Sea Dogs now understand challenge Volts present

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In late February, when the Saint John Sea Dogs last met the Drummondville Voltigeurs, Saint John head coach Travis Crickard conducted a pre-game poll.

His lineup was two months into an extensive youth movement fueled by the trades of prominent veterans at the Christmas trade deadline and therefore, ice time – and perspective – for younger players was increasing by the game.

On the other side, the Voltigeurs went all in at the deadline, adding quality veteran pieces to an already strong lineup that accentuated its other moves made in the off-season and even prior to that – all with this year’s QMJHL playoffs in mind.

Given the way the post-holiday schedule went for the Sea Dogs, that Feb. 24 date in Drummondville represented one of the few times to that point Saint John faced a truly veteran lineup going for the title.

The shoe, of course, had been on the other foot in the second half of 2022, when the experienced Dogs team, where Crickard served an assistant coach, would line up and dominate young foes as part of a 15-game winning streak to end the regular season.

So just before their previous meeting with Drummondville about a month ago, Crickard asked his troops if they felt like they truly understood the challenge ahead.

More than a few eager hands went up.

Crickard appreciated the enthusiasm but was not convinced they appreciated what was ahead against lineup that featured, among other things, former Sea Dog Noah Reinhart, a 19-year-old forward who flourished during his time in the Port City before being dealt to Drommunville in December.

In a new uniform, Reinhart would average nearly a point a game for the team that ultimately finished in second place overall with 102 points.

That game, as it turns out, went as Crickard had feared. Drummondville scored twice in the first three minutes and by the five-minute mark of the second frame, it was 5-0. When it ended, Reinhart recorded a career high five points, a total that included three goals in a 9-2 victory.

Perspective gained.

The Volts secured top spot in the Western Conference and as expected, are one of the heavy favourites to lift the Gilles Courteau Trophy in seven or eight weeks time.

The Dogs struggled through the second half but when the final playoff berth was at stake in the last two weeks of the season, they managed seven points in a stretch of five games, thanks to the production of its veterans, which included overager Brody Fournier, acquired from Halifax and the current QMJHL player of the week, who scored six times in the final five games.

It also included strong efforts from two former Voltigeurs – Tyler Peddle and Drew Elliot – both acquired at the trade deadline.

Peddle, the Columbus Blue Jackets pick in last year’s NHL draft, picked up nine points in the final five games, scoring the game winner in one of their wins and setting up the winning goal in another.

Elliott, the overage Musquash native who was traded to Saint John where he played the final 30 regular season games of his career, picked up seven points in the final stretch of six games, including the insurance goal in what turned out to be a 5-2 playoff clinching victory on Friday against Halifax.

It sets up a playoff date against Drummondville, which begins in the Quebec town on Friday and Saturday before returning to Saint John for games next Tuesday and Wednesday and if necessary, Friday at TD Station.

It’s the second straight year the Sea Dogs have made the playoffs on the final day of the regular season. Last year, they advanced to meet Gatineau in the first round and took the Olympiques to five games before getting closed out of the series.

In the past two years, Saint John has produced a record of 44-77-10-5 for 103 combined points, which is greater than the first two years of their previous rebuild after winning the 2017 QMJHL crown.

In the following two years after that, Saint John had 27 wins, 82 losses, 11 overtime losses and six shootout setbacks for 71 points.