Game #2 Recap: Saint John Sea Dogs vs. Halifax Mooseheads

Final Score
Saint John - 3
Halifax - 4

Goalscorers
Saint John: John Warren, Gabriel Bettez, Matthew Highmore
Halifax: Cooper Jones, Benoit-Olivier Groulx (2), Arnaud Durandeau

Goalies
Saint John: Alex Bishop (L)
Halifax: Kevin Resop (W)

Moosehead Player of the Game

Benoit-Olivier Groulx. I think overall he had a decent game, but have to give him credit for finishing when he got the chance. Scored his first two QMJHL goals.

Annoyance of the Game

A few minor things (Resop taking a while to get into the game, giving up three powerplay goals, etc.). What really got me though is a call the ref made in the second. Conor Moynihan was called for tripping, despite being pushed from behind into the puck carrier by a Saint John player.I don't get how there wasn't coincidental minors.

Game Notes

• Before the game there was a moment of silence for Dean Stock, who recently passed away after battling ALS.
• This was a pretty chippy game (especially in the first). Quite a few post-whistle scrums throughout the game.
• Bit of a scary moment in the first, as Jared McIsaac was hit from behind and slid into the boards hard. He managed to skate off on his own power and went back to the dressing room. The good news is that he returned after a couple of minutes.
• The Mooseheads managed to hang on in the last couple of minutes, and Resop made a few key stops to keep them in the lead.

Game Pics

New season, new seats!

Many of these throughout the game.

Showing Some International Love: 2018 Olympic Final Qualification - Group F Review

It was a close group, even the needing-to-qualify Italians played close games in this group. The host Norwegians were the ones standing in the end, needing a late powerplay goal against France to win the tournament. When French goalie Cristobal Huet was 40, he was on a two game winning streak. But time catches us all, and when he turned 41, he was not the same (kidding, he was the best goaltender of the tournament). Despite the good goaltending, France could not hang on, and saw their Olympic hopes slip away against Norway. Kazakhstan had a shot at qualifying, but ultimately ended up in third place. Italy finished in fourth place.

Note: Most information from the fancy IIHF website.

Standings

Team	Wins	OTW/SOW	OTL/SOL	Losses	Points	Goal Diff.
Norway	2	0	1	0	7	+3
France	1	1	0	1	5	+3
Kazakhstan	1	1	0	1	5	-1
Italy	0	0	1	2	1	-5

Results

September 1
France 2 - Italy 1 (OT)
Kazakhstan 4 - Norway 3 (OT)

September 2
France 4 - Kazakhstan 1
Norway 4 - Italy 1

September 4
Italy 2 - Kazakhstan 3
Norway 2 - France 1

Notes

• Goals Leader: Mats Zuccarello (Norway) - 5
• Points Leader: Roman Starchenko (Kazakhstan) - 3
• GAA Leader: Cristobal Huet (France) - 1.33
• Save % Leader: Cristobal Huet (France) - 0.944
• The "No Surprise" Game: Norway over Italy 4-1
• The "Upset" Game: Kazakhstan beating Norway in a shootout 4-3

What Now?

Norway: The only host in the three tournaments to make it through, Norway is back in the Olympics for a third straight time. They will face Finland, Germany, and Sweden in Group C in PyeongChang. Mats Zuccarello is now off to play in the World Cup, while the rest of the team is likely to reconvene in October for an EHIC tournament.

France: The French came so close for qualifying for the Olympics for the first time since 2002. Now they will have to wait until 2022 qualifying to break their Olympic drought. The next time France plays is in October, as they travel to Slovenia for an EHIC tournament.

Kazakhstan:  The Kazakhs had a good tournament, but the Day 2 loss against France sunk their chanced of getting back into the Games. The next time Barys Astana Kazakhstan plays will be in an EHIC tournament in December.

Italy: For a team looking to minimize naturalised players, they did well in their games. Despite managing only one point (thanks to an OT loss), they kept it close in most of their games. The next time Italy plays is in October in an EHIC tournament.

Showing Some International Love: 2018 Olympic Final Qualification - Group E Review

Germany dominated throughout the tournament, shutting out their opponents for almost 155 minutes. They were in tough against the host Latvians, and needed a late powerplay goal to propel their way back into the Olympic tournament. For Latvia, the loss ended a streak of playing in the Olympic Games going back to 2002 in Salt Lake. Austria had a rough time, ending in third after winning their last game. Japan finishes in fourth after managing just one goal in the tournament.

Note: Most information from the fancy IIHF website.

Standings

Team	Wins	OTW/SOW	OTL/SOL	Losses	Points	Goal Diff.
Germany	3	0	0	0	9	+12
Latvia	2	0	0	1	6	+8
Austria	1	0	0	2	3	-10
Japan	0	0	0	3	0	-10

Results

September 1
Germany 5 - Japan 0
Austria 1 - Latvia 8

September 2
Germany 6 - Austria 0
Latvia 3 - Japan 1

September 4
Japan 0 - Austria 3
Latvia 2 - Germany 3

Notes

• Goals Leader: Felix Schultz (Germany) - 4
• Points Leader: Felix Schultz (Germany), Leon Draisaitl (Germany), Kaspar Daugavins (Latvia), Miks Indrasis (Latvia) - 5
• GAA Leader: Philipp Grubauer (Germany) - 0.67
• Save % Leader: Philipp Grubauer (Germany) - 0.970
• The "No Surprise" Game: Germany shutting out Japan 5-0
• The "Upset" Game: None

What Now?

Germany: After missing out on Sochi, the Germans are back in the Olympics thanks to a last-day win over Latvia. Germany will face a trio of Nordic teams in PyeongChang, as Group C includes Finland, Norway, and Sweden. The next time Germany plays internationally is in November, when they host the Deutschland Cup.

Latvia: A late powerplay goal by Germany sunk the Latvians hopes of getting into the Olympics for a fifth straight time. They will now shift their focus to an ECHI tournament in October.

Austria:  It wasn't a pretty tournament for the Austrians, but they managed to escape with one win under their belts. They will be back at it in October, as they travel to Hungary for an EHIC tournament.

Japan: It was tough enough for a Japanese teams that needed to qualify to get this far, but they probably expected to do better than scoring just one goal. The next time they'll likely regroup is in February for an EHIC tournament.

Showing Some International Love: 2018 Olympic Final Qualification - Group D Review

It was a battle until the end with the host Belarus and Slovenia going toe-to-toe on the last day. The ending was one the home crowd was not happy about, as Slovenia won in the shootout to advance to the Olympics. The lost placed Belarus in second place and out of the Olympics. Denmark finished in third with just one win. Poland, who needed to qualify to get this far, goes home pointless.

Note: Most information from the fancy IIHF website.

Standings

Team	Wins	OTW/SOW	OTL/SOL	Losses	Points	Goal Diff.
Slovenia	2	1	0	0	8	+9
Belarus	2	0	1	0	7	+4
Denmark	1	0	0	2	3	-3
Poland	0	0	0	3	0	-10

Results

September 1
Slovenia 6 - Poland 1
Denmark 2 - Belarus 5

September 2
Slovenia 3 - Denmark 0
Belarus 5 - Poland 3

September 4
Poland 2 - Denmark 5
Belarus 2 - Slovenia 3 (SO)

Notes

• Goals Leader: Andrei Stepanov (Belarus), Anze Kopitar (Slovenia), Rok Ticar (Slovenia) - 3 
• Points Leader: Sergei Kostitsyn (Belarus) - 6
• GAA Leader: Gaspar Kroselj (Slovenia) - 0.97
• Save % Leader: Gaspar Kroselj (Slovenia) - 0.963
• The "No Surprise" Game: Slovenia over Poland 6-1
• The "Upset" Game: Slovenia edging out a shootout win over the host Belarus 3-2

What Now?

Slovenia: Drinks, as they qualify for the Olympics for the second time in a row. If Kopitar pulls out of the World Cup, it'll be because he won't be over the hangover from celebrating this. Slovenia will be in PyeongChang, facing Russia, Slovakia, and the U.S. in Group B. For now, while Kopitar has the World Cup, the rest of the team will play internationally in October when they host an EIHC tournament.

Belarus: It was heartbreak for the host in Minsk. The shootout loss means they have to wait until 2022 qualifying to make it back into the Olympics. For now, they will be back at it in late October, playing in an EHIC tournament (in Slovenia of all places).

Denmark: A team that looked good on paper fizzled against the top teams. It was a tough group though, and managed to get a win out of it. They aren't scheduled to play internationally until February.

Poland: To Poland's credit, they put up a fight at times and were never shutout. Their Olympic hopes are over now, and will gear up as they host an EIHC tournament in December.

Showing Some International Love: 2018 Olympic Final Qualification - Group F Preview

Norway host Group F in the final Olympic Qualification round. The host have been in the past two Olympics, and will want to extend that streak to three. France comes in looking to qualify for the Games for the first time since 2002. Kazakhstan and Italy both share having their last Olympic appearance in 2006 (the Kazakhs qualified, Italy was the host) and both want to make it back into the main tournament.

Note: Most information from the fancy IIHF website.

World Rankings

11. Norway
14. France
16. Kazakhstan
18. Italy

Rosters

France

Goalies:

Name	Team
Florian Hardy	Dornbirner EC
Cristobal Huet	Lausanne HC
Ronan Quemener	Aalborg Pirates

Defensemen:

Name	Team
Gregory Beron	HC Amiens Somme
Nicolas Besch	Bordeaux GHC
Florian Chakiachvili	Rouen Dragons
Kevin Hecquefeuille	SCL Tigers
Jonathan Janil	Bordeaux GHC
Antonin Manavian	Fehervar AV 19

Forwards:

Name	Team
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare	Philadelphia Flyers
Valentin Claireaux	KeuPa HT
Stephane da Costa	CSKA Moscow
Teddy da Costa	Sport Vaasa
Floran Douay	Geneve-Servette HC
Damien Fleury	Kunlun Red Star
Brian Henderson	ASG Angers les Ducs
Maxime Lacroix	ASG Angers les Ducs
Loic Lamperier	Rouen Dragons
Laurent Meunier	HC La Chaux-de-Fonds
Jordann Perret	Rouen Dragons
Damien Raux	Rouen Dragons
Sacha Treille	Rouen Dragons
Yorick Treille	Rouen Dragons

Italy

Goalies:

Name	Team
Andreas Bernard	Assat Pori
Frederic Cloutier	Asiago Hockey
Gianluca Vallini	HC Gherdeina

Defensemen:

Name	Team
Alexander Gellert	HC Bolzano
Armin Hofer	Pusteral/Val Pusteria
Stefano Marchetti	Asiago Hockey
Enrico Miglioranzi	Kallinge/Ronneby IF
Hannes Oberdorfer	HC Bolzano
Alex Trivellato	Schwenninger Wild Wings
Luca Zanatta	HC Red Ice Martigny-Verbier

Forwards:

Name	Team
Raphael Andergassen	Pusteral/Val Pusteria
Nathan di Casmirro	HC Bolzano
Markus Gander	HC Bolzano
Marco Insam	HC Bolzano
Diego Kostner	HC Ambri-Piotta
Simon Kostner	Ritten/Renon
Michele Marchetti	HC Bolzano
Giovanni Morini	HC Lugano
Giulio Scandella	No Team
Markus Spinell	Ritten/Renon
Tommaso Traversa	Real Torino

Kazakhstan

Goalies:

Name	Team
Vitali Kolesnik	Barys Astana
Dmitri Malgin	Barys Astana
Pavel Poluektov	Barys Astana

Defensemen:

Name	Team
Kevin Dallman	Barys Astana
Madiyar Ibraybekov	Barys Astana
Artemi Lakiza	Barys Astana
Alexander Lipin	Barys Astana
Roman Savchenko	Barys Astana
Maxim Semyonov	Barys Astana
Vyacheslav Tryasunov	Barys Astana

Forwards:

Name	Team
Nursultan Belgibayev	Barys Astana
Brandon Bochenski	Barys Astana
Nigel Dawes	Barys Astana
Dmitri Grents	Barys Astana
Nikita Ivanov	Barys Astana
Maxim Khudyakov	Barys Astana
Ivan Kuchin	Barys Astana
Vladimir Markelov	Barys Astana
Konstantin Pushkaryov	Barys Astana
Yevgeni Rymarev	Barys Astana
Alexander Shin	Barys Astana
Roman Starchenko	Barys Astana

Norway

Goalies:

Name	Team
Lars Haugen	Farjestad BK
Henrik Haukeland	Leksands IF
Steffen Soberg	Valerenga IF

Defensemen:

Name	Team
Stefan Espeland	Lorenskog IK
Jonas Holos	Farjestad BK
Mattias Norstebo	Frolunda HC
Henrik Odegaard	Frisk Asker
Dennis Sveum	Stavanger Oilers
Ole-Kristian Tollefsen	Farjestad BK

Forwards:

Name	Team
Andre Bastiansen	Frisk Asker
Kristian Forsberg	Stavanger Oilers
Tommy Kristiansen	Stavanger Oilers
Andreas Martinsen	Colorado Avalanche
Ken Andre Olimb	Linkopings HC
Mathis Olimb	Linkopings HC
Mats Rosseli Olsen	Frolunda HC
Niklas Roest	Sparta Sarpsborg
Martin Roymark	Tappara Tampere
Eirik Salsten	Stavanger Oilers
Patrick Thoresen	ZSC Lions
Mathias Trettenes	Almtuna IS
Mats Zuccarello	New York Rangers

Schedule

September 1
France - Italy
Kazakhstan - Norway

September 2
France - Kazakhstan
Norway - Italy

September 4
Italy - Kazakhstan
Norway - France

Predictions

1 (Qualify for Olympics) - France
2 - Norway
3 - Kazakhstan
4 - Italy

Maybe I take it back and say that Group F is really the hardest to pick in general. All four teams are relatively close enough where upsets could realistically happen. My pick in the end is for France, as they'll end the longest Olympic drought of the group. Norway finishes slightly behind them in second. Kazakhstan battles, but ends up in third place. Italy's all-Italian plan is slowly coming to fruition, but is still a couple years away. The Italians end up in fourth.