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Saint John Sea Dogs

Sea Dogs Tame Wildcats with Quick Goals in Third

January 15, 2014 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Saint John Sea Dogs News Release


MONCTON - Jurij Repe's power play goal eight minutes into the third period stood up as the winner, as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the Moncton Wildcats, 4-3, in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action Wednesday at the Moncton Coliseum.

Noah Zilbert scored twice for Saint John (12-27-1-3), while Will Thompson also found the net to help the Sea Dogs end a three-game losing skid.

Connor Garland registered a hat trick for the Wildcats (23-21-0-2), which lost for the second straight game.

The game started with 4:57 of consecutive play off the opening faceoff. The first whistle came as Repe was assessed a tripping minor penalty.

Moncton scored on the ensuing power play when Garland's shot from the left wing circle beat goalie Antoine Landry.

The Sea Dogs tied the game just 63 seconds later.

An errant Wildcats' pass deflected to a wide-open Zilbert in front of the net, and the Fredericton native easily buried his third goal in as many games.

Just before the halfway point of the period, Moncton's Kyle Haas hit the Sea Dogs' Kelly Bent from behind, leading to a lengthy skirmish. Bent and defenceman Jeremy Doucet were both given game misconducts for their part in the fisticuffs, along with Moncton blueliner Matthew Klebanskyj.

Saint John took the lead with less than ninety seconds remaining in the first.

Nathan Noel fed a pass from the left wing half boards into the slot where Will Thompson rifled a shot off goalie Alex Dubeau's glove and into the net.

The Sea Dogs led 2-1 after one period and outshot the Wildcats 8-3.

Moncton created pressure early in the second period.

Forward Stephen Johnson stole the puck below the goal line in the Saint John zone and fed a pass to Will Smith, but the American winger's attempt at a one-timer turned into a chip shot that Landry caught with his trapper.

The Sea Dogs' goalie had to leave the game with just over nine minutes left in the period after appearing to suffer a lower-body injury. He did not return. Sebastien Auger took over for his first relief appearance of the season.

Garland carried Moncton offensively late in the middle frame.

The Scituate, Massachusetts, native netted his second of the game with under six minutes left, corralling a loose puck at the top of the left circle and slapping a shot past Auger's blocker hand to tie the game 2-2.

He completed his hat trick in the final minute.

Carrying the puck on the left side during a 2-on-1, the 17-year-old winger faked a cross-ice pass and then deked to his backhand, putting the puck up in the top of the net beyond the reach of a sprawled out Auger.

Moncton took a 3-2 lead into the second intermission and outshot Saint John in the second period 15-5.

The Sea Dogs regained momentum in the third period.

Zilbert finished off a nice passing play for his second goal of the game six minutes in, taking a slick pass from Mackenzie Brown from behind the Moncton goal.

Saint John's power play clicked for the winner less than two minutes later.

Oliver Cooper dragged the puck around the Wildcats' net to the right wing side and fed a pass to Repe at the right point. The Slovenian defenceman took one stride toward the middle of the ice and rifled a wrist shot past the blocker of Dubeau and inside the right post to give the Sea Dogs a 4-3 lead.

Saint John's Alexander McQuaid took a double-minor for high-sticking with under four minutes to go in regulation time, meaning the Sea Dogs would be shorthanded for the rest of the game unless the Wildcats scored.

Auger took over from there.

The 19-year-old backstop stoned Moncton's Christophe Lalonde with his left arm on a point-blank chance with two minutes to go.

Dubeau vacated the Wildcats' goal for an extra skater with over a minute left.

Moncton's best chance to tie the game on the ensuing 6-on-4 came with thirty seconds left, when Auger stopped a Garland slap shot from the middle of the point and smothered the rebound.

The Sea Dogs were outshot in the third period 27-8.

Auger got the win and made thirty stops in relief of Landry, including that heavy third period.

Dubeau was tagged with the loss for Moncton. He made 17 saves on the night in front of 4,177 fans in attendance.

Garland's hat trick netted him a first star selection. Zilbert took second star with two goals and Cooper secured the third star with a pair of assists.

Despite the loss, Moncton maintains a 4-3 lead in the Brunswick News Rivalry Cup standings with two games left to play.

The Sea Dogs kick off a five-game home stand Friday, January 17th, at 7:30 p.m. against the Charlottetown Islanders. Tickets are available at the Harbour Station box office, online at tickets.harbourstation.ca, or by calling 657-1234.

Listen LIVE on News 88.9 FM. Watch LIVE on TELUS (via theqmjhl.ca - fee applies).

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Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from January 15, 2014


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