SEA DOGS MOVING ON

SN RECAP
FINAL: Sea Dogs 6, MAINEiacs 5

LEWISTON, Me. – A wild Game Four ended a wild semifinal playoff series against the Saint John Sea Dogs and the Lewiston Maineiacs.

Five minutes into the game and many were already making plans for a Game Five on Friday. But the Sea Dogs pulled off a huge comeback to win the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League match 6-5 and earn a 4-0 sweep in the series.

The victory means that, for the second straight season, the club advances to the President’s Cup Final where they will play the winner of the Quebec - Gatineau series.

It was a game that had a bit of everything. Just 5:05 into regulation there were three goals, a goaltending change, and a broken pane of glass. But Saint John battled back and finally tied it in the second period before pulling ahead in the third.

Zack Phillips, Nathan Beaulieu, Scott Oke, Jonathan Huberdeau, Eric Gelinas, and Stephen MacAulay all scored for winners. Mike Thomas had two assists. Mathieu Corbeil, who was unbelievable in Games Two and Three, was pulled after allowing two goals on two shots. His replacement, Jacob DeSerres, made some big stops to keep the Dogs in the game. He made 25 saves overall on the night.

Other than the terrible start, Saint John played a decent game. They certainly didn’t panic after going down by three. If there is anything we’ve come to realize about the 2010-11 edition of the Sea Dogs, it’s that a three-goal lead with 55 minutes left is not too big of a mountain to climb.

Lewiston was expected to come out flying in the opening frame - and they did just that. After all, it was their season on the line. But the Maineiacs, like in the first three games, just couldn’t keep the goals pumping like Saint John and kept giving them opportunities. They had plenty of chances throughout the game but just couldn’t cash in enough.

Lewiston had goals from Cameron Critchlow, Alex Zafiris, Olivier Dame-Malka, Stefan Fournier, and Pierre-Olivier Morin. Goaltender Andrey Makarov, making his first start of the post-season, allowed six goals on 31 shots.

FIRST PERIOD
Just 1:21 in, Mathieu Corbeil went behind the net to grab the puck but it got away from him and went out in front. Corbeil dove but Cameron Critchlow was too fast and slid it past him to give Lewiston an early 1-0 lead.

Not long after, Samuel Carrier shot the puck from just inside the line. Alex Zafiris tipped it down low and past Corbeil to give the Maineiacs a 2-0 edge on just two shots. That would be the end of Corbeil’s night and was replaced by Jacob DeSerres.

At 3:12, Kevin Gagne let a point shot go that shattered the glass behind the Maineiacs’ goal. That caused a roughly 12-minute delay.

But the delay didn’t hurt the Maineiacs as Olivier Dame-Malka fired a wrist shot from the point that beat DeSerres to make it a 3-0 game and officially make it a brutal start for Saint John.

The Dogs then started to get some things going as Tomas Jurco centered it for Steven Anthony in front but was stopped by the pad of Andrey Makarov.

Some four-on-four action took place at 7:03 following some rough stuff. At 7:07, A faceoff win by Zack Phillips and the departure of the Lewiston defense around him gave him an open lane to beat Makarov and cut the Maineiacs’ lead to 3-1.

The Sea Dogs then had unlimited chances. The puck was loose in front for Jonathan Huberdeau but Makarov made a big stop. Then, the puck was centered again, this time to Jurco, but he couldn’t get a hold of it.

Saint John kept the pressure on moments later as Anthony had the puck and spun to get it on goal but was denied. Phillips tried to create something after that but the puck was taken from him and cleared away.

Lewiston went to the power play at 16:45 but nothing happened.

When Alexnadre Beauregard stepped out of the box, he skated hard to the side boards where Makarov came out the play it. The puck was nearly centered to a Saint John player but the danger was averted.

Shots in the first period were 14-10 Saint John.

SECOND PERIOD
Right off the bat Makarov made a huge glove stop on Phillips.

Nathan Beaulieu made it a 3-2 game at 1:28 on a power play. Beaulieu blasted a point shot that beat Makarov to put the Dogs within one.

But Lewiston would respond at 3:44. A turnover allowed the puck to come to Stefan Fournier in front and make it a 4-2 Maineiacs lead just like that.

But Saint John got back within one at 5:22. The puck came out from behind the goal line and into some traffic in front. The disc came loose to Scott Oke at the side and Makarov was down, allowing Oke to go upstairs and make it a 4-3 contest.

Just after the goal, the insanity continued as Francis Beauvillier came down the wing and hit the post.

Saint John went to the power play as Samuel Finn was called for slashing Stanislav Galiev at 5:54. The Dogs had some pressure but could not tie it up.

When the power play ended, a cross ice pass found Kirill Kabanov along the boards who one-timed the puck. But DeSerres made a nice cross crease stop to keep Saint John in the game.

Saint John went back to the man advantage at 8:49 as Kabanov headed off. Huberdeau had the best chance as he performed a wraparound move but couldn’t get a great shot off.

Some rough stuff ensued at 10:55. It looked like penalties would be even but then Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant was given a bench minor for yelling at the officials or something, giving Lewiston a power play. But nothing would come out of it and the score remained the same.

At 13:39, Huberdeau sprung on a breakaway. He went in alone and made a move to his forehand and beat Makarov, tying the match at 4-4.

Finn was called for cross checking Huberdeau after the goal, giving the Dogs a power play. Simon Despres sent a great pass to Mike Thomas at the dot but he sent it just wide through some traffic.

Danick Gauthier was called for high sticking at 14:57. Lewiston had some decent pressure on the man advantage but just couldn’t score.

Some more rough stuff at 15:01 created some four-on-four play. The puck was loose in front of DeSerres in the Saint John zone but he made a nice play to deflect it away.

Shots in the middle stanza were 12-11 in favour of the visitors.

THIRD PERIOD
The Maineiacs had a power play to open the third period as Beaulieu was called for roughing at the end of the second period. But Lewiston couldn’t get anything going on the man advantage once again and failed to pull ahead.

Anthony was awarded a penalty shot at 2:01 after getting hooked up on a breakaway. But the Vancouver Canucks prospect was denied by the pad of Makarov and the game remained tied.

Ian Saab headed to the box at 2:55 and it would be a costly penalty. At 4:35, Gelinas blasted a bomb from the top of the circle that flew past Makarov to put the Sea Dogs in front for the first time.

Lewiston started to gain some momentum shortly after the goal. At 5:47, Pierre-Olivier Morin tipped the puck through the legs of a gliding DeSerres to make it a 5-5 affair.

Saint John had plenty of chances following the goal. Phillips was at the side of the net but shot it into the glove of the Maineiacs’ ‘tender. Then, Gauthier centered it for Mike Thomas but didn’t get a shot off. A few minutes later, Beaulieu let a big shot go from that produced a rebound for Huberdeau but he was stopped. Then, Lewiston had an opportunity following a wraparound attempt but it went wide.

At 17:08, a point shot went through some traffic and was in the crease area. Stephen MacAulay, the hero of Game One, was there to whack it in and give the Dogs a late 6-5 lead.

The Maineiacs pulled their goaltender late and had some pressure on but couldn’t get any great scoring chances. That would be it as the Dogs went on to win the game and the series.

Shots in the final stanza were 11-9 Saint John.

NOTES: See Sea Dogs Postscript tomorrow on SN.

NEXT GAME: Game One of the President’s Cup Final will likely be Friday, May 6 at 7:30 pm at Harbour Station.

MAINEIACS PUSHED TO THE BRINK

SN RECAP
FINAL: Sea Dogs 5, MAINEiacs 2

LEWISTON, Me. – The Saint John Sea Dogs are one win away from returning to the President’s Cup Finals.

The Sea Dogs took a commanding 3-0 series lead following a 5-2 victory in Game Three of their semifinal playoff series against the Lewiston Maineiacs. Game Four, which could be the final match of the series, is Wednesday night at 8:00 pm at Androscoggin Bank Colisee.

It was a hard fought, intense match that saw Sea Dogs capitalize on their chances when they had them. After a scoreless opening frame, Saint John jumped out to 3-0 and 4-1 leads in the second period. Lewiston put up a good battle in the third period but the Dogs would hang on for the victory.

Jonathan Huberdeau, Tomas Jurco, Ryan Tesink, Mike Thomas, and Stanislav Galiev all scored for the winners. Zack Phillips added three assists.

Goaltender Mathieu Corbeil – making his second straight start and third of the playoffs – was terrific in goal once again. The Columbus Blue Jackets prospect stopped 28-of-30 shots he faced and kept the momentum going in the Sea Dogs’ favour at key points during the game.

Lewiston had goals from Kirill Kabanov and Christophe Lalonde. Nicholas Champion allowed four goals on 22 shots before getting replaced by Andrey Makarov to start the third period. Makarov stopped all seven shots he faced.

Once again, the Maineiacs kept the game close and outplayed the Sea Dogs at times throughout the contest. But when Lewiston has given Saint John opportunities in this series, they have been able to convert on them.

FIRST PERIOD
Things got off to a rough start for Saint John as Simon Despres went down and stayed down for a few moments just seconds in. He went to the dressing room and missed part of the period but would return before it expired.

Scott Oke created some pressure early in the frame as he centered the puck for a streaking Zack Phillips but he was unable to grab the puck. Matthew Bissonnette then had a great opportunity for the Maineiacs as he caught the Dogs on a line change and had a partial break. He dropped the puck for Christophe Lalonde but he sailed a wrister wide of the cage.

Lewiston went to the power play at 5:39 as Danick Gauthier headed off for hooking. Early in the man advantage, the Maineiacs tried to jam the disc past a down Mathieu Corbeil but were unable to do so.

With Gauthier now out of the box, Nathan Beaulieu belted a point shot that was stopped nicely by Lewiston ‘tender Nicholas Champion. Then, Lalonde had another chance in close but was denied hy the pad of Corbeil.

Some four-on-four action took place at 10:28. During that time, Kirill Kabanov went into thrill mode and had a few great chances down low. But Corbeil was dialed in, using his pads to keep the puck out.

Back at even strength, Phillips sent the puck wide but it bounced off the backboards and went right to Jonathan Huberdeau. He sent a backdoor shot on net but Champion kept it out with his pad. Then, Phillips was at it again as he got past a couple of Maineiacs defenders but was stopped by Champion.

Both teams had their chances in the opening frame and shots were even at 10 apiece.

SECOND PERIOD
Stanislav Galiev created a great chance early on as he sent the puck through the crease to Tomas Jurco but was denied by Champion.

Saint John went to the power play at 1:27. On the ensuing man advantage at 1:56, Michael Kirkpatrick had the puck behind the net and sent a perfect pass to Jonathan Huberdeau in front who beat Champion to make it 1-0 Sea Dogs.

Lalonde had another chance for Lewiston moments later in some traffic but Corbeil was there to keep it out.

The Dogs made it a 2-0 game at 3:14. A massive turnover at the dot by the Maineiacs allowed Jurco to go in all alone. He made some nice stick moves and slid the puck past Champion to double Saint John’s lead.

Simon Despres headed to the box at 4:05 for hooking but the Maineiacs couldn’t get anything going on the man advantage.

Ryan Tesink then hit the post with Despres out of the box. But at 7:01, Tesink would be a bit more accurate with his shot. Huberdeau shoveled the puck out of some players in the slot and skated to the side. He backhanded it to Tesink in front who made it a 3-0 game.

Corbeil had to make a quick save following the goal but he was up to the challenge and kept it out. Then while the Maineiacs were shorthanded, Antoine Houde-Caron had a breakaway but was stopped by the pad of Corbeil.

Just after the stop, Eric Gelinas was drilled into the boards by Etienne Brodeur and the Dogs went back to the power play. Huberdeau had a great chance during the time span as the puck came off the backboards but he sent it through the crease.

Despres was called for roughing at 10:13 with Brodeur still in the box. At 11:23, Kabanov kept his hot streak going by netting his eighth of the playoffs and making it a two-goal game.

A rare semifinal fight took place at 12:51 between Samuel Finn and Danick Gauthier behind the Sea Dogs net. Both players landed some big blows in the short tilt.

The Sea Dogs had yet another power play 14:42 with Lalonde in the box but they couldn’t get anything working.

At 18:26, Champion couldn’t control the puck and it squirted out in front of him. Mike Thomas was there to beat the Lewiston netminder five-hole and restore Saint John’s three-goal lead heading into intermission.

Shots in the middle frame were 12-12.

THIRD PERIOD
Goaltender Andrey Makarov started the second period in net for Lewiston.

The Maineiacs gave their new netminder some support just 23 seconds in as they made it a 4-2 game. Pierre-Olivier Morin fed Lalonde in front who tipped it past Corbeil to get the home team within two.

Lewiston had another great chance moments later but Corbeil made a stop with the glove.

The Maineiacs went to the power play at 3:33 as Gelinas headed off for holding. Kabanov had an opportunity on the man advantage but Corbeil made a cross crease stop to keep it out.

After Lewiston failed to connect on yet another power play, Stephen MacAulay had breakaway but was hooked up by Samuel Carrier in his attempt, sending the Dogs to the man advantage. The Dogs had some pressure but couldn’t much going otherwise.

At 11:11, Gauthier tripped Olivier Dame-Malka who would head to the dressing room with an apparent injury. While shorthanded, Thomas was taken down while coming down the wing but no call was made. Then, MacAulay had a partial breakaway but was denied by Makarov’s shoulder.

With the power play over, Lewiston’s last great chance of the game came when Alex Zafiris let a shot go through some traffic but was stopped by Corbeil.

The Maineiacs pulled Makarov in the dying minutes in exchange for the extra attacker. But it wouldn’t have any effect as Phillips fed Galiev for the empty net marker at 18:15 to seal the deal.

Shots in the third period were 8-8.

NOTES: See Sea Dogs Postscript tomorrow on SN.

NEXT GAME: Game Four of the best-of-seven series goes tomorrow night at 8:00 pm at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee.

SAINT JOHN TAKES 2-0 SERIES LEAD

SN RECAP
FINAL: MAINEiacs 1, Sea Dogs 4

SAINT JOHN – Olivier Dame-Malka’s hit from behind on Jonathan Huberdeau proved to be costly for the Lewiston Maineiacs on Saturday night at Harbour Station.

Malka was given a game misconduct and five-minute major penalty for the hit, giving the Saint John Sea Dogs a long power play opportunity. The Sea Dogs would connect not once, not twice, but three times during Malka’s penalty, making it 4-0 at point.

Saint John would cruise to a 4-1 win from there, taking a 2-0 series lead in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League semifinal playoff series. Games Three and Four now shift to Lewiston on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Game Two proved to be much better than Game One for the Sea Dogs. They controlled the play for most of the game and both their offense and defense were both clicking. Goaltender Mathieu Corbeil, who replaced Jacob DeSerres in the third period of Game One, was dialed in in net and made 24 stops for the victory.

Michael Kirkpatrick, Stanislav Galiev, Kevin Gagne, and Jonathan Huberdeau all scored for Saint John.

Kirill Kabanov had the lone Lewiston goal near the halfway point of the third period. Nicholas Champion allowed four goals on 29 shots before being pulled in favour of Andrey Makarov who stopped all 13 shots he faced.

FIRST PERIOD
Saint John had a good chance early in the period as a shot was deflected off the crossbar. Then Lewiston came back with a great chance of their own on a two-on-one. Etienne Brodeur let the shot go in close but Mathieu Corbeil was there to make the stop.

The Sea Dogs opened the scoring at 2:16. Michael Kirkpatrick had the puck at the bottom rim of the circle and let a shot go that beat Lewiston netminder Nicholas Champion to make it 1-0.

The Dogs had another great chance just moments following a turnover in the Maineiacs zone. The puck went down low to Stanislav Galiev who made a sipn move but was stopped nicely by the pad of Champion.

The Sea Dogs had a five-on-three power play chance at 6:50. During that time span, Zach Phillips tried to center the puck for Kirkpatrick but he couldn’t get a shot off. Then, Eric Gelinas blasted a point shot but Champion made a big pad stop.

Saint John went back to the power play at 16:29. Phillips had another good opportunity as he threw it through the blue paint but it went out the other side. Saint John had some okay pressure on the man advantage but could not connect.

Some four-on-four action took place at 18:45 following a couple of penalties from a scrum. Pierre-Olivier Morin let a big point shot go during the span but was stopped by Champion. The puck came out for Kirill Kabanov but he just couldn’t reach the disc.

Shots in the first period were 17-6 in favour of the Sea Dogs.

SECOND PERIOD
Saint John was buzzing early in the second frame. Mike Thomas fed Stephen MacAulay in front but had the puck tipped away. Then Phillips let a sharp angle shot go that just sailed wide and may have deflected off the toe of Champion. Finally, Huberdeau was at the dot and let a weak shot go through traffic that just trickled wide.

At 7:57, Olivier Dame-Malka nailed Huberdeau from behind along the backboards. Malka was given a misconduct and five-minute major, giving Saint John a huge opportunity to break the game open.

On that man advantage at 9:50, Galiev made it a 2-0 game with a low shot from the bottom of the circle that beat Champion.

Not long after at 10:08, Kevin Gagne came flying down the wing and slowly cut in front. He let a bad angle wrist shot go that fooled Champion to give the Dogs a 3-0 advantage. Just after that marker, Galiev had a great chance in front but was denied by the pad of Champion.

Lewiston took another penalty at 11:38 with Malka still in the box. On the five-on-three, Nathan Beaulieu was stopped but the rebound came right to Huberdeau who chipped it upstairs to make it a 4-0 game. That would chase Champion from the net and put in rookie Andrey Makarov.

With the power play finally over, MacAulay fed Scott Oke in front but was robbed by Makarov. Lewiston then had an opportunity as the puck was centered for Bryce Milson but he couldn’t get a shot off.

The Maineiacs had their first power play of the game at 15:03 as MacAulay headed off for hooking. Then Beaulieu took a cross checking penalty at 16:30 to give the visitors a five-on-three man advantage. On the power play, Brodeur had an open net but couldn’t get a shot off.

After the penalties expired, Pierre-Olivier Morin sent a shot through traffic but Corbeil was there to make the pad stop.

Shots in the second period were 19-6 Saint John.

THIRD PERIOD
Lewiston went to the power play at 1:10. The Maineiacs had some decent pressure on and the puck even went to the goal line but couldn’t get across. After the man advantage, Morin had a clear shooting lane from the dot but was stopped nicely by Corbeil who came out of his net a bit to make the save.

After Corbeil made another nice toe save on Stefan Fournier, Tomas Jurco made some unreal move around a Lewiston defenseman along the boards but failed to register a shot on goal.

The Maineiacs got on the board at 9:54. Kirill Kabanov fired a shot on goal that Corbeil couldn’t handle. Kabanov skated down low to the goal line and picked up his own rebound to make it a 4-1 game.

Soon after Pierre Durepos was denied in the slot, the Sea Dogs went back to the power play at 15:31. Mike Thomas had a decent scoring opportunity as he came down the wing, cut in front, but had his shot stopped by Makarov.

Lewiston had a late power play chance but couldn’t get anything going.

Shots in the third stanza were 13-10 Lewiston.

NOTES: See Sea Dogs Postscript later today on SN.

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs travel to Lewiston to face to the Maineiacs on Tuesday at 8:00 pm at Androscoggin Bank Colisee.

Photo Credit: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

DOGS WIN GAME ONE THRILLER

SN RECAP
FINAL (OT): MAINEiacs 4, Sea Dogs 5

SAINT JOHN – Anything can happen in the playoffs, and on Friday night at Harbour Station, that was proven to be true.

A dramatic third period comeback by the Saint John Sea Dogs in Game One of their semifinal series against the Lewiston Maineiacs gave them a 5-4 overtime win and a 1-0 series lead. Game Two of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoff series is tonight at 7:00 pm at Harbour Station.

Lewiston had a 4-2 lead with just under six minutes to play. But clutch goals by Nathan Beaulieu and Tomas Jurco tied the match a 4-4, allowing Stephen MacAulay to score in the extra session to give the Dogs a dramatic come-from-behind win.

Also scoring for Saint John was Pierre Durepos and Steven Anthony. Jacob DeSerres made 13 saves on 17 shots in 51:10 of action. He was pulled in favour of Mathieu Corbeil in the third period who also made 13 stops.

It wasn’t a perfect game by any means. Saint John jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period but then hit the snooze button. Lewiston had control of the second period and much of the third period. But both teams won’t have much time to think about it with Game Two less than 24 hours away.

The Maineiacs had goals from Matthew Bissonnette, Jess Tanguy, Kirill Kabanov, and Antoine Houde-Caron. Nicholas Champion made 26 saves in net.

FIRST PERIOD
There was some back-and-forth action in the first few minutes of the game but that didn’t last long. The first opportunity of the game came from Simon Despres who centered the puck into a mess in the front of the net but no Sea Dog could get to it. Zack Phillips then had a chance from a sharp angle but was denied by the pad of Lewiston netminder Nicholas Champion.

The Sea Dogs made it 1-0 at 10:16. Pierre Durepos gained possession of the puck at the line. He then blasted it past Champion to make it a 1-0 Saint John advantage. The goal went under a brief review but it would stand.

Saint John went to the power play at 12:10 as Cameron Critchlow was called. Critchlow scored just after he was called, but, of course, it was disallowed. Nathan Beaulieu had the best chance early in the man advantage but was robbed by the glove of Champion.

The Sea Dogs would strike on the power play at 13:40. Stanislav Galiev had the puck behind the net and centered it for Steven Anthony. The Vancouver Canucks prospect crept in from the dot and beat Champion with a low shot to make it 2-0 Sea Dogs.

The Dogs went back to the power play at 14:25 but couldn’t get anything going like the first one.

On a rush following a decent Zach Phillips chance, Lewiston broke in on a two-on-one. Stefan Fournier slid the puck across the ice to Matthew Bissonnette who had a yawning cage to make it a 2-1 game.

Shots in the first stanza were 9-3 Saint John.

SECOND PERIOD
The teams started the second period with some four-on-four action after some rough stuff at the end of the first. During that play at 1:33 a long shot was bobbled a by Sea Dogs goaltender Jacob DeSerres. Jess Tanguy was there to find the loose puck and slide it home to tie the match at 2-2.

Danick Gauthier had a great chance in front moments later but couldn’t get the puck through the scramble.

Alexandre Beauregard went to the box at 3:00 for roughing but Lewiston couldn’t get anything going on the power play.

At 5:26, Kevin Gagne flipped the puck into section ‘A’ and was called for delay of game. The Maineiacs would take advantage at 6:15. The puck was passed from the corner and hit a Sea Dogs player. Kirill Kabanov was there to grab it and beat DeSerres five-hole to give the vicitors a 3-2 lead.

A few moments later, DeSerres came up huge with the pad and denied a Maineiac player.

Saint John then took over with some pressure. Jonathan Huberdeau was alone in front with the puck with Champion out of position but a Lewiston player got in the way in time to keep the shot stopped. Tomas Jurco then blasted the puck from the rim of the circle and hit the corner post. The goal went under review but it would not count.

Before that review took place though, Lewiston had a two-on-one chance but sent it high. Then following the review, DeSerres committed a brutal giveaway but Lewiston couldn’t get a shot off as he scrambled back to the crease.

The Sea Dogs then started to pour it on again. Beaulieu wired a shot from the slot but was stopped, then Despres fed Beauregard in front but was robbed by the pad of Champion.

Saint John went back to the power play at 17:25 with Stefan Fournier in the box for hooking. On the man advantage, Gagne fired a point shot that was tipped and just missed Phillips at the side. The Dogs had some good power play pressure but could not score.

Shots in the middle frame were 9-9.

THIRD PERIOD
Gabriel Bourret headed to the box early on to give the Maineiacs a power play. It looked like Lewiston had scored at 15:40 after the puck was centered and battled out of mid-air into the cage. The play went under review but it was called a high stick.

With the penalty over, Jonathan Huberdeau came through the crease but was robbed by the pad of Champion.

Saint John headed to the power play at 5:10. But in stunning fashion, Lewiston broke in on a two-on-one while shorthanded. Antoine-Houde Caron kept the puck and wired a shot top shelf on DeSerres to give the Maineiacs a 4-2 lead.

Despres headed to the box at 6:59 to make things even worse for Saint John. During the power play, Kabanov tried to cross the line but was belted by Beaulieu with a big hit. That would be the only excitement in the man advantage.

During the media time-out at 8:50, the Sea Dogs made a surprising move by replacing DeSerres with Mathieu Corbeil. The Columbus Blue Jackets prospect was tested early as Samuel Henley just shot the puck wide of the cage from the goal line.

The move seemed to spark the Dogs as they made it a one-goal game again at 14:28. Phillips faked a shot from the dot and sent it across to Beaulieu who ripped one into the empty cage to make it a 4-3 affair.

Soon after the marker, Kirkpatrick was left alone in the slot but was stopped nicely by Champion.

Harbour Station blew up at 15:42. Champion came out to chip the puck away before the Sea Dogs could enter the zone but hit a body in his attempt. The puck went to Jurco who had a wide open net to make it a 4-4 game.

Just as Saint John was taking over momentum they were called for too many men at 18:06. On the man advantage, Michael Chaput had a wide open net with Corbeil way out of position but he missed the net. Their power play would end at 19:56 as Ian Saab was called for holding.

Shots in the third period were 15-10 in favour of Lewiston.

OVERTIME
During the Sea Dogs’ power play that carried over into the extra frame, the Maineiacs had a two-on-chance but Corbeil made a solid pad stop to keep the game tied.

With the penalty over, Despres skated into the zone at 2:59 and centered it through the blue paint. Stephen MacAulay was at the other side of the cage and tapped it in to give Saint John a 5-4 victory.

Shots in overtime were 3-2 Saint John.

Both teams were 1-for-5 on the man advantage.

NOTES: See Sea Dogs Postscript tomorrow.

NEXT GAME: Game two of the semifinal series goes tonight at 7:00 pm at Harbour Station.

MOVING ON UP

SN RECAP
FINAL: Sea Dogs 3, Tigres 2

VICTORIAVILLE, Que. – The Victoriaville Tigres put up quite a fight, but at the end of the day, they just couldn’t handle the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The Sea Dogs climbed back from a two-goal first period deficit, scoring three unanswered goals en route to a 4-1 series win in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League quarter-final playoff series. The team will open up the semi-finals next Friday at Harbour Station.

Zack Phillips scored twice and Stanislav Galiev added the other. Jonathan Huberdeau had a pair of assists. Goaltender Jacob DeSerres made some huge stops to keep momentum going in his team’s favour, making a total of 22 stops on the night.

Brandon Hynes and Carl-Antoine Delisle scored for Victoriaville. Davod Honzik put on his nightly goaltending clinic, stopping 42 shots in the loss.

It was certainly a close and hard fought series, especially considering the Tigres were the 11th-seeded team going into the playoffs. But the underdogs of the President’s Cup playoffs proved their first round sweep of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan was no fluke, taking the nation’s top-ranked team to five games – including three one-goal affairs.

The Tigres deserve a lot of credit – especially Honzik. The 17-year old has gone from a no-name backstop to one of the fastest rising goaltenders from the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.

Saint John battled through some adversity in this series, an experience that should help them as the playoffs progress.

The win puts the Sea Dogs into the semi-finals for the third time in four years.

FIRST PERIOD
Brandon Hynes opened the scoring at 1:21. Then Carl-Antoine Delisle made it 2-0 at 6:32.

Saint John had a better second half to the period but were unable to beat David Honzik in the Tigres’ crease. Whatever.

Shots were 14-8 Saint John in the opening stanza.

SECOND PERIOD
The Sea Dogs opened the period on a power play that carried over from the first frame but could not connect.

Finally, at 1:13, a two-on-one for Saint John developed. Jonathan Huberdeau slid the puck ahead to Zack Phillips who ripped a wrist shot past Honzik to make it a 2-1 game.

Danick Gauthier headed off for checking Brandon Hynes from behind at 3:26. While shorthanded, Stephen MacAulay fed Simon Despres at the side of the cage but was robbed by Honzik. Victoriaville then had an opportunity as a huge scrum ensued in the Sea Dogs crease but they could not beat DeSerres.

Back at even strength, Saint John would tie the game. At 5:38, Gauthier was still buzzing around the penalty box area. He then sent a pass over to Stanislav Galiev who backhanded a shot past Honzik to make it a 2-2 match.

Tomas Jurco took a penalty at 6:26 for roughing but the Tigres couldn’t connect. When the penalty expired, Steven Anthony had a step on a Tigres defender but was denied by a huge pad stop by Honzik.

The Sea Dogs had another man advantage chance at 11:03 with Samuel Groulx in the box. On the power play, the puck was centered for Huberdeau in the crease but he couldn’t get lumber on the disc.

After the Tigres couldn’t connect on yet another power play, some four-on-four play took place at 17:27 following some rough stuff. During that span, Michael Kirkpatrick broke free and cut through the crease but was stopped nicely by Honzik.

Late in the frame, Gauthier had a partial break but was interfered with and taken down. There would be no penalty called in the play.

Shots were 14-5 Saint John in the second period.

THIRD PERIOD
Saint John kept things rolling as the third period started. Honzik made a dangerous play with the puck and turned the puck over, allowing Jurco to have a wide open net but cranked it off the crossbar. Then, Anthony dropped the disc for Kevin Gagne who was denied by the pads of Honzik.

MacAulay headed off for high sticking at 4:07. On the man advantage, Phillip Maillet got around a Saint John defenseman but was stopped by DeSerres in close.

After the man advantage chance, Victoriaville started to put some pressure on as DeSerres made some ridiculous paddle stop in the crease. Then, Bohumil Jank let a long shot that went off DeSerres’ head and stayed out.

Finally, at 12:54, Saint John made the comeback complete by taking the lead. Phillips fed Galiev as they entered the zone and then he fed Huberdeau at the side. Huberdeau threaded a cross crease pass to Phillips who went upstairs on Honzik to give the Dogs a 3-2 lead.

Saint John had a couple of chances after that as Jurco went in on an odd man rush but hit the legs of Troy Vance. Then, Mike Thomas hit the post later on.

Honzik was pulled for the final minute but the Tigres couldn’t pull off another late miracle, falling 3-2 in the game and 4-1 in the series.

Shots in the third period were 17-11 Sea Dogs.

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs open up the semi-finals next Friday at 7:30 pm at Harbour Station.

Photo Credit: Marc Grandmaison

HUBERDEAU ENDS WILD GAME FOUR

SN RECAP
FINAL (OT): Sea Dogs 5, Tigres 4

VICTORIAVILLE, Que. – It took over 63 minutes for Jonathan Huberdeau to be credited with a shot on goal, but the Saint John Sea Dogs’ leading scorer made the best of his lone chance.

Huberdeau netted the overtime winner at 3:04 of the extra frame, giving Saint John a 5-4 win over the Victoriaville Tigres and a 3-1 series lead in the best-of-seven quarter-final playoff matchup. Game Five, which could be the final affair of the series, is Friday night at Colisee Desjardins.

It was a wild back-and-forth game that seemed destined for overtime after the teams were deadlocked at 2-2 after both the first and second period. The Tigres scored first but the Sea Dogs quickly retook the lead. That would pretty much be the story of this game as no matter how many times the Dogs went ahead, Victoriaville always stayed calm and evened the match in no time.

The Tigres’ big players came to play tonight as Phillip Danault, Benjamin Laliberte, Brandon Hynes, and Philippe Maillet all scored. David Honzik was David Honzik, making 39 saves in the loss.

Besides Huberdeau’s game-winner, the Dogs had goals courtesy of Jason Cameron, Eric Gelinas, Stephen MacAulay, and Tomas Jurco. Mike Thomas and Pierre Durepos each had two assists while goaltender Jacob DeSerres made 24 saves in the win.

The Sea Dogs certainly didn’t play perfect but still played well. One of the obvious negatives for Saint John was that they kept allowing the Tigres to get back into the game and were never able to gain a two-goal lead.

If Game Five is anything like the first four, it should be an entertaining match.

FIRST PERIOD
Victoriaville had all the pressure early on. They had a two-on-one chance just a few minutes into the game but Nathan Beaulieu got down to block the centering pass.

The Tigres opened the scoring at 2:21. The puck was fed to Phillip Danualt in front who who beat Sea Dogs netminder Jacob DeSerres to make it a 1-0 affair.

But the Sea Dogs would respond to that goal not too long after. At 3:32, Jason Cameron was in behind the goal battling for the puck. He then walked out to the bottom rim of the faceoff circle and ripped a shot past David Honzik to tie the match at 1-1.

Danick Gauthier had a good chance following the goal but was robbed by the leg of Honzik. Then, Guillaume Naud was at the side of the Sea Dogs net but was stopped by DeSerres.

There was some four-on-four action at 6:04 following some rough stuff. During that span at 6:43, Jonathan Huberdeau entered the zone on a breakaway but hit the post. The puck was cleared to the line where Eric Gelinas kept it in. Gelinas fired the puck on net and it slid past Honzik to give Saint John a 2-1 edge.

Not long after the goal, Stanislav Galiev was breaking away but was hauled down and awarded a penalty shot. On his free attempt, Galiev made a pretty sick move, one-handed the puck on net but just hit the top of Honzik’s leg and stayed out.

Victoriaville kept on rolling though despite the Saint John chances. On a delayed penalty call at 10:05, Phillip Maillet centered the puck from behind the goal line to Benjamin Laliberte in front to make it a 2-2 game.

After missing on their first man advantage moments earlier, Saint John went to the power play at 16:29. Their best chance came when Simon Despres sent a pass down low to Huberdeau at the side of the cage but was denied.

Beaulieu ended the Dogs’ power play at 17:55 as he was whistled for slashing. The Tigres had plenty of puck control but few chances to score.

Shots in the first period were 13-11 Saint John.

SECOND PERIOD
The Sea Dogs went to the power play at 2:10 as Lalieberte headed off for tripping. The best chance for the Sea Dogs came on a Gelinas point shot through some traffic that was easily stopped by the eagle-eyed Honzik.

Back at even strength, Vincent Marcoux sent a cross crease pass to Goulet who just missed the puck on his follow through. After that chance, Saint John really turned up the pressure.

Danick Gautier tried to breakaway but fell and then had the puck taken away from him by a Victoriaville defender. Then, Beaulieu had a clear shooting lane from the dot but riffled a shot just wide of the net.

At 11:56, the Sea Dogs rushed up ice and threw the puck on net. A streaking Scott Oke beat the fallen Honzik to give, it appeared, Saint John a 2-1 lead. But there was a delayed penalty on the play against the Tigres, and for some reason, even though the Dogs had the puck, the whistle blew and the goal was not allowed.

On the ensuing Sea Dogs man advantage, a bouncing puck found Tomas Jurco at the side but he couldn’t get enough on the shot to make it accurate. Then, Mike Thomas dove for a loose puck at the side of goal but sent it wide.

The Tigres gave Saint John another power play chance at 17:25 as Honzik tripped Huberdeau. But just 23 seconds later, Steven Anthony ended the man advantage opportunity as he was called for slashing. During the four-on-four play, a shot from the boards got through some traffic and forced DeSerres to make a blocker stop. Late in the frame, Maillet was at the side of the crease but was robbed by a pad-stacking DeSerres.

At the buzzer, Gabriel Bourret took a high sticking penalty to give the Tigres a power play to start the second frame.

Shots in the middle stanza were 18-6 Saint John.

THIRD PERIOD
On the power play that carried over into the third, the Tigres finally got some good pressure on. Brandon Hynes one-timed the puck from the circle but it just went wide. Later on, a huge scrum in the Saint John crease created a buzz but the Tigres could not beat DeSerres.

With the penalty over, Galiev was alone in the slot but was denied by the chest of Honzik.

Saint John stepped things up again at 5:10 as Stephen MacAulay walked out from the goal line and beat Honzik down low with a wrist shot to give Saint John a 3-2 lead.

But the Tigres refused to die. At 6:46, a breakaway for Brandon Hynes looked deadly but he missed the net. Fortunately for the Tigres, the puck quickly came out for Maillet who tied the match with a clutch goal.

After the Sea Dogs killed off a Galiev penalty, Anthony went one-on-one with a Tigres player and got a shot off that was stopped by Honzik.

Saint John would take the lead once again at 14:26. Mike Thomas broke loose from the defense but blasted a shot high of the net. The puck came to the side of the net where Jurco found it and beat a fallen Honzik to make it a 4-3 game.

With 1:02 left, the Tigres called a time-out and pulled Honzik.

With the extra man on the ice, Victoriaville continued their comeback ways by tying the affair with 35 seconds to go. Hynes somehow scored by lifting the puck up-and-over and DeSerres to send the match into overtime.

Shots in the third frame were 10-9 in favour of Victoriaville.

OVERTIME
The Sea Dogs had the best chance early in the frame, breaking into the zone on a three-on-one. Saint John got a shot off but Gauthier couldn’t jam it past Honzik.

At 3:04, Galiev came down the wing and sent a shot that hit the glove of Honzik and rattled the post, putting the disc onto the goal line. Huberdeau was all alone and simply tapped it in to give Saint John a thrilling 5-4 extra-time victory.

Shots in the overtime session were 4-1 Saint John.

Saint John went zero-for-five on the man advantage while Victoriaville went zero-for-four.

NEXT GAME: Game Five of the series goes Friday night at 8:00 pm at Colisee Desjardins.

SEA DOGS STRIKE BACK

SN RECAP
FINAL: Sea Dogs 6, Tigres 3

VICTORIAVILLE, Que. – It was a rough start but a solid finish for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

A penalty filled first five minutes in the opening frame could have been disaster for Saint John. Instead, the team took a 2-0 lead in the first period and never looked back en route to a 6-3 win over the Victoriaville Tigres Tuesday night at Colisee Desjardins. The win gives Saint John a 2-1 series lead in the best-of-seven quarter-final playoff matchup.

Saint John had period leads of 2-0 and 2-1 before exploding in the third period. Jonathan Huberdeau scored twice in the match while Eric Gelinas, Zack Phillips, Stephen MacAulay, and Danick Gauthier all added singles. Stanislav Galiev had three assists.

Goaltender Jacob DeSerres was excellent, making some very big stops all game long. He came up big at important times, keeping momentum in the Sea Dogs’ favour. He made 25 saves on the night.

It was a much better game for Saint John after the 3-2 loss in Game Two on Saturday. The Tigres played the trap less and that seemed to allow the Sea Dogs to play a much smoother game. They were also finally able to solve goaltender David Honzik who looked human in this one.

Even when the score was close Saint John was still getting the better of the chances. Penalties were once again an issue, but fortunately for the Dogs, their penalty kill came through in a big way all night long.

Honzik made 33 saves in the loss. Tigres goals came from Samuel Groulx, Pierre-Luc Pelletier, and Yann Gourde.

Victoriaville looks to even the series up again tonight at 8:00 pm.

FIRST PERIOD
1:09 into the game Alexandre Beauregard was called for roughing. Then things got even worse as Nathan Beaulieu picked up a double minor for high sticking. During the long power play, the Sea Dogs shut down the Tigres. Victoriaville had the puck a lot but couldn’t generate any dangerous chances.

Pierre-Luc Pelletier blasted a point shot when the penalties were over, forcing Sea Dogs stopper Jacob DeSerres to make a nice pad stop. Soon after, a big scrum in the Saint John crease had DeSerres successfully dig for and keep the disc out.

Saint John then turned on the engines. Jonathan Huberdeau made a move to get into the slot but was denied by David Honzik in the Victoriaville crease. Not long after, the puck came loose to Pierre Durepos who had an open net but couldn’t get a shot off in time to beat the sliding Honzik.

The Sea Dogs went to the power play at 8:47 with Samuel Groulx heading off. At 8:59, the puck was sent to Eric Gelinas at the point who sent a shot through some traffic and beat Honzik through the legs to give the Dogs a 1-0 advantage.

The Dogs kept on rolling after their first marker. The puck was centered between the faceoff circles where Stephen MacAulay battled for it. He managed to find the disc and get a shot off to give the visitors a 2-0 lead.

Troy Vance was called for interference at 11:22 to send Saint John back to the power play. The Sea Dogs had some chances but couldn’t get a third goal.

Scott Oke was then fed at the side of the net but tipped it just wide. Late in the frame, Saint John had an odd-man rush as Oke fed Zack Phillips but any chance of centering the puck was ruined after a Tigres defender made a nice play to block the pass.

Shots in the opening frame were 9-5 in favour of the Sea Dogs.

SECOND PERIOD
Stanislav Galiev had a chance early in the frame as he was left alone in front but was stopped by the leg of Honzik.

Victoriaville went back to the power play at 1:28 with MacAulay heading off. But once again, the Tigres failed to get anything going on the man advantage.

Philippe Maillet went into animal mode after the penalty expired, cutting through the crease but was stopped by a huge toe save by DeSerres. A few moments later, Maillet let a shot go again from the faceoff dot but was denied by the Sea Dogs ‘tender.

Beaulieu made a dangerous play in front of his net and took a cross checking call at the same time at 7:38. While shorthanded, Honzik was being Honzik as he robbed Steven Anthony on a breakaway with a big glove save. Like previous times, Victoriaville failed on the power play again.

The Sea Dogs started to crank the pressure up after the penalty. A shot from the point was stopped nicely by Honzik. Then things really started up as Ryan Tesink threaded a pass to a streaking Oke at the side of cage but was denied by the Tigres goaltender. Saint John head coach Gerard Gallant argued for a replay and was granted one. Unfortunately, the no-goal call stood.

Soon after, things opened up a bit. Huberdeau nicked a shot off the far post and then Brandon Hynes was robbed by DeSerres on a shot from just inside the line. Huberdeau was back at it again in close, but Honzik made a huge pad stop.

The Tigres started to take control late in the frame. Finally, at 16:50, they would connect. DeSerres stopped a Maillet shot but the rebound came out to Samuel Groulx. With some traffic in front, Groulx slid the puck past DeSerres to make it a 2-1 game.

The Tigres kept pressing and eventually forced Anthony to take a roughing call at 19:29 following a mix up with Yannick Dube. The infraction would carry over into the third frame.

Shots in the middle stanza were 13 apiece.

THIRD PERIOD
After successfully killing off the penalty, Galiev fed Huberdeau down low at 1:55. The Sea Dogs’ sniper deked around Honzik and slid a backhand shot home to give the Sea Dog a two-goal lead.

Saint John had a five-on-three power play opportunity five minutes into the third. The team had some good puck movement but had little scoring chances.

The Dogs had a chance to redeem themselves with another power play at 8:56. They would connect this time as Beaulieu sent a point pass to Zack Phillips parked at the side of the goal. The Fredericton native beat Honzik with a wrister to make it a 4-1 Saint John lead.

Soon after Mike Thomas was given a 10-minute misconduct for some reason, Vincent Marcoux was at the top of the Sea Dogs crease but flipped the puck just wide of the net.

After a few minutes of nothing happening, Victoriaville made it a two-goal game again. Phillip Danault fed Pelletier in the slot who ripped the puck high glove side on DeSerres to make it 4-2.

The Tigres kept the pressure on as, moments later, Maillet was fed in front on a pass from behind the goal but was robbed by the leg of the Sea Dogs goaltender.

Saint John took control of the play again at 16:15. A point shot was tipped nicely by Danick Gauthier and got past Honzik to give Saint John a three-goal lead again. The play would be reviewed to see if it went in with a high stick but it was ruled a good goal.

A delayed penalty was called against the Tigres after Galiev was smoked by the benches. During the same sequence at 17:52, Scott Oke centered a pass to Huberdeau at the top of the crease who had a wide open net to make it 6-2 Sea Dogs.

Victoriaville would score once more but it was too late to start any kind of comeback. Yann Gourde made a nice toe-drag around a fallen Saint John player and then riffled the puck up and over DeSerres to make it a 6-3 final.

Shots in the third period were 15-8 Sea Dogs.

SCRATCHES
Michael Kirkpatrick missed his second straight game with an ‘upper body’ injury. According to News 88.9, he will be reevaluated today.

Forwards Jason Cameron and Aidan Kelly were both scratches.

Defenseman Jason Seed made his 2011 playoff debut but didn’t appear to take a shift all game.

NEXT GAME: Game Four of the best-of-seven quarter-final playoff series goes down tonight at 8:00 pm.

Photo Credits: La Nouvelle Union

TIGRES CLAW BACK

SN POST-GAME
FINAL: Tigres 3, Sea Dogs 2

SAINT JOHN – Most fans were not prepared for what they witnessed on Saturday night at Harbour Station. For the first time in almost a year, the Saint John Sea Dogs lost a home game in regulation time.

The Victoriaville Tigres, who beat Saint John in regulation time on the road during the regular season, were the winners by score of 3-2. But much more importantly than ending Saint John’s streak, the Tigres evened the best-of-seven quarter-final playoff series at 1-1.

Given the Sea Dogs’ home dominance this season and Victoriaville being the 11th-seeded team, it is a surprise to see this series knotted at 1-1. But the Tigres seem to enjoy surprising people after sweeping away the sixth-seeded Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the first round.

Victoriaville used their traditional trap game thing and the Dogs couldn’t break through it. Even when they did, the sensational goaltending of David Honzik kept the Dogs from lighting the lamp very much. From a Saint John perspective, it was a frustrating game.

The Tigres got off to a good start, jumping out to a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes. At 17:34 on a power play, Brandon Hynes scored followed by Phillip Danault at even strength at 19:30 to put the visitors up a couple going into the second frame.

The two-goal deficit sparked the Sea Dogs as they dominated the second period. Although they only outshot Victoriaville 18-6, they carried the play for the majority of the stanza. At 12:42 on a man advantage, Jonathan Huberdeau tapped the puck past the pad of Honzik to make it a one-goal affair.

The Sea Dogs continue to buzz as the third period started. At 3:01, Steven Anthony blasted a shot that bounced off the crossbar but appeared to somehow stay out. Play carried on for a short amount of time before a whistle went, allowing the play to be reviewed. The goal review lasted long enough to eat an entire tray of nachos, but finally, after a solid 10 minutes, the phone was put and was ruled a goal.

But just when it looked like the game may be destined for overtime, Eric Gelinas was called for slashing at 15:33. On the man advantage, Danault lifted the puck over a falling Jacob DeSerres to give the Tigres a 3-2 lead with just a few minutes remaining.

Pier-Luc Pelletier took an elbowing penalty at 19:02 which, with DeSerres on the bench, would allow Saint John to finish regulation with a 6-on-4 advantage. The Sea Dogs had control of the puck in the Victoriaville zone but couldn’t break through the Tigres to tie it.

Shots in the match were 43-29 in favour of Saint John.

The Tigres went 2-for-3 on the power play and have now scored three of their four goals in this series on the man advantage. Saint John did not allow a power play goal in the opening round.

The Sea Dogs scored both of their markers in the man advantage, going 2-for-6.

The series is a whole lot more interesting know and will shift to Victoriaville for Games Three, Four and Five on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.

NEXT GAME: Game Three of the series is Tuesday night at Colisee Desjardins at 8:00 pm.

DOGS TAKE GAME ONE

SN RECAP
FINAL: Tigres 1, Sea Dogs 4

SAINT JOHN – The Saint John Sea Dogs continued their winning ways in Game One of their quarter-final series against the Victoriaville Tigres.

The Sea Dogs defeated the visiting Tigres 4-1 on Friday night at Harbour Station, taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven second round Quebec Major League Hockey League playoffs series.

Tomas Jurco, Jonathan Huberdeau, Stanislav Galiev, and Steven Anthony all scored for Saint John. The Sea Dogs have now outscored their opposition 30-3 in five post-season games.

Goaltender Jacob DeSerres was solid, making 29 stops for his fourth playoff victory.

Both teams looked a bit sluggish to start off the game. Neither team has played in over week thanks to four-game sweeps in the first round. The Sea Dogs carried the play for most of the game, but, the Tigres didn’t play terrible.

Goaltender David Honzik was a big reason why the score was so close. Honzik, who played a major role in the Tigres’ upset over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the first round, made some incredible stops and earned second star honours. He struggled with rebound control, but certainly kept the Tigres in the game.

Victoriaville’s only goal came from Yanni Gourde during the second period.

The two teams do battle again on Saturday at Harbour Station.

FIRST PERIOD
Steven Anthony had the first chance of the game from a sharp angle but was stopped by Victoriaville goaltender David Honzik.

The Sea Dogs opened the scoring at 5:09 of the first frame. Eric Gelinas blasted a point shot and Tomas Jurco was able to get a stick on it and tipped it into the cage to give Saint John a 1-0 lead.

The home side kept the pressure on as a point pass went down low to the opposite side and found Michael Kirkpatrick. The 20-year old waited too long to hit the empty cage and was denied by Honzik. Kirkpatrick then picked the puck up again but sent backhand through the crease.

Jonathan Huberdeau had a good opportunity soon after but was denied on his wraparound chance. Steven Anthony had the next opportunity, ripping a shot off the blocker of Honzik. Later on, Anthony fed Kirkpatrick in the slot but fired wide.

At 13:18, Stanislav Galiev was trying to bang the disc in in the crease area but was knocked down, giving Saint John a man advantage. On the ensuing power play, Kirkpatrick walked out into the crease area but was denied and the rebound was quickly recovered by Victoriaville and cleared away. The Dogs had a great power play but could not score.

The Tigres had a couple of good chances late in the frame. Yannick Dube fired a shot that was bobbled by Saint John goaltender Jacob DeSerres but the rebound was whistled high and wide by Philippe Maillet.

Shots in the opening frame were 18-6 Sea Dogs.

SECOND PERIOD
Tomas Jurco headed to the penalty box at 2:05 to give the Tigres a power play chance. The visitors had an okay man advantage but could not connect.

Just after the penalty expired, Saint John tried the bang the disc in at the side. The puck got through Honzik but sat on the line and stayed out. The play would go under a review but the call would stand.

On a delayed penalty call against Saint John, the Tigres tipped the puck just wide. On their man advantage, the team couldn’t get anything going.

Saint John went to a power play at 8:56. Nathan Beaulieu started it off with a point shot but it was blocked. Then , Gelinas blasted the puck but it was gloved by Honzik. Late in the power play, the Victoriaville netminder dropped his stick behind the goal, allowing Huberdeau to dish a pass to Anthony but he couldn’t get a shot off.

With the man advantage over, Galiev made some sick move to get around his man before being stopped by Honzik. Then, Scott Oke, made a similar move to get in alone but was denied on the backhand.

Alexandre Beauregard headed off at 13:28 for roughing. On the man advantage, a point shot was stoped but Phillip Danault quickly grabbed the loose puck and sent a pass to Yanni Gourde at the side. Gourde had an open cage to tie the match at 1-1.

At 17:16, the Sea Dogs retook the lead. Pierre Durepos fired a point shot that was stopped. Kirkpatrick found the rebound but was denied as well, allowing Huberdeau to slide in the second rebound to give Saint John a 2-1 advantage.

Late in the period, Brandon Hynes walked out from behind the net and had a wide open cage but missed.

Shots in the middle stanza were 16-14 Saint John.

THIRD PERIOD
Honzik was on his game early in the frame as he made a big stretching toe stop to keep it a one-goal game.

Kevin Gagne had a decent chance moments later as he fired a wrist from the dot that just sailed high of the Tigres backstop’s glove. Victoriaville came back the other way a few moments later, forcing DeSerres to make a nice pad stop on Gourde at the side of the net.

The Sea Dogs created some breathing room at 7:18 as they made it a 3-1 game. Huberdeau made a great pass to a wide open Galiev. The Russian was all alone in front, making some unreal spin move before going upstairs on Honzik to give the Dogs a two-goal lead.

After the Dogs killed off an Eric Gelinas penalty, Galiev headed to the sin bin at 14:25. Danick Gauthier had a good shorthanded opportunity as he broke through the defense and made a move to the backhand but was denied by Honzik.

Following the failed power play, the Tigres pulled Honzik with well over a minute left and then called a time-out. Mike Thomas then took a delay of game penalty at 19:27, giving the Tigres some space to work with.

But Victoriaville couldn’t anything going and Anthony scored into the empty net at 19:36 to give Saint John a 4-1 win.

Shots in the third period were 11-6 Victoriaville.

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs host the Tigres tomorrow night at 7:00 pm at Harbour Station in Game Two of their quarter-final series.

Photo Credit: Marc Grandmaison

THE LIGHTS GO OUT IN SYDNEY

SN RECAP
FINAL: Sea Dogs 4, Screaming Eagles 0

SYDNEY, NS – The Saint John Sea Dogs won the game and the series on Wednesday night at Centre 200 – both by a score of 4-0.

The Sea Dogs blanked the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, giving them a four-game sweep in the best-of-seven Quebec Major Junior Hockey League first-round playoff series. Saint John now moves on to the quarter-finals which will begin on Friday, April 8 at Harbour Station against a yet-to-be-determined opponent.

On Wednesday, Stanislav Galiev, Jonathan Huberdeau, Michael Kirkpatrick, and Nathan Beaulieu each scored for the Sea Dogs. Zack Phillips recorded three assists in the tilt as well.

Mathieu Corbeil made his first career playoff start and did so in fine fashion, picking up the first shutout of his junior career. He wasn’t too busy though, only facing 15 shots for the win.

Andrew Hayes allowed four goals on 36 shots for Cape Breton.

Like the previous three games, Cape Breton hung around in the first period but faltered the rest of the way. The Eagles couldn’t get anything going on the power play and finished the game at 0-for-7. To make things worse - Saint John scored twice shorthanded.

As expected, Saint John completely dominated this series. In four games, the Sea Dogs outscored the 16th seeded Eagles 26-2. Yikes.

The Sea Dogs are now on to bigger and better the things – the quarter finals – where the real post-season challenges will begin.

FIRST PERIOD
Tomas Jurco had the first decent chance of the game as he came down the wing and tried to breakaway. Jurco was able to get a shot off but was stopped easily by Eagles netminder Andrew Hayes. A little later on, Stanislav Galiev sent a backhand on goal through some traffic that hit the side of the net.

Then the boredom hit as both teams skated up-and-down the ice for several minutes, doing nothing in terms of offense.

That thrilling action ended when Jurco centered the puck through the crease and hit the skate of Steven Anthony and stayed out. Soon after, Scott Oke had the best opportunity of the frame as he cranked a wrist shot from long range off the post.

At 14:01, two heavyweights in Alexandre Beauregard and Spencer Metcalfe squared off. Both players got some good punches in. We’ll give the decision to Beauregard who had the better of the shots.

The fight seemed to spark the Eagles a beat as the ever dangerous Dany Potvin was parked at the side of the net down low but sent his shot off the side of the netting.

Stephen MacAulay was called for hooking at the 17-minute mark. Cape Breton had nothing to show for on the man advantage though and the game remained scoreless.

Kevin Gagne headed to the box at 19:23 but the Eagles power play was quickly cancelled out with Logan Shaw heading off at 19:23.

Shots in the first frame were just 4-3 in favour of Saint John.

SECOND PERIOD
Simon Despres had the first chance of the period as he one-handed a shot on goal but it was quickly covered by Hayes. Danick Gauthier and Morgan Ellis than turned the physical play up a bit as the two collided to create a huge open ice collision.

Michael Kirkpatrick had an opportunity down low but was robbed by the pad of Hayes. Then Steven Anthony sent a cross crease pass to Jurco but the puck was tipped and covered by the Cape Breton goaltender.

The Sea Dogs finally opened the scoring at 5:00. Zack Phillips came down the wing and sent a shot on goal that couldn’t be handled by Hayes. A short rebound was picked up by Galiev who sailed a backhand shot top corner to give the Dogs a 1-0 lead.

Nick Parker then had a breakaway for Cape Breton but sent a shot into the pads of Sea Dogs goaltender Mathieu Corbeil.

After failing to score on an earlier power play, the Eagles headed back to the man advantage at 8:22 with Anthony going off. But while shorthanded, Jonathan Huberdeau was sprung on a breakaway and pulled off his trademark move to give Saint John a 2-0 lead.

With the Eagles’ power play over, Jurco appeared to try some between-the-legs shot thing but sent the disc wide. Not long after, Huberdeau was fed in front but was denied by the pad of Hayes.

Nathan Beaulieu was called for cross-checking at 19:10. But the power play quickly ended for Cape Breton as Shaw headed off for hooking eight seconds later.

Corbeil was forced to make a big stop during the four-on-four action, robbing Brad Cuzner in front. Play then came up ice with just seconds left. Despres came in and sent a backhand shot on net that was just kept out. A lenghtly review took place over the play but it was ruled no goal. A big scrum on the same play resulted in a couple roughing calls.

Shots in the middle frame were 19-6 Saint John.

THIRD PERIOD
On a power play early in the third, Potvin had one of his many chances as the puck rolled on him at the side of the net and couldn’t fire a shot into the empty cage.

The Sea Dogs were called for too many men at 1:19. Corbeil made a nice stop during the session as he made a high shoulder save on a point shot. The Eagles had some good power play pressure but could not get anything through.

Saint John went back to the penalty kill at 5:57 with Anthony in the sin bin. But it would be the Sea Dogs striking during the span as Kirkpatrick broke loose on a breakaway and beat Hayes five-hole to make it 3-0 Saint John.

With Anthony’s penalty over, the Dogs struck again at 9:11. Some nice passing work was finished off by Beaulieu who ripped a shot past the blocker of Hayes to make it 4-0 for the visitors.

The goal woke the Dogs up a bit as they had several minutes of solid pressure. Galiev had a great opportunity in the slot but was denied by the shoulder of Hayes.

Potvin was called for interference at 14:58. Anthony had the best chance on the Sea Dogs’ power play but lost the puck as Hayes went down to attempt at a stop.

Shaw had the last good chance of the game back at even strength, splitting the Saint John defense and wiring a wrist shot into the glove of Corbeil.

Shots in the third period were 13-6 Sea Dogs.

NOTES: See Sea Dogs Postscript tomorrow on SN.

NEXT GAME: Game One of the quarter-finals is expected to be Friday, April 8 at Harbour Station. They will likely play the Victoriaville Tigres.

EAGLES ON THE BRINK

SN RECAP
FINAL: Sea Dogs 5, Screaming Eagles 1

SYDNEY, NS – The Saint John Sea Dogs are one win away from advancing to the second round of the 2011 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs.

The Sea Dogs defeated the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 5-1 at Centre 200 on Tuesday night and are now the owners of a commanding 3-0 advantage in the best-of-seven first round playoff series. Game Four, which could be the final game of the season for Cape Breton, is Wednesday night at 7:00 pm in Sydney.

Jonathan Huberdeau, Steven Anthony, Kevin Gagne, Stanislav Galiev, and Tomas Jurco all scored for Saint John in the victory. Michael Kirkpatrick had three assists while Jurco added two helpers to go along with his goal.

It wasn’t the Sea Dogs’ most dominating victory of the series but it was certainly enough for the win. In the three games of this playoff matchup, Saint John has now outscored Cape Breton 22-2. One of the stories was once again the Dogs’ power play. They were given just four opportunities on this night but still went 50% on the man advantage.

It was definitely Cape Breton’s best match of the series so far and had some decent scoring pressure on at times. They were blocking shots and trying to grind the Sea Dogs down with some physical play, but like in the first two matches, it just wasn’t enough to contain Saint John.

Cape Breton fired 22 shots on goal and forced Sea Dogs netminder Jacob DeSerres to make a few good stops. Dany Potvin scored the lone Eagles goal in the loss while goalie Andre Hayes made 28 stops.

FIRST PERIOD
Michael Kirkpatrick had a chance early on with a wraparound attempt but was stopped nicely be Cape Breton goaltender Andrew Hayes. Danick Gauthier was then stopped in a close a few minutes, producing a rebound that Ryan Tesink but he couldn’t hang on as he danced through the blue paint.

Cape Breton then shocked the world by having some sustained pressure. The Eagles had a couple of good chances but couldn't cash in on their best opportunity as Stanislav Galiev picked up a loose puck that goaltender Jacob DeSerres couldn’t hold onto.

Spencer Metcalfe, fresh off a two-game suspension, headed to the box for cross-checking at 7:10. Just four seconds into the power play, Simon Despres let a point shot go that hit an Eagle player and deflected to Jonathan Huberdeau at the side of the goal. Hayes had no chance on the play and Huberdeau had an easy goal to make it 1-0 Saint John.

Mike Thomas then stepped up shortly after the marker, nailing William Carrier in the faceoff circle with a clean open ice hit.

Tomas Jurco then had a good scoring chance as a pass down low found him but was stopped by the Eagles backstop.

Cape Breton tied the match at 14:14. Denis Kindl centered the puck and found Dany Potvin at the other side to tie the affair at 1-1.

But just six seconds later, Jurco came across the line and partially split the defense before wiring a shot on net. Hayes let a big rebound  go and Steven Anthony had an open cage to make it a 2-1 tilt.

Fast forward to 19:12, Kevin Gagne fired a wrist shot that hit something on its way to the net, beating Hayes to give the Dogs a two-goal lead going into intermission.

Shots in the first period were 14-10 Saint John.

SECOND PERIOD
Kirkpatrick was along the boards early in the frame and sent a pass to a streaking Anthony. The Nova Scotian broke in alone but sailed a backhand shot wide of the goal. Shortly after, Nick Parker led a two-on-one charge for the Eagles but was sent it high.

The next several minutes was the equivalent of watching paint dry as the teams skated from one end to the other, occasionally making line changes and chips off the boards.

Things picked back up again as Anthony had another great chance in close but had his backhand shot stopped by Hayes.

The Sea Dogs struck again at 10:04. Galiev picked up the puck in the slot and spun around. He shot the disc glove side on Hayes and got it past the goaltender to give Saint John a 4-1 edge.

At 11:11, Gelinas and Brad Cuzner dropped the gloves in the neutral zone. It was a short bout with Cuzner getting the better of Gelinas. The Sea Dogs’ defenseman jersey came off, earning him a 10-minute misconduct along with his fighting major.

Dany Potvin was then sprung on a breakaway by getting around a Saint John d-man but was denied by DeSerres. The Sea Dogs goaltender kept coming up big as he stopped a couple of Eagles at the side of the crease.

Jean Kristoff Grenier had a wide open cage late in the frame with DeSerres way out in front of crease. Somehow, he missed the yawning the cage. The Eagles then had a power play at 16:36 with Simon Despres in the box but couldn’t generate anything.

Marc-Andre Kaiser was called for roughing at 19:14. On the man advantage, Zack Phillips hit the post on what would prove to be Saint John’s last good chance of the period. At 19:57, a scrum saw Huberdeau pick up a roughing penalty along with Morgan Ellis and Metcalfe for Cape Breton.

Shots in the middle stanza were 9-8 Sea Dogs.

THIRD PERIOD
Saint John started the third period on a five-on-three man advantage. They would make Cape Breton pay for their actions as Phillip centered the puck for Jurco in the crease. After a couple of bats, the Slovakian slid one home to make it 5-1 Sea Dogs.

With the man advantage over, some rough stuff created some four-on-four action for Saint John at 4:17 with Ryan Tesink and Cuzner heading off. Nothing would come of it, however.

The Dogs went back to the power play at 7:03 with Parker in the box but nothing would happen. Soon after the penalty expired, Raman Hrabarenka rocked Nathan Beaulieu with a hard hit by the player benches.

Galiev had a good opportunity later on but was denied in front but Hayes. Metcalfe continued his physical play soon after, dumping captain Mike Thomas with a big hit at the blue line.

Gelinas was called for interference at 14:37. Cape Breton produced some of their best pressure in the game during the span, working the puck around well and not allowing the Dogs to get the puck out for some time. But unfortunately for the home team, none of that pressure resulted in any goals.

At 18:31, a big scrum resulted in Thomas and Blake Millman dropping the gloves in a short tilt. Not many punches were thrown and the fight ended with Thomas making some bizarre WWE inspired flip move on that resulted in Cape Breton tough guy's skates almost chopping off an officials arm.

That would be all she wrote as the Dogs skated to a 5-1 win.

Shots in the final frame were 10-4 in favour of the visitors.

NOTES: See Sea Dogs Postscript tomorrow on SN.

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs and Eagles play Game Four of their opening round series tomorrow at 7:00 pm at Centre 200.

DOGS DOWN EAGLES 7-1

SN RECAP
FINAL: Screaming Eagles 1, Sea Dogs 7

SAINT JOHN – It was only a matter of time before Jonathan Huberdeau found the back of the cage.

Huberdeau had four assists in Saint John’s 10-0 win over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles Friday night, but the Sea Dogs' leading scorer in the regular season couldn't register a goal. On Saturday night, the 17-year old was the one doing the direct damage as he scored three times in the Sea Dogs’ 7-1 win over the Eagles at Harbour Station.

The win puts Saint John up 2-0 in the best-of-seven first round playoff series. The series now hits the road for Games Three and Four on Tuesday and Wednesday at Centre 200. Game Five, if necessary, shifts back to Saint John.

In Game Two, Stanislav Galiev, Michael Kirkpatrick, Steven Anthony, and Simon Despres also scored to go along with Huberdeau’s hat trick. Goaltender Jacob DeSerres was tested more during warm-up than in the game itself, stopping 14-of-15 shots for his second straight playoff victory.

Cape Breton scored their first goal of the series in the second period as Olivier Jodoin finally solved DeSerres. But that would be all the offense they could generate. Andrew Hayes, who started Friday’s game as well, played the full 60 minutes and allowed seven goals on 40 shots.

It wasn’t as dominating as Friday’s game, but the Sea Dogs still played a step above and then some against the Eagles. Cape Breton had a few scattered scoring opportunities, but they were never much of a match for the Dogs.

But on a positive note for Cape Breton, they did play a bit better and didn’t completely collapse in a 20-minute span like they did on Friday

Saint John has now outscored Cape Breton 17-1 in the first two games of the first round series.

With Morgan Ellis in the box, Huberdeau made it 1-0 Saint John just 1:49 into the first period. A cross ice feed hit the leg of a Cape Breton defenseman but the puck still got to Huberdeau who had a wide open cage to open the scoring.

The Sea Dogs wouldn’t strike again until almost 20 minutes later. At 1:40 of the middle frame, Galiev made some spin move to get around an Eagle and make some space. He then wired a wrist shot beat Hayes high blocker side to give Saint John a 2-0 lead.

Huberdeau scored his second of the match on another power play at 9:37. A Nathan Beaulieu point shot was stopped by Hayes but the Sea Dogs sniper was parked in front and banged the disc in to make it 3-0.

After some sweet passes, Kirkpatrick found the score sheet at 10:11 with a snipe job that beat Hayes high glove side to give Saint John a 4-0 advantage.

DeSerres would allow his first goal of the post-season at 13:31. Wes Herrett was stopped but Jodoin backhanded the rebounded past the Sea Dogs netminder to get Cape Breton on the board after 133 minutes and 31 seconds of being held scoreless in the series.

In the third, Beaulieu nearly made it 5-1 as his blast hit the crossbar.

Not long after Beaulieu’s opportunity, a cross ice feed from Zack Phillips found Huberdeau at 5:00 to complete the hat trick. It was one of Phillips' three assists in the game.

Saint John would keep the pressure on after the marker. At 7:39, Alexandre Beauregard dropped the puck back to Tomas Jurco. The Slovakian’s shot missed the mark but floated behind the goal. Jurco then flipped the disc to an open Simon Despres who scored on the strange play to make it a 6-1 game. It was an odd marker as the officials called the goal off, but after some chatting, ruled it a good goal.

The Sea Dogs closed out the scoring at 11:18 of the final frame. Some hard work along the back boards by Scott Oke allowed the puck to come free. Oke then sent the puck in front for a wide open Steven Anthony who sent a low, wide range shot that beat Hayes to make it a 7-1 final.

Saint John went 2-for-5 on the man advantage while Cape Breton went 0-for-6.

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs head to Sydney to face the Screaming Eagles in Game Three on Tuesday at 7:00 pm.

DOGS LOWER BOOM ON EAGLES

SN RECAP
FINAL: Screaming Eagles 0, Sea Dogs 10

SAINT JOHN – It came as no real surprise, but the scene at Harbour Station was alarming nonetheless.

The top-ranked Saint John Sea Dogs threw the hammer down Friday night, dismantling the 16th seeded Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 10-0 in Game One of the opening round of the President’s Cup playoffs. The two teams meet once again tomorrow at Harbour Station for Game Two of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League series.

It was only 1-0 Saint John after one period – but then the second period started. The Sea Dogs scored seven goals in the middle frame and outshot the Eagles 22-3. In the third, the Dogs would add two more to make it a 10-0 final.

Zack Phillips was a beast, scoring four goals in a game for the first time in team history. Stanislav Galiev kept his hot play going by scoring two goals while Eric Gelinas, Tomas Jurco, Mike Thomas, and Ryan Tesink added single markers.

Jonathan Huberdeau and Nathan Beaulieu added four assists in the blowout win.

Goaltender Jacob DeSerres picked up his first QMJHL post-season win in net, making 19 saves for a shutout.

The Eagles had nothing in the tank in terms of offense. Andrew Hayes allowed eight goals on 36 shots through 40 minutes of play. Alexandre Veronneau was beaten twice on 14 shots.

Saint John was an insane 6-for-9 on the power play while Cape Breton was 0-for-6.

This kind of blowout wasn’t unexpected. 78 points separate the two teams in the standings and it looked like 78 points separated the two teams in the standings tonight. It’s hard to believe this was actually a playoff game.

It's always nice to see the Sea Dogs win – but this was brutal. This was only Game One, and could get even uglier.

NOTES: For more on this game see SN Sea Dogs Postscript tomorrow.

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs and Screaming Eagles play Game Two Saturday night at 7:00 pm at Harbour Station.

DOGS BLAST INTO HISTORY BOOKS

SN RECAP
FINAL: Rocket 2, Sea Dogs 7

By Station Nation Staff

SAINT JOHN – A tremendous regular season came to a close Sunday afternoon at Harbour Station as the Saint John Sea Dogs hit the ice to take on the Prince Edward Island Rocket.

Like they had 31 times before, Saint John won their home game, defeating the Rocket 7-2 in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League play. The win gave the Sea Dogs a final home record of 32-0-1-1, making them the first team in QMJHL history to go undefeated in regulation at home.

The records didn’t stop there as the win also gave Saint John 58 on the year, tying them for the most wins in a single season. Two other clubs have equalled the mark with both playing longer schedules.

After a loss to the Rocket on Wednesday night in Charlottetown, the Sea Dogs could no longer break the wins record. But Saint John would get their revenge on Sunday, beating up PEI and finally solving how break down the brick wall that is Evan Mosher.

The Dogs had a pair of goals from Michael Kirkpatrick and Ryan Tesink. Solo markers came courtesy from Stanislav Galiev, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Simon Despres. Goaltender Mathieu Corbeil let out rebounds larger than the Tim Horton’s line-up at times but was good enough to make 29 stops for the win.

It was a pretty solid game from the Sea Dogs who didn’t show any a whole lot of “flatness” with this being the final game of the regular season and played a pretty fast and intense match. None of the big guns were given the day off, either, except for captain Mike Thomas who was recuperating from an injury.

Mosher made some big saves as usual for the Rocket but couldn’t bail his team out this time around. The goaltender made 37 saves in the net in the loss. Adam Polasek and Samuel Morneau scored for PEI.

FIRST PERIOD
1:30 into the game, Pierre Durepos took a high sticking call and gave the Rocket a power play. But the league’s best penalty kill went to work and killed off the penalty rather easily.

With the penalty over, Jonathan Huberdeau tried to chase down a loose puck but just couldn’t grab a hold of it. He managed to get a decent backhand shot off that rolled through the crease, though.

PEI then had a good opportunity following a Saint John turnover. Rocket leading scorer Ben Duffy had the disc and tried the centre it but had his pass blocked by a Sea Dogs stick.

The Sea Dogs went to a man advantage at 6:46. On the ensuing power play at 7:45, Michael Kirkpatrick had the puck at the dot and wired a wrist shot that beat Rocket netminder Evan Mosher five-hole.

PEI had another power play at 9:46 as the Sea Dogs put too many on the ice. But the Rocket couldn’t get anything going again, failing to score or get any decent opportunites.

With the penalty over, Saint John would strike again. At 14:14, Stanislav Galiev had the back along the backboards and walked out in front. He beat Mosher with a wide range low shot to give the Dogs a 2-0 advantage.

After a turnover at the blue line, Ryan Tesink came in and had a clear lane but was stopped by the pad of Mosher. Then the Rocket got some things going as Mathieu Corbeil made a big glove stop on Olivier Croteau following a rebound.

After a Rocket faceoff, Samuel Morneau was at the top of the crease but was denied by Corbeil. On that scrum, Gabriel Bourret headed to the box at 19:26 to give the Rocket a man advantage to open the second period.

Shots in the opening frame were 14-8 Saint John.

SECOND PERIOD
The Rocket started the second period on a power play and they would get on the board. A pass from Andrej Nestrasil went through the blue paint and found Adam Polasek in front who banged one home to make it a 2-1 game at 1:06.

The Sea Dogs started rolling again after that. The puck was in front for Galiev but was stopped by Mosher. Then, Alexandre Beauregard was at the dot but drifted a floater high and wide.

On a power play at 5:16, Saint John made it a 3-1 affair. Zack Phillips threaded a perfect cross crease pass to Huberdeau but was robbed. Mosher couldn’t handle the rebound though as Huberdeau scored to give the Dogs a two-goal lead.

Saint John had a three-on-two moments later. Galiev dropped the puck for Pierre Durepos but was denied by Mosher. PEI then had a good opportunity as Ben Duffy out waited a Saint John defenseman but was stopped by Corbeil.

The Rocket made it a one-goal game again at 10:51. Corbeil made a stop with his blocker bet let a huge rebound, allowing Samuel Morneau to cash in and make it a 3-2 game.

After some PEI pressure, the Sea Dogs started up again. Mosher stopped a point shot but let out a rebound. Beauregard had a yawning cage but was somehow stopped by a diving Rocket netminder.

Morneau then tried to go in on a break, but Durepos dove and made a nice play to chop the puck off his stick. Saint John then had a couple of good chances as Kirkpatrick was left alone in front but was poke checked nicely by Mosher. Then, Aidan Kelly was at the side but was robbed by Mosher once again.

The Dogs finally got on the board again at 18:34. A turnover at the line by the Rocket was picked up by Simon Despres who fed Ryan Tesink. The Saint John snipped a shot it over the shoulder of Mosher to make it a 4-2 game.

Tesink wasn’t done there. At 19:11, Danick Gauthier came out from behind the goal and threw it in front while Tesink was at the side and had an open cage to make it a 5-2 game.

Shots on goal in the second period were 20-11 Sea Dogs.

THIRD PERIOD
Gabriel Bourret was called for interference 43 seconds into the third frame. The Rocket actually had some puck control this time around and Corbeil was forced to make a nice stop in close off Morneau.

Saint John went to a man advantage at 3:58. On the ensuing power play, Tesink was left alone in front and was in the clear to score his hat trick goal but dinged a shot off the bottom of the post. Then shortly after the penalty expired, the puck was sent on net for Jurco and tipped the flying disc just wide.

Saint John gave PEI another power play at 7:53 with Steven Anthony in the sin bin but it was shut down city for the Dogs and kept their three-goal lead intact.

Alex Noel headed off for kneeing at 14:31 to give the Dogs yet another two minutes or less with an extra man on the ice. Tesink had a great chance early on, just firing the puck wide. Soon after that opportunity at 16:10, Kirkpatrick fired a bullet backhand shot past Mosher to give Saint John a commanding 6-2 lead.

The Sea Dogs would not stop there. Just 21 seconds later, Despres was given the puck and sent a backhand shot on goal that was just out of the reach of Moshe,r hitting his tie and dribbling across the line. That made it a 7-2 final.

Shots in the final stanza were 11-10 Saint John.

NOTES: See Sea Dogs Postscript tomorrow on SN.

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs host the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles next Friday at 7:30 pm at Harbour Station is Game One of the first round of the 2011 post-season.

Photo Credit: Marc Henwood/Station Nation