Saint John Sea Dogs ride 15-game win streak
Last Updated: Thursday, November 26, 2009 | 7:30 AM AT
CBC News
The Saint John Sea Dogs are making waves in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League this season, setting a New Brunswick record with a 15-game winning streak.
The Sea Dogs are now the second-ranked team in the Canadian Hockey League with a 24-4 record.
Sea Dogs goaltender Marc-Antoine Gelinas said he never thought he'd be on a 15-game winning streak. Gelinas said it's hard not to feel pressure to keep winning.
"The more the game's going, the more we think about it," he said.
The Sea Dogs have not lost a game in six weeks, a record for any New Brunswick major junior hockey squad.
The winning streak experience isn't new to Nick Petersen, the team's leading goal scorer with 14. The right-winger played for the Shawinigan Cataractes last year when they won 14 games in a row.
"Every team that does something, they break records, or whatever," Petersen said.
"You have to be remembered in some way, so it's a great start and hopefully we build off it."
New coaching staff
The Sea Dogs have been a huge surprise this season considering they entered the 2009-2010 season with new staff behind the bench.
But head coach Gerard Gallant said their early season success won't mean much unless it continues in the playoffs.
"Obviously, we've moved up in the rankings in Canada and it's nice to be there, but it's not a big thing right now because it's the end of November," Gallant said.
The Sea Dogs' success on the ice hasn't resulted so far in more fans at Harbour Station, where half the seats have been empty for home games.
The team hopes that success at the gates will improve this weekend when the Sea Dogs host two of Canada's top teams, the Drummondville Voltigeurs on Friday and the Quebec Remparts on Sunday.
The QMJHL's longest winning streak of 25 games was set by the Sorel Éperviers in 1974.
So far this season, Saint John is atop the QMJHL's Atlantic division, while the Moncton Wildcats are in fourth position with a record of 13 wins and eight losses and the Acadie-Bathurst Titan are fifth with a record of 10 wins and 14 losses.
