The Sea Dogs celebrate a 4-2 win over Moncton on November 10. Photo provided by the Saint John Sea Dogs.
When the QMJHL season resumes, the Saint John Sea Dogs will need to dig themselves out of a hole in the standings.
The team struggled out of the gate, losing seven of its first 10 games. In November, the team appeared to turn a corner, winning three of its last four games.
But an early-December announcement from the league meant the team would be shut down into the new year as the COVID-19 pandemic picked up steam across the country.
Team President and General Manager Trevor Georgie said he was heartened by the team’s play just before the shutdown, and he’s hopeful they can carry that chemistry into the new year.
“That is the most 2020 thing I think we could have expected. We started to play to our potential and the season stopped,” Georgie said.
He believes losing 20-year-old NHL-signed forward Vladislav Kotkov due to travel restrictions is among the reasons the team struggled out of the gate.
A further hiccup for the team came in the form of a positive COVID-19 test within the organization in November.
That led to a team-mandated quarantine, which left the players in hotels separated from their billets and families.
Georgie said that was above and beyond the provincial regulations, but it was important for the organization to prioritize safety.
“We know if it was our son on the team, or we were billeting, that’s what we’d expect and anticipate as a family,” he said. “We’re trying to go above and beyond, do the same for those that are with us.”
With all the stops and starts the league has faced through the COVID-19 pandemic, Georgie does expect they’ll be able to finish the season.
He is, however, tempering expectations that the rest of the year will continue without a hitch.
“I’m optimistic we’re going to finish the season and have a fun second half of hockey, but I do expect there could be interruptions. I think it’d be foolish to expect any different given what we’ve seen.”
The Sea Dogs are currently slated to resume their schedule January 22 at TD Station when they’ll host the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.
