ROUYN-NORANDA, QC --- In an extremely competitive post-season match between two of the very best teams in the league, the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies emerged victorious in Game Two of their best-of-seven semi-final series with the Saint John Sea Dogs on Saturday night, posting a 7-5 win to take a 2-0 lead in the QMJHL Final Four showdown. Furious back-and-forth action proliferated throughout an intense sixty minutes of playoff hockey in western Quebec on Saturday, with both momentum and the score fluctuated greatly during an intense exhibition of athletic drama. After the Huskies scored early in the third period to take a 5-3 lead, the Sea Dogs fought back valiantly to twice pull to within a single goal of their opponents, but the home team was ultimately able to keep Saint John from completing their comeback, scoring an empty net goal with 32 seconds remaining in regulation to defend their home ice advantage in posting a second straight two-goal victory.
Chris DiDomenico, Scott Howes, Ryan Sparling, Pascal Amyot, and Alexandre Picard-Hooper all scored for Saint John in a losing effort, while Hugo Carpentier, Marc-Andre Bourdon, Jeff Desjardins, Pier-Luc Giguere, Tyler Hawes, Michael Dubuc, and Yannick Riendeau all tallied markers for Rouyn-Noranda.
Maxim Gougeon was credited with his tenth straight playoff win in net for the Huskies, stopping 20 of the 25 shots sent his way in the match. Meanwhile, Travis Fullerton (26 saves) suffered the loss between the pipes for the Sea Dogs, falling to 8-4 on the post-season as a result.
For the second straight night Saint John was the first team on the scoreboard at Dave Keon Arena, with Alexandre Picard-Hooper knocking in a rebound produced by an Alexandre Leduc shot to earn his fourth goal of the playoffs 7:25 into the match.
Ryan Sparling doubled his team's lead two-and-a-half minutes later, rifling a wrist shot past Gougeon to register his first marker of the series. Chris DiDomenico and Alex Grant both picked up assists on the successful scoring play, which gave Saint John a 2-0 lead midway through the opening frame.
Rouyn-Noranda then cut Saint John's lead in half with 1:10 remaining in the period, as Marc-Andre Bourdon unloaded a cannon of a slap shot from the point that beat Fullerton high, making the score 2-1 as Game Two reached the twenty minute mark.
Tyler Hawes tied things up at two apiece early in the second period, scoring his third post-season goal in transition with Pier-Luc Giguere drawing the lone helper.
A rocket of a point shot off the stick of Pascal Amyot then gave the Sea Dogs a 3-2 lead at the 3:47 mark of the middle frame. The 18-year old rearguard beat Gougeon high, blocker side with his howitzer, both registering his first career playoff goal and putting Saint John back on top in the contest.
The hosts then responded with tremendous vigour, as back-to-back goals by Jeff Desjardins and Michael Dubuc gave Rouyn-Noranda a 4-3 lead as Saturday night's match entered the second intermission.
Travis Fullerton came up with a big save on a close-range shot by Brett Morrison in the second minute of play in period number three, keeping his team within immediate striking distance of the Huskies in the process.
Yannick Riendeau then shovelled a loose puck to the back of Saint John's net as he was falling to the ice at the end of a lengthy scramble in front of the visitors' zone to put Rouyn-Noranda up 5-3 at the 3:04 mark of regulation's final frame.
With 10:26 remaining in the third, Scott Howes pulled the Sea Dogs back to within one of the Huskies during a four-on-four session, banging in a rebound to tally his league-best 13th goal of the playoffs.
After Pier-Luc Giguere beat Fullerton on a short-side backhand to make the score 6-4 a moment later, Chris DiDomenico scored on the power play to ensure that the closing 8:29 of regulation would be brimming with dramatic tenstion.
The Sea Dogs were unable to produce the equalizer in the late-going however, as some bad bounces and solid defensive play by Rouyn-Noranda combined to thwart Saint John's noble comeback attempt, with an empty net goal by Hugo Carpentier sealing the deal for the Huskies, who are now 10-0 in the 2008 President's Cup Playoffs.
The Sea Dogs and Rouyn-Noranda will now enjoy a two day break from their Final Four series, with Game Three scheduled to take place at Harbour Station on Tuesday, April 22 at 7:00pm. Game Four goes the following night, also in Saint John and also at 7:00pm.
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