QMJHL Saint John Sea Dogs

Yann Sauvé and Stanislav Galiev Score for Saint John in Hard-Fought Road Loss

Published on April 24, 2010 under Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Saint John Sea Dogs News Release


VICTORIAVILLE, QC --- On the strength of a heroic 43-save performance from all-star goalie Kevin Poulin, the Victoriaville Tigres staved off elimination on Saturday by earning a hard-fought 4-2 home win over the Saint John Sea Dogs to force a sixth game in the teams' best-of-seven third round playoff series. Saint John low leads this semi-final showdown 3-2, with the action returning to the Port City for Game 6 (Monday night, 7pm).

Philip-Michaël Devos, Tomas Kubalik, Joël Chouinard, and Yannick Dubé all scored for the Tigres in Game 5, with Yann Sauvé and Stanislav Galiev replying for the Sea Dogs. Between the pipes for Saint John, Marco Cousineau suffered just his third loss of the 2010 post-season on Saturday, surrendering three goals on 28 shots faced.

Colorado Avalanche prospect Joël Chouinard scored the first goal of Game 5, blasting a hard point shot to the back of Saint John's net to put home team up 1-0 in the third minute of play. Yannick Dubé then doubled the Tigres' lead at the 6:39 mark of the opening frame, sneaking a low shot past Cousineau from a sharp angle to pick up his first goal of the playoffs.

Cousineau came up with several big saves in the subsequent minutes, keeping his team within striking distance of their opponents by virtue of some stellar work in net for the visitors. Saint John cut Victoriaville's lead in half in the final minute of the first period, with rookie winger Stanislav Galiev jamming a loose puck past a sprawling Poulin to register his eight career post-season marker. Mike Hoffman and Yann Sauvé both drew helpers on the play.

Saint John continued their strong offensive play into the second period, feeding Poulin a steady diet of vulcanized rubber throughout the entirety of the stanza. The New York Islanders prospect was miraculously able to keep the puck out of the net however, maintaining the hosts' precarious one-goal advantage in the process. The Sea Dogs were credited with seventeen of the twenty-six shots on goal recorded during the middle frame, with Will Johnston, Danick Gauthier, and Jonathan Huberdeau all being denied on breakaways as play took place largely at the Tigres' end of the ice for the majority of the period.

The visiting squad from south western New Brunswick finally managed to tie things up at two apiece when Vancouver Canucks prospect Yann Sauvé converted on a penalty shot 47 seconds into period number three, snapping home his third of the playoffs after unorthodoxly bearing down upon Poulin in a deliberately unhurried manner in the shooter-versus-goalie showdown.

Victoriaville retook the lead two minutes and change later when a crease-hovering Philip-Michaël Devos redirected a long-range Emmanuel Boudreau pass/shot across Saint John's goal line to improve his post-season goals total to nine. The Sea Dogs vehemently pursued the equalizer throughout the closing seventeen minutes of regulation, but Poulin was able to thwart Saint John's attack time and time again in delivering his team to victory. Tomas Kubalik added an empty net marker late in the third period to give the home team the decision by a 4-2 final.

Tickets to Game 6 will be available at the Harbour Station Box Office (657-1234) on Sunday from 12-5pm and on Monday from 10am-7pm. Seats may also be purchased online at www.tickets.harbourstation.ca.

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Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from April 24, 2010


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