rookies, Halifax center Tomas Knotek is tops with 18 goals and 32 assists in the 51 games that he has played in. He is followed by Quebec right winger Mikhail Stefanovich who has found the back of the net 24 times while assisting on 24 others over 46 games. Chicoutimi center Nicolas Deschamps takes third with 18 goals and 30 assists in 53 games.

Between the pipes based on ten games played, Chicoutimi’s Bobby Nadeau is the leader with his 16-17 record, 2.52 GAA, and 0.902 SAV %. Acadie-Bathurst’s Nicolas Champion is in second place with 9 wins and 8 losses, a GAA of 2.64 and 0.899 SAV %. Rounding out the top three is Baie-Comeau’s Marco Cousineau with 27 wins and 14 losses, 2.67 GAA, and a 0.907 SAV %.

For his efforts, Champion leads all rookie puck-stoppers with Cousineau’s backup Mathieu Leclair second with ten wins, five losses, a 2.86 GAA, and a 0.897 SAV %. Gatineau’s Maxime Clermont (10-6, 2.95 GAA, 0.892 SAV %) rounds out the top three.

The Coming Week

Play resumes on Tuesday night with one game as Acadie-Bathurst takes on PEI in Charlottetown, PE. There are three games on tap Wednesday night with Halifax hosting Lewiston, Rimouski traveling to Sydney, NS to take on Cape Breton, and Victoriaville hosting Gatineau. Val-d’Or hosts Quebec; and PEI travels to Bathurst, NB to take on Acadie-Bathurst on Thursday night.

Fourteen teams will see action on Friday as Rimouski makes their way into Halifax, Moncton hosts Lewiston, Baie-Comeau is in St. John’s, Rouyn-Noranda hosts Quebec, Drummondville is in Shawinigan, Val-d’Or hosts Chicoutimi, and Saint John takes on Victoriaville in Victoriaville, QC.

Gatineau hosts Quebec, Saint John begins their Quebec trip in Shawinigan, Halifax is at home to Acadie-Bathurst, PEI hosts Lewiston, Baie-Comeau finishes up their series in St. John’s, Cape Breton travels to Drummondville, and Chicoutimi is in Rouyn-Noranda in Saturday night’s action.

On Sunday, Acadie-Bathurst hosts Rimouski, Lewiston clues up their PEI visit, Cape Breton continues their swing through Quebec with a stop in Victoriaville, while Saint John finishes up their Quebec road trip in Drummondville.