Sea Dogs take down Volts
Published on January 24, 2008 under Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Saint John Sea Dogs News Release
SAINT JOHN, NB --- The Saint John Sea Dogs re-claimed sole possession of first place in the QMJHL East on Thursday night, defeating the Drummondville Voltigeurs by a score of 5-4 at Harbour Station to earn two points and leapfrog the idle Halifax Mooseheads in the standings.
Saint John now has 66 points on the year to Halifax's 65.
The Sea Dogs built a 5-2 lead over the course of the opening 46 minutes of play on Thursday and were able to hold on to victory from there despite surrendering a pair of late tallies to the Voltigeurs.
Scott Howes, Francois Gauthier, Alexandre Leduc, Ryan Sparling, and Michael Kirkpatrick all scored for Saint John in the win while Mike Hoffman, Gabriel Dumont (2), and Remy Lamoureux replied for Drummondville.
Travis Fullerton earned the win in net for the Sea Dogs, stopping 28 of the 32 shots sent his way to improve his 2007-08 record to 18-10. Meanwhile, former Sea Dogs draft pick Nathan Dunnett suffered the loss between the pipes for the Voltigeurs, resultantly falling to 1-3 on the season.
Fullerton was tested early on Thursday, denying Philippe Lefebvre on a breakaway with a huge pad save in the opening minute of play. A moment later, Dunnett came up big for the Voltigeurs, stoning Chris DiDomenico on a backhand shot from point-blank range to keep the score deadlocked at zeroes.
Sea Dogs shooters would hit three posts over the course of the next seven minutes, their bad luck compounding at an alarming rate as they were unable to tally the game's first goal despite applying heavy pressure upon the Voltigeurs.
In the fourteenth minute of play, Alexandre Leduc was robbed of what appeared to be a sure goal at the side of the Drummondville net by Dunnett, who dove across an open cage to block the winger's shot with his outstretched arms as the score remained 0-0 against all odds.
Ryan Sparling finally put the home team on the scoreboard 6:54 into the second period, cutting across the slot during a power play and firing a low shot that beat Dunnett and gave the third-year forward his career-high 19th goal of the season.
A breakaway goal by Gabriel Dumont then tied things up 1-1; the speedy centre raced into Saint John's zone and fired a high shot to the glove side that Fullerton was unable to snag. The wily Sea Dogs net minder was able to deny Mike Hoffman on another Drummondville breakaway chance a moment later, sliding across his goal crease to block the left winger's backhand attempt with tremendous aplomb.
The Voltigeurs then went up 2-1 when Dumont snuck a rebound shot past a sprawling Fullerton to earn his second goal of the game at the 13:51 mark of the middle frame.
Saint John produced the equalizer just 0:45 later however, as a shot by Michael Kirkpatrick managed to bounce and deflect its way to the back of the Drummondville net. Alexandre Picard-Hooper picked up an assist on the successful scoring play, giving the 20-year old centre 300 career QMJHL points.
The home team then took the lead when an Alex Grant point shot was deflected by Alexandre Leduc with 1:15 remaining in the second period, giving the 19-year old 14 goals on the season and giving the Sea Dogs a 3-2 lead as Thursday night's contest reached the forty-minute mark.
At the 4:57 mark of the third period, Saint John went up 4-2 when Scott Howes wired a generous rebound to the back of the Drummondville net from close range to earn his 29th tally of 2007-08. Jeff McNeil assisted on the marker, extending his point streak to a team-best four games.
The Sea Dogs then went up by a field goal at the 5:47 mark of regulation's final frame when Francois Gauthier dove across the Drummondville crease to tap in a loose puck.
Drummondville pulled back to within two with 7:26 remaining in regulation, as Remy Lamoureux beat Fullerton with a well-placed shot to earn his second goal of the year.
Saint John then took a pair of penalties in close proximity to one another to award the Voltigeurs a two-man advantage with five minutes and change remaining in the third period.
The Voltigeurs made the most of their 5-on-3 opportunity, with rookie Mike Hoffman netting a goal almost immediately after the commencement of the double-PP to pull the visitors to within a single tally of the home team's lead.
With 1:48 remaining in regulation, the Sea Dogs were assessed a two-minute bench minor for having too many men on the ice. The Voltigeurs came perilously close to tying the match up during a frantic final one hundred seconds, but the Saint John penalty killing unit was able to hold on to the win by emerging victorious in the late-match special teams showdown.
Up next for the Sea Dogs is a Saturday night contest versus the St. John's Fog Devils at Harbour Station. The action gets underway at 7:00pm as Saint John looks to earn their fifth win of the season at the expense of their expansion brethren.
Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from January 24, 2008
- Sea Dogs take down Volts - Saint John Sea Dogs
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