Sea Dogs Win Fifth Straight, 4-3 Over Rocket
Published on October 15, 2008 under Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Saint John Sea Dogs News Release
CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI --- The Saint John Sea Dogs continued their winning ways on Wednesday night, earning a hard-fought 4-3 victory at the expense of the P.E.I. Rocket at the Charlottetown Civic Centre.
Saint John has now won five straight games to improve their 2008-2009 record to 7-6-0-0 and move into third place in the QMJHL's Atlantic Division.
Team Captain Alex Grant registered 1G-2A-3P during his team's mid-week showdown with the Rocket, tallying the 100th point of his career in the second period on a power play goal. Ryan Sparling, Keven Charland, and Matthew Stoddard also scored for the Sea Dogs on Wednesday, while Ben Duffy, Jeremiah Coon-Come, and Simon Olsson replied for the Rocket.
For the third consecutive game, Saint John was perfect on the penalty kill, going five-for-five on the night while also striking twice with the man-advantage as their increasingly dominant special teams play continues to impress.
Robert Mayer picked up his sixth win of the season in net for Saint John after making 20 saves on 23 shots faced. The 19-year old European is now 7-0 all-time versus Prince Edward Island. At the other end of the ice, overage net minder Bobby Nadeau suffered the loss between the pipes for the Rocket after allowing four goals on 40 shots.
The Sea Dogs controlled the play early on Wednesday, registering the night's first four shots on goal as the puck remained at the Rocket's end of the ice for long stretches in the opening half of period number one.
An early odd-man rush for the Sea Dogs saw Chris DiDomenico set up Ryan Sparling for a glorious scoring chance, but the 20-year old winger struck iron on his shot after beating Nadeau cleanly, the puck ringing off of a post on Prince Edward Island's net as the home team was awarded an early break.
In the seventeenth minute of play, the Rocket managed to score in transition, with Simon Olson taking a feed from Chris Doyle and sneaking a shot past Mayer to record his sixth goal of the season.
Mayer then came up with a pair of incredible, physics-defying saves in the final minute of the opening frame, robbing J-P Mathieu from point blank range on a sensational right pad stop prior to blocking the subsequent rebound shot with a lightning-quick left leg.
On the ensuing rush, Ryan Sparling and Yann Sauvé worked a two-on-one to perfection. Sparling finished off the play with a hard, low shot that beat Nadeau glove-side as the first period came to an end with the score tied 1-1.
Saint John went up 2-1 early in the second period, with Keven Charland banging home a loose puck at the end of a lengthy scramble to tally his sixth goal of the year during a power play session for the Sea Dogs.
The Rocket nearly produced the equalizer a moment later, but Mayer came up with another huge save - this time off of a streaking Jordon Southorn - to keep the visitors' one-goal advantage in tact.
Alex Grant then doubled the Sea Dogs' lead, one-timing a Payton Liske pass to the back of P.E.I.'s net to record the 100th point of his career in the form of a man-up tally 3:33 into the second period.
Five minutes later, Jeremiah Coom-Come notched his second goal of 2008-2009, knocking in a rebound produced by a Chris Doyle shot, pulling the Rocket to within one of their opponents in the process. Rookie forward Ben Duffy then took advantage of a turnover in Saint John's zone, ripping a hard shot past Mayer's blocker to tie things up at three apiece on his sixth marker of the season.
An exceptional individual effort by Matthew Stoddard in the hosts' zone then gave Sea Dogs a 4-3 lead late in the second period. The 18-year old winger skated around a Rocket defenseman while showcasing some dynamic stick-handling ability prior to scoring on a well-placed backhand to send Wednesday's match into the second intermission with Saint John leading by one.
Some exciting back-and-forth action took place throughout the third period, with Saint John killing off three consecutive penalties in the frame while applying furious pressure in their opponents' zone during even-strength situations and a pair of early PP opportunities.
Despite several strong chances at either end of the ice, no goals were scored during the closing twenty minutes of play, as the Sea Dogs managed to hold off a late surge by the Rocket to produce a 4-3 victory and move above the .500 mark for the first time in over a month.
Up next for the Sea Dogs is a Friday night tilt with the Acadie-Bathrust Titan at Harbour Station. The puck drops at 7:30pm as Saint John seeks a sixth consecutive win with their Battle of New Brunswick clash-mates standing in the way. Tickets to this intra-provincial matchup can be obtained by calling the Harbour Station Box Office at (506) 657-1234.
Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from October 15, 2008
- Rimouski Sinks the MAINEiacs 3-1 - Lewiston MAINEiacs
- Sea Dogs Win Fifth Straight, 4-3 Over Rocket - Saint John Sea Dogs
- Four QMJHL teams atop CHL Mosaik MasterCard Top 10 Rankings - QMJHL
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